Tawa Baptist

Joy

Scripture: Isaiah 12

Video Link:  https://youtu.be/KGIJF20p74w

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • The joy of God’s salvation – personal acceptance
  • The joy of God’s presence – public celebration
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Kai ora whanau and good morning everyone.

Today, because it is the third Sunday in Advent, our message focuses on joy. Joy is a positive energy, one which usually gives us a pleasant feeling and inevitably finds expression in our words and actions.

Isaiah chapter 12 has some things to say about joy. In particular joy is the product of God’s salvation and presence. From verse 1, of Isaiah 12, we read…   

In that day you will say: “I will praise you, Lord. Although you were angry with me, your anger has turned away and you have comforted me. 2 Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord himself, is my strength and my defence; he has become my salvation.” 3 With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. 4 In that day you will say: “Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted. 5 Sing to the Lord, for he has done glorious things; let this be known to all the world. 6 Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel among you.”

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

These verses from Isaiah 12 fit neatly into two parts. The prophet quite conveniently introduces each of the two parts with the phrase, In that day you will say, (Isaiah uses this sentence in verse 1 and then repeats it in verse 4). 

This tells us Isaiah is picturing some day in the distant future. Like I said a couple of weeks ago, first the judgement, then the hope. First the demolition of Israel, then the rebuild. First the invasion by Assyria, then the restoration by Yahweh. First the grief, then the joy.

As I see it, verses 1-3 are about the joy of God’s salvation, which calls for personal acceptance.  

While verses 4-6 are about the joy of God’s presence, which calls for public celebration.

The joy of God’s salvation – personal acceptance:

In the ancient world most people could not read or write. Communication was largely by the spoken word, rather than the written word. It was an oral culture.

This meant people had to be good listeners and good at remembering. It also meant if someone wanted to make their message clear they had to repeat key words. Repetition was like highlighting or underlining what you wanted to say.  

When we look at the first three verses of Isaiah 12 we see quite clearly the word salvation repeated three times. We also notice the words comforted, defence and strength, which all describe different aspects of God’s salvation.   

The other thing we notice is the high frequency of singular personal pronouns like I, me and my.

You have comforted me. God is my strength, my defence, my salvation.

To someone in the ancient world, the first half of Isaiah 12 is talking about God’s salvation in a very personal way. You can hardly miss it.

So what is this salvation that Isaiah is at pains to highlight?

Well, salvation denotes an act of deliverance, like when God delivered the Israelites from slavery in Egypt or when Jesus delivered the disciples from a storm on the lake.

God’s salvation is a vehicle. It is that which takes a person from a bad state of being to a good state of being. Salvation, then, is God’s means of transport.

There’s a funny line in the movie, Kung Fu Panda, where Panda finds himself at the bottom of a mountain and he says, ‘My old enemy, stairs’. Salvation for Panda, in that instance, would be an elevator. Something that would transport him to the top of the mountain easily.

Or, if you happen to find yourself in a burning plane, then salvation is a parachute. The parachute transports you safely out of a bad situation.

And of course, there is the famous salvation of Star Trek. Whenever Captain Kirk found himself in trouble on an alien planet he simply said, ‘Beam me up Scotty’, and in seconds he was transported to the safety of his ship.

You may sometimes hear Christians using the word rapture. Perhaps you have had that panicky feeling when you find yourself alone, with no one else around, and you start to wonder, ‘has everyone been raptured and I’ve been left behind’.

The word rapture has two meanings. Rapture means intense joy and it also means transport. Rapture, in a Christian understanding, is the idea that Jesus will one day transport us to where he (and God) are. This is cause for great joy. To be raptured is our salvation, our ‘beam me up Lord’ moment.   

The name Isaiah actually means Yahweh is salvation.[1]God’s salvation, his means of transport from a bad situation to a good situation is multifaceted. God’s ride comes in many different forms.

 As verse 1 (of Isaiah 12) makes plain, the salvation in view is the removal of God’s anger. God had been angry with Israel because of their immoral behaviour. But God’s anger does not last forever. His anger is not divorced from his care. God comes to Israel’s rescue. His salvation will eventually transport the people from a state of wrath to a state of comfort.    

For the Jewish exiles, reading Isaiah’s prophecy in a foreign land, salvation meant being transported out of exile back to Zion, to Jerusalem their homeland.

What does God’s salvation mean for you, personally? What sticky, unpleasant, perhaps painful situation, do you find yourself in? What transport do you need right now?

Do you feel guilty because of something bad you’ve done? Or ashamed because of something good you haven’t done? Then the vehicle of salvation you need is forgiveness and redemption.  

Do you feel hurt or angry because of some injustice or loss you have suffered? Then the vehicle of salvation you need is vindication and restoration.

Do you feel alone in a crowd, misunderstood, a stranger and out of place? Then the vehicle of salvation you need is friendship and intimacy.

Whatever your situation, the Lord knows it and he sees your heart. He understands perfectly the transport you need.

One thing I would say about God’s salvation: we don’t decide what form the transport will take. It might be a Mercedes Benz or it might be a skate board. Either way, our job is to accept God’s vehicle of salvation however he chooses to provide it.    

In verse 2 we read: Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid.

The key to accepting God’s salvation is trust. The trust that is meant here is practical not just theoretical. Trust doesn’t just say, ‘the train exists’. Trust gets on the train and allows the train to transport you. Trust believes that you will reach your destination, even though the train may go through some pretty long and dark tunnels at times.

Trust doesn’t just say, ‘God exists’. Trust holds on to Jesus and walks with him, day by day. Trust accepts the fact that Jesus will bring you home to God, even though you can’t physically see Jesus or always feel his presence. 

Verse 3 gives us a wonderful metaphor: With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.

In the ancient middle east, people didn’t have running water coming out of a tap in their kitchen. They couldn’t jump in the shower to get clean or flush a toilet.

In the ancient world, people had to go to a communal well, a hole in the ground, and draw water out with a bucket. It was time consuming, physically demanding and a bit of a chore. Not really enjoyable. But people still did it because of necessity. You can’t live very long without water.      

Verse 3 says that this mundane, labourious task will be done with joy. You are going to have energy for it. You are going to want to do it. Why? Because you are thirsty and the water of God’s salvation is good, the best you will ever taste. Salvation then is something we are drawn to by our need.

The image of wells of salvation, suggests that salvation is something we imbibe. It is something we take into ourselves. Something that is life giving. Something that sustains us and our transport.

Pilgrims travelling through the wilderness might ride a camel or a donkey or a horse. Or at least they would have an animal to carry all their stuff. At strategic points along the way they would stop at a well to let their animals drink. Sort of like we might stop to fill up our car at a petrol station.

The implication here seems to be that God’s salvation involves a journey.                              

Earlier in the service we read a passage from John 4 (in the New Testament) where Jesus had a conversation with a Samaritan woman at a well.

The Samaritans came about as a consequence of the Assyrian invasion that Isaiah had predicted. The Jews of that area intermarried with the Gentiles and a new race came into being. The Samaritans were sort of half Jew, half Gentile.

Historically Jews and Samaritans hated each other. But Jesus tried to find some common ground. Jesus makes himself vulnerable and asks this Samaritan woman for some water from the well.

The woman doesn’t realise that Jesus is the primary well of God’s salvation. The water Jesus has to offer is the Holy Spirit. For those who believe, Jesus and his Spirit are the means of transport home to God.

Joy is the product of God’s salvation and presence. The joy of God’s salvation calls for personal acceptance, while the joy of God’s presence calls for public celebration.      

The joy of God’s presence – public celebration:

In his book, A Different Drum, Scott Peck tells the story of a monastery that had fallen on hard times. Over the years its ranks had dwindled until there were only five monks left.

In the woods near the monastery was a small hut where the Rabbi, from the local town, would sometimes go for retreat. The Abbot went to visit the Rabbi to see if he had any advice to save the monastery.

“I know how it is”, said the Rabbi. “The spirit has gone out of the people. Very few come to the synagogue anymore. The old Rabbi and the old Abbot sat in silence for a while, feeling the weight of the years, then spoke quietly of deep things.

When the time came for the Abbot to leave, they embraced and he asked the Rabbi, “Have you any advice that might save the monastery?”

The Rabbi answered, “No, I’m sorry. The only thing I can say is that the Messiah is among you.”

When the other monks heard the Rabbi’s words, they wondered what this could mean. “The Messiah is among us, here at the monastery? Do you suppose he meant the Abbot? Of course, he has been the leader for so long. On the other hand, he might have meant Brother Thomas. Thomas is so kind. Certainly he could not have meant Brother Elrod because he is often grumpy. But then again, Brother Elrod is also very wise.”

As they contemplated in this way, the old monks began to treat each other with extraordinary respect, on the off chance one of them might be the Messiah. They also thought about themselves differently.

Every human person carries the dignity of being made in God’s image. And every Christian believer carries the Spirit of the Messiah.    

Because the monastery was on the edge of a beautiful forest, people occasionally came to have a look. They sensed the extraordinary respect and love between the five aging monks. The Spirit of the Messiah was indeed among them, in the way they related with each other.   

Visitors became more frequent and stayed to talk with the monks. There was a real peace in the atmosphere. The brothers’ simple joy, the positive energy people felt just by being with the monks, was contagious. After a while one young man asked if he could join and then another and another. Within a few years the monastery became a thriving order once again.

Verse 6 talks about the joy of God’s presence, where it describes the Holy One of Israel being among you.

Isaiah is looking forward to that time in the future when the Lord God will walk among his people again, like God walked with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Before that could happen though, the people would feel the pain of God’s absence.

In the gospel of John, chapter 1:14, we read how Jesus fulfilled this prophecy of Isaiah. The apostle writes: The Word [that is, Jesus] became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

After Jesus had completed his work on earth he ascended to heaven and sent his Holy Spirit to be present with his church on earth. While we do not see Jesus physically in the present, we have the words of Jesus who said: ‘wherever two or three are gathered in my name, there I am among them’. The Lord also said, ‘By your love for one another will all people know you are my disciples.’

And so, the Messiah is among us now, by his Spirit.

But wait, there’s more. The Christian belief is that one day, when Jesus returns in glory to establish heaven on earth, the Lord will again dwell among us in person. In Revelation 21, the second to last chapter in the Bible, we read…

Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,”for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

Isaiah foresaw a time, at the fulfilment of human history, when God would live with his people. A time of great joy. Not just an inner feeling of personal joy or contentment but a public celebration of communal joy.

Verses 4-5 of Isaiah talk about the public celebration that is called for with the joy of God’s presence on earth…

4 In that day you will say: “Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted. 5 Sing to the Lord, for he has done glorious things; let this be known to all the world.

In that day it won’t be just the thought that the Messiah is among us. We will actually see Jesus face to face.

Conclusion:

That day has not been realised in its fullness yet. Joy is the product of God’s salvation and presence. Isaiah 12 is big picture stuff. It gives a long range, Hubble telescope, view of the future.

In the meantime, what can we do to put ourselves in the path of joy…

We can take one day off in seven, a Sabbath day to rest and to renew our perspective through worship. We can also maintain regular patterns of sleep and not leave it too long between holidays.

We can make good moral decisions, choosing a lifestyle that is in line with our values. We can think about the needs of others and find ways to show kindness, without embarrassing people or leaving them in our debt.

We can carve out time for simple pleasures like losing ourselves in a good book or hanging out with friends or spending time in our garden or going for a walk. Whatever it is that helps you to let go of the pressures and worries of life.   

Probably the most important thing to remember though, is that we cannot expect to feel joyful or happy all the time. It is completely normal to feel sad sometimes or angry or tired.

Some of you may have become Christians under the false expectation that, in order to be a good witness, you must always be up, always smiling, always positive, always playing the glad game. Nothing will empty you of joy quicker than pretending to be something you’re not. If the psalms teach us anything it is to be honest with ourselves and with God.     

My sense is that many people in our community are feeling quite weary at present. I imagine some here don’t feel much like celebrating this Christmas. Joy may seem a long way off. But the truth is, Jesus could return for our rapture at any moment. Things can change very quickly.

Let us pray…

Father God, Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, you are the source of our joy. Thank you for your salvation and your presence among us. Give us eyes to see the transport you provide and hearts to trust you, even in the darkness. Renew our strength and lead us in the path of peace, for your name’s sake we pray. Amen.

Questions for discussion or reflection:

What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?

  • What is your experience of joy?
  • What is God’s salvation? Have you experienced God’s transport from a bad state of being to a good state of being? What happened? How did you feel? How did you accept God’s vehicle of salvation in that situation?
  • Discuss/reflect on the metaphor, wells of salvation. What are the implications for us?
  • How is the presence of the Messiah made real among us today? Can you think of a moment or a relationship in which Jesus has been real for you recently?
  • What can you do (practically) to put yourself in the path of joy? 
  • Take some time this week to bring to mind the things you are thankful for. Do something to celebrate (with others) the things that have gone well.

[1] Refer John Goldingay’s NIBC on Isaiah, page 89.

Tawa Baptist

Peace

Scripture: Isaiah 11:1-9

Video Link: https://youtu.be/-iOYOs5t4dg

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Wise Spirit
  • Righteous Judge
  • Universal Peace
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Kia ora whanau and good morning everyone.

Have you ever noticed how many dystopian movies there are these days? Dystopia is a term used to describe a highly dysfunctional society, in contrast to utopia which refers to an ideal society.

A dystopian film is usually set in the future with a government that is evil or corrupt. As a consequence, the people suffer in a nightmarish society, ruled by violence and fear and injustice.

Examples of the dystopian genre include The Divergent Series, The Hunger Games Trilogy, The Matrix series, Gattaca, The Running Man, Snowpiercer and Escape from New York.

The main function of these dystopian films is to critique our present day society. It’s like these movies are giving a prophetic message of what could happen if we don’t fix the problems we have now.

The Bible also critiques contemporary society but it does so without giving in to despair. The Bible critiques the present day and inspires hope by imagining a good future.       

Today is the second Sunday in Christmas Advent, traditionally associated with peace. Advent is a time of consciously waiting for the peace only Jesus can bring. Jesus is the Prince of Peace. Our message this morning focuses on Isaiah 11:1-9. In this passage the prophet paints a picture of a utopian future, one of universal peace. From verse 1 of Isaiah 11, we read…

A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. 2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him – the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord – 3 and he will delight in the fear of the Lord. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; 4 but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked. 5 Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist. 6 The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearlingtogether; and a little child will lead them. 7 The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. 8 The infant will play near the cobra’s den, and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest. 9 They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

This passage from Isaiah is about the Messiah, God’s anointed King. The Messiah is empowered with a wise Spirit. He is a righteous judge. And, through his wise and just rule, the Messiah will ultimately bring about universal peace.

The Jews of Isaiah’s day were not sure who this ideal king would be, but they could be sure his wisdom and righteousness were a critique of many of Israel’s previous kings who were far from wise or just.

Christians believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ. We believe Jesus will one day usher in universal, lasting peace.

Wise Spirit:

In verse 1 of chapter 11, Isaiah gives us this metaphor for the Messiah:

A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.

Jesse was the father of king David. David’s descendants sat on the throne of Israel for many years. Some of those kings were good but many of them were rotten. God was patient but there is only so much he will tolerate.

Eventually God decided enough was enough and he brought an end to the Davidic monarchy. He cut the descendants of David off from the throne, like cutting down a tree and leaving only the stump.

In chapter 11, Isaiah foresees the day when a new king (a descendant of Jesse and David) will be restored to the throne. This new king will be different to any of the kings that went before. He will bear good fruit, the fruit of righteousness.

Two things we notice about this metaphor. Firstly, the new shoot (or the new Messiah) grows out of something considered long dead. This is a miracle of resurrection.

Secondly, waiting for this new Messiah will require some patience. What God has planned is not going to happen overnight. It will take many years for the new shoot to appear, grow and bear fruit.

In verse 2, Isaiah describes the special power and authority of this new Messiah, saying: 2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him – the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord.

In other words, the Messiah will be empowered with the Spirit of God.

Wisdom, in a Biblical understanding, isn’t so much about head knowledge or being book smart. Wisdom doesn’t necessarily come from having a PhD. Wisdom is more practical than that. Wisdom is about making good moral choices and the way one lives their life day to day.

Understanding suggests being able to join the dots correctly. So, someone with good understanding can see how general principles apply in specific situations. Understanding also suggests an awareness of how people tick.      

Jesus demonstrated wisdom and understanding on numerous occasions, especially when questioned by the religious leaders. One time they asked Jesus, ‘Teacher, is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?’

But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, “…why are you trying to trap me? Show me the coin used for paying the tax… Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription? …Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.”     

Wisdom and understanding you see. Jesus understood the hearts or intentions of his questioners. He also had the wisdom to know how to apply the spirit of God’s law to a specific situation, which wasn’t necessarily detailed in God’s law.

Returning to our passage from Isaiah. The Messiah will also have the Spirit of counsel and of might. Counsel here is about the right kind of strategic advice. Drawing on last week’s message, the Messiah will be a wonderful counsellor (or wonder planner), good at chess. 

Might is associated with power but, in this context, it’s not so much the power of brute force. More the power of thinking smarter and having the will or courage to follow through on your convictions.

Jesus also fits the bill when it comes to counsel and might. Jesus’ counsel, if someone hits you, is to turn the other cheek. Incredibly difficult to do but an excellent strategy for minimising violence.

Not only was Jesus’ teaching on this point smart, Jesus also had the might, or the strength, to turn the other cheek and not respond with violence when he was physically beaten at his trial. 

Knowledge of the Lord, means knowing God through relationship and experience. Knowledge doesn’t just mean knowing facts about God. Knowledge comes from tasting and seeing that the Lord is good. Knowledge of God is the basis of trust in God.

Fear of the Lord has to do with awe and reverence and respect for God. As Proverbs tells us, ‘the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom’.

The Messiah will delight in the fear of the Lord. I quite like Abraham Heschel’s rendering of verse 3: Through the fear of the Lord he [the Messiah] will have supreme sensitivity.

Sensitivity speaks of discernment. When a woman caught in adultery was brought before Jesus, in John 8, the Lord showed supreme sensitivity in his dealing with the angry crowd and the frightened woman.    

Righteous Judge:

In ancient times, if people wanted to settle a serious dispute, they might go to the king for a resolution. King Solomon, who lived many years before Isaiah, was renowned for His wisdom. People brought their disputes before him.

Famously, two women came to Solomon one day. They both lived in the same house and both had infant sons. One of the sons had died, but both women claimed the surviving child was theirs.

Solomon ordered one his soldiers to cut the living boy in two and give half to each woman. One of the women just shrugged her shoulders, she was pretty unmoved by this command. But the other woman begged the king to spare the child’s life and give the baby to her rival.

Solomon had no intention of harming the baby. It was a test to see which of the women was the true mother. Obviously the child belonged to the woman who was prepared to give up her baby to save his life.

In Isaiah 11, verses 3-4, we read…

He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; 4 but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.

These verses are basically saying that the wise Messiah will be a righteous judge. He won’t give preferential treatment to someone just because they happen to be rich and powerful.

There is a famous statue of lady justice holding scales in one hand and a sword in the other. The balanced scales represent fairness and equity. While the sword represents punishment for wrong doing.

The interesting thing is that lady justice is wearing a blind fold. The message with the blindfold is that justice does not take into account a person’s race or religion or wealth or position in society. Whatever your demographic, whatever your background, your case will be decided on the evidence, not on who your parents are or how much money you have.

The inspiration for lady justice comes from passages like Isaiah 11. The Messiah will not judge by outward appearances. He will look deeper, to the heart of the issue, because things are not always as they first appear. 

For example, if a widow steals a loaf of bread to feed her hungry children, then the righteous judge (who is also the king) will acknowledge the law has been broken but also look deeper as to the cause. Why is this woman so poor that she has to steal bread to feed her family?

Is it because her landlord is charging too much rent? Is it because her boss isn’t paying her enough? Or is it because someone has a monopoly on bread making and can charge whatever they want?

If the woman stole bread because the system is broken, then it’s not fair to punish her for something she has no control over. This righteous judge is also the king of the land. His word is law. He controls the system. So he can fix whatever the larger problem (with society) is.   

So that’s the main idea with these verses in Isaiah 11. The Messiah is a righteous judge who looks at the heart of the matter in order to make his kingdom (his society) a fair place for everyone. A place in which widows don’t need to resort to stealing.

But let me develop this idea a bit more, because I don’t want to leave you with the false impression that the rich are evil and the poor are saints. We all know that people are more complex than that. Nor should we think that every act of wrong doing can be blamed on a faulty system. Individuals still have to take some responsibility.

The point we need to keep hold of here is that God’s Messiah does not judge by outward appearances. Sometimes needy people are hidden in plain sight.

Sometimes they are businessmen wearing suits and a thin smile to hide the emptiness they feel inside. Or they may be lampooned politicians who everyone loves to criticise. Or the tired, busy (and somewhat invisible) parent sacrificing their own needs and wants for their family.

No one liked Zacchaeus the tax collector. They all thought he was a corrupt businessman who got rich by robbing decent hard working folks. But that was more of a prejudice. They did not see his loneliness or feel his hurt at the comments people made at his expense.  

Jesus did not judge Zacchaeus by what he saw or heard people say. Jesus looked deeper, beneath the outward appearance, and saw a generosity and faithfulness in Zacchaeus that was just waiting to be released. Jesus honoured Zacchaeus and the whole community was blessed, particularly the poor.  

You know sometimes we judge ourselves by outward appearances. Maybe we look in the mirror and we don’t like what we see. We wish we were a different shape, with better skin or better hair or a bit taller. All superficial things, most of which we have little or no control over.

Or perhaps we get to our middle years and look back at our life, wondering what have I accomplished? What difference have I made in the world? What if I had climbed a different ladder?

In 1946, Frank Capra directed a movie called It’s a wonderful life.  It’s a Christmas movie, although probably not that well known in New Zealand today.

The main character, George Bailey (played by Jimmy Stewart) is a kind man who always puts others first, at his own expense. He is a regular middle class guy, a businessman, who helps people with their finances.

His generosity to others puts him in a vulnerable position. He reaches a low point in his life and his nemesis, Mr Potter, rubs salt in the wound. Potter tells George that he is worth more dead than alive, and George believes him.

George is ready to throw in the towel but then a guardian angel comes along and shows George the good news about himself. Clarence, the angel, shows George the positive difference his hard work and kindness has made in the lives of others.

Maybe you can identify with George. Maybe you do your best to help but still end up feeling like it’s not enough somehow. That your life and efforts have fallen short of the mark. Don’t judge yourself or your efforts. You don’t know how God will use your life for good. What we do know is that God does not waste anything done in love.

Having a Messiah who is a righteous judge, saves us from judging ourselves.

Or, to put it more strongly, you have no right to judge yourself. You are not qualified. You can’t see deep enough or far enough, like Jesus can. You will either think too much of yourself (like Mr Potter) or too little (like George).

Returning to Isaiah 11. The poetry in verses 4 & 5 is vivid. It points to a Messiah (a king) with divine power.

He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked. 5 Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist.

The King, Isaiah has in mind, can slay the wicked with his words. That’s how wise and powerful he is.

Accountants get a bit of a hard time. I know this because I used to be one. But actually accountants have quite a bit of power to do good. You would be surprised by how helpful accounting is in pastoral ministry.

Many of us tend to like movies where the hero takes out the bad guy with a fist or a gun. The movie sets us up to hate the villain with a sense of righteous indignation. Then it satisfies our desire to see revenge.

In real life, it doesn’t necessarily play out that way. In the 1930’s it wasn’t Batman or Wonder Woman or Dirty Harry or Bruce Willis who dealt a blow to the mafia. It was actually the work of an accountant, Frank J. Wilson, who finally brought Al Capone to justice.

The Messiah pictured in Isaiah 11 doesn’t carry a gun or a sword. He doesn’t need to swing his fists. He is more like an accountant, who uses his head. The Messiah’s weapons are righteousness, faithfulness and words of truth. Possibly also a calculator (although Isaiah doesn’t mention the calculator in these verses).   

Universal Peace:

God’s promised King, foreseen by Isaiah, has a wise spirit, he is a righteous judge who ushers in universal peace.  In verses 6-8 we read of a utopian future…

6 The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearlingtogether; and a little child will lead them. 7 The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. 8 The infant will play near the cobra’s den, and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest.

In this metaphor we have the hunters and the hunted; the weak and the strong; the deadly and the vulnerable; the cunning and the innocent. Each of these pairs of opposites is living together in peace, safely and without fear. When everyone knows the fear of the Lord they feel secure and are not afraid of their neighbours. 

John Goldingay sums up the meaning well when he says: ‘Harmony in the animal world is a metaphor for harmony in the human world. The strong and powerful live together with the weak and powerless because the weak and powerless can believe that the strong and powerful are no longer seeking to devour them.’ [1]

Verses 6-8 are a metaphor about how the world will be when the fruit of the Messiah’s reign is realised in its fullness. It is life as it will be when Jesus returns in glory. This is paradise on earth, at the dawn of a new age.

For this utopian future to be realised, the hearts and minds of the whole world need to be transformed by experiential knowledge of the Lord. Verse 9 reads…

9 They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.

This is telling us something that is hard to believe – that the peace will be universal. The peace is not limited to a particular holy place. The peace fills the whole earth, like the waters cover the sea. Think about that for a moment. The waters of the sea of peace are deep, inexhaustible and full of life. 

In that day preachers, like me, will be out of a job. We won’t need to explain the Scriptures to you because the reality to which the Scriptures point (that is, Jesus the Messiah) will be real in people’s lived experience.

Conclusion:

Sadly, this is not life as we experience it now. This utopian vision of universal peace is a critique of the present world in which weak and vulnerable people are often taken advantage of by ruthless and greedy individuals. This world is still a dangerous place. So don’t go putting your hand in a snake’s nest.

Although universal peace is not a reality for us yet, personal peace with God is possible now through faith in Jesus. Jesus’ death on the cross and his resurrection from the dead opens the door to friendship with God.

Grace and peace be yours in abundance.

Questions for discussion or reflection:

What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?

  • Do you have a favourite dystopian film? What is it and why do you like it? What critique might this film be making about our society today?
  • What does Isaiah’s metaphor of a shoot growing out of a dead stump reveal about God’s promised Messiah?
  • What does Isaiah have in mind when he talks about the Spirit of wisdom, counsel, understanding, might and fear of the Lord? Can you think of examples from the gospels where Jesus demonstrates this Spirit of wisdom?
  • Do you judge yourself? Where does this lead? Why is it important to leave judgement (of ourselves and others) to Jesus? 
  • Discuss / reflect on the metaphor of the animals in verses 6-8. What is Isaiah saying with this word picture? Can you imagine a world like that?

[1] Refer John Goldingay’s commentary on Isaiah, page 85.

Tawa Baptist

Psalm 84

Scripture: Psalm 84

Video Link: https://youtu.be/T0b7x_uOo7Q

Key Point: God is our home

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

A question for you. Who came up with this quote?

“One road leads home and a thousand roads lead into the wilderness”  

[Wait] Apparently it was C.S. Lewis, from his book The Pilgrim’s Regress.

Today’s message is based on Psalm 84. Psalm 84 is about the road that leads home to God. From verse 1 we read…  

1 How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord Almighty! 2 My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. 3 Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young— a place near your altar, Lord Almighty, my King and my God. 4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you. 5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage. 6 As they pass through the Valley of Baka, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools. 7 They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion. 8 Hear my prayer, Lord God Almighty; listen to me, God of Jacob. 9 Look on our shield,O God; look with favour on your anointed one. 10 Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked. 11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favour and honour; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless. 12 Lord Almighty, blessed is the one who trusts in you.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

God is referred to more than 20 times in the 12 verses of this psalm and references to God’s dwelling crop up about 10 times. The main idea seems to be: God is our home.

A home is different from a house. A house is a building but a home is a place of belonging and connection, a place of sanctuary and refuge, a place of comfort where we can let down our defences and be ourselves.  

Home, in the best sense of that word, meets the needs of our soul. When we are away from home we ache for it.

God is our home:

During the 19th Century, Elizabeth Browning wrote this poem…

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of being and ideal grace.
I love thee to the level of every day’s
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for right.
I love thee purely, as they turn from praise.
I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood’s faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints. I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life; and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.

Elizabeth Browning wrote this sonnet for her husband Robert Browning. It is about her love for him, a love which is multifaceted and which she hopes will transcend death. Their love is not just physical, it is spiritual.

Elizabeth Browning’s poem is an expression of deep, heartfelt feeling. It is unrestrained and unashamed, her heart on the page. Robert is her home.

As well as being a poet, Elizabeth Browning was also a campaigner against slavery and human trafficking. She was an advocate for those who had lost their home through injustice.

Elizabeth Browning’s poem parallels the feeling of the poet in Psalm 84. Psalm 84 reads like a love poem, only the author isn’t writing for their husband or wife. They are writing for God and in particular his presence symbolised in the Jerusalem temple.

From verse 1 we read: 1 How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord Almighty! 2 My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.  

When the psalmist describes God’s dwelling place as ‘lovely’, he doesn’t just mean how nice or pleasant. The sense is more like, ‘How dear to me is your dwelling place. I love it so much’.

But it’s not primarily God’s house that the psalmist holds dear. It is the one whose presence is found in the house; it is God himself that the psalmist longs for. My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. In other words, my whole being aches for you God. You are my home.

Or as Elizabeth Browning would say: How do I love you [Lord]? Let me count the ways. I love you to the depth and breadth and height my soul can reach.

Verse 3 provides an image full of warmth where it says: 3 Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young— a place near your altar, Lord Almighty, my King and my God.

If even sparrows and swallows can make a home in God’s temple, then how much more does the psalmist belong. The psalmist knows God is his home.   

Sparrows and swallows normally mate for life. They are loyal to their mate. Perhaps the psalmist is intimating that he worships only one God and he is loyal to the Lord his God for life.

Sparrows don’t generally leave home. They tend to stay in the same place pretty much all their lives, if they can. In contrast, swallows tend to travel long distances in migration. The image of the sparrows and the swallows suggests that both those who have never left home and those who have wandered far and wide can find a home with God.

As verses 4 & 5 say: Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you. 5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.

These verses might be saying, whether you stay at home with God, like the sparrow, or whether you travel a long way to draw near to God, like the swallow, you are blessed. 

Some people grow up in a Christian family. They go to church all their life and never stray far from the Lord or his people. They are blessed, they are fortunate. Others don’t start life knowing about God or going to church. They may learn about God’s love and become followers of Jesus later in life. They may have further to travel but they too are blessed.

And then there are those who, for whatever reason, spend time in the wilderness, when God seems a long way away. Maybe the wilderness wanderings are of their own making, like the prodigal son in Jesus’ parable. Or maybe the wilderness years are not their choice, like a forced exile. Either way, there is strength and blessing for those whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.

My great-grandfather served with the New Zealand expeditionary forces in Egypt, Turkey and England during the First World War. He was overseas for around four years during which time he kept a diary of his experience. Nothing too deep, more of a record of what he did each day.

In those times, over 100 years ago now, troops were transported by ship, rather than plane. Each day, on the boat ride home, Albert had only one entry; the number of miles the ship had travelled that day. Albert’s heart was set on home. He’d had enough of war and couldn’t wait to get back to New Zealand.

This is what it is like for those in Psalm 84 whose hearts are set on pilgrimage. They can’t wait to get back home to the Jerusalem temple, the special place of God’s presence.

You may recall, the heart in ancient Hebrew thought refers to a person’s inner life, their mind basically. And a pilgrimage is a special road trip or journey to draw near to God. Ancient Jews tended to make literal pilgrimages to Jerusalem for the various religious festivals, like Passover and Pentecost.

Going a little deeper though, to have one’s heart set on pilgrimage is to have a mind-set or an orientation directed toward God. Or to say it another way, to set your heart on pilgrimage means to have a highway in your mind to God.

So, for example, when something goes wrong the first thing we think to do is pray and ask God to lead us in accordance with his will. And when something goes well, the first thing we think to do is thank God for his grace. And when we have some spare time, our preference is to spend that time enjoying God, looking for signs of his presence, like divine finger prints on the day.          

Verses 6 & 7 describe what it is like for those whose hearts are set on pilgrimage: 6 As they pass through the Valley of Baka, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools.

My grandfather was a well driller. He did all sorts of drilling but his main work was putting down water bores for farmers and whoever else wanted one.

Drilling water wells is something life giving for people and stock. Once a well is put in place it is fairly permanent. You can’t really take the water well with you when you leave the farm. A water well is a lasting legacy. 

The Valley of Baka (in verse 6) is thought to be a dry and arid place. The road back home to God’s presence is not easy in places. Drawing close to God through pilgrimage may feel tiring and dry and inhospitable at times. But those who believe that God is their home make what would otherwise by a dry journey a place of springs.

For Jewish pilgrims of old this may have meant digging physical wells in dry places. For the followers of Jesus (Christian pilgrims) this equates to being a blessing to God’s world. As we journey through this world we are to dig wells, or leave a life giving legacy, for those who follow after us.   

Jesus’ life and teaching (recorded in the gospels) is the deepest well, with the purest water. But there are other wells we can draw from too.

Perhaps the point of application for us is: how might we dig wells in dry places as we journey through life? We do this by sharing the gifts God has given us.

Elizabeth Browning’s poetry is a well for those who take the time to dip into it. C.S. Lewis’ writing is a well for those who read his books with thoughtfulness. The people who paid for and built this church auditorium have left us a well to gather around for worship. The musicians who wrote the songs we sing in church have left wells for us to be refreshed by as we sing their songs.

When you dig deep in giving your time and love to someone else, particularly a child or a young person, you are digging wells of refreshment which they can draw from long after you have gone. Our Deacons do quite a bit of spade work too, in the form of careful decision making to help our congregation both in the present and the future.

What gift has God given you to share? What kind of well (or legacy) can you leave for those who come after you?       

Verse 7 says of these pilgrims: They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion.

You know when you are on a long hike through the bush or up a mountain, there comes a point when you feel a bit weary. Then, as the end gets closer, you find a second wind. The hope of reaching your goal spurs you on with new strength and a vigour you did not know you had.

Zion is another word for the city of God. Ancient Jews probably thought of the earthly Jerusalem as Zion, God’s holy city. For Christians though, Zion refers to the heavenly Jerusalem. To appear before God in Zion is a way of talking about returning home to God.

We belong with God. God is our home, our sanctuary, our refuge, the one with whom we can be ourselves.   

In verses 8 & 9 the psalmist offers a prayer to God, saying: Look on our shield,O God; look with favour on your anointed one.

The phrase anointed one refers to the king of Israel, the leader of God’s people. The king is also referred to as our shield. In ancient times it was the king’s job to protect the nation, and that’s why he is called a shield. The psalmist is asking God’s favour or grace for the king because when the king is supported by God the whole nation prospers.

In Greek ‘anointed one’ translates as Christ and in Hebrew as Messiah.

For Christians, Jesus is the Christ or the Messiah, God’s anointed one. Jesus is our king and our shield. We look to Jesus for leadership and protection.

What we find though is that Jesus does not necessarily protect us from military or political threat. Rather, Jesus protects us from the power of sin and death, bringing us home to eternal life with God.

Verse 10 reads: Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.

Psalm 84, was written by the Sons of Korah. The Sons of Korah were Levites, part of the tribe of Levi (nothing to do with denim jeans by the way).

In ancient Israel, God appointed the Levites to serve in his temple. The Levites were not authorised to make sacrifices like the priests. Instead they did things like, being on door duty and singing in the choir.

The Sons of Korah were most likely descended from the same Korah who led a rebellion against Moses in the wilderness. Korah was killed for his disobedience when the ground opened up and swallowed him whole, in Numbers 16. But some of his descendants survived and were appointed by David to lead the temple music. [1] It is a lovely story of redemption.

I imagine the descendants of Korah felt some shame because of what their great, great granddaddy did. But God did not hold it against them. The Lord bestows favour and honour.

Some listening to this may carry a sense of shame because of what someone else in their family has done. Let me say to you, God does not hold the actions of your parents or your grandparents against you. We cannot deny the past but we are free to follow a different path from our forebears.

Verse 11 says: For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favour and honour; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.

To say that God is a sun means that God is the source of all that is life-giving and good. And to say that God is a shield means that God is in fact our King, our protector, our security.

Being blameless, in Hebrew thought, means to be whole or wholehearted. Not two faced but having integrity, so that what you say is one with what you do. Not behaving one way at church on a Sunday and then a different way at home or at school or at work the rest of the week.    

Being blameless then is not about being perfect and never making a mistake. Being blameless is about being the real deal, the genuine article. Not being phoney, not being a chameleon.

In the Marvel (movie) universe, Thor was blameless (in the sense of being wholehearted), while Loki was two faced. And in Jane Austin’s Pride & Prejudice, Mr Darcy was wholehearted, while Mr Wickham was not.   

The Sons of Korah are not faking it. They are wholehearted in their musical worship and in the walk (or rhythms) of their daily lives.

Verse 11, where it talks about God not withholding any good thing, reminds me of Jesus’ words in Matthew 7 where the Lord says…

7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 9 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

This is in keeping with the idea that God is our home. Jesus wants us to understand that God is a loving Father who knows how to give good things to His children. It does not necessarily follow that we will always get what we want though.

The 19th Century German artist, Caspar Friedrich has a painting called, “Wanderer above the sea fog”. It shows a man standing on a rocky outcrop overlooking a rugged landscape shrouded in fog. The wanderer cannot see a clear path ahead but he looks quite relaxed. One gets the sense he will find his way home through the fog.

The band U2 have a song called Walk On. It is about home and exile, among other things. Bono has a line in the song where he sings: Home, hard to know what it is if you’ve never had one.

That line resonates. Our collective sense of home has been severely eroded. In the developed world homes are ripped apart by domestic violence, separation and divorce. Hundreds of thousands of kids grow up without any sense of security or any idea of what a functional home life looks like.    

And in other parts of the world people are forced to flee their homes because of war or famine. Literally millions of people are displaced through no fault of their own. Hundreds of thousands of kids grow up in refugee camps.

Home, hard to know what it is if you’ve never had one.    

I’m not sure what you feel when you hear me say, ‘God is our home’. Maybe you feel confused because you’ve never really experienced anything approximating a real home. Or maybe you feel angry because you had a home once but then it was taken from you.

Or maybe you feel hopeful because you are looking forward to that day when you will finally be at home with God, in Zion. 

In another part of that same song by U2, Bono sings a line pregnant with hope: We’re packing a suit case for a place none of us has been. It’s a place that has to be believed, to be seen.   

Our eternal home (with God) is a place that has to be believed to be seen. We can’t really imagine it yet. The best we can do is trust God.

Psalm 84 finishes with another beatitude: Lord Almighty, blessed is the one who trusts in you.

Trust is more difficult for some than others. If you have been let down or betrayed by those close to you, or had your home ripped out from under your feet, then you may find it hard to trust. Trust is a gift from God.

Most of you are here this morning (or listening to this on-line) because you do trust God, or at least you want to trust him, even if it is a struggle at times.

I believe trusting God is worth the risk. We all have things that go wrong in our life and reasons not to trust. But a lot of things go well also, or at least are not as bad as they might have been.

Conclusion:

The journey home to God requires us to make a choice every day to trust God. We have to believe that God will guide us through the fog. Trust is the foundation on which our home is built.

The good news is that we do not make the journey alone. Jesus gives us his Spirit to guide and help. In John 14, the night before his crucifixion and death, Jesus said to his disciples…

“Do not be worried and upset. Believe in God and believe also in me. There are many rooms in my Father’s house, and I am going to prepare a place for you.”

Let us pray…

Father God, you are our home. Help us to trust you regardless of the changing circumstances of our lives. Be our sun and our shield. Guide us and protect us. When the way home is dry, give us strength to dig deep and leave wells for those who follow in our steps. Make us a blessing to others and bring us into your presence with honour and joy. Through Jesus we pray. Amen. 

Questions for discussion or reflection:

What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?

  • What is the difference between a home and a house? What was your home life like growing up?
  • What might the psalmist be wanting to convey by using the image of sparrows and swallows? Which bird to do you identify with more, the sparrow or the swallow? Why?
  • What does it mean to have your heart set on pilgrimage?
  • What gift has God given you to share with others? What ‘well’ can you leave as a life-giving legacy to those who come after you?
  • How do you feel when you hear the phrase, ‘God is our home’? Why do you feel this way? What did Jesus have to say about home? 
  •  Take some time to look at and reflect on Caspar Friedrich’s painting “Wanderer above the sea fog”. Alternatively, listen to the song “Walk On” by U2. Do either of these pieces of art resonate with your experience? How? 

[1] Derek Kidner, 49-50

Tawa Baptist

Psalm 27

Scripture: Psalm 27

Video Link: https://youtu.be/B5kaW-5Epto

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Confidence in the Lord (1-3)
  • Sanctuary in worship (4-6)
  • Seeking God’s face (7-12)
  • Conclusion – Hope for this life (13-14)

Introduction:

Kia ora whanau and good morning everyone.

Some things in life we can control but most things we can’t. We cannot control things like when we are born, the choices other people make, the weather, the traffic, the past, the future, earthquakes, who you fall in love with, and cats. (Definitely can’t control cats.)

But we can usually control our self. Things like our mind-set, what we eat, who we hang out with, how we spend our time and how we treat others.

Alongside this sits our values. Not everything in life is of equal importance to us. Basic needs like oxygen, clean drinking water, food shelter, faith and family are generally more important than things like TV or the cricket score or what other people think of us.

There is an overlap between what is important and what we can control. Given that we have limited resources; it makes good sense to focus our time and energy on the intersection of those things which we can control and those things which matter.

For example, having an income is important, up to a certain point, because money is useful for providing your basic needs. But your overall health and well-being is more important than having loads of money. So we have to find a work life balance that allows us to provide for ourselves and our family without destroying our health or our relationships.    

Today our message focuses on Psalm 27. In this psalm David is faced with many things he can’t control. Mainly, what others are saying about him and the way they are treating him.

David wisely uses his energy to focus on the intersection of those things which are important and which he can control. The thing that matters most to David is his relationship with God. And, although David can’t control God, he can control himself. So that’s what he focuses on, the way he relates with God.

From verse 1 of Psalm 27 we read…

1 The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid? 2 When the wicked advance against me to devourme, it is my enemies and my foes who will stumble and fall. 3 Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then I will be confident. 4 One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple. 5 For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent and set me high upon a rock. 6 Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me; at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the Lord. 7 Hear my voice when I call, Lord; be merciful to me and answer me. 8 My heart says of you, “Seek his face!” Your face, Lord, I will seek. 9 Do not hide your face from me, do not turn your servant away in anger; you have been my helper. Do not reject me or forsake me, God my Saviour. 10 Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me. 11 Teach me your way, Lord; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors. 12 Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, spouting malicious accusations. 13 I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. 14 Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

Psalm 27 shows us David’s focus; the intersection of what matters to David and what he can control. Psalm 27 gives us a picture of how David handles himself in his relationship with God.

There are four parts to Psalm 27:

Confidence in the Lord,

Sanctuary in worship,

Seeking God’s face,

And hope for this life.

First let us consider David’s confidence in the Lord.

Confidence in the Lord:

If you magnify a dust mite it looks quite terrifying. But when you look at a dust mite in perspective your fear dissolves. In reality a dust mite is about the same size as a single grain of salt, very small.

Sometimes our problems can feel bigger than they actually are. The more we think about them, the more anxious and overwhelmed we become. If that happens a change of perspective can help. 

In verses 1-3 David shows us how he handles fear and the threat of violence, by focusing on the Lord. Focusing on God gives David a better perspective on his problems. Next to God, David’s enemies are small, like a grain of salt or like dust mites. Verse 1 reads…  

1 The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?

In saying the Lord is my light David probably means God is the source of all goodness. Light dispels darkness and fear. Life flourishes and thrives in the light. Light gives true knowledge and perspective on our situation. Light enables us to see the way we should go. The Lord is David’s light and salvation.

Salvation refers here to David’s physical safety. David is confident that God will intervene to save his life. To say the Lord is the stronghold of David’s life means that God is David’s protection and security.

In verse 3 David says: Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then I will be confident.

As king of Israel David had some pretty big threats to deal with. He had lots of enemies who literally wanted to kill him. David’s psalms are peppered with complaints about his enemies. David does not ignore or deny the difficult reality of being king. Rather he keeps things in perspective by choosing to focus on the Lord and his heart is not afraid.

As I keep saying, the heart in ancient Hebrew thought refers to a person’s inner life. Our mind, emotions and will. Our decision making faculties basically. David’s heart (or mind) is confident of God’s help and protection.  

So how do we do this? How do we focus on the Lord?

Sanctuary in worship:

Well, David seeks sanctuary in worshipping God. Verse 4 reads:One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple.

Then in verse 5: For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling;

And in verse 6 David goes on to say: at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the Lord.

‘House of the Lord’, ‘dwelling’ and ‘sacred tent’ are a reference to the special place where God was worshipped. Where the ark of the covenant was kept and God’s holy presence resided.

God’s temple hadn’t been built yet. That didn’t happen until David’s son Solomon came to the throne. But the point here is that David wants to be close to God’s presence. There is sanctuary in worshipping God, in giving our whole focus to the Lord.

I am reminded here of Jesus’ words in Matthew 5: Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.

To be pure in heart is to will one thing. The one thing David asks for. The only thing he seeks is God’s presence. David probably wrote this psalm when he was on the run, either from Saul or Absalom. Hiding in a cave and away from Jerusalem, David longed to go to church and worship God.

You know the first couple of weeks in lockdown aren’t too bad. On-line church is a change but the novelty soon wears off and I find myself itching to get back to regular gathered worship. It’s not the same singing songs in your lounge at home.

Religious rituals, like Sunday church worship, support our faith and our life. They give us a fresh perspective. They take our minds off ourselves and redirect our focus onto God. Without regular Godly worship the dust mites in our lives start to look like scary monsters.  

I’m reading a book on art history at the moment by Terry Glasbey. The book includes a chapter on Gian Lorenzo Bernini, arguably the greatest sculptor of all time.

Bernini was a devout Christian. He went to church every day. As an artist he had a gift for entering into the emotions of others and conveying moments of spiritual experience.

One of his famous altar pieces, in the Corona chapel in Rome, depicts a moment of spiritual ecstasy for St Teresa of Avila. St Teresa was a Spanish nun. In order to avoid an arranged marriage Teresa entered the convent at the age of 19. At first life was difficult for Teresa. She didn’t enjoy convent life much. But eventually she got the hang of it.

One day, while in worship, praying and singing a hymn, Teresa experienced an overwhelming sense of God’s love flowing through her whole being. God’s presence was so real and tangible that she felt consumed by his love and exalted into a state of ecstasy. These mystical experiences happened a numbered of times for her.

In her journal Teresa describes one vision in which an angel repeatedly pierced her heart with a spear. In Teresa’s words: “The pain was so severe that it made me utter several moans. The sweetness caused by this intense pain is so extreme that one cannot possibly wish it to cease, nor is one’s soul then content with anything but God”.         

It might seem strange to us that Teresa described God’s intimate presence as an intense pain but it makes sense. God is love and intense love feels like pain.

Teresa, like David, longed for God’s presence and wanted nothing more than intimacy with God. God meets us in surprising ways. There is sanctuary in worship. But it’s not the same for everyone.

Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.

Seeking God’s face:

In verses 7-12 of Psalm 27, David’s tone changes as he lifts an intense, heartfelt prayer to God: 7 Hear my voice when I call, Lord; be merciful to me and answer me. 8 My heart says of you, “Seek his face!” Your face, Lord, I will seek.

Verse 8 is fascinating. David’s heart (or more accurately) his mind tells him to seek the Lord’s face. We have many voices inside us don’t we. They are not audible voices, they are silent, like thoughts with feelings attached.

There is the voice of our conscience, guiding us. The voice of the critic, scolding us. The voice of pride puffing us up, the voice of temptation misleading us, the voice of fear holding us back, the voice of some desire buried deep in the unconscious and the voice of wisdom.

Each of these voices sound similar at first and so it can be confusing discerning which is which. Sometimes we might think God is speaking to us when in fact it is actually some latent desire wanting an audience. We have to test the voices against God’s word in Scripture and by talking with wise and trusted friends.       

David hears a voice within himself. My heart says, ‘seek his face’. Perhaps that is the voice of wisdom. Or perhaps it is the voice of David’s inner most desire. What does it mean then to seek God’s face?

Seeking God’s face is a way of describing prayer. You see, Christian prayer is different from pagan prayer. In pagan prayer the worshipper is trying to control God, trying to leverage him into doing something with many words and sacrifices and other grand gestures.

But with Christian prayer we are not trying to control God, we are seeking to commune with him. Yes, we do ask God for certain things when we pray. Jesus said, ‘Ask and you shall receive’. But the asking Jesus had in mind here is for those things that are in line with God’s will and purpose.

So we are not trying to bend God to our will. Rather we are seeking to align ourselves with God’s will. This means being honest with God about what we want but at the same time being willing to relinquish what we want in order that God’s will be done.

Jesus sought the face of God in the Garden of Gethsemane, the night before he died. Jesus said, ‘Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will but yours be done.’ He prayed that three times. Once he had reconciled himself to God’s will, in prayer, he was able to face the cross.

When you are apart from someone you love, you seek their face. You just want to be there in person with them, up close and personal, because there is no substitute for presence. That’s why, when we are in love, our thoughts are peopled by the person we love. We can’t stop thinking about them.  

To seek God’s face is to desire to be close to God, to enjoy his presence and commune with him in an intimate way. In seeking God’s face we are valuing the giver, more than his gifts. Teresa of Avila sought God’s face in prayer and praise, and God touched her heart.

David gives us another clue about what it means to seek God’s face in verses 9 & 10 where he says: Do not hide your face from me, do not turn your servant away in anger; you have been my helper. Do not reject me or forsake me, God my Saviour. Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me.

The face reflects a person’s feelings: happiness, disappointment, sadness, anger, guilt, triumph, love. A face that smiles in acceptance and approval is a thing of true beauty. But the face that turns away in an expression of rejection and disappointment is a source of great pain.

In verses 9 & 10 David is seeking assurance that the Lord accepts him. On the one hand David does not take God’s acceptance for granted, for he prays that God will not reject him. But at the same time David is confident that God will accept him. Verse 10 is not saying that David’s parents have rejected him. The point is, God’s love for David is even greater the love of a father and mother.

At this point I am reminded of another famous artist, Rembrandt, who painted The Return of the Prodigal Son. After wasting his father’s inheritance on wild parties and a reckless lifestyle, the younger son (in Jesus’ parable) came to his senses and returned home, seeking his father’s face.

Rembrandt captures the moment when the repentant son is received by his father. The main focus of the painting is the expression on the father’s face, reflecting love and tenderness and warmth. To seek God’s face is to return to God and feel his acceptance and embrace.

To seek God’s face is to want to please God and to know that God is pleased with you. And so another facet of seeking God’s face is asking for his guidance. In verse 11 David says: Teach me your way, Lord; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors.

In other words, show me God how you want me to handle the situation I find myself in. I cannot control my enemies. I can only control myself.

Lead me in a straight path means, make it plain to me Lord what the right thing is to do. I want to come out of this with a clear conscience. I want to be able to sleep at night. I don’t want to imitate the behaviour of my enemies.

Lead me in a straight path probably also means remove the obstacles from my path. Don’t let me trip up or fall over the edge. When we are going through a difficult trial we don’t have the same resources to cope. Our fuse is a bit shorter. So if something doesn’t go right we don’t have the energy to respond with our usual grace. When we are fatigued we need the path to be relatively smooth and straight forward.  

God did indeed lead David in a straight path. When it was in David’s power to kill king Saul (who was hunting him) David did the right thing and saved Saul’s life.       

Seeking God’s face also means asking God for protection and for justice. In verse 12 David says to the Lord:  12 Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, spouting malicious accusations.

Ancient Israel did not have the same legal system that we do today. The courts had no lawyers to prosecute or defend and no judge (in the modern sense) to ensure fair procedures.

The witness played a dominant role in bringing accusations and evidence. The testimony of a witness put one’s status in the community in question. Two false witnesses left the innocent with no recourse but to appeal to God and seek sanctuary at the shrine. [1]

David was being falsely accused by men who wanted to kill him. In seeking God’s face David was going to the highest court of appeal there is. He was asking God for justice.  

David uses his energy to focus on the intersection of those things which are important and which he can control. The thing that matters most to David is his relationship with God. And so David seeks God’s face.

Conclusion – Hope for this life:

Psalm 27 finishes with David addressing us, his listeners, saying: I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord.

To ‘wait for the Lord’ means to actively put your hope in him. To trust that God will provide a better future, despite the difficult present.

Waiting is hard, especially when you have to wait without knowing. With no end in sight you are blind, you have nothing to hold on to. At the beginning of a crisis you are carried by your adrenalin. But adrenalin wears off after a day or two and fatigue sets in. You have to keep things simple and do less in order to conserve your energy for what matters.

David had no idea how long his exile in the wilderness was going to last. Would it be two more days, two more weeks, too more years. There was no telling. And what shape would he be in when it was all finally over. These things take their toll. David kept it simple, he didn’t overthink it. David told himself it would end well.

Since the resurrection of Jesus, Christians have comforted themselves with the hope of heaven after we die. The suffering (or exile) of this life is relatively short by comparison with eternity. But David is more optimistic than that.

David has hope for this life too. He believes he will see God’s goodness (his justice and mercy) ‘in the land of the living’. David believes God will vindicate him and restore him before he dies.

As it turned out David’s hope was not in vain. He did see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. David was restored and lived to see God subdue his enemies.

Let us pray…

God, grant me serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
courage to change the things I can,
and wisdom to know the difference.

Amen.    

Oh Lord, you’re beautiful. Your face is all I seek. For when your eyes are on this child, your grace abounds to me. 

Questions for discussion or reflection:

What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?

  • What matters most to you? What things are within your power to control? What do you need to focus on? What do you need to leave with God?
  • Why is David so confident when his circumstances are so dire? How might we live in this sort of confidence?   
  • When (or where) do you feel closest to God? How do you feel when God is close to you?
  • What does it mean to seek God’s face? (Discuss / reflect on the different aspects of seeking God’s face.) How might we do this?
  • Can you recall a time in your life when you had to wait without knowing? How did you feel? What was helpful for you in that experience? What was the outcome? What strength (or wisdom) can you draw from that experience? 
  • Make some time this week to seek the Lord’s face.

[1] Refer James Mays commentary on the Psalms, page 131.

Tawa Baptist

Psalm 34

Scripture: Psalm 34

Video Link: https://youtu.be/_dk_5R3ViuI

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Worship for the weak
  • Wisdom for well-being
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Kia ora whanau and good morning everyone.

Those of you who have done a basic first aid course will recognise this acrostic:

DRSABC (or Doctors ABC). D reminds us to check for Danger. R tells us to seek a response from the person who is injured. S stands for Shout in order to get help. A is for clearing the Airway. B means helping the patient with their Breathing, should they need it. And C stands for Circulation. If there is no pulse, then start CPR or better still get hold of a defibrillator.

Today our message focuses on Psalm 34. This song of David is an acrostic poem. Each verse begins with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. So the first letter starts with the Hebrew equivalent of A, the second verse with Bet, then Gimel and so on. But the acrostic is lost in translation for English speakers.

Psalm 34 is a song (or rather a whole alphabet) of thanksgiving to God, based in David’s experience. From verse 1 we read…

1 I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. 2 My soul will boast in the Lord; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. 3 Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together. 4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. 5 Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. 6 This poor man called, and the Lord heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles. 7 The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them. 8 Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. 9 Fear the Lord, you his holy people, for those who fear him lack nothing. 10 The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing. 11 Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. 12 Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, 13 keep your tongue from evil and your lips from telling lies. 14 Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. 15 The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their cry; 16 but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to blot out their name from the earth. 17 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. 18 The Lord is close to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. 19 The righteous person may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all; 20 he protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken. 21 Evil will slay the wicked; the foes of the righteous will be condemned. 22 The Lord will rescue his servants; no one who takes refuge in him will be condemned.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

Broadly speaking there are two main parts to Psalm 34, worship and wisdom. Charles Spurgeon, the great Baptist preacher, said: “The first ten verses are a hymn, and the last twelve a sermon.” First the singing, then the sermon.

David’s worship of God is based in his personal experience of God saving him. Likewise, the wisdom David shares is also born out of his experience. First let us consider David’s worship.

Worship for the weak:

In verse 1 David says, I will extol the Lord at all times. Extol means to praise highly or enthusiastically. Extol is praise on steroids. It is part of a cluster of words like glorify and exalt which are associated with worshipping God in community with others. David’s worship is both personal and public.

David’s worship is mindful of others. He is thinking about the less fortunate, for he says: let the afflicted hear and rejoice. This is not a psalm for those who have it altogether. This is a psalm for those who are weak and in a vulnerable position.

They say, evangelism is one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread. David has found bread (in the form of God’s help) and he is letting others know about it.

From verse 4 David speaks, from his own experience, of God’s deliverance. David says, I sought the Lord, and he answered me; …he saved this poor man out of all his troubles. To seek the Lord and look to him means to pray, to ask God for help.

So what was it that the Lord delivered David from? According to the title of Psalm 34, David wrote this song when on the run from king Saul. From 1st Samuel 21, verse 10 we read…

10 That day David fled from Saul and went to Achish king of Gath. 11 But the servants of Achish said to him, “Isn’t this David, the king of the land? Isn’t he the one they sing about in their dances: “‘Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands’?” 12 David took these words to heart and was very much afraid of Achish king of Gath. 13 So he pretended to be insane in their presence; and while he was in their hands he acted like a madman, making marks on the doors of the gate and letting saliva run down his beard. 14 Achish said to his servants, “Look at the man! He is insane! Why bring him to me? 15 Am I so short of madmen that you have to bring this fellow here to carry on like this in front of me? Must this man come into my house?” 22 David left Gath and escaped to the cave of Adullam. When his brothers and his father’s household heard about it, they went down to him there.

Clearly David was in a desperate situation, one which called for desperate measures. For fear of king Saul, David tried to find refuge with his enemies in Gath. But he didn’t feel safe there either so he pretended to be insane to save himself.

The thing I find interesting here is that David prayed and kept his powder dry. He relied both on God and on his own cunning. Wise as a serpent, and as innocent as a dove.

It is similar with us. When we find ourselves in dire straits we do everything in our power to help ourselves and we pray, trusting God with the things we can’t control.

For example, if you are sick you pray for healing and you go to the doctor. Or, if you want to stop the spread of a contagious disease, you pray to God and you get immunised. We rely on God and science, because we know that God gave us the science but, at the same time, science is not always enough by itself. 

In verse 4 we read that God delivered David from all his fears. Fear and anxiety is a normal part of life for human beings. Fear is a bit like pain. It feels unpleasant but it serves an important purpose. Fear is part of our built in warning system; it is designed to protect us.

The problem is if we let our fears get out of control, if we don’t learn to calm our fears, they disable us. David managed his fears by using his street smarts and by praying.

If you have been blindsided by circumstance on a semi regular basis. If you have had the rug pulled out from under your feet, at random times and through no fault of your own, then you will be well acquainted with anxious fear.

As some of you know one of our daughters was seriously ill in hospital recently. She is recovering now but for a while we were under constant siege from our fears. One thing that helped me to manage my fear was this simple prayer: 

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy.

I lost count of the number of times I prayed that prayer. It is a refuge for me. It is simple, which is what you need when you are stressed, and it puts fear into perspective by magnifying the Lord and his mercy.

With this prayer we are not telling God what to do. We are not trying to micro manage God. Nor are we making any claim to our own righteousness. This prayer leaves the door open. It lets God be God. What form the Lord’s mercy may take is up to God.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy is a prayer for emergencies. I’m not sure it is the best long term solution. At some point we all have to pour out our heart before God but when you can’t afford the luxury of doing that, asking Jesus for mercy gets you through.

In verses 7-10, of Psalm 34, David describes the refuge he finds in God. He says, ‘The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.’

The angel of the Lord is a mysterious figure in the Old Testament. We are never quite sure who this angel is. Some see the angel as one of God’s elite heavenly soldiers (sort of like a Navy Seal or SAS type angel). Others wonder if it is the Lord Jesus himself.

The point is, the angel of the Lord protects those who fear the Lord. The kind of fear that is meant here is not terror or anxiety, it leans more towards reverence and respect. To fear the Lord is to care more about what God thinks than what anyone else thinks. To fear the Lord is to listen to God and obey him.    

Verse 8 is quite famous: Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.

To taste the Lord means to experience his goodness, his faithfulness and his love. If you have never eaten chocolate cake before, then it doesn’t matter how much someone tells you about the ingredients, you can’t know how good it tastes until you actually put it in your mouth. So it is with God. We can’t know how good God is until we taste his grace.

The sixth Century Christian monk, St Columba (of Iona fame), died while copying out the psalms. These were the last words he wrote: …lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

The idea here is that even the lion, the apex predator, the greatest and most self-sufficient of animals, may sometimes go hungry; but the weak and afflicted, who depend on God, lack nothing. In God’s kingdom it is not survival of the fittest. Faithful dependence on the Lord is the currency of God’s economy.

As you heard earlier, the first part of Psalm 34 is worship, while the second half is wisdom; what David has learned from his experience.

Wisdom for well-being:

From verse 11 David starts his sermon: Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days. What follows is David’s wisdom for well-being.

The first piece of wisdom here is about living a morally sound life, both in word and deed. Be honest and do good.

Peace (in the sense of abundant life) doesn’t just happen by itself. Peace requires effort. Peace is something we seek and pursue. Do the mahi, get the treats. It is not enough to simply avoid evil. We must actively look for ways to promote the well-being of others. Justice and mercy are the prerequisites to peace.

In verses 15-17 we read that God is attentive and responsive to the cry of the righteous but he is against those who do evil. The word cry is repeated.

Human beings may cry out for a variety of reasons. We may cry out in anger at some injustice. Or we might cry out in pain or grief at some hurt or loss. We might also cry out in fear when we get a sudden fright or, conversely, we might cry out in joy when something good happens.

A cry might contain words which make sense, but more often a cry is inarticulate and spontaneous. Either way, God notices the cry of the righteous, like a parent notices the cry of their child. It is impossible to ignore.

What David is getting at here, is there is wisdom in crying out to God. Crying out to God is essentially the heart of prayer. You see, God isn’t just listening to the words we say in prayer. He is also listening to the feeling (or pathos) behind those words.

This means that when we have no words, when we are holding on by a thread, God gets our meaning. God hears and he understands perfectly.    

Verse 16, which talks about the Lord being against those who do evil, may grate with our sensibilities. We might not like the idea that God is for some people and against others. Perhaps we suspect we are not righteous.

I believe God is for the well-being of everyone. But promoting the well-being of everyone requires God to be against evil, because evil undermines everyone’s well-being.

Verses 21 & 22 help to shed light on the goodness of God. Verse 21 indicates it is not God who slays the wicked, rather it is evil which slays the wicked.

Or to put it another way, the wicked eventually become victims of their own injustice. The wicked condemn themselves by their own actions. Like someone sawing off the branch they are sitting on.

Verse 22 assures us that, ‘No one who takes refuge in him will be condemned’. To take refuge in God means (among other things) to repent and do good, to throw ourselves on his mercy. When we do that God is quick to forgive.

The Lord will rescue his servants and the foes of the righteous will be condemned. Knowing that God is just and that there is an ultimate reckoning, is a tremendous comfort to God’s people. It gives us strength to endure. There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

And so we come to one of the most comforting verses in Scripture: The Lord is close to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

To be broken hearted and crushed in spirit are probably two ways of saying the same thing. The broken hearted feel incredibly sad and the crushed in spirit feel heavy with defeat. Their hope is smashed and their vitality (or energy) is gone.

The heart in Hebrew thought is a way of describing a person’s inner life, our mind, our emotions and our will; our decision making faculties basically. To be broken hearted is to feel undone on the inside and to lose all desire.

Spirit has to do with relationship. A person’s spirit is their capacity to relate or connect in meaningful ways with others. Your spirit is sort of like the wifi of your soul. When you are crushed in spirit, your inner wifi is broken and you just don’t have it in you to truly connect.

Having a broken heart goes hand in hand with being crushed in spirit. Are you broken hearted? It hurts doesn’t it. Are you crushed in spirit? It feels heavy doesn’t it. The good news is, God is close to you, to comfort and restore.

To the broken hearted Jesus says: Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted. And to the crushed in spirit Jesus says: Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

In verse 19 of Psalm 34 David writes: The righteous person may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all;

One time we were invited to a 60th birthday party and there were photos on display. The older photos, taken when this person was younger, were in black & white, while the more recent photos were in colour. In all the black & white photos this person had long hair. But in the colour photos they were bald.

Having a good sense of humour they joked that this proved that colour photography causes hair loss. It doesn’t of course. That’s not a very scientific deduction. Correlation does not prove causation.

David will not accept any simplistic formulas which say that all suffering is due to sin. Just because bad things happen to you, it does not necessarily follow that you are being punished. Correlation does not prove causation. David knew from his own experience that bad things sometimes happen to good people. But David was also confident that God delivers the righteous in the end.  

As Jesus said: Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Conclusion:

Verse 20, where it says, he protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken, reminds us of Jesus on the cross. In the gospel of John chapter 19 we read what happened after Jesus died…

Because the Jewish leaders did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down. 32 The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. 33 But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. 

34 Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water…  36 These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken,”

Suffering is part of the fabric of this life. We can’t avoid it. Sometimes we get what we deserve, but more often we don’t. Jesus was a truly righteous man, more righteous than anyone who has ever lived, and yet he suffered a great deal. When we suffer for doing what is right we stand in solidarity with Jesus.

Let us pray…

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us. Amen.

Questions for discussion or reflection:

What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?

  • Who did David have in mind when he wrote Psalm 34? Have you ever been in a similar situation?
  • How did David manage his fears? How do you manage your fears?
  • What does it mean to taste and see that the Lord is good? How would you describe your experience of God’s goodness?
  • Discuss / reflect on the various gems of wisdom David shares in verses 11-22 of Psalm 34. How might we apply David’s advice in our own lives today?
  • What does it mean to be broken-hearted and crushed in spirit? What difference does it make knowing God is close when we are broken-hearted and crushed in spirit?
  • Reflect on / discuss the connections you see with Jesus in Psalm 34.
Tawa Baptist

Refuge

Scripture: Psalm 31

Video Link: https://youtu.be/SWSD7lHAypQ

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Lament (9-13)
  • Refuge (1-6) & (14-18)
  • Celebration (7-8) & (19-24)
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Kai ora whanau and good morning everyone.

During lockdown one of the families from our church wrote some riddles on the footpath outside their home to spread a bit of light and laughter. Here’s one of their riddles: Q: Why are frogs always happy? A: They eat whatever bugs them.

I like what this family did. To me it was an act of loving their neighbour; putting a smile on people’s faces during a stressful time.  

Today our message is based on Psalm 31, written by king David. Psalm 31 is a bit intense in places, so we need to remember to smile from time to time along the way. From verse 1 of Psalm 31 we read…

1 In you, Lord, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame; deliver me in your righteousness. 2 Turn your ear to me, come quickly to my rescue; be my rock of refuge, a strong fortress to save me. 3 Since you are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of your name lead and guide me. 4 Keep me free from the trap that is set for me, for you are my refuge. 5 Into your hands I commit my spirit; deliver me, Lord, my faithful God. 6 I hate those who cling to worthless idols; as for me, I trust in the Lord. 7 I will be glad and rejoice in your love, for you saw my affliction and knew the anguish of my soul. 8 You have not given me into the hands of the enemy but have set my feet in a spacious place. 9 Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am in distress; my eyes grow weak with sorrow, my soul and body with grief. 10 My life is consumed by anguish and my years by groaning; my strength fails because of my affliction, and my bones grow weak. 11 Because of all my enemies, I am the utter contempt of my neighbours and an object of dread to my closest friends—those who see me on the street flee from me. 12 I am forgotten as though I were dead; I have become like broken pottery. 13 For I hear many whispering, “Terror on every side!” They conspire against me and plot to take my life. 14 But I trust in you, Lord; I say, “You are my God.” 15 My times are in your hands; deliver me from the hands of my enemies, from those who pursue me. 16 Let your face shine on your servant; save me in your unfailing love. 17 Let me not be put to shame, Lord, for I have cried out to you; but let the wicked be put to shame and be silent in the realm of the dead. 18 Let their lying lips be silenced, for with pride and contempt they speak arrogantly against the righteous. 19 How abundant are the good things that you have stored up for those who fear you, that you bestow in the sight of all, on those who take refuge in you. 20 In the shelter of your presence you hide them from all human intrigues; you keep them safe in your dwelling from accusing tongues. 21 Praise be to the Lord, for he showed me the wonders of his love when I was beset like a city under siege. 22 In my alarm I said, “I am cut off from your sight!” Yet you heard my cry for mercy when I called to you for help. 23 Love the Lord, all his faithful people! The Lord preserves those who are true to him, but the proud he pays back in full. 24 Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

Have you noticed how some movies are non-linear? They don’t start at the beginning and move through in chronological order. Instead the plot line jumps around, backwards and forwards.

The 2017 film Dunkirk is an example of a non-linear story line. It is hard to follow at first, because the scenes are not in chronological sequence. But ultimately that makes the story more interesting. Like a mosaic (formed of broken pieces) we see how everything fits together in the end. The messed up order reflects the chaos the British soldiers went through at Dunkirk.  

Psalm 31 is non-linear. It doesn’t unfold in chronological order. One moment it is dark and intense and the next moment it sounds notes of joy and celebration. This non-linear approach reflects the chaos that David went through.

To give some clarity, I see three threads running through Psalm 31. Lament, refuge and celebration. Psalm 31 takes these fragments of lament, refuge and celebration and arranges them in a non-linear fashion. This curation speaks to our experience, how the circumstances of our lives seldom unfold in a neat and ordered way.  

Lament:

What do these songs all share in common?

I don’t want to talk about it

Candle in the wind

I don’t like Mondays

Sunday bloody Sunday

By the rivers of Babylon                              [Wait]

They are all songs of lament.

Here’s another riddle for you…

Q: What did the grape do when it was stepped on? A: It let out a little wine. 

A lament is a passionate expression of grief or sorrow. It comes from the Latin word for weeping and wailing and moaning. Lament is what the grape did when it was stepped on.

Lament is the opposite of denial. Lament is about facing and naming the truth of what we are feeling. Lament is like lancing a psychological boil so the infection can drain out. The purpose of lament is emotional cleansing. Verses 9-13 of Psalm 31, at the centre of the psalm, form the core of David’s lament.

9 Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am in distress; my eyes grow weak with sorrow, my soul and body with grief. 10 My life is consumed by anguish and my years by groaning; my strength fails because of my affliction, and my bones grow weak.

David tells God how he is feeling using words like distress, sorrow, grief, anguish, groaning, affliction and weakness. His whole self, body & soul, is affected.

What do these people have in common? (and this is not a joke by the way.)

Winston Churchill, William Cowper, Abraham Lincoln, Vincent Van Gogh and John Kirwan. [Wait] That’s right, they all lived with depression.

David’s lament, in verses 9-13 of Psalm 31, appears to be describing the experience of depression. We may tend to think of David as bullet proof. He was a brave war hero and one of Israel’s greatest leaders. And yet it is obvious, from many of the psalms he wrote, that his soul was often downcast and in turmoil.

Depression can be thought of in a variety of ways. Firstly, we might think of depression as a loss of energy and motivation. David talks about his strength failing and his bones growing weak.

When the battery on my laptop is running low the machine switches to ‘power saver mode’ to conserve energy. Depression is sort of like a power saver mode for our soul, when our emotional and mental battery is running low. Depression is telling us something about ourselves.

But that analogy is inadequate really. We are not machines. Unlike a laptop, which feels nothing, we human beings do feel the loss of energy. Depression comes with unpleasant feelings. Sometimes the dull ache of sadness and other times a more intense emotional pain, similar to being burned or cut.

Fear, anxiety and terror may also accompany depression. The fear attached to depression usually has to do with not being in control. Depression is that horrifying sensation that you are falling slowly into a dark, bottomless pit.

Depression has all the hallmarks of an internal hell. Unrelenting pain, threat of violence, fear, loss of freedom and enjoyment, loneliness, alienation from God and people, misplaced shame and guilt, together with feelings of condemnation and despair.  

In verses 11-13 we see something of the hell David finds himself in where he says…

11 Because of all my enemies, I am the utter contempt of my neighbours and an object of dread to my closest friends—those who see me on the street flee from me. 12 I am forgotten as though I were dead; I have become like broken pottery. 13 For I hear many whispering, “Terror on every side!” They conspire against me and plot to take my life.

From this we learn that David’s enemies have been bad mouthing him. They have been telling lies about him with the consequence that David feels prejudged, misunderstood, alienated and alone.

In today’s terms, it would be like suffering at the hands of social media trolls and cyber bullies. If they had the internet back then, people would have been posting really bad things about David on Facebook and Instagram so that David thinks even his closest friends have bought into the rumours and lies about him. 

Depression usually involves a loss of perspective. We may think we are seeing clearly but we are not. Depression hijacks our imagination, so that we begin to think the worst all the time.

Our mind plays tricks and we imagine people are having a crack at us when they’re not. Or we think no one cares about us and that the world would be better off without us, when in fact we are loved and appreciated and needed far more than we realise. David’s enemies are real but the idea that his friends and neighbours want nothing to do with him is probably false.   

For all the reasons mentioned above, depression has a corrosive effect on our sense of hope. Hope is the ability to imagine a good future. If you can’t imagine a good future, you will soon lose your joy, your energy and your motivation.

Despite the corrosive effect of depression, hope can be restored. Hope is like your liver. It grows back. Even if they cut out half your liver it will heal itself. The key to giving hope the chance to grow back is managing your thought life. Stopping yourself from going down the track of thinking the worst all the time.

The law of gravity says that, ‘whatever goes up must come down’. It is the opposite with the human soul. The law of the human spirit says that, ‘whatever goes down must come up’. Taking care of your soul is a bit like taking care of your garden. Think about carrots. They have to grow down before they can come up.

Those who sow in tears will reap with joy. Or, as Jesus said, Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted.  

In JK Rowling’s Harry Potter stories, the villain is referred to by most as ‘he who shall not be named’. But Harry, the hero of the story, has no qualms in naming his enemy and freely calls him ‘Voldemort’. Harry does this because when we can name our fears, they lose much of their power over us. 

As I said before, lament is about naming the truth of what we are feeling and finding a healthy way to express our pain. When we can name our anguish we become less afraid of it and we are empowered. Naming our demons gives us a feeling of having some control in our own lives and that helps to restore hope.   

David was quite open and transparent about his mental health. We may not have the gift of putting our feelings into words, like David did, but that’s okay. David’s words can give voice to our feelings.

If we find ourselves in the crucible of depression, we can read Psalm 31 (and others like it– e.g. Psalms 39 & 88) as our own lament and know we are not alone. We are in good company.  

David has a number of weapons in his arsenal against depression. We’ve heard about lament. Now let’s consider refuge. 

Refuge:

If you are in a storm, the best thing to do is to find shelter. Get out of the wind and rain and find a safe, warm refuge. But what do we do when the storm is raging inside us? Well, we seek refuge for our mind. Seeking refuge is about looking after ourselves. 

Depression, at its worst, tends to be a 24-7 thing. Chronic depression doesn’t take a day off. We can’t be lamenting our troubles all the time, it’s too exhausting. At some point we need to come up for air and find some respite, some shelter from the storm.

One of my favourite poems is by James Norcliffe. It goes like this…

I’ve no idea whether

my uncle is a spiritual man

I only know that life

has battered him

as a fish is battered

and fried him

as a fish is fried

and rubbed salt

into all his wounds

but that when I say

how’s the world

not bad he’ll say not bad

and could be worse

just said with his mouth

looking elsewhere

papering himself

around with a warmth

that could steam windows 

(You know the way the windows in your car steam up on a winter’s night when you are bringing fish & chips home for dinner.)

I love that last line, papering himself around with a warmth that could steam windows. It speaks to me of someone who has suffered a great deal and found refuge on the inside. He has found a way to insulate himself from the storm.

In verses 1-6 of Psalm 31 David seeks refuge in his mind by praying to God.

Prayer is about communicating with God. Talking to him and listening to him.

Going a bit deeper though, prayer is about creating a refuge or a sanctuary for ourselves in God. When we pray, out a desire to be close to God, we paper ourselves around with a warmth that could steam windows.

From verse 1 David writes…

1 In you, Lord, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame; deliver me in your righteousness. 2 Turn your ear to me, come quickly to my rescue; be my rock of refuge, a strong fortress to save me. 3 Since you are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of your name lead and guide me. 4 Keep me free from the trap that is set for me, for you are my refuge.

Rock, refuge, fortress, these are all terms which express sanctuary or security.

There’s a James Bond film called Quantum of Solace. When Daniel Craig was asked what does ‘Quantum of Solace’ mean he replied, a quantum is a tiny amount (the size of an atom) and solace is another word for comfort. So a quantum of solace means small comfort.

The movie is basically about revenge; getting even with your enemies. The point is: there is little comfort in seeking revenge.

David does not seek refuge in the thought of taking revenge against his enemies. He does not take matters into his own hands because, as a soldier, he knows there is little comfort in violence. Best to leave vengeance to God.

Q: Why can’t you trust atoms?

A: They make up everything. 

From verse 15 we read…

…deliver me from the hands of my enemies, from those who pursue me…

17 Let me not be put to shame, Lord, for I have cried out to you; but let the wicked be put to shame… 18 Let their lying lips be silenced, for with pride and contempt they speak arrogantly against the righteous.

Clearly, David does not feel able to trust the people around him because they make up everything (they lie), but David does trust God. David takes refuge in the righteousness and justice of God. David finds hope in the knowledge that God will not tolerate evil indefinitely. David looks to God to put things right.

Jesus used David’s words, in verse 5 of Psalm 31, on the cross. This was the last thing Jesus said before he died: Father, into your hands I commit my spirit. It is an expression of trust. Jesus was subjected to injustice but he trusted himself to the righteousness of God.

Like David, Jesus was a man of sorrows, well acquainted with grief. One aspect of Jesus’ suffering included being forced to wear a crown of thorns on his head. Anyone who has suffered sustained mental torment will appreciate the significance of that.    

Not everyone experiences major depression, but everyone suffers eventually, one way or another. What is it you take refuge in? How do you find shelter from the storm?

Some people find refuge in things which are ultimately harmful to them, like alcohol or illicit drugs or romantic liaisons. Most people though find refuge in more benign pursuits, like a hobby or sports or watching movies.

Over the years I have found a great deal of meaning by nurturing a belief in the goodness of God. Contemplating the Scriptures has been a refuge for me.

But God’s goodness isn’t just found in the Bible or in singing worship songs. God’s goodness can be found in many ordinary places, like cooking a meal or losing yourself in a good novel or walking the beach with your dog or just hanging out with friends.

These more ordinary pleasures can serve as helpful distractions, providing a kind of Sabbath for our soul. We have to make room for fun and enjoyment. We have to remember to celebrate.

Time for another joke: Two TV aerials got married. The reception was great.  

Celebration:

In verses 7-8 of Psalm 31 David celebrates God’s answer to his prayer by saying…

7 I will be glad and rejoice in your love, for you saw my affliction and knew the anguish of my soul. 8 You have not given me into the hands of the enemy but have set my feet in a spacious place.

Part of David’s lament had been the way he had felt so alone and isolated and misunderstood. In these verses David celebrates the fact that God listened to him and understood. God knew the anguish of David’s soul. Being listened to and understood makes David feel loved.

If you know someone who is going through depression then simply being there and listening, without judging, goes a long way in helping. You don’t have to try and fix the depression. But you can walk through the valley of the shadow of death with them, so they know they are not alone.

Those words, you set my feet in a spacious place, are significant. David had felt like he was under siege, surrounded on all sides and cut off from all help. That is often how it feels for people in the depths of depression. Like you are hemmed in and don’t have any options. Like nothing is ever going to change and it will always be this way.

But that is not true. That’s just your mind playing tricks on you. There is a way through and things can get better. David found a way through. God put David’s feet in a spacious place, where he no longer felt like he was under siege. Where he had options.

In verses 19-24 David continues his celebration of God’s goodness.

Verse 19 reads…

19 How abundant are the good things that you have stored up for those… who take refuge in you.

Notice here that the good things are stored up, for those who take refuge in God. In other words, the best is yet to come. There are good things waiting for you in the future. So hold on, don’t give up.

Verse 21 reads…

21 Praise be to the Lord, for he showed me the wonders of his love [hesed] when I was beset like a city under siege.

David is looking back here, at his time of anguish (when he felt like he was trapped), and he is reflecting on the fact that it was actually through the difficult times that God showed him the wonders of his love.

Depression itself is not an expression of love or hesed but it does have the potential (in hindsight) to open our eyes to God’s love. When we look back on the hard times we see the ways God stuck by us and was loyal to us through thick and thin.  

Psalm 31 ends with these words…  

24 Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord.

You know, the last thing you feel like when you are depressed is being strong. Telling someone to be strong when they are in the pit of despair is a bit trite, even cruel. But that’s not David’s intention here.

David is speaking as someone who has been through it himself. He’s saying, I know it’s tough but it is worth it. Hang on to your hope in the Lord.

Derek Kidner wisely notes that verse 24 could also be translated: he shall strengthen your heart. So the thought here is not that you have to summon resources you don’t have. The idea is that God will give you the strength you need as you need it.

Conclusion:

Depression is not a destination. It is a journey through darkness. Psalm 31 gives us tools for that journey. Pour out your pain in lament before God. Take refuge in the Lord’s goodness and look forward to that time when you can celebrate God’s love in a spacious place.

Let us pray…

Loving Father, be with those who are struggling with their mental health at this time. Comfort them and give them strength sufficient for each day.

Be with those also, who are supporting loved ones who are struggling. Give them wisdom and understanding as they walk alongside.

Lord have mercy on us all. Set our feet in a spacious place once more that we would praise you. Through Jesus we ask. Amen.

Questions for discussion or reflection:

What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?

  • What is lament? How is lament different from denial or distraction? Why might we practice lament?
  • What are some of the symptoms and/or effects of depression? How might we know if either ourselves or someone else is depressed?   
  • How can we help ourselves if we are depressed? How can we help others who are depressed?
  • What does it mean to find refuge in God? How might we do this? Where do you find refuge?
  • When you look back on the hard times you have been through, can you see ways in which God showed hesed/loyal love to you? What did God do? 
  • What do you need most at this time? Lament, refuge or celebration? Take some time this week to give your soul what it needs.
Tawa Baptist

Psalm 36

Scripture: Psalm 36

Video Link: https://youtu.be/HYK-TE2dACc

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Prophecy (1-4)
  • Praise (5-9)
  • Prayer (10-12)
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Kai ora whanau and good morning everyone.

Tell me, what do these things all share in common?

The Screwtape Letters, The Problem of Pain, The Great Divorce, The Abolition of Man, The Four Loves and The Magician’s Nephew. [Wait]

That’s right, they are all books written by C.S. Lewis.

Clive Staples Lewis was a wonderful servant of the Lord whose writing continues to bring light and clarity to our thinking about God.

In his book, The Great Divorce, Lewis says: There is but one good; that is God. Everything else is good when it looks to him and bad when it turns from him.   

I quite like that quote. It sums up our reality as human beings. We depend on God for our goodness and indeed for our very lives. Lewis’ words here remind me of Psalm 36, the focus of our message today.   

The title of this Psalm reads: ‘For the director of music. Of David, the servant of the Lord’. There are only two psalms which describe David as the Lord’s servant. This one and Psalm 18. 

From verse 1 of Psalm 36 we read…

1 I have a message from God in my heart concerning the sinfulness of the wicked: There is no fear of God before their eyes. 2 In their own eyes they flatter themselves too much to detect or hate their sin. 3 The words of their mouths are wicked and deceitful; they fail to act wisely or do good. 4 Even on their beds they plot evil; they commit themselves to a sinful course and do not reject what is wrong. 5 Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies. 6 Your righteousness is like the highest mountains, your justice like the great deep. You, Lord, preserve both people and animals. 7 How priceless is your unfailing love, O God! People take refuge in the shadow of your wings. 8 They feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights. 9 For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light. 10 Continue your love to those who know you, your righteousness to the upright in heart. 11 May the foot of the proud not come against me, nor the hand of the wicked drive me away. 12 See how the evildoers lie fallen—thrown down, not able to rise!

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

David, the servant of the Lord does three things in this psalm: prophecy, praise and prayer. As the servant of the Lord David knows the truth about humanity, he adores God’s goodness and he prays in faith.

Prophecy:

In popular culture a prophet is thought to be someone who predicts the future. In the Bible though a prophet is someone who communicates God’s message. He or she sees the truth of the present situation and speaks that truth to the people; how the people respond shapes their future.

Broadly speaking, the prophets of the Old Testament gave two kinds of messages: messages of judgment and messages of hope.

Those who were proud and had turned away from God tended to get a message of judgment. You’re on the wrong track, change your direction in life before you end up destroying yourself.

While the humble poor, who were suffering oppression, tended to receive a message of hope. Keep looking to the Lord and trusting in him. He will deliver you and restore you.     

Messages of judgement and hope are not either / or. They are both / and. They go together. There is hope in God’s judgement. When we return to God we are saved.

C.S. Lewis was somewhat of a prophet during the 20th Century, although he probably would not have seen himself in that way.

In his book, Mere Christianity, Lewis writes: No man knows how bad he is until he has tried very hard to be good.

Lewis goes on to say: ‘Only those who try to resist temptation know how strong it is. After all, you find out the strength of an army by fighting against it, not by giving in. You find out the strength of a wind by trying to walk against it, not by lying down. A man who gives in to temptation after five minutes simply does not know what it would have been like an hour later. That is why bad people, in one sense, know very little about badness — they have lived a sheltered life by always giving in. We never find out the strength of the evil impulse inside us until we try to fight it: and Christ, because He was the only man who never yielded to temptation, is also the only man who knows to the full what temptation means — [Jesus is] the only complete realist.’

Psalm 36 begins with David giving a prophecy. Verse 1 reads: I have a message from God in my heart concerning the sinfulness of the wicked: There is no fear of God before their eyes.

Sometimes prophets are called Seers because they have the God given ability to see into a person’s heart. David’s message, from God, is not a prediction of the future. Rather it is a vision of what goes on inside an evil person. David knows the truth about humanity and it is not pretty.

In some ways the human heart is like a loaded gun waiting for the wrong circumstances to pull the trigger. I remember my systematic theology lecturer, saying: ‘Christians should be the least surprised by sin’. When people do bad things we should not be shocked by it.

We should not look down on the wicked nor think of ourselves as too good to commit evil. That potential is within each one of us. Those who think they are not capable of evil are like the person C.S. Lewis described as never having offered any real resistance to sin. 

David knows his potential for evil and he knows what it is to suffer at the hands of evil doers. That’s probably how God gave him the insight.

There’s a scene in the movie Shawshank Redemption where Andy, a wrongly convicted prisoner, approaches the boss of the prison for justice. The prison boss won’t help Andy and so Andy says to him, ‘How can you be so obtuse?’

To be obtuse is to be insensitive or hard hearted, lacking compassion. The wicked are obtuse, they are deluded. In their own eyes they flatter themselves too much to detect or hate their sin. The boss of the prison is like that; he does not fear the Lord. 

Usually the term ‘fear of the Lord’ means having reverence and respect for God. But in Psalm 36 the word fear leans more towards terror and being afraid for your life.

There are basically two reasons why a person obeys God. The first reason is because they love God and want to please him. But if a person does not love God they might still obey him just to save their own skin, because they are afraid of what God will do to them if they don’t act justly. 

Obviously, the ideal is to obey God because we love him. But God is gracious enough that he will still accept the person who obeys him out of fear. However, God will not accept the person who neither loves him nor fears him. The wicked are so obtuse that they don’t even fear God, much less love him.

In verse 3, David says the wicked are deceitful and they fail to act wisely or do good. In the Bible, wisdom is not about being brainy or super smart and intelligent. Wisdom is about doing the morally right thing, the good thing.

Being a Christian is not easy. There are times when it is frustrating and difficult and confusing and humiliating and painful and a whole list of other unpleasant things. But don’t let that put you off. It’s not all bad and it is worth it in the end. In the meantime, it helps to be very clear in your own mind, about why you are a Christian.

Perhaps, like me, you started the Christian journey from a place of fearing the Lord and wanting to avoid hell. That’s okay. We all have to start somewhere. It is better to fear the Lord than ignore him.

But fear of the Lord by itself is not enough; it won’t get you through this life. At some point you need to grow in your love for the Lord. And the only way I know of growing in your love for the Lord is to focus on his goodness and to enjoy his love for yourself.

In verses 5-9 of Psalm 36, David praises God for his goodness and love.     

Praise:

In his book, Reflection on the Psalms, C.S. Lewis writes about praise. He says,

I thought of praise in terms of compliment, approval or the giving of honour. I had never noticed that all enjoyment spontaneously overflows into praise…

We delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment… It is not out of compliment that lovers keep on telling one another how beautiful they are; the delight is incomplete till it is expressed.

Lewis is pointing out here the relationship between praise and enjoyment. God does not need our praise. He is not insecure or vain. We praise God because we have experienced his love and we enjoy him. We can’t help but praise him. 

It’s like when anyone in our family sees a rainbow and has to tell the others. Or when the surf is going off and you just have to tell your mates to get out there and catch a wave. Or when you hear a really good joke and need to share it. Praise is essentially the expression of enjoyment. Praise liberates joy.

In verses 5-6 of Psalm 36, David liberates some joy when he praises God by saying: Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies. Your righteousness is like the highest mountains, your justice like the great deep.

The first thing we notice here is the spaciousness of God. God is not small or stingy. He is roomy and generous. The love and faithfulness of the Lord is sky high – it has no limits. His righteousness is as solid and dependable and unmissable as the highest mountain range.

I remember waking up at Aoraki Mt Cook and looking out the window at Mount Sefton, on a beautiful cloudless blue sky day. It was spectacular. I couldn’t stop looking at the mountains all around us. That’s what God’s righteousness is like. It is awesome and beautiful and impossible to miss.

Once again our friend, Mr Lewis, clarifies things when he writes: We may ignore but we can nowhere evade the presence of God. The world is crowded with him. He walks everywhere incognito. (Letters to Malcolm)

God’s justice is like the great deep. The great deep refers to the ocean.

Like the ocean, God’s justice is a powerful force that cannot be manipulated or controlled by human beings. God’s justice has hidden depths. There is a certain mystery to it. God’s justice is teeming with life and it feeds us, it supports our life. God’s justice is also patient, turning rock into sand. 

Returning to verse 5, the word translated as love is actually hesed. (My apologies for not pronouncing it correctly.) Hesed is steadfast love, loyal love.

Hesed is not just a feeling. It is an action. Katherine Sakenfeld, who did her PhD on this subject, outlines the three main criteria of hesed. [1]

Firstly, the action is essential to the survival or the basic wellbeing of the recipient – so it’s a big deal.

Secondly, the needed action is one that only the person doing the hesed is in a position to provide – given the circumstances no one else can do it.

And thirdly, hesed takes place in the context of an existing relationship.

Unlike human hesed which is limited, God’s hesed (his loyal love) is unlimited, it crosses boundaries reaching to the heavens. This is like saying, ‘No one and nothing is beyond the reach of God’s love’.  

In the gospels, Jesus crossed boundaries in a righteous way, extending divine hesed to people he did not know. In doing that he transformed their lives and created a special kind of relationship with them.

When Jesus healed the man born blind on the Sabbath, that was hesed.

When Jesus delivered a man from a legion of demons, that was hesed.

When Jesus protected the woman caught in adultery, that was hesed.

When Jesus forgave the man who was paralysed and then healed him, that was hesed.

When Jesus invited himself to Zacchaeus’ house for dinner, that was hesed. 

When Jesus died on the cross to make us right with God, that was hesed.

Verses 5-6 are about the greatness of God, while verses 7-9 are about God’s care and providence. Or, as verse 8 puts it, People feast on the abundance of your house.

The image here is one of joyful celebration. In his book, The Weight of Glory, Lewis observes how ‘the sun looks down on nothing half so good as a household laughing together over a meal’.

Christians readily see connections in these verses with Jesus who identified himself as the light of the world, the bread of life and a well springing up to eternal life. 

Verse 9 of Psalm 36 is beautiful poetry, full of mystery. It says: in your light we see light. I’m not sure these words are fully knowable but, given the context, light suggests joy along with purity, clarity and truth.

Possibly C.S. Lewis had verse 9 in mind when he wrote: I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen – not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else. (Is Theology Poetry) 

It is the light of God’s goodness and love which helps us to trust the Lord and to see what is right. 

Exuberant praise welling up out of enjoyment of God is one thing, but David (like us) was living in a fallen world. The Lord’s servant still had to contend with the difficult reality of wicked men who sought to do him harm. And so Psalm 36 moves from prophecy to praise to prayer.

Prayer:

Here’s another little gem from Lewis: Relying on God has to begin all over again every day as if nothing had yet been done.

This is something I have found to be true in my own experience. I imagine that after David had killed Goliath, it may have been tempting for him to stop relying on God. I expect a victory like that would make most young men a bit cocky, a bit over confident. But not David. He does not turn away from God in pride. 

The secret to David’s success is that he relies on God all over again, every day, as if nothing had yet been done. We demonstrate our reliance on God through prayer. That is, by asking for his help daily.

David’s prayer in verses 10-11 of Psalm 36 is this: Continue your love to those who know you, your righteousness to the upright in heart. 11 May the foot of the proud not come against me, nor the hand of the wicked drive me away.

Once again the Hebrew word for love, in verse 10, is hesed. David is asking God to support the righteous and the upright in heart. Righteousness indicates right actions in one’s relationships with others, while uprightness of heart refers to one’s inner life being true or without pretence.

The upright in heart are like the pure in heart. They are the same on the inside as they are on the outside. They don’t pretend to be something they are not.  

David stands in solidarity with the righteous and upright in heart when he asks God to protect him in verse 11. David wants God’s love (his divine hesed) to set the agenda for his life, not the power of proud men. 

Verse 12 is a statement of faith: See how the evildoers lie fallen—thrown down, not able to rise! David is voicing his confidence in God’s ability to protect him. His faith is not blind or unfounded. It is based on his experience of God helping him in the past.  

We, who are Christian, may feel a bit uncomfortable with David’s prayer. He was a soldier, having to fight for his life. Most of us know nothing of mortal combat. We may have occasional fantasies of violence against our enemies, when we feel angry or afraid, but we know this is wrong.

Jesus taught us to love our enemies and to pray for their well-being, not their downfall. So what are we to do with David’s prayer?   

Another word from C.S. Lewis on prayer may help us here: We must lay before God what is in us; not what ought to be in us.

The psalms are unapologetically honest. They reveal what is actually in the psalmist and not necessarily what ought to be in him. Our prayer life needs to be honest, otherwise it loses its power.

If we are not honest with God we risk resenting him or, even worse, becoming obtuse and deluding ourselves. The upright in heart are honest with God, even when their truth is difficult to say.      

Please hear me on this. Honest is not careless. We still need to keep our prayers respectful, remembering that God loves us and wants the best for us.

Conclusion:

There is but one good; that is God. Everything else is good when it looks to him and bad when it turns from him.   

So the question for each one of us is, which way are we facing?

Are you looking to the Lord, feasting on his goodness?

Or do you have your back to him, pretending he is not there?

Jesus shows us the goodness of God. He shows us what it looks like to be made in the image of God, what it is to be truly human in the best sense of that word.

When we look to Jesus, when we build our life on his teaching and follow his example, we become good.

Let us pray…

Father God, we thank you for your love and faithfulness, your justice and mercy, your grace and truth. Give us a vision of yourself, in the face of Jesus, that we would reflect your image and enjoy you forever. Amen.

Questions for discussion or reflection:

What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?

  • Do you have a favourite C.S. Lewis book or quote? What is it and why do you like it?
  • What do you think C.S. Lewis meant when he wrote: No man knows how bad he is until he has tried very hard to be good?
  • Why did you become a Christian? Is your reason for being a Christian the same now as it was when you started your journey of faith?
  • Discuss / reflect on the relationship between praise and enjoyment. Why do we praise God?
  • In what ways is God’s justice like the ocean? In what ways is God’s righteousness like a great mountain range? What does David mean when he says, “God’s love (hesed) reaches to the heavens”? What are verses 5-6 telling us about God?
  • Why does David pray? Why do you pray? Why is it important that we keep our prayer life honest?
  • Take some time this week to contemplate the various ways Psalm 36 connects with Jesus.

[1] Katherine Doob-Sakenfeld, Ruth, page 24

Tawa Baptist

Psalm 19

Scripture: Psalm 19

Video Link: https://youtu.be/NiA7TV-mefQ

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • The sky – God’s creation
  • The law – God’s will
  • The heart – David’s response
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Kai ora whanau and good morning everyone.

Have you ever looked up into the night sky and tried to count the stars? It’s difficult isn’t it. How many stars do you think you can see with the naked eye?

Well, someone from Yale University did count what can be seen and they catalogued 9096 stars. However, because the earth blocks the view, you can only see half that amount (around 4,500) on a dark the night.

The actual number of stars in the universe is not really known, mainly because we haven’t been able to locate the edge of the universe yet. God’s creation is massive on a scale that we simply cannot imagine. It is awe inspiring.

During the past few weeks we have been looking at a Psalm each Sunday. Today we focus on Psalm 19. This is one of C.S. Lewis’ favourites. From verse 1 of Psalm 19 we read…  

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. 2 Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. 3 They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them. 4 Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun. 5 It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, like a champion rejoicing to run his course. 6 It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is deprived of its warmth. 7 The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. 8 The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes. 9 The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are righteous. 10 They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb. 11 By them your servant is warned; in keeping them there is great reward. 12 But who can discern their own errors? Forgive my hidden faults. 13 Keep your servant also from wilful sins; may they not rule over me. Then I will be blameless, innocent of great transgression. 14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

This Psalm of David falls neatly into three parts…

The first part, in verses 1-6, points our attention to the sky above. The sky, and all that is in it, are God’s handiwork; his creation revealing his glory.  The second part, in verses 7-10, focuses on the written law, which reveals God’s will for humankind and shows us how to enjoy life. And in the third part, verses 11-14, we read about David’s response of worship from the heart.

The sky – God’s creation:

How far away is the closest neighbouring star to our solar system? Is it…

A.) 42 trillion, 208 billion (42,208,000,000,000) kilometres away

B.) 48,000,000 (48 million) miles away

C.) 4.2465 light years away, or

D.) None of the above

Both A.) and C.) are correct answers. They are two different ways of measuring the same distance.

Proxima Centauri is the closest star to our solar system. It would take about four years and three months travelling at the speed of light to reach Proxima Centauri.

To put that into perspective it would take the Voyager space craft around 73,000 years to get there. And if you were to try and walk that distance on foot, it would take about 215 million years. You would need quite a bit of scroggin for that hike.

Psalm 19 begins with David looking up at the sky. Not just the night sky but the sky during daytime as well. I imagine as a shepherd, and then a soldier, David had plenty of opportunity to look at the sky.

David would not have known about Proxima Centauri but he would have been pretty good at reading the weather by the cloud patterns. Perhaps too, if he ever had to travel a significant distance, he may have navigated by the stars at night.

But this is probably not what David meant when he talked about the sky revealing knowledge. The sort of knowledge David was thinking about had to do with God.   

Some people in the ancient world worshipped the sun, moon and stars as gods. They thought the stars governed their fate, sort of like people who follow horoscopes, except the ancients were more serious about it. But when David looked up at the sky, he saw God’s handiwork.

The sun, moon, stars and sky are simply God’s creatures, carrying out the functions God made them for. What might we learn about God by looking at the sky and the starry hosts?

Well, as the apostle Paul points out in his letter to the Romans, we learn that there is a God. God the creator exists. Paul writes:  Ever since God created the world, his invisible qualities, both his eternal power and his divine nature, have been clearly seen; they are perceived in the things that God has made. 

The fact that the universe is so big and beautiful speaks to God’s power and grace. God is intelligent. He is both an artist and an engineer. Nothing is too difficult for God.

Furthermore, as anyone who likes looking at clouds and sunsets will tell you, the sky is never the same. There is an infinite variety of colour and shapes and moods and creativity in each day. Which tells us, God is not boring. God has an imagination and he has given us a mind to think with and make connections too.   

Here’s another science question for you. How many earths could fit inside the sun? Is it…

  1.  Nine earths
  2.  Six billion earths
  3.  One million, three hundred thousand earths, or
  4.  No one knows, it’s impossible to calculate

Well, the answer is C.) Apparently it would take 1.3 million earths all squished together to fill the sun.

The sun is 1,391,000 kilometres across. That’s about 109 times the diameter of the earth. The sun weighs 333,000 times as much as the earth. That is a huge mass. But if you are not already feeling small enough, our sun is relatively tiny by comparison with others. The largest known star in the universe is thought to be about 1,700 times as wide as our sun. And God made them all. I know, it blows your mind.

In verses 4-6 of Psalm 19 David narrows his focus from the whole sky to just the sun during the daytime. Obviously these verses are poetry; they are not intended to be scientific. In verse 5, David compares the sun to a bridegroom coming out of his chamber (after the first night of his honeymoon) and also to a champion athlete rejoicing to run his course.

The imagery here is of joy and strength and vitality. God made the sun to give life and warmth and happiness to the creatures of the earth. The sun is a reliable source of energy for us.

Just as the sun’s heat is felt everywhere, so too God’s glory is revealed everywhere. However, the glory of God is not experienced in the same way by everyone. For those who love the Lord and walk in his ways it is a comfort. But for those who do wrong it is a burden.

As we read earlier in the service, from the book of Job chapter 38: The light of day is too bright for the wicked and restrains them from doing violence.       

God’s power is like the power of the sun. We cannot get too close without being consumed. Likewise, God’s glory is like the light of the sun. Sunlight enables us to see clearly but we dare not look directly at it for fear of going blind.

David’s image of the sun, as a metaphor for God’s life giving power and glory, lends itself naturally to the next part of his psalm, which focuses on the law, the revealed will of God.

The law – God’s will:

Here’s a different type of question for you, moving from science to history. How many commandments are there in the Law of Moses? Are there…

  1.  929
  2.  128
  3.  10, or
  4.  613

Well, in Jewish tradition there are 613 commandments, so the answer is D.) But I would also accept C.) 10 commandments, because it’s a bit of a trick question.

613 commandments may seem like a lot but, by comparison with New Zealand law, it’s not that many. When I did a search of all the Acts of legislation on the Parliamentary Counsel Office website it came up with 1,872 results and that does not include the Bills before Parliament or other legal instruments.  

In verses 7-9 of Psalm 19 David uses six different terms to describe God’s law. The Hebrew word translated as law is torah. Torah can also mean teaching or guidance. Depending on how you think about it, the torah is at least the first five books of the Bible but it can mean the whole of the Old Testament.   

In the context of Psalm 19 the law or torah is a comprehensive term for God’s revealed will, hence the variety of terms used to describe it. The law isn’t just a list of commandments. The law is God’s way of telling us what he wants us to know about himself. The Law is also God’s way of telling us how to live well and enjoy life.

God’s law is perfect, without blemish and it refreshes the soul. The image here is of finding a spring or well of fresh water, when you are parched and thirsty.

Have you ever noticed how, when you read the Bible, God’s Spirit often shows you a verse or an idea in a new and fresh way that you haven’t seen before? That happens even with passages we are familiar with. God’s will, revealed in the Bible, never gets tired or old. There is yet fresh light to shed on God’s word.

The thing is, the refreshment we experience doesn’t just happen in our head. It happens in our soul. Your soul is your life force, your vitality, your energy, the core of your being, the unique finger print of your true identity.

Just as your body is refreshed when you actually drink water from the well, so too your soul (your inner life) is refreshed is when you actually do God’s will, rather than just reading about it.

The doing of God’s will has many benefits. Verse 8, in particular says: ‘The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart.’

Precepts are precise rules. They say the devil is in the details. God’s precepts take the devil out of the details. God’s precepts are precise, they fit perfectly like a hand in a glove or like a carpenter’s dove tail joint.

If you are a crafts person, if you like to knit for example, or turn wood, or do origami, or make something with your hands, then you will understand the feeling of satisfaction and joy when you nail it, when you don’t drop a stitch and when everything fits into place as it is supposed to.

Or if you like assembling jigsaw puzzles, you will know that feeling of satisfaction and joy you get when you fit the pieces together. It can be frustrating getting to the end of the puzzle and discovering that you have one or two pieces missing so you can’t complete it.

With God’s precepts, none of the pieces are missing. God’s precise rules fit together perfectly with his law of love. There is joy and satisfaction in discovering for yourself, through your own experience, how it all fits.

To give you an example from the Scriptures, one of God’s precepts is the rule that farmers should let the poor glean in their fields after the harvesters. To glean means to pick up the left over grain.

This is a small but significant detail in the story of Ruth, without which the story would be incomplete. Gleaning in Boaz’ field provides Ruth with the opportunity to meet Boaz and to eventually marry him and have children. God’s precept, to let the poor glean, results in great joy for the whole community.

For Ruth & Naomi & Boaz, God’s law is indeed sweeter than honey and more precious than gold. Obedience to God’s law rewards them by making their future secure and their hope real.    

God’s will (revealed through his precepts) doesn’t always feel joyful or satisfying to begin with. Sometimes following God’s precepts can be painful at first. Sometimes we have to sow in tears before we can reap with joy.

Like when Jesus said, turn the other cheek when someone strikes you and if someone insults you, ask God to bless that person. As hard as that is, doing what Jesus instructs puts us on a pathway to joy. As Jesus said, happy are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, they will be satisfied.

As Christians we believe that Jesus fulfils God’s law perfectly. Or to say it another way, Jesus shows us through his life and example what it looks like to do God’s will. With Jesus, none of the puzzle pieces are missing. All of God’s precepts and commands and statutes come into alignment and fit perfectly.     

In verse 9 of Psalm 19 David says: The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. We talked a little about the fear of the Lord last week. Fear in the sense of reverence and respect is the proper response to God’s word.

In verses 11-14 David gives an example of what the fear of the Lord looks like in practice. The third part of Psalm 19 describes David’s heart response of worship.

The heart – David’s response:

Earlier in this sermon I talked about the stars that are visible to the naked eye in the night sky. Although over 9,000 stars are visible we can only ever see about half of those from where we stand. That’s because the earth itself gets in the way. Half the stars are hidden from our view by the planet we are on.

Human consciousness is a bit like that. We might think we know everything there is to know about ourselves when in fact there are some facets of our personality which are hidden from our view. Our ego gets in the way.

The psychologist, Carl Jung, had a name for that part of ourselves that we can’t see. He called it the shadow side. Other people might be able to see what’s in your shadow, and God can certainly see your shadow, but you can’t.

Hopefully as we journey through life we become more self-aware. This means we become more aware of what is in our shadow side. Some of the stuff in your shadow you may not like. But the shadow side is not all bad. There is also some goodness in there. We are complex creatures, fearfully and wonderfully made.

In verse 12 of Psalm 19, David shows real insight into the human psyche when he says: But who can discern their own errors? Forgive my hidden faults.

David is speaking here of his shadow side. That part of his personality or soul that is hidden from himself but seen by God and others close to him.

There’s an advert on TV at the moment warning people not to speed when they drive. In this ad an apprentice is being driven to the worksite by his boss. The boss thinks he is a good driver but in reality the boss is a dangerous driver who takes unnecessary risks.

Everyone who has ever driven with him knows this, except the boss himself. It is a fault hidden in his shadow. The apprentice unwittingly reveals the truth that no one wants a ride with the boss because they don’t feel safe with him.

We can become aware of our hidden faults (the stuff in our shadow that we can’t see) in any number of ways. Through understanding the dreams we have at night. By living in close quarters with someone else, like when you get married. Or by having to make a difficult decision under pressure.

It is not always pleasant to discover what’s in your shadow but the truth of it will set you free.

In verse 13 David addresses those willful sins, meaning those sins he is aware of. David doesn’t want any bad habits or addictions to rule his life. David wants God to be the captain of his soul.

Willful sins might include things like gossip or getting drunk or adultery or gambling or laziness or any pattern of behaviour really that causes us to lose control of ourselves. David is essentially asking God to help him exercise self-control.

Here’s another science question for you. How many neurons are there in the average human brain? Is it…

  1.  86 billion
  2.  14 billion
  3.  400 billion, or
  4.  1 million

The latest estimate by scientists is A.) around 86 billion neurons. A neuron (in case you are wondering) is a special kind of cell which transmits chemical and electrical information throughout the body.

And so we come to that part of David’s psalm, made famous by the pop group Boney M. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.

Normally the heart, in ancient Hebrew thought, refers to what we might call the mind, the seat of human consciousness.

The heart is more than just our brain with its 86 billion neurons. The heart includes our thoughts and feelings and decision making faculties; that part of our inner self which cannot be examined under a microscope.

The mouth speaks what the heart (or mind) is full of. Sometimes we say things that we don’t mean or that we never intended to say. Those unintentional words come from our heart, from our unconscious mind.      

David is well aware that God is not impressed by externals. God looks at the heart (or the inner workings) of a person. And so David does not respond by sacrificing a goat or a lamb in worship to God. David’s act of worship is a thought life that is pleasing to the Lord. His is an offering of self-control and pure praise.

Conclusion:

It is notable that the closing words of the song describe David’s relationship with God. The Lord, Yahweh, is David’s rock and redeemer. The Lord, Jesus, is our rock and redeemer. As a rock, Jesus is our security, our refuge and a firm place to stand in a hostile world.

And as a redeemer, Jesus is our Saviour, the one who rescues us from the enemy within the human heart; both the enemy we are aware of and the enemy we don’t see in our shadow.

The surprising thing is that the Spirit of Jesus often redeems us, not by destroying the enemy within, but by helping us to make friends with him so that we may be at peace with ourselves.    

Let us pray…

Father God, you are the maker of a universe so vast and so beautiful that we cannot comprehend it. You are truly awesome. Nothing is too difficult for you.

You are also our maker, the creator of the human heart in all its wonderful complexity. Thank you for your Son Jesus who fulfils your law and reveals your will to us.

Redeem our minds and guide our words. May our lives be an offering of self-control, pleasing and acceptable in your sight O Lord, for you are our security and our Saviour. Amen.

Questions for discussion or reflection:

What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?

  • Have you ever looked at the stars in the night sky or watched a sunrise or found animal shapes in the clouds? How did you feel as you did this? What thoughts came to your mind?
  • What can we deduce about God from observing the sky and the stars?
  • What does the Law of God (the Torah) reveal to us?
  • David describes a number of benefits of God’s law (e.g. it refreshes the soul, it makes the simple wise, it gives joy to the heart, it is sweeter than honey, etc.) What benefits have you experienced by applying God’s will to your life?   
  • Have you ever had the experience of becoming aware of something in your shadow? What happened? How did you feel? How did you respond? In what ways was God’s grace evident to you in that process?
  • Why do you think David is concerned with the words of his mouth and the meditations of his heart? How is your thought life at the moment? What supports your self-control?  
Tawa Baptist

Wholehearted

Scripture: Psalm 15

Video Link: https://youtu.be/we4Mpggc-qs

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Wholehearted, not two faced
  • Discerning, not careless
  • Innocent, not harmful
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Kia ora koutou and good morning everyone.

In our lounge at home we have these words stuck to the wall…

In this house we do real, we do mistakes, we do I’m sorry, we do second chances. We do fun, we do hugs, we do forgiveness. We do really loud, we do family, we do love.

This is not a comprehensive list of everything we do but it gives you a flavour for the culture of our home. While we don’t aim to make mistakes, we also know that things don’t always go smoothly in life. Mistakes and misunderstandings are bound to happen. We don’t pretend, we don’t sweep it under the carpet. We do real.

What matters is not that the floors are vacuumed every day or that the windows are always spotless. What matters most is taking care of our relationships. If someone in our house does something wrong, then that does not exclude them from the family. Reconciliation must always follow a mistake.

That’s where I’m sorry, second chances, fun, hugs and forgiveness come in. Love has the last word. 

Over the past couple of weeks, during lockdown, we have been looking at a Psalm each week. Last Sunday we heard about Psalm 16. Today our focus is Psalm 15. Psalm 15 answers the question, ‘Who may dwell in God’s house?’

Psalm 15 is like the writing on our lounge wall in that it reveals what is important in God’s house. But, unlike the words on our wall, Psalm 15 may leave you with the impression that God’s standards are very high indeed and there is no room for mistakes. From Psalm 15 we read…  

O Lord, who may abide in your tent? Who may dwell on your holy hill? Those who walk blamelessly, and do what is right, and speak the truth from their heart; who do not slander with their tongue, and do no evil to their friends, nor take up a reproach against their neighbours; in whose eyes the wicked are despised, but who honour those who fear the Lord; who stand by their oath even to their hurt; who do not lend money at interest, and do not take a bribe against the innocent. Those who do these things shall never be moved.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

When Moses led the people of Israel through the wilderness, God’s house (the place of his sacred presence), was a tent. This was also called the Tabernacle, a moveable dwelling. Later in Israel’s history, when David was king, God’s tent was set up in the city of Jerusalem. Jerusalem is built on a hill.

Eventually, king Solomon built a stone temple in Jerusalem for the ark of the covenant. So God’s dwelling went from being a tent to a more permanent building.

In verse 1 of Psalm 15 David asks the Lord, ‘who may abide in your tent?’ Tent here refers not just to the sacred tabernacle but also more generally to God’s home. Most of the rest of Psalm 15 answers this question.

The person who may dwell in God’s house, or to say it another way, the person who is at home with God, will typically have three character traits…

They will be wholehearted, not two faced.

They will be discerning, not careless

And they will be innocent, not harmful to others.  

Wholehearted, not two faced:

We all know by now that if we want to enter a supermarket or a library or some other public space, we must do a number of things. We must be well, we must wear a mask and we must scan a QR code. This is not a religious thing. It is a public health thing. We do this for the well-being of the community. 

In the ancient world, when Psalm 15 was written, a temple was considered the house of a god and admittance was not automatic. People had to do certain things to be admitted to a temple or sacred space. They might, for example, be required to carry out some ritual, or make a sacrifice, or donate some money or be a certain gender or wear a head covering or take their shoes off and so on.

The interesting thing about Psalm 15 is that admittance to God’s house is not obtained by carrying out some religious ritual, nor is it based on one’s race or gender. The prerequisites for dwelling in God’s house are moral. The criteria have to do with how one treats other people.

The message is clear, we must not separate religion and morality. If worship of God becomes a ritual that is divorced from everyday ethics, then God’s name is taken in vain. Our worship of God needs to influence every aspect of our lives, especially our relationships with others.

From verse 2 of Psalm 15 we get an answer to the question, ‘who may dwell in God’s house?’ Verse 2 reads: Those who walk blamelessly, and do what is right, and speak the truth from their heart;

Walk is a metaphor for one’s lifestyle; the way we conduct ourselves day to day.

When we read the word blamelessly, we might be inclined to think, this means I must be perfect and can never make a mistake. But the Hebrew word translated as blamelessly has a more positive connotation than that.

Being blameless, in Hebrew thought, means to be whole or wholehearted. Not two faced but having integrity, so that what you say is one with what you do.

Integrating your faith in the goodness of God throughout the whole week. Not behaving one way at church on a Sunday and then a different way at home or at school or at work the rest of the week.     

Being blameless then is not about being perfect and never making a mistake. Being blameless is about being the real deal, the genuine article. Not being a chameleon.

For those who are familiar with Jane Austin’s Pride and Prejudice, Miss Elizabeth Bennett and Mr Darcy were blameless (in the sense of being wholehearted), while Mr Wickham and Lydia were not.

It’s not that Lizzy and Darcy were perfect. They both had to overcome their pride & prejudice, but integrity was the backbone of their life. They spoke the truth from their heart and did not pretend to be something they were not, even when this was not advantageous to them.

Or, if the Marvel universe is more your thing then Thor was blameless (in the sense of being wholehearted), while Loki was two faced.

Thor was not perfect. In the beginning his character was proud too. But his heart proved to be humble and true when he lost his powers temporarily.

When Jesus was asked, which is the greatest commandment in the Law, he famously replied…

“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Jesus is speaking of wholeheartedness here. To obey is better than sacrifice. Living a moral lifestyle is more important than performing religious rituals. It’s not that religious rituals have no value. In fact those rituals are supposed to support a moral lifestyle. The danger is that the ritual can become a mask for hiding one’s true motives.

As well as being wholehearted and not two faced, those who are at home with God are discerning and not careless.  

Discerning, not careless:

Some years ago, when I was training for ministry, I asked my mentor (Walter Lang) what gift he thought was most important for a pastor to have. Walter had over 40 years’ experience in pastoral ministry and straight away he said, ‘discernment’.

Discernment is the ability to judge well, to see things clearly and as they are. There was a lot of wisdom in what Walter said. Discernment requires us to slow down and be careful, not quick and careless.

When we were young my friends and I sometimes went camping and kayaking at Reids Farm, beside the Waikato River near Taupo. The water there is crystal clear. You can see right to the bottom.

But looks can be deceiving. If you drink that water you will be vomiting for days. It is full of effluent.

The famous preacher, Charles Spurgeon, once said: Discernment is not a matter of simply telling the difference between right and wrong; rather it is telling the difference between right and almost right.    

The water of the Waikato river is almost right. A discerning person will not drink it.   

In the gospel of John chapter 9, Jesus heals a man born blind. This is an incredible miracle, something no one had ever done before. As it happened Jesus performed this miracle on the Sabbath, a day of rest. That created a problem for the religious leaders, because healing people was classed as work and work was forbidden on the Sabbath. 

When the religious authorities questioned the man who had been healed they said to him…

“Give glory to God by telling the truth. We know this man [Jesus] is a sinner.”

25 The man who had been healed replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!”

26 Then they asked him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?”

27 He answered, “I have told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples too?”

28 Then they hurled insults at him and said, “You are this fellow’s disciple! We are disciples of Moses! 29 We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don’t even know where he comes from.”

30 The man answered, “Now that is remarkable! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. 31 We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly person who does his will. 32 Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. 33 If this man [Jesus] were not from God, he could do nothing.”

The man who had been blind speaks the truth from his heart and he exercises careful discernment. Unlike those interrogating him, he correctly tells the difference between what is right and what is almost right. 

In verse 4 of Psalm 15 we read how those who are at home with the Lord despise the wicked but honour those who fear the Lord.

This verse is talking about being discerning in who we align ourselves with, who we support.

The key to discernment is fear of the Lord. Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. To fear the Lord does not mean being anxious or worried about God. Fear of the Lord leans more toward reverence and respect. To fear the Lord is to trust and obey him.

When you fear the Lord you care more about God than anything else. The fear is not so much a fear of punishment if we make a mistake. It is more the fear of doing harm to our relationship with God. We don’t want to damage God’s reputation by our behaviour nor grieve his heart in any way.

It’s like the fear you might feel when you take a baby in your arms. You don’t want to be careless and drop the baby. You want be careful and make the baby feel comfortable. God is not vulnerable like a baby is, but the peace we need in our relationship with God does need to be cared for like a baby.      

Honouring those who fear the Lord is not likely to cause any offense but some people listening to this may be troubled by the idea of despising the wicked.

Aren’t we supposed to love everyone? Hmmm.  

Remember, verse 4 is talking about being discerning in who we align ourselves with, who we support. It is not loving to support or encourage bad behaviour. In fact, that is misleading and harmful. Despising evil is actually an act of love.

To despise the water of the Waikato river means not drinking it, because it will do you harm. But that doesn’t stop you from trying to clean it up.  

We do well to ask ourselves who did Jesus align himself with? Who did Jesus honour and who did he despise? 

Well, Jesus honoured those who possessed humility and faith.

He honoured the Roman Centurion for his trust in God’s authority.

He honoured Zacchaeus for his repentance and generosity to the poor.

Jesus honoured the woman of ill-repute who, because of her great love, washed his feet with her tears.

He honoured Nathanael for his truthfulness.

Jesus even honoured Peter with a second chance after Peter had denied him. 

The people Jesus honoured were not perfect but they were honest with themselves and they were willing to change and accept Jesus’ authority.

In contrast to this, Jesus despised those who were false and did not trust him.

Jesus despised Satan in the wilderness by refusing to bow to him.

Jesus despised the Pharisees saying to their face, you clean the outside of your cup and plate, but inside you are full of violence and evil.  

He despised the Sadducees for not believing in the resurrection of the dead.

And Jesus despised Herod by refusing to answer his questions or perform a miracle for him. 

The people Jesus despised were almost right. They were right in their own eyes but were lying to themselves and unwilling to trust Jesus or to change. 

Those who are at home with God are wholehearted, discerning and innocent, not harmful

Innocent, not harmful:

Psalm 15 picks up the theme of innocence where it describes…

Those …who do not slander with their tongue, and do no evil to their friends, nor take up a reproach against their neighbours; who stand by their oath even to their hurt; who do not lend money at interest, and do not take a bribe against the innocent.

These verses are about doing no harm to others. Most of the things in these verses don’t require much explanation. They are about doing justly and keeping God’s moral law.

Not slandering with the tongue is about doing no harm to a person’s reputation. Not passing on gossip. This fits with being truthful. One of the things human beings need is a sense of belonging. We need to know we fit with other people.

Slander undermines trust and makes it harder for people to connect and belong. Slander produces alienation, prejudice and loneliness. Slander is like weed killer to a person’s sense of belonging.

Not taking up a reproach against one’s neighbours is about being gracious. Not sweating the small stuff. Not making a mountain out of a mole hill. Not picking a fight but showing forbearance.

Standing by your oath is about faithfulness and honouring your commitments. People these days don’t tend to swear an oath but we do sign contracts and make commitments in various other ways. We must do everything in our power to honour the agreements we make, especially if breaking the contract would do harm to others?

But what if keeping to the letter of the contract would result in harm? Like with Jephthah and his daughter or Herod and John the Baptist? Well, good sense must prevail. Those who fear God will not add evil to evil. They will try to negotiate a change to the contract which avoids harm, as Proverbs 6:1-5 advises.

Not lending money at interest and not taking a bribe are about the right use of power and not taking advantage of those who are in a vulnerable position.

Verse 5 is not condemning the charging of interest on loans across the board. Rather it is condemning the practice of trading on a brother’s misfortune. In ancient Israel if a relative was down on their luck and came to you asking to borrow money, then you were to lend them what you could afford without charging interest. 

Translating that to a more contemporary situation, it would be like parents helping their adult children buy their first home by lending them money for the deposit, without charging interest. You do it because you love them.

It is not immoral for banks to charge interest on mortgages, nor is it wrong to receive interest on term deposits, provided the interest rate is reasonable. This means we need to be morally responsible with our investment decisions.

Loan sharking, or lending money at exorbitant rates, is essentially theft; it is taking advantage of the poor and desperate. We must not have any part in it. 

Returning to the spirit of Psalm 15; those who are at home with God will be generous and not greedy. They will not abuse their power or take advantage of others who are in a less fortunate position. They will help the poor because the poor are close to God’s heart.    

Conclusion:

Psalm 15 ends with the assurance that, ‘Those who do these things shall never be moved.’ In other words, there is security in a moral lifestyle. There is resilience in being wholehearted, discerning and innocent.

As wonderful as that sounds, we may have an uneasy, sinking feeling at this point. Because, if we can bear to be honest with ourselves, we would have to admit that our performance against the measure of Psalm 15 is a bit patchy at best.

None of us are completely innocent. Sometimes we lack discernment and we don’t always speak the truth from our heart. Often we are half hearted and two faced. So does that mean we are excluded from God’s house?

Well, not necessarily. Fortunately, God is looking for ways to include us in his household and in his family. In John chapter 1 we read about Jesus, the Word of God, who became flesh and pitched his tent among us.

Jesus is the only one who managed to fulfil the requirements of Psalm 15 and Jesus is our redeemer. Anyone who puts their faith in Jesus’ righteousness (and not their own) can be at home with God. 

Let us pray…

Father God, you are perfect in all your ways. We are not. Forgive us for those times we have been half hearted, two faced, careless and harmful to others.

Give us wisdom to tell the difference between what is right and what is almost right. Give us courage to love you wholeheartedly and to love our neighbour as we love ourselves. Give us grace to be generous in using what power we have for the wellbeing of others and the glory of your name.

Through Jesus we pray. Amen.

Let’s sing now There is a Redeemer, Jesus God’s Son…

Questions for discussion or reflection:

What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?

  • What was important in the house you grew up in? What was good about those values? What have you chosen to do differently? 
  • Why is it important not to separate religion and morality? What happens if worship of God becomes a ritual divorced from morality?
  • What does it mean to be blameless in the sense of wholehearted?
  • What do you think Charles Spurgeon meant when he said: Discernment is not a matter of simply telling the difference between right and wrong; rather it is telling the difference between right and almost right. How might we have this kind of discernment?
  • Who did Jesus honour and who did Jesus despise? What does this tell us about what is important to God and how we might approach God?
  • How are we to understand and apply the line in verse 5 about not charging interest?
  • How do you feel after reading Psalm 15? Is there anything there that pricks your conscience? Why is that? What do you sense God would have you do about it?

Outtakes

In Luke chapter 11 Jesus is invited to dine with a Pharisee. The Pharisee was amazed when Jesus did not wash his hands before eating. So Jesus says to him, You Pharisees clean the outside of your cup and plate, but inside you are full of violence and evil.

Jesus then goes on tell them all they are doing wrong. Jesus is not two faced, he speaks the truth from his heart. Jesus makes it clear he despises their way of operating. Why did he do this?

Well, it must be because he loves people. He loved the Pharisees enough to have the hard conversations with them, in the hope they would change and get on the right track. And he loved the regular everyday people enough to make it clear to them not to follow the Pharisees’ example.

Despising the wicked does not always involve speaking though. When Jesus was brought before Herod for questioning, the Lord ignored Herod. He said nothing. Herod, you may remember, had John the Baptist beheaded. Herod was a vile man who did not care about God. Jesus wouldn’t give him the time of day.

Trying to discern who we should despise and who we should honour requires discernment. In Matthew 7 Jesus said…

15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles?  17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 

Tawa Baptist

Psalm 16

Scripture: Psalm 16

Video Link: https://youtu.be/AxHjOormnnM

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Loyalty
  • Intimacy
  • Fullness
  • Eternity
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

Last Sunday we played some Scrabble. This week I thought we could have a game of Snowman. Snowman is a spelling game usually played with kids, so I hope there are some children listening today.

Kids, the idea is for you to correctly spell the word I’m thinking of before I can draw a snowman. Throughout this message I will give you a number of clues. The first clue is that this word has four letters.

Last week we heard about Psalm 46. Today our focus is Psalm 16. This is a psalm of David. From verse 1 we read…   

Protect me, O God, for in you I take refuge. I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.” As for the holy ones in the land, they are the noble, in whom is all my delight. Those who choose another god multiply their sorrows; their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out or take their names upon my lips.

The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; I have a goodly heritage. I bless the Lord who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me. I keep the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.

Therefore, my heart is glad and my soul rejoices; my body also rests secure. For you do not give me up to Sheol, nor let your holy one see decay. You show me the path of life. In your presence there is fullness of joy; in your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

There are close to 30 four letter words in this psalm. Words like hand and glad and Lord and pour and so on. Maybe the word I’m thinking of can be found in this Psalm. Maybe not.

Loyalty:

The psalms are sometimes described as Israel’s hymn book. They are essentially a collection of song lyrics or poems from ancient Israel.   

Let me read you some other song lyrics from a different time and place in history…

Somewhere, somehow somebody must have kicked you around some. Tell me why you want to lay there, revel in your abandon. Honey, it don’t make no difference to me, baby, everybody’s had to fight to be free. You see you don’t have to live like a refugee (don’t have to live like a refugee)

Is there anyone in your bubble who knows who wrote the lyrics to this song?

That’s right, Tom Petty.  

A refugee is someone who has been forced to leave their country because of war, persecution or natural disaster. A refugee is someone who has lost their land, their home, their worldly possessions and anything else that would normally give a sense of security and stability.

People can also become emotional refugees. Perhaps they have had to flee their home because of an abusive relationship with a partner or a parent. Sometimes too children can feel like refugees when their parents separate, even if the separation is relatively amicable.

Essentially a refugee has lost their place of refuge, they have lost their security, and are looking for a safe haven.

I don’t think Tom Petty wrote this song for political refugees who have had to flee their own country. I imagine it was written more for emotional refugees, people who have suffered and been displaced when domestic relationships have gone bad.

That line where he says, ‘Tell me why you want to lay there, revel in your abandon’, is brilliant. It’s like he’s saying, ‘You may have a had a hard time but you’ve got a choice. You don’t have to think of yourself as a victim. You don’t have to give in to self-pity. Find refuge. Choose to re-connect. Start again. Be a survivor’

Perhaps Tom Petty never meant that much by his lyrics but they still speak.

In verses 1-2 of Psalm 16, David writes: Protect me, O God, for in you I take refuge. I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.”

David knew what it was to be a refugee. As a young man David was driven away from home and into the wilderness, because king Saul wanted to kill him. And then, as an older man, David became a refugee once more, when he was forced to flee from his son Absalom.

But despite being a refugee, despite being kicked around some, David does not revel in his abandon. He does not give in to self-pity. Rather he takes refuge in God Almighty. David makes God his home. (‘Home’ is a four letter word. Is that the word I’m thinking of?) When God is your home you can never be displaced. There is no greater security than the Lord.

That phrase, where David says, ‘I have no good apart from you’, is both a statement of David’s loyalty to God and at the same time a description of David’s reality.

As a refugee David has lost a great deal. He is living rough in the wilderness, he is separated from his family. He is having to survive by his wits. David knows full well that the Lord is his only hope.

In verses 3-4 David gives further evidence of his loyalty to the Lord God when he says: As for the holy ones in the land, they are the noble, in whom is all my delight. Those who choose another god multiply their sorrows; their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out or take their names upon my lips.

Most of the expert Bible commentators say the original Hebrew of these verses is quite difficult to untangle. But essentially, David is saying he is loyal to the God of Israel. He has put all his eggs in one basket. He doesn’t put a bob both ways. He doesn’t worship the Lord God alongside other pagan gods.

Like Jerry Maguire, who had only one client, David serves only one God, Yahweh.

This is quite remarkable really. If anyone had a reason to revel in his abandon or to go chasing after other gods, it was David. Despite all he has lost David does not blame God. As a refugee (as someone hungry for security) David presses into the Lord even more deeply.

How are you getting on with spelling the mystery word I’m thinking of? If you have chosen the letter L, then you are on the right track. Our word starts with L.

Fullness:

Churches around the country are empty this Sunday. We might feel quite sad for what we have lost because of Covid. 

But maybe there is another way of looking at it. We, in New Zealand, are in the fortunate position of having a choice. We could see the apparent emptiness of lockdown as an opportunity to make room for God.  

Sometimes the more stuff we have in our lives, the less room we have for God.

Sometimes the more capable we are, the more pressure we find ourselves under to meet everyone’s demands and the less time we have for God.

Sometimes the more freedom we have, the harder it is for us to make a good choice.

Sometimes the more entertainment we consume, the more difficult it is to be still and think.

Do you see where I’m going with this? Sometimes less is more. (‘Less’. That’s a four letter word that begins with L. Is that the word I’m thinking of?)

When I say, ‘less is more’, I mean, perhaps the emptiness has something to offer. It seems to me that David’s loyalty to God was formed in the womb of emptiness. He sought refuge in God because he had no other good thing.

Sometimes less is more.  Before we can fill our lungs with fresh air we must first empty our lungs of the stale air. I’m not saying I like lockdown. I look forward to a time when we can gather safely in level 1 or better still level none.

Maybe though, this time of lockdown is an opportunity to expel some stale air out of our lives. Maybe it is an opportunity to make room for the fresh oxygen of God’s Spirit.

A few years ago I asked my spiritual director to pray for me. I don’t remember the words he said exactly but I do remember his posture. He opened his hands, so they were empty, with the palms facing upward, like he was about to receive something.

He may not have meant too much by that gesture but it still speaks to me now. Before we can take God’s hand we must first let go of whatever else we are holding on to.

Here’s a quote for you for Fathers’ day (not sure where it comes from)…

A truly rich man is one whose children run into his arms when his hands are empty.

It may sound a bit sentimental, but that doesn’t make it any less true.

For someone who has lost so much, David still sees the cup of his life as full. Not full in a busy, hurried and pressured kind of way. But full in a pleasant, roomy, chilled out kind of way.

In verses 5 & 6 of Psalm 16 we read about the quality of David’s fullness…  

The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; I have a goodly heritage.

In ancient Israel, during the time of Joshua, land in Canaan was allocated to tribes and clans and families according to sacred lot. The land allotted to your clan then stayed in the family and was passed down from generation to generation. This is what verse 6 is referring to when it says the boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places.

(‘Land’ is another four letter word beginning with L, by the way.)

The curious thing is that David was probably writing this as a refugee. David had been emptied of material possessions when he was driven off his land. He was living in a cave in the wilderness. How is it then that he can say: The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places.

Well, David sees his loss and consequent emptiness as an opportunity for receiving the fullness of God himself. David may not have land but the Lord is his portion. David could not have a more ‘goodly heritage’ than the Lord. The Lord Himself is David’s inheritance. God Almighty is David’s land, the ground of his being.

In reading verse 6 I am reminded of Frank & Marjorie Duncan. Psalm 16:6 is their family motto. Frank was the minister of Tawa Baptist some years ago and before that he and Marjorie were missionaries in China during the 1940’s.

They served in Honan province during the famine of 1942 to 1944. Before the famine ended around 80,000 people, out of a population of 500,000 in that district, had died. In a material sense it was a time of great emptiness. But there was also a fullness of compassion in the relief camp that Marjorie and Frank ran.

Sometime later Frank & Marjorie became refugees as they were forced to flee China for their lives. How is it then, after coming through all of that, the Duncan family were able to say: The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage. (KJV)

Well, I cannot pretend to know what was in Frank & Marjorie’s heart, but I expect it had to do with verse 5: The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot.

The kind of fullness that God gives is brought out more explicitly in verse 11:

…In your presence there is fullness of joy; in your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

The Hebrew word translated as fullness comes from the same root as ‘satisfied’.

The sort of fullness in view here is not the uncomfortable fullness one might feel after eating too much. Rather, it is the replete-ness of having eaten only what you need.

Nor is it the feeling of frustration, like when you’ve had a guts full of something. Rather, it is the feeling of joy and wonder that accompanies a new experience.   

As Derek Kidner observes, the joys and pleasures (of verse 11) are presented as wholly satisfying and endlessly varied, for they are found both in who God is and what he gives. ‘[David], the refugee of verse 1 finds himself an heir and his inheritance beyond all imagining and all exploring.’ [1]   

Time for another clue. If the letter ‘f’ is one of the letters you guessed, then well done; ‘f’ goes in the middle of our four letter word. We still need two more letters to spell the whole word though. 

Intimacy:

Verses 7 & 8 of Psalm 16 read…

I bless the Lord who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me.

I keep the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.

These verses speak of God’s nearness to David. David may be separated from his family and loved ones, but he is close to God. Close enough, in fact, to hear God’s counsel (his wisdom and advice) intimately.   

What does David mean when he says, my heart instructs me? Normally, in the Old Testament, the heart refers to a person’s mind; their thought life. However, the Hebrew word, translated as heart in verse 7, is more literally kidneys.

I suppose the English translators chose the word heart because the poetry of, my kidneys instruct me, would be lost on most modern readers. Probably David is using the Hebrew word kidneys as a metaphor for his conscience. Just as kidneys act as a filter for our blood, so too the conscience acts as a filter for our soul. So the thought is: in the night also my conscience instructs me.    

If that seems like overthinking it, then the reference to ‘kidneys’ might just be an ancient way of saying, ‘I have a gut feeling about this’, like an instinct or an intuition. You just know.

In any case, David’s intimacy with God is clear. God is guiding David in his inner being. And the interesting thing is that this intuitive / gut guidance happens at night, when David is quiet and still.

We read in the gospels how Jesus often went off by himself, very early in the morning, to pray. We are not told exactly what happened in these times of prayer but I expect it was a time of intimacy between Father and Son. A time when God spoke counsel to Jesus, in the stillness.

How is your devotional life at the moment? Are you able to carve out time to be still and listen to God? Stillness makes room for God.

I’m getting close to finishing the snowman. Better give you another clue. Did any of you guess the letter ‘i’? I imagine some of you did. The ‘i’ comes second. So far then we have ‘L-i-f ’. That narrows it down quite a bit. It is likely to be one of two words. Kids, if you are still listening, can you think what those two words might be?

Eternity:

Psalm 16 finishes on a note of joy at the prospect of unbroken fellowship with God. From verse 9 we read…

Therefore, my heart is glad and my soul rejoices; my body also rests secure. For you do not give me up to Sheol, nor let your holy one see decay. You show me the path of life. In your presence there is fullness of joy; in your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

In a nutshell these verses are alluding to eternal life. Eternal life doesn’t just mean existing forever. Eternal life describes a quality of relationship with God, characterised by joy and intimacy and pleasure.

Sheol, in ancient Hebrew thought, is the realm of the dead. The people of king David’s time didn’t really think of the after-life in terms of heaven and hell. Sheol wasn’t paradise, nor was it torture. It was more of a neutral space; a place of shadows.    

Notice how David talks about his heart, soul and body, in verse 9. This is a way of describing one’s whole self, physical and spiritual. David rests secure (he has no fear for the future) because he is confident that nothing, not even death, can separate him from the love of God.

The idea of eternal life, unbroken blissful fellowship with God, is not new to us because we have the gospel of Jesus. But it was a pretty progressive idea 3000 years ago when David wrote his psalm.

2000 years ago the apostles Peter & Paul both applied the closing verses of Psalm 16 to Jesus and his resurrection. In Acts 2, on the day of Pentecost, Peter made the comment…

Seeing what was to come, [David] spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that he was not abandoned to the realm of the dead, nor did his body see decay. God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it.

It is through faith in Jesus that we also will share in resurrection to eternal life. Therefore, we do not need to be afraid in this life. If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, you will be saved.  

Conclusion:

It is time now for the great reveal. The word I was thinking of was life. Well done to all those who guessed it. You made it just in time before I put the arms on the snowman.

Psalm 16 shows us what true life is. We tend to think of life as mere physical existence. So if someone is still breathing we say they are alive. But in the thought world of the Bible, life is more than breathing. Life is close friendship with God. 

Some of you may have noticed how the four main points of today’s message make an acrostic of the word life: Loyalty, Intimacy, Fullness and Eternity, spells life.

Loyalty to God. Intimacy with God. Fullness of joy in God’s presence and eternity with God, beyond death. This is what Psalm 16 means by life.

Whatever situation you find yourself in today, may the life of the risen Christ be real for you. God bless.

Questions for discussion or reflection:

What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?

  • Have you ever felt like a refugee? (E.g. displaced, homeless, afraid for your life, in need of refuge…) What were the circumstances? How did God help you in that situation?
  • How is your experience of this lockdown? How might we redeem this time? How might we make more room for God in our lives, both during this lockdown and after?
  • Why was David (who knew what it was to be a refugee) able to say, ‘The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places. I have a goodly heritage’?
  • How is your devotional life at the moment? How does God speak counsel to you? Are you able to carve out time to be still and listen to God?
  • Discuss / reflect on the various ways Psalm 16 points to Jesus.  
  • What is ‘life’ in the thought world of the Bible? How is this different from a contemporary understanding of life? 

Outtakes

It is no accident that the Israelite refugees in exile in Babylon said (in Lamentations 3:24), The Lord is my portion, therefore I will hope in him. The Jewish exiles had lost everything. But as painful as their amputation was, it made room for hope in God.

[1] Refer Derek Kidner’s (Tyndale) commentary on the Psalms, page 103