Year One, October 13

Wait In Silence for God Alone1

This psalm is very typical of David. We are in the habit of calling it the ONLY Psalm, because it uses the word “only” or “alone” so often. David rejoiced to place his trust in God “only.”

  

Psalm 62

1 For God alone (or, “for God only”) my soul waits in silence;

from him comes my salvation.

Our salvation comes to us only from the Lord. Therefore we should wait on or depend on him alone. If depending on God is worship, then depending on anything in creation is idolatry. If depending on God only is true faith, then thinking we need others to help us is reckless unbelief. Very few of us avoid this evil way of thinking and really depend on God only.

2 He only is my rock and my salvation,

my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken.

Shaken about, but not shaken off our foundation. Moved like a ship at anchor, that swings with the tide, but is not swept away by the current. Nothing keeps the soul secure like a faith that depends on God only. Faith stands alone. Faith is the only string in our bow, the one pillar for our house.

3 How long will all of you attack a man

to batter him.

like a leaning wall, a tottering fence?

4 They only plan to thrust him down from his high position.

They take pleasure in falsehood.

They bless with their mouths,

but inwardly they curse.     Selah.

The world is full of flatterers, but they secretly plan against our success. Let us run quickly away from them, to the only certain hope of the saints. “If God is for us, who can be against us?”2

5 For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence,

for my hope is from him.

Knock at no other door except that of your God. God is one. Let your hopes look toward him only. The eye that sees only God will be filled with the light of understanding.

6 He only is my rock and my salvation,

my fortress; I shall not be shaken.

7 On God rests my salvation and my glory;

my mighty rock, my refuge is God.

Notice how David brands his own initials on every title he gives to God. He rejoices in my hope, my rock, my salvation, my glory, and so on. There are seven my’s in two verses and there can never be too many.  The faith that applies divine blessings personally is the faith we all need.

8 Trust in him at all times, O people;

pour out your heart before him;

God is a refuge for us.     Selah.

God has shown the fullness of his love to us. We should show our emptiness to him. Turn your soul upside down in his presence and let your innermost thoughts, desires, sorrows and sins be poured out like water. To keep our misery to our self just increases our hopelessness. The end of our deep distress is close when we freely acknowledge it to the Lord.

9 Those of low estate are but a breath;

those of high estate are a delusion;

in the balances they go up;

they are together lighter than a breath.

Humans, whether great of small, are still only humans, and humans are dust. To trust what the majority thinks is foolishness, to depend on the advice of the famous is madness. To be controlled by the Lord’s counsel is the only sanity.

10 Put no trust in extortion;

set no vain hopes on robbery;

if riches increase, set not your heart on them.

This is a difficult rule. Worldly wealth is a slimy thing and is too likely to stick to the heart. Maybe this is why so many of the saints are poor. Perhaps the Lord is protecting them from being tempted by growing riches. Our hope must be in God alone. Placing our confidence in the treasures of this life is as hopeless as trying to bottle the wind.

11 Once God has spoken;

twice have I heard this:

that power belongs to God,

Do not look to people or their money for power. God is all powerful. Those who are wise will look only to him for help.

12 and that to you, O Lord, belongs steadfast love.

For you will render to a man

according to his work.

The Lord gives us the strength we need for each day. All power is his and he will provide as much as our work requires. Let us go to God for our needs and to him only.

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¹ From Psalm 62:5

² Romans 8:31

Year One, October 12

O LORD My God, You Are Very Great!1

This is another of David’s grandest psalms. Our space forces us to include only a few comments.

  

Psalm 104

1 Bless the LORD, O my soul!

O LORD my God, you are very great!

You are clothed with splendor and majesty,

2 covering yourself with light as with a garment,

stretching out the heavens like a tent.

3 He lays the beams of his chambers on the waters;

he makes the clouds his chariot;

he rides on the wings of the wind;

4 he makes his messengers winds,

his ministers a flaming fire.

5 He set the earth on its foundations,

so that it should never be moved.

6 You covered it with the deep as with a garment;

the waters stood above the mountains.

He is probably referring to the great flood of Noah’s day.

7 At your rebuke they fled;

at the sound of your thunder they took to flight.

8 The mountains rose, the valleys sank down

The force of the water was so great that mountains were pushed upwards, causing valleys to sink lower.

to the place that you appointed for them.

9 You set a boundary that they may not pass,

so that they might not again cover the earth.

10 You make springs gush forth in the valleys;

they flow between the hills;

11 they give drink to every beast of the field;

the wild donkeys quench their thirst.

12 Beside them the birds of the heavens dwell;

they sing among the branches.

13 From your lofty abode you water the mountains;

the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work.

14 You cause the grass to grow for the livestock

and plants for man to cultivate,

that he may bring forth food from the earth

15 and wine to gladden the heart of man,

oil to make his face shine

and bread to strengthen man’s heart.

16 The trees of the LORD are watered abundantly,

the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.

17 In them the birds build their nests;

the stork has her home in the fir trees.

18 The high mountains are for the wild goats;

the rocks are a refuge for the rock badgers.

Each place has its creature and each creature its place. Even the loneliest spots on earth abound with wildlife.

19 He made the moon to mark the seasons;

the sun knows its time for setting.

20 You make darkness, and it is night,

when all the beasts of the forest creep about.

21 The young lions roar for their prey,

seeking their food from God.

22 When the sun rises, they steal away

and lie down in their dens.

23 Man goes out to his work

and to his labor until the evening.

Night and day each have their purpose. The wheels of providence2 never stand still.

24 O LORD, how manifold are your works!

In wisdom have you made them all;

the earth is full of your creatures.

25 Here is the sea, great and wide,

which teems with creatures innumerable,

living things both small and great.

26 There go the ships,

and Leviathan, which you formed to play in it.

27 These all look to you,

to give them their food in due season.

28 When you give it to them, they gather it up;

when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.

29 When you hide your face, they are dismayed;

when you take away their breath, they die

and return to their dust.

30 When you send forth your Spirit, they are created,

and you renew the face of the ground.

God oversees all things, great or small. He has not left the world to mere laws and forces of nature. He is always working everywhere. Let us see his hand in all things and adore him.

31 May the glory of the LORD endure forever;

may the LORD rejoice in his works,

If the Lord rejoices in his works, we would not be wise to close our eyes to nature’s beauties or think they just happened by some huge accident.

32 who looks on the earth and it trembles,

who touches the mountains and they smoke!

33 I will sing to the LORD as long as I live;

I will sing praise to my God while I have being.

34 May my meditation be pleasing to him,

for I rejoice in the LORD.

35 Let sinners be consumed from the earth,

and let the wicked be no more!

For they alone damage creation and spoil the Maker’s handiwork.

Bless the LORD, O my soul!

Praise the LORD!

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¹ Psalm 104:1

² Providence  - Usually, when used with a capital “P” it refers to God; when used with a lower case “p”, it refers to God’s will, his divine intervention, and his predetermination (predestination).

Year One, October 11

Bless the LORD, O My Soul1

Before we proceed to the reign of Solomon, we must read two or three of David’s most familiar psalms. We only regret that we do not have time to read them all in our family worship. However, in our private devotions, we should study every one.  They are all more precious than fine gold. Today, we will read one of the sweetest and best known.

  

Psalm 103

Of David.

1 Bless the LORD, O my soul,

and all that is within me,

bless his holy name!

Music from the heart is the most precious music. When we praise the Lord it should rise up from deep within us.

2 Bless the LORD, O my soul,

and forget not all his benefits,

We have poor memories when it comes to good things. Still, let us try to remember them when we praise the Lord.

3 who forgives all your iniquity,

who heals all your diseases,

4 who redeems your life from the pit,

who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,

5 who satisfies you with good

so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

The sweet singer threads a few of the best pearls of mercy on the string of memory, then places them around the neck of gratitude, where they sparkle as she sings the joyful praises of her God.

6 The LORD works righteousness

and justice for all who are oppressed.

No person in need will ever plead their case to the Lord and be disappointed. Woe to those who oppress the poor.

7 He made known his ways to Moses,

his acts to the people of Israel.

8 The LORD is merciful and gracious,

slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

9 He will not always chide,

nor will he keep his anger forever.

His very love will cause him to chasten2 us at times, but the hand of discipline is soon withdrawn.

10 He does not deal with us according to our sins,

nor repay us according to our iniquities.

11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,

so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;

12 as far as the east is from the west,

so far does he remove our transgressions from us.

What a glorious fact. The east is infinitely distant from the west and so our sin is removed an infinite distance from us. In fact, it is washed away. It disappears and is forgotten forever.

13 As a father shows compassion to his children,

so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him.

At their best, children need their father’s compassion. At their strongest, they are defective and weak.

14 For he knows our frame;

he remembers that we are dust.

We are not iron, and not even clay, but dust held together by a continuous miracle.

15 As for man, his days are like grass;

he flourishes like a flower of the field;

16 for the wind passes over it, and it is gone,

and its place knows it no more.

17 But the steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him,

and his righteousness to children’s children,

18 to those who keep his covenant

and remember to do his commandments.

Children who reject the Lord will not be saved because their parents are. Living unsaved in a Christian home will only increase the judgment against them. Their parents cannot remove their guilt. They must accept the Lord’s promise for themselves personally or they will have no place in heaven.

19 The LORD has established his throne in the heavens,

and his kingdom rules over all.

20 Bless the LORD, O you his angels,

you mighty ones who do his word,

obeying the voice of his word!

21 Bless the LORD, all his hosts,

his ministers, who do his will!

22 Bless the LORD, all his works,

in all places  of his dominion.

Bless the LORD, O my soul!

The psalmist was so full of praise that he wanted all of creation to join him in glorifying the Lord. But he did not forget that the most important thing is that our own soul adores the Lord. He concludes, as all good composers do, with his main point. Let our motto be today and every day, “Bless the Lord, O my soul.”

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¹ Psalm 103:1

² chasten, chastening or chastisement - The act of discipline which may include scolding, criticizing or pain inflicted for the purpose of correction or moral improvement.

Year One, October 10

His Name Shall Endure…As Long As the Sun1

Psalm 72

David wrote this psalm about his son Solomon, but it applies even more to our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Give the king your justice, O God,

and your righteousness to the royal son!

2 May he judge your people with righteousness,

and your poor with justice!

3 Let the mountains bear prosperity for the people,

and the hills, in righteousness!

4 May he defend the cause of the poor of the people,

give deliverance to the children of the needy,

and crush the oppressor!

5 May they fear you while the sun endures,

and as long as the moon, throughout all generations!

6 May he be like rain that falls on the mown grass,

like showers that water the earth!

7 In his days may the righteous flourish,

and peace abound, till the moon be no more!

8 May he have dominion from sea to sea,

and from the River to the ends of the earth!

9 May desert tribes bow down before him

and his enemies lick the dust!

10 May the kings of Tarshish and of the coastlands

render him tribute;

may the kings of Sheba and Seba
      bring gifts!

11 May all kings fall down before him,

all nations serve him!

12 For he delivers the needy when he calls,

the poor and him who has no helper.

13 He has pity on the weak and the needy,

and saves the lives of the needy.

14 From oppression and violence he redeems their life,

and precious is their blood in his sight.

15 Long may he live;

may gold of Sheba be given to him!

May prayer be made for him continually,

and blessings invoked for him all the day!

16 May there be abundance of grain in the land;

on the tops of the mountains may it wave;

may its fruit be like Lebanon;

and may people blossom in the cities

like the grass of the field!

17 May his name endure forever,

his fame continue as long as the sun!

May people be blessed in him,

all nations call him blessed!

18 Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel,

who alone does wondrous things.

19 Blessed be his glorious name forever;

may the whole earth be filled with his glory!

Amen and Amen!

20 The prayers of David, the son of Jesse, are ended.

David’s heart was glad to look ahead to the glory his son Solomon would have as king. But he rejoiced even more as his prophetic eye looked to the greater reign of the Messiah. At the second coming of the Lord Jesus, this psalm will have a grand fulfillment. Until then, our job is to pray and work for the increase of his kingdom. If anything can warm the heart of the Christian, it is knowing the Redeemer will reign over everything and his enemies cannot stop it. The Lord Jehovah has promised to give our Lord Jesus the nations for his inheritance.2 His almighty power and faithfulness stand behind that promise and therefore, we may rest fully assured that it will be done. Jesus has fought the fight and won the victory. His reward from the Father is great! There is no reason for hopelessness or fear. God is on our side and he has sworn to give the victory. There is no danger that he will be defeated. David’s wishes had reached their summit. He had nothing more to ask for. 

He ended his prayers when he prayed for the filling of the whole earth with Messiah’s glory.  With this prayer on his lips he is content to die. In the presence of his royal Messiah he is no longer King David, but only “the son of Jesse.” He is only too happy to become nothing before the ruler of the universe. His believing eyes see Jesus reigning, like the sun, filled all around with light. His heart rejoiced. He felt like that holy man, Simeon, when he said, “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, for my eyes have seen your salvation.”3 May our one great wish be like David’s—that the glorious name of the Lord be blessed forever and the whole earth be filled with his glory.

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¹ From Psalm 72:17

² Psalm 2:8

³ From Luke 2:29 & 30