Psalm 34

 Psalm 34

This Psalm used in its context indicates that following God is not for the faint of heart. I once heard a man, who had been caught in serious misbehavior, revealing a deep pattern of sin and hypocrisy, say, “I want the Lord to break me.” Only God knows if that was sincere or mere playacting. But in Psalm 34:18 David describes the man with a “broken spirit.” "Broken" is not a soft or gentle word. It means to shatter into splinters, to destroy, or to burst. There is no sense of anything left intact that we might hold on to. This is no broken picture frame that we can glue back together. Think of a fragile glass ornament on an anvil that is smashed by a huge hammer. I'm not sure I would be able to say, “I want to be broken.” But when we need to be broken, if we are wise, we accept and embrace what God does. We suffer the affliction, the crushing of verse 18, and we are thankful on the other side. To a great degree we determine how deep that affliction is and how massive the hammer stroke. The more tenaciously we hold on to our sin and pride, the heavier the hammer stroke will need to be to break the hard heart.

“Lord, help me to repent of sin sooner rather than later. AMEN.”

Psalm 33

 Psalm 33

As a nation we have become aware of and passed laws to oppose Stolen Valor, the practice of people pretending to be war heroes or servicemen when they are not. Perhaps we need to apply that same principle to worship. In verses 1-2 we have a passage often applied to music in our churches. Good and well. But verse 1 ends with “Praise is becoming to the upright.” That word “becoming” is critical. The concept of “becoming” or “befitting” was tied to the Covenant relationship between God and His people. It meant to live in a way that reflected His character and commands. In other words, it is unbecoming for a person who is living an unholy life to practice or “act out” a relationship that is not real. Worship is not for the perfectly holy; it is for those who want and desire to be right with God. But for the person who lives an ungodly life and goes through the motions of worship for the sake of self-gratification, praise is unfit. It is actually worse than stolen valor.

“Lord, break my heart if I am worshiping out of a life that is willfully unholy. AMEN.”

Psalm 32

 Psalm 32

If one wants to develop a solid foundation to understand the truth and doctrine of sin, Psalm 32 is an excellent starting point. A detailed study is time well spent. But for the moment, let us consider one major theme: the union of joy and holiness. The contrast between verses 1-2 and 3-4 is powerful. Of all beings in the universe, who is most holy? Who is most joyful? Joy can be described as a pervasive sense that all is well. That is clearly descriptive of God. Evil men, evil spirits, or events will not ruin him or his plans. 

In sin we attempt to gain happiness in the wrong way.  But instead of happiness, we are miserable. When that effort fails, we try more of the same, and the cycle is repeated. The least joyful place on Earth would be jails, a place filled with people who have pursued the wrong path to joy. Holiness and joy are bound together, even two sides of the same coin. How could it be different in a moral universe that God created? He has also welded together sin and misery; you will not find one without the other. Happy is the person who is forgiven.

“Lord, help me understand the joy of holiness. AMEN.”

Psalm 31

 Psalm 31

This song covers a full range of the life of a disciple as we face resistance and opposition. The psalmist's life faces false friends and overt enemies, circumstances of hope and fear, possible treachery, and loyalty. Some think this song came from David while under Saul's persecution. Others think it reflects the life and ministry of Jeremiah. The words of the Psalm were among the last words of our Lord before his death as recorded in Luke 23:46. For centuries Christians would repeat these words as they perceived death approaching: “Father, into Your hands I commit my spirit.” We see supremely in the life of our Lord, to a lesser degree in David's or Jeremiah's lives, and also in the lives of godly people that when every day is committed to the Father, it is filled with prayer so that on the last day we would commit ourselves or our spirit to Him. Only about 15% of people die suddenly. Most of us will see death coming. May we live in such a way that as it comes, we can say, "Father, into Your hands I commit my spirit."

“Lord, help me to live every day getting ready for that last day. AMEN.”

Psalm 30

Psalm 30

This is a challenging Psalm in that without knowing the historic context, we can’t say what prompted this emotional outpouring of David's heart.  Some scholars believe it was the occasion of David’s sinful census. (2 Samuel 24)  We can, however, learn some vital general principles for our lives.  In verses 1-3 we see David in great distress nearing death.  In God’s great mercy, He rescues David.  Out of that rescue comes the praise of verse 4 and the beautiful lines at the end of verse 5.  “His favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may last for the night, but a shout of joy comes in the morning.”  What great and wonderful hope-filled words.  But before we come to this great exaltation, we must pass through the hardship of the first lines of verse 5.  We must deal with the first line of that verse.  God’s anger and corrective punishment must be endured, and from it we must learn our lessons.  We want to leap to the shout of joy, but not so fast—have we learned the lesson God wants to bring us in His anger?

In verses 6-9 we see an important progression.  This is, perhaps, a retelling of the story with new insights.  In verses 6-7a there is pride; David becomes arrogant in his God-given prosperity.  Then there is a harsh awakening in the second line of verse 7.  From pride to dismay in a moment.  Interestingly, these are both conditions without God.  Then in verses 8-9 we see repentance.  

There is a dramatic difference in the pride we see before dismay and the humility we see after.  The Psalm concludes with a hope-filled note.  The Lord is gracious, and in place of mourning and sackcloth, there is dancing and gladness. God is both just and merciful; in fact, His justice is used to bring us to repentance so that His mercy is set free to rescue us.  Sometimes that is a long road, but His intent is always mercy.

“Lord, thank You that You are merciful.  Help me never, in my pride, to presume upon Your mercy. AMEN.”

Psalm 29

Psalm 29

If we were to see an angelic being, our reaction would almost certainly be terror, filled with awe and wonder, and filled with a desire to worship that angel. Within the ranks of angels there appears to be a class or category called ‘the sons of Gods.’ That is a literal translation that appears in our Bibles as ‘sons of the might’ (NASB) or ‘mighty ones’ (NIV) in verse 1. These beings are vastly beyond us, but by an infinitely greater measure beyond them is the One True God. If our response to an angel would be fear and awe, even more so do these angels stand in reverence and awe before God. They can’t help but worship the Lord of Glory.

Beginning in verse 3, we see a description of the power of God’s voice. The mighty storms and the effects of nature leave us awestruck, but they are a description of the power of the voice of God and not His full power and might. If we are awestruck by the might of angelic beings (gods) and the power of the storms of creation, what ought our response to the Sovereign of the Universe be? Our minds can't comprehend even the tiniest bit of the vastness of the universe, and yet we are often overly familiar and casual about God. That is the careless action and thoughts of a fool.

“Lord, help me to hold all about You in deep reverence. AMEN

Psalm 28

Psalm 28

Imagine living among people who are far from righteous: a nation that is obsessed with wealth and possessions, a nation that is overcome by the pursuit of pleasure of every sort. For a people for whom pride and self-aggrandizement were virtues. We would expect that such people would be dragged off to their punishment. But in the midst of those evil people are the innocent righteous. These are the circumstances of Psalm 28.

There are three applications we might need to focus on in our lives. First, David doesn't deny the evil nor the justice of God's punishment; in fact, he asked for it in verse 4. Second, David distinguishes himself by being innocent. Living in an evil world, David lives a holy life. Third, David praises God for His justice and protection. David doesn't presume that it was by any human effort of our agency that righteousness prevails. 

Dare we ask God to bring judgment on the wicked people among whom we live? Would we ask for it even if it may mean hardship for us? Are we living holy lives that would be distinguished from our world?

“Lord, help me to live holy regardless of the circumstances of the world around me. AMEN.”