"God's Splendor" -2

"For Thou hast made Him a little lower that the angels, and hast crowned Him with glory and honour." (Psalms 8:5) I'm not quite through with this verse yet! In making our Lord become as one of us; this is how He could be classified as "a little lower than the angels"; not that He was not God in the flesh, but that He humbled Himself to become flesh, making Him a lower class than that of the angels, for just that short period that He dwelt in the flesh. And yet, for those days in which He dwelt among us, He demonstrated power beyond that of mortal man; yet restricted Himself to be humbled in the form which He dwelt in. A good example of what I am talking about, would be when Jesus was tempted by the devil after He fasted for forty days in the wilderness. In that tempting, Satan asked, If you are the Son of God, then cast yourself off this cliff, or turn these stones to bread; with which Jesus replied by quoting Scripture which was meant for man to walk in obedience unto God; thereby giving a written reason as to why He should not do what Satan had asked Him to do. It was not that He could not do those things, because He demonstrated by turning water to wine and by walking on water that He could, but rather, He remained humble to that which He came as, and to that which He came to do. He showed forth His power on many occasions; giving us proof of who He was and the power that He had over nature, demons, the sick, the blind, the deaf, the lame, and even the dead. He also knew what was in men's heart, as He confronted them on many different issues. But when it came to His death upon the cross, and even to the suffering that He took from those that crucified Him, He humbled Himself to that shame and torture, even though He could have stopped it at any time that He would have wanted to! The way I see it, He demonstrated more power in His humility, then He did in His strength; because, in so doing, He showed us the power of His love for the Father, and for that which needed to be done on our behalf!!! Even though He had the power to stop all of the punishment at anytime, He endured the harshness of the beatings, the humiliation of the mockery, and the torturous death; which took far more strength to resist stopping it, because He defiantly had the power to do any of a number of things which would have caused them to stop. It was in this manner of His actions, which Paul wrote in Philippians, "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:5-11)

"God's Splendor"

"For Thou hast made Him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned Him with glory and honour." (Psalms 8:5) When we talk about the greatness of God, we have to consider all that was done to establish the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The birth alone was simply amazing; how God orchestrated every little detail, from the virgin that would bare Him, to the stable that He was to be born in; all the things that needed to take place for those things to happen, just as they happened, and just as they were said they would happen. You could simply spend hours, if not days, looking up all the prophecies and hints of His coming. I like one thing that I heard J. Vernon McGee say one day, in that he said the children of Israel were made to form in a particular formation as they marched through the wilderness; placing the tribe of Levy in the center, God instructed Moses to arrange the tribes at the east, west, north and south, in that it produced the formation of a cross as they marched through the wilderness. But we can go back even further, as we look at the curse given upon man, woman and the serpent, specifically between the serpent and Eve; whereas, God said, "And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: and I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." (Genesis 3:14 & 15) Notice how God did not refer to man as He spoke of the seed of the woman; it was "her seed", being that the woman who would bring forth Jesus Christ was to be a virgin! And that the child to be born, would bruise the head of the serpent, yet the serpent would but bruise his heal; in other words, the serpent's head would be bruised, is a reference to the crushing that would take place of Satan's dominion and rule; yet the heel of Jesus being bruised, speaks of but a footprint, which signifies but a moment in time or stature. Looking at the life of Jesus, all thirty three years of His life was that of an underclass, in comparison to that which should be the life of a king: born of a virgin, which lead to being classified as a bastard by many; born in a stable, showing His humble introduction unto the world that He created; the flight to Egypt, giving Him the life of a fugitive from birth; being raised in Nazareth, a place of low reputation and honor; these things are just a few among hundreds of the ways that God orchestrated the very life that His Son would be brought into, suffer through, and die within. One thing that really gives me a chuckle, is the borrowed tomb; how it was that they needed to place Him in a borrowed tomb, and how it was, that He really only needed to use a tomb for only three days!!!

"God's Ordained"

"What is man, that Thou art mindful of him? and the Son of man, that Thou visiteth Him?" (Psalms 8:4) Not that we need to revisit this verse again, but that it has a double meaning; for God's purpose in this verse involves mankind on two different levels: one of which we have already discussed, the other involving His Son, whom it is that has visited us! We saw what it was that God needed to do for man, in that He needed to draw man close to His heart; yet, in this, we shall see what He needed to do for His Son!!! But you might say, Now wait a minute, I thought it was about what He did to His Son on our behalf; do you mean that Jesus was also the benefactor in the Father's plan? OH YES INDEED!!! First of all; Jesus Christ came not just to die for and to save us from our sins, but to purchase us unto Himself in the process! You see, that is something that many fail to understand; in that, His death upon the cross was only part of the equation; because, it did not end there on the cross!!! The word "visiteth" is a word that speaks of more than visiting; although, that word in and of itself means came and went, as in to pay a visit; whereby, He did not just come to die, but He came and left again! What that word also means is to be appointed over, or to be made overseer, or ruler over; in other words, He did not just die for those that would believe to be saved, but He paid the price for all of mankind, including those that would deny Him! Now why do you think that should be? For those that believe upon Him, this may not matter all that much, that is until the day of the Lamb takes possession of the Book of the Seven Seals (Revelation 6:10); but to those that do not, this goes back to the second verse, and that of "ordaining strength over His enemies". In other words; the judgement of them would also involve the Gift of God for which they rejected; they would be judged not just by the law, but also by the mercy which was offered to them; that by which they could have been taken out from under the judgement of the law, will also condemn them: it is a doubled edge sword! And if you are familiar with the way a doubled edge sword works, then you know that it cuts both ways! The writer of Hebrews, who quotes this Psalm in chapter two of Hebrews, says in verse two, "How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation", which has several different meanings, for both the saved and the unsaved; but for the sake of this text, we shall say that it means, there is no escape from judgement; because, what the law could not accomplish in condemning those who could not keep it anyways, the very act of God's salvation being offered, does!!! In this, Jesus was made both deliverer and the executioner, all wrapped up in one; not by Him condemning those that would reject Him, because they were condemned already; but that rejecting what He did for them, those that reject such an act, are condemned again by their rejection of God's Love. Therefore; upon the day of their judgement, they shall be judged by Two who sit upon the throne, the Father and the Son: "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:2)

"God's Anointing"

"What is man, that Thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that Thou visitest him? (Psalms 8:4) Really; what is man, that God would be mindful of us? Do you ever wonder what God wants from your life, or how God is willing to use you? There are two ways to view this passage of Scripture; one is from man's point of view, the other is from God's. From our point of view, we wait with anticipation for God to do something spectacular in our lives; thinking, God how can I be of service to you? From God's point of view; well, let's just say, His is all about love, and His desire to get us close to His heart! There are other things about this Scripture that we will be looking at, and other views, which take on whole new meanings; but for now, let's focus on the man; who is it that God is mindful of? I am amazed by the way God has established the earth; and in reading the account of creation, we find several different roles that God specifically appointed unto man. The first of which was to have dominion over the earth; which means that man was to rule over those things which God had placed upon the earth, and he was to have power over them. Okay; not such a big deal, you might be saying; because man is far superior than the animals anyways; right? Yes, but God's purpose for man was to rule over these lower creatures; not to just be more superior, but to have power over them; and in so doing, there was an example of submission being lived out in this arrangement. Secondly; God had man to name all of the animals, and to all other living things; a task for which knowledge of that thing being named was acquired. In other words; the task of giving a name to something involved a study of it, in order to name it based upon it's characteristic. What's the point? Right? Well; God was giving us His nature; His natural ability to create, to know what it was that we are all about, and to have an interest in our lives; these things were being passed upon man, that we might be mindful of our relationship with Him, as our creator, as our Father, and as the One who has dominion over our lives. These attributes did not remain in the garden when Adam and Eve were removed from it; eternal life was left there, but not our familiarity with the God who created us in His image. Yes, there was a separation from God because of sin; but there was no separating Who it was that we were fashioned after! So; what is man, that God is mindful of him? We are His children!!! Created in His image; He made us to be close to Him; just like you want your children to be close to you, God desires us to draw close to Him! Now then; what is it that is required for us to draw close to Him? Likeness!!!! We have the familiarity, now we need His likeness; which is only brought about by the power of Jesus Christ, His Son! It is the blood of Jesus that cleanses us, and makes us as white as snow; purified by the blood of Christ, we are able to approach our Heavenly Father, and be close to Him; which is where He wants us to be! In this, we also look at the second part of this verse, which says, "and the son of man, that Thou visiteth him?"; because this applies to us! Yes, that is right! You and I; descendants of those whom God originally placed in the garden; He has visited us with His Spirit, to draw us close to Him! I don't know about you, but if it was not for the Holy Spirit prompting me, I would still be lost in sin! And with that; I am drawn towards the first question again, asking, "what is man, that Thou art mindful of him?"; in other words, Lord, why have you chosen me? After I admire the handiwork of His creation, considering all that He has made; what could He possibly want with my life? Companionship!!! Companionship is established by experiencing Him, which only comes from knowing Him; Who He is, how much He loves us, what He wants for our lives, and He provides for us to get there; all these things and more, are what He is mindful of towards us. It was His desire for us that caused Him to send His Son to die for us; and as we shall see, it was His love for us that made Jesus obedient to the cross; in that Jesus loved the Father so much, He was obedient to do the Father's will...

"God's Handiwork"

"When I consider Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which Thou hast ordained;" (Psalms 8:3) You know, you really do not need to go out under the stars at night to see God's handiwork; you can just meditate upon it, and be brought right into it! It is amazing to me how God can open up our minds to His splendor; if we just take the time to be with Him. I was going to do this verse and the next one together, but after looking at all the nuggets in this verse, I decided I would work on this one first. You must realize something very important about this verse: David had a lot of experience gazing up into the heavens; as a young man, he most likely spent most of his time worshiping God, out under the stars at night, and early in the mornings. Secondly, I can only imagine how much David played out in his mind the creative workings of God; as he would demonstrate God's hand, index finger extended, speaking stars into existence. And yet, for whom did God make the heavens? For who's benefit did God place the heavens above? When we look at the meaning to the word "ordained", we find some pretty interesting things that establish God's intent. The word is 'kuwn', and it primarily means to be firm, be stable, be established; to confirm; to direct. To put this in a way that makes better sense, we could look at what God has placed in the heavens as His way of saying "I AM HERE"; in other words, He makes Himself known to us in His creations! There is absolutely no denying that there is a Creator, once you really start considering the handiwork of all that He has made. Scientists may try and avoid their hearts reaction to discoveries of new frontiers, but there is no denying that something grand and wise has put things in motion! If we take a moment and think about what David is saying here; he is expressing God's pleasure in creating something which will be gazed upon by His children; in other words, God's finger is pointing things into existence, and saying, This ones for you, and for you, and for that one, and the ones to come; and oh ya, least I forget, those wise ones will love this! It is God's direction towards His creation for a certain purpose; for something to be gazed upon by generations of His children, that can wonder with awe, What was He thinking when He made that one? or that one? or that one over there? Was He thinking of me? Did He see me gazing up there and asking these questions? Is He smiling now, as I wonder upon His marvelous works? Is this part of what fellowship with God is all about? I believe that it is!!! Especially when we consider His Son; how He sent Him to die for us; Him who had a hand in all this creation, came to die for that which He created! He shows us His awesome handiwork in all of His splendor; yet, He shows us His love by sending His Son; ordained from the beginning of time, The Lamb of God! And yet, as we look to the Book of Revelation, it is The Lamb of God which is the only one worthy to open the Book; for He alone is worthy, having bought this world with His life; and having redeemed it with His sacrifice, He is also worthy to judge it, and judge it He shall! Are you ready to be judged? Pray that you are...

"God's Way!"

"Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast Thou ordained strength because of Thine enemies, that Thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger." (Psalms 8:2) When we try to consider how it is that God does things, it is almost laughable at times; who says that God does not have a sense of humor? But there is one reason that He chooses to do it so: that He might receive the Glory! From the walls of Jericho, to every knee shall bow; from the fiery furnace, to being free of the bondage of sin; from the parting of the Red Sea, to the empty tomb; from stone gods that bow down before Him, to the Son of God lifted up before men; from the manna from heaven, to the Bread of Life; from a talking donkey, to fishers of men: God's ways always get results; and they always give Him glory! If we study the verse above carefully, we see something that is key to what is being said, which are the words, "because of Thine enemies". The reason that this is key, is because this is why God does the things He does, the way that He does them: that those that appose Him might be confounded. He astounds them with the way He uses the foolish things to confound the wise, and the weak things to confound the mighty. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 1:25, "Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men". The other important part of this verse, is "that Thou mightest still the enemy, and the avenger"; because in this, God causes them to cease in their plans, by confounding them in their own devices. A good example of this would be that of the devil, and his plot to destroy man with sin; so what does God do? He takes sin out of the equation! He stomped all over the devil's plot, literally, by stomping on his head! It is out of the mouth of babes that God brings forth strength; which means that He uses the weak and the feeble to proclaim His victory. Another way to look at this, would be to examine how Jesus, in the form of a man, was able to die upon a cross and give life to a dying world. That God would use flesh and blood to destroy the powers of darkness, for all eternity! And when you really think about it, sin might have started here in the garden for man, but the devil is the father of it; for it was he that first convinced many other angels to rebel against God; and it was he, who in the form of a serpent, deceived Eve in the garden. Therefore; I have to wonder, what was God's intention for man? and how is it that we matter so much to Him? Is it that we were created in His image? And, even though we are created in the image of Him, yet we have free will: we have the ability to sin, of which He is not capable of, because in Him is no darkness at all! If hell was created for the devil, and if hell is in the center of this earth; then what did He make this earth for? This is something that has puzzled me for decades; because, if for some unknown reason, the weakness of God, if there is such a thing, needed to manifest in a way, to take down the powers of darkness; and if this is true, and I am sure we will find out soon enough, then God's plan of redemption was bigger then just you and I, but involved all of His creation; we being the central part of His plan... (Never mind me, I might be having a flashback!)

"Most Excellent Glory"

"O LORD our Lord, how excellent is Thy name in all the earth! Who hast set Thy glory above the heavens." (Psalms 8:1) Just in case you do not know what the image is, that is the image that the Hubble Space Telescope has sent back to us, of the Black Hole in the center of the M51 Whirlpool Galaxy, only 31 million light years away! Now; as to what God's way of doing things and our ways differ in; you tell me, How great is our God!!! I can only imagine what David was thinking as he wrote this Psalm. But you must realize something about David; coming from his background as a shepherd, David had no doubt spent many nights gazing up into the heavens, and admiring God's glorious creations; although, he most likely was not able to view this image, at least not the one in this galaxy; he did however see Jesus upon the cross! As David describes the Lord, using, "how excellent is Thy name in all the earth!", he is making mention of God's magnificent, illustrious, glorious renown, in and to all the earth! In other words; God's glory is declared in all of His creation! From the least of the smallest particles, to the greatest mass that has been found; God's glory is brought forth in everything that He has created. And, just in case you did not know, the largest star that we have found thus far, is called, Alpha Canis Majoris, or other wise known as, The Big Dog Star; which they figure has a circumference that is as big as ten times the size of the earth's orbit around the sun; that is pretty big! So, when we wonder how big our God is; well let's just say, God is really Big!!! Furthermore; as David proclaims, "Who hast set Thy glory above the heavens", he is making mention of God's glory that exceeds all that we can see in the sky; in other words, we have seen nothing yet!!! Imagine what glorious images we will be gazing upon once we get to heaven; and if you look at the images that are visible on the Hubble website, you will see things that are beyond description; yet, these do not compare to the glory of Who God is! And yet, God has set His eye upon us; each and every one of us, are precious in His sight! It is hard to imagine how this is even possible, yet He has declared it over and over in His 'Love Letter' to us! Beyond that; He has declared it by sending His Son to suffer and die for us on the cross! Paul says, in Galatians 6:14, "But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by Whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world". In other words; the cross has set us free from the world of sin, and has made us free from sin; of which God has ordained since the beginning of time...

"A Holy Wine Press"

"To the chief Musician upon Gittith, A Psalm of David." (Introduction to Psalm Eight) This word Gittith is used in the introduction of three Psalms, 8, 81 and 84. Looking this word up, you end up with something rather interesting; because it simply says, Gittith = "a wine-press"; and then within the one definition, it says, a musical instrument? from Gath? and used in three Psalm titles - 8, 81, 84; a song title used for the Feast of Booths. The Lexicon gives us a little more help, in that it says, a Gittite, and then shows the reference for 2 Samuel 6:10; but then it goes on to say, a kind of musical instrument, either used by the people of Gath, or as it were, as used in the vintage with the songs of the wine-dressers and press-treaders. Okay, so be it! Let's start out with 2 Samuel 6:10 and see where that takes us; because in that verse, David is dumping the Ark off at the house of Odem-edom the Gittite. Oddly enough, a Gittite is from the land of Gath, which is also the land where Goliath was from, in the land of the Philistines. If you know the story, David had tried to move the Ark to Zion, after he had captured that city and made it his chief city; however, they placed the Ark upon a cart, and he was upset that Uzzah was killed by putting forth his hand to stabilize the Ark, as the cart wheel had went into a ditch. Therefore, David left the Ark at the closest piece of land, which happened to be that of Odem-edom; and it stayed there for three months, of which time, God blessed Odem-edom and all that he had; which caused David to reconsider, and bring the Ark into into Zion; but this time, they did it right, and used staves which were meant to carry the Ark, and Levites to bare the staves. Okay; so maybe we could consider this story as the means for God to press into David the holiness and reverence to which God must be approached, including that which He has ordained to represent Him, as the ideal example of 'A Holy Wine Press'; it just might work. However, there is another Gittite to be considered, and that is none other than Goliath, the giant that spewed vile words unto God, causing the armies of Israel to stand in fear. Yet, along comes a young Shepherd boy; as a choice grape, that has been growing on the 'vine of God'; who hears those vile words, and is quick to notice that the giant was challenging God; the God of all creation was being challenged by a mortal man; a big man, no doubt, but mortal through and through. In this, David realized that God could use him, a simple shepherd boy, to take down this vile creature; because greater was He that was in him, then anyone who was in the world, no matter how big he might be! Could it have been that David remembered this as God blessed the house of a Philistine? That God is Holy and mighty to save, yet His ways are not to be defiled; which means, that God's way, although sometimes seeming impractical to follow, are the ways that get results...

"Above All Creatures"

As we come to the beginning of Psalms Eight, we are brought to the place where Psalms Seven has left off: being placed in a relationship with a Holy God; not by any doing of our own, but by the doing of Jesus Christ! If you have a title listed above this Psalm in your Bible, then you will note what it says: "God's Glory and Man's Honour". The general meaning of this title speaks to the position that we have been placed; one that speaks of several different levels of God's creation, yet shows how His love for us is by far the greatest in all of His creation. It is hard to imagine what this actually means; and it is exceedingly hard to imagine how much we mean to Him. This Psalm is the second Psalm which declares the image of His Son; yet, unlike the first one, which was Psalms Two, that showed Jesus as the servant sacrifice, this one proclaims Him as LORD of all; giving Him the glory that He deserves, as the redeemer of our souls! It is not to hard to see how precious we are in His sight, if we can understand the measure to which He went to save us. Yet, many cannot understand this, and carry on throughout their lives as if they do not matter much to Him; only because they do not see the individual love that He has for each and every one of us, as His children. Instead, many see themselves as masses, that are not unique in His eye; as if we are grouped into some kind of collective pools of people, by which He views us as a crowd of people who are just like we are. This is so far from the truth!!! For He does know us individually; moreover, He counts the number of the very hairs on our heads! And if you can try and imagine what is involved to do such a thing: it definitely involves knowing us a whole lot better than we know ourselves!!! As I was praying this morning, I was praising God for the mightiness of His power; power that we cannot even begin to imagine! In the process of praising Him, I saw a rather odd vision; one which involved the heavens and the earth, all being rolled up like a scroll; much like you would roll up a tapestry, or a painting. And then, there was a new tapestry that appeared, but it was not rolled out, it just was; as if it had already been there, yet not visible, due to the old tapestry which was removed. We really don't understand how unimportant this world is to us; yet, we continue to hold onto it, as if it shall be our dwelling place forever. It will pass away, just as our flesh is dying, so to will this earth; for God has created a much better place for us to dwell... "And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him. Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows." (Luke 12:4-7)

"The Charming Song"

"I will praise the LORD according to His righteousness: and will sing praise to the name of the LORD most high." (Psalms 7:17) I am more than sure that God wonders why we are not more willing to receive His love for us; how much more could He have done to offer forgiveness? As we progressed through this Psalm, I do hope that I did not stray to far from the main point; but as I said before, the Lord was speaking to me about a certain subject, and therefore, I needed to move in that direction. Ultimately, we have the capacity to accept His forgiveness; just like we also have the ability to forgive others; we just need to want it! Much the same as the desire not to sin, must be just that: a desire not to sin! The word that formed in my mind all night long, was the word 'PURITY'; it is a word that means to be free from foreign matter; cleanness; innocence; guiltlessness. All of which we are given, and meant to be, as children of God; His children are pure, for He is pure! The final verse of Psalms Seven, is what I would call, the Charming Song; which is placed at the end of a wandering journey towards finding true forgiveness. I know that forgiveness comes the moment that we receive Jesus Christ into our hearts; but, forgiveness is not truly realized until we can see what He has done, and know the power of His love for us! Yes, power of His Love! There is nothing more powerful than His Love! I was thinking this morning about what a virgin must think about as they continually commit to holding out for their one true love. What is it that motivates their desire to stay pure? Love? I think the answer is yes! They may not even know who it is that they shall love; yet they are committed to be pure, for whom ever that might be. We, one the other hand, know Him; and we know that soon He will be returning; therefore, we must remain pure for His return! How do we remain pure? The blood of Jesus Christ washes away all of our sins; and if we have sin in our lives, then we must confess that sin, be cleansed from that sin, and sin no more! However; if we happen to sin again, then we confess that sin; and He is faithful and just to forgive us of that sin, and to cleanse us of all of our unrighteousness. Our biggest problem is accepting that forgiveness as the end of our sin; instead, we hold onto a portion of that sin; whether that be the scare of the sin, or the memory, or whatever else can be attached to it; and we really don't consider it removed, until we remove it. You think God doesn't know your struggle? Why do you think He did all that He could do, to not only remove our sins, but to remove all punishment as well? All punishment, means that which we place upon ourselves also! When God removes our sins, the stain is gone also!!! When we have been set free from sin, we have been set free from sin's curse, and all of it's judgements! This is made possible, not by what we have done, nor by anything that we can possibly do; but it is only possible by God's righteousness being poured upon us! When we can truly see that, and as we stand there covered in His precious blood, now think about anyone that you have not forgiven; think if their sin against you is not covered also, and that your unforgiveness is like your hand extended out from the covering; and the only way to draw it in, is with the hand of those that you have not forgiven being placed within your hand... We truly are forgiven!!!

"The Crown of Thorns"

"His mischief shall return upon his own head, and his violent dealings shall come down upon his own pate." (Psalms 7:16) Odd title for today's verse; you think? Yes; but there is a mystery to the crown of thorns that was placed upon the head of Jesus; those Roman soldiers had plaited it upon His head, thinking that they were making Him a mock-king; however, everything that happened to Jesus, happen for a reason; everything! What that crown represented was a special part of God's redemption; something which man was burdened with before the very curse was pronounced by God in the Garden! Let me try to explain; but please bare with me; it's a little complicated! We are talking about man being able to accept God's forgiveness; something which has been a problem from the very start of creation: why do you think man blamed the woman, and the woman blamed the serpent! Because they could not accept that God would forgive them for what they had done? or that they did not even know what forgiveness meant? Sin was so very new to them; so much so, that they were ashamed to be naked, and covered their bodies with leaves. Could it have been that forgiveness was not offered yet? Possibly? But, let's look at this verse of David's 'wandering, or charming song', and see what it has to say. The first word that I would like to look at, is the word "mischief", as in "His mischief shall return upon his own head". The word has at it's root a meaning of toil, as in to labor; trouble, sorrow, misery, grievance; heavy, wearisome labor; the sorrow or anguish of the soul. We then must look at the meaning of the word "head", which could apply to just the man's head; however, what is the man's head? Because it also speaks about chief, as in the chiefest, choicest, or best; whatever is highest and supreme! So, with that: Where do you place your head? Okay; you might have let that one slip by; because the misery of our suffering shall return upon our own head; that is unless Christ is our head!!! No, wait a minute; "and his violent dealings" are those things that are cruel, wrong, and damaging; which paints a perfect picture of man's curse of this earth; and the "plat" is meant for the crown of the head, or top of the head. If we look back to the curse, which is given in Genesis 3:14-21, one part of man's curse was that of the ground, and that it would bring forth thorns and thistles, thereby causing man to labor hard to supply bread for his household. The general meaning for these thorns and thistles was that of anguish in providing, and resistance on the part of the provisions. However, the crown of thorns which were placed upon the head of Jesus, were a symbol of His taking upon Himself the curse of our soul's labor in penitence, or punishment for sin. The toil that would anguish man's soul, was placed upon the head of Jesus, and was to symbolize that the punishment was no more a curse upon man's soul. In addition to man's toiling the ground, was also the curse of death, in which God said, "In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and dust shalt thou return." (Genesis 3:19) Therefore; the crown of thorns which Jesus bore upon His head also represented His new kingdom established for us, which is not of this earth; and in such a representation, He removed the curse of death which was placed upon man in the Garden; and these old dusty bodies that we have been given, will be replaced with new glorified bodies, that shall withstand the test of time; a long long time! Okay; now we try again to ask the question: Where do you place your head? If you place your head as the thing which has been installed above your shoulders, then your head might as well be lopped off; which is precisely what happened to Saul's head. However; if Jesus Christ is your head, then you have placed Him above all else; which then allows you to not only accept God's forgiveness, but you can actually see His forgiveness! And that crown of thorns means that we do not have to toil any more... "O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?"... JESUS!!!

"The Grave"

"He made a pit, and digged it, and is fallen into the ditch which he made." (Psalms 7:15) My mom always had a saying that goes along with this, it was, You've made your bed, now lay in it! This she would say to the deceit that us kids would conjure up to cover up something that we had done; things were always worse and more complicated to deal with, the more people that were involved in a lie or cover up. You have most likely heard the term, Digging his own grave; well that is the image that David is putting forth. Isn't odd how someone will reject something that can save them, and replace it with something that will literally drag them to Hell. Can a heart of rebellion really be that stubborn? Well, we really don't have to go that far from David to find that out; however, David's sin with Bathsheba, and his plotting to cover it up, is not what I am talking about. His name was Saul, the first king of Israel; chosen by God to rule His people, and to be an example to the people of one who served God. Reading the accounts of Saul's final few years, I wondered why he was so bitter against David, and how he could even begin to justify some of the things that he did. At one point, Saul commanded that the Priests be killed who helped David and feed him and his men the hallowed bread. He could not get his footmen to kill them, so he had Doeg the Edomite do it, who was chiefest herdsman in Saul's court; a servant in his court was instructed to do his dirty work, that his own foot soldiers refused to do. That is really hard to imagine, how he could have continued to call for the death of these Priests, after his own loyal military servants would not perform the task. These guys that surrounded Saul were like the Secret Service to the President, loyal to surround him and protect him at all times as he traveled about; however, they were still men that feared God, and would have no part in killing the Priest of God; therefore, you would think that Saul would have gotten the hint that this was not a good thing to do. Could he have hated David that much? Or was his heart made hard by the fact that he could not except God's forgiveness, nor could he even see the forgiveness that was available for his very soul; instead, he had established himself to be king, even after Samuel had told him that God had chosen someone else to rule in his place, he continued as if he were the king that God had anointed. It is hard to count the number of times that Saul tried to kill David; and when ever Saul would make an oath that he was not going to pursue David any longer, as soon as he heard something that was glorifying to David, he would set out to kill him again. If ever there could be an example of someone who was not governed by God, Saul's last years were the perfect picture. So, what could have made Saul not accept or even receive God's forgiveness? Maybe it was his kingdom being taken from him and given to another? or maybe it was that he never asked for God's forgiveness? But yet he did repent; he just did not like the terms of his repentance; which were to suffer the loss of his kingdom, and all the glory that came with being King of Israel. The one thing that I remember the most about Boot Camp, when I joined the Navy, was how they first took you to your lowest state, to then build you back up again. This is much the same thing that we must do, as we humble ourselves to receive God's forgiveness for our sins; we must become lower than dirt; we must be dead to ourselves, in order to be alive unto God! Would Saul have stepped aside for David to take the throne? Probably not! Should he have? Only if he was interested in God's forgiveness...

"The Advance"

"Behold, he travaileth with iniquity, and hath conceived mischief, and brought forth falsehood." (Psalms 7:14) So here we are; the place that requires turning towards God in surrender, or advancing forward through the briar patch, with all of it's thorns and thistles. What would make someone so stubborn, and harden their heart to such an extent? Pride might be one thing which could cause such an action; yet, I am not sure that it is the main reason. There is another term for such action; although closely associated with pride, yet it takes on a life of it's own, in more ways than one. The term is called vanity; and what that does in our heart, is to create an image unto ourselves, or an idol of ourselves; whereby, there is created an image of someone who knows better than God what is best for us, and takes the attributes of man and contributes them unto God. Image what that might look like, if you can; because in doing so, you must discount the mighty power of an all-knowing, and loving God! Although, this is what David is describing, as he paints a picture of a man who is trapped in the depths of vanity. The first part of the description, is that "he traverseth with iniquity"; which could be interpreted as being lost in sin; however, it really goes quite further than that. It goes further, because being lost requires that someone not know the way; this however speaks of someone who has pledged something, which points to the direction that they have chosen; instead of just stumbling into sin, they have intentionally reached out for it. This is the thing about idols, is that they are set before God, and then reached out to, as in an effort to facilitate a need, in lieu of God. The second part of this picture, is that he "hath conceived mischief"; which again, is something that involves intent, and requires a foreknowledge of what is right, yet chooses to do wrong. What this speaks about is a plan to do wrong, or to sin; which requires the knowledge of what is right, in order to conceive such a plan to do wrong. And then, we have the third part of this picture, which is that he "brought forth falsehood"; which speaks about making something up, or to bring forth something that is false. Do you see the picture? It paints a picture of a man that is defiant to his core, and is determined to press forward, even knowing that he is wrong. What could make such a man do such a thing? Envy? Jealousy? How about unforgiveness? Yes, that is what I think that it is! Not unforgiveness on his part, but his inability to see God's forgiveness towards him! Now why do you think that is? Could it be that the image of himself has gotten in the way of his ability to see God's love for him? Can a man even begin to see God's forgiveness if he is focused upon himself? We cannot understand God's ability to forgive us, if we cannot get past ourselves...

"The Briar Patch" -2

Now then; as to the issue of forgiveness; I bet you wondered if I was done with that topic and had moved on to something better and more pleasant, like repentance. I wonder what riches and material things can do in our hearts, as we guard them from being taken or used by others? Not such a big deal, is what some might say; however, we sometimes overlook the power that we give these things over our lives. What do they say the number one cause of divorce is; is it not finances? And the number one cause of disputes among friends; is it not things of possession? The word which I am speaking about is "persecutors", which was the second part of Psalm 7:13, whereby David says, "He ordaineth His arrows against the persecutors". A rather complex word, yet given that it has at the root of it's meaning 'to burn', or to hotly pursue, it takes on the characteristics of flames; burning desire that is set towards something. Back in Mark 10:30, Jesus is speaking about something rather significant that we gain as His followers; and He places the word "hundredfold" in the description of these gains; which be, houses, brethren, sisters, mothers, children, lands, and least we forget, persecutions! Yes, we shall inherit eternal life, and the comforts that come with fellowship with one another, and the peace that is bestowed upon us by the gift of the Holy Spirit; but we shall also receive persecution in these times; it is to be expected. With that, we must not worry or take thought over the things of this world; all of which shall pass away. Therefore; disputes that are generated out of riches and material things should not be a part of who we are in Christ, because greater riches then these are granted to us, that far exceed that which the world has to offer. In this, we are to be content; yet, where is the contentment in anger towards one another? When we are talking about turning towards God, we are talking about turning towards holiness; when we are talking about turning towards holiness, we are to shed all that is unholy! The physical things are easy to detect: things such as fornication, stealing, lying, and even coveting; but anger and holding unforgiveness towards others are things that we frequently over look; much the same as putting other gods before God, for we do not realize what we are doing until we are confronted in such matters; much the same as the 'Rich Young Ruler'. "He hath also prepared for him instruments of death", which is what the Rich Young Ruler contemplated, as he walked away, saddened by the words of Jesus; coming to find the way to inherit eternal life, he walked away, faced with the possibility of eternal damnation and death. The "persecutors" are those that destroy love and friendships, much like a fire destroys all that is in it's path. And just like the rebellion in the hearts of those that died in the wilderness, a heart that is motivated by hurt will not repent, because it feels that it is owed something to it for that hurt; as though, only the hurt of the other will satisfy the hurt that they feel. But really, if you think about what we have been given in comparison to what we might have suffered, we should have no reason to hold anything against anyone; none whatsoever!

"The Briar Patch"

"He hath prepared for him the instruments of death; He ordaineth His arrows against the persecutors." (Psalms 7:13) Maybe the best way to consider the choice before us, is to view what is awaiting us if we turn not. After all, the law was put in place to lead us to Christ; in other words, we are instructed by the law to the things that we lack the ability to accomplish; and seeing that they are really nothing by which we can adhere to, they actually become that by which we judge ourselves! Case in point: "Thou shalt have no other gods before me" is the first of God's commandments given to Moses in Exodus 20:3, and seeing that it was the first one, I thought it should be the easiest one to examine. Let's go to the example within the Scriptures, instead of me trying to make one up, and let's look at someone we are familiar with, "The Rich Young Ruler". There are three accounts of this encounter with Jesus, Matthew 19:16-30, Mark 10:17-31, and Luke 18:18-30; and because I hold to the belief that this young man was Mark, I will therefore look at his version. First of all, Mark's version is the only one which says, "there came one running, and kneeled down to Him"; the others are less specific, and at the very best, say, "and behold, one came and said unto Him". The first thing to note about this encounter, is that the young man addresses Jesus, as "Good Master", and Jesus answers back, "Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is God." The other interesting thing about this encounter, is that Jesus does not mention this commandment about "no other gods" when questioning him about the commandments. To which the young man answer's, "Master, all these things have I observed from my youth". Another little thing to notice, is that Mark's version of what happened, is the only one that says, "Then Jesus beholding him loved him", before telling him that there was one thing that he lacked. And what was that one thing that he lacked? Well, it surely was not a desire to inherit eternal life, was it? He had lacked to place God before all other gods, and had made riches his God; at least for a short while. But in the mean time, he had to ponder something which Jesus said; something else that is not mentioned in the other versions; something which was specific to the one performing the task! The difference between Mark's version and the others, is that Mark's version includes these words: "take up thy cross"! This is the point made of a sacrifice for God, it is something that causes us to deny ourselves, those pleasures of this world, and to give our all for Him. Pleasures of this world; now that is a very touchy subject! God had made everything for man to enjoy, and to take pleasure in; after all, God Himself took pleasure in all that He created. However, when the pleasures come before our God, then we have an issue; and yet, there are many who have placed the trust of money and material things before the loving provisions that God would have for us. Let me see if I can make this a little clearer, and quote what Jesus said, in Mark's version: "Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God". The point being, that trusting in riches will cause a man to take his trust and his desire off of God, and to place it instead upon the things of this world. The people that heard Jesus were astonished, wondering, "Who then can be saved?"; and the part that so many love to focus upon, is when Jesus says, "With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible". Whew; you had me worried for a second there; because I thought it was going to be impossible! Interesting enough, Jesus was not done with this yet, as Peter begins to brag a little, and say, "Lo, we have left all, and have followed Thee". To which Jesus answered with this: "Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's. But he shall receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life. But many that are first shall be last: and the last first." I know that many will not understand what I am about to say, but to summarize what Jesus just said, I will simply say this: IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL...

"The Crevice"

"If he turn not, He will whet His sword; He hath bent His bow, and made it ready." (Psalms 7:12) What? You can not hide from God! Although, many there be that think God cannot find them, nor even cares where they hide. However; He does not even need to search for us, because we shall all end up in His presence! Yet, His mercy endures for ever!!! To some, this verse might seem to be a picture of a vengeful God; one who is just waiting to pronounce judgement upon those that are wicked; but this is not so. First of all: God is patient towards us; yet, He is ready to judge those that do not turn towards Him. That is the key! That we turn towards Him!!! There are two different instruments of warfare mentioned in this verse, the sword and the bow; one is used for close combat, the other for distance. Think about this for a moment, and try to imagine how different these two instruments are used; one is used for face to face combat; while the other is used for distant and less personal conquest. Okay; you might need some further illustration to help you see this in a different light. The main point that is being made has to do with those that "turn not"; in other words, they choose not to turn from their wicked ways. In this, there are two ways by which they can continue: they can continue to hide, or they can try and run. If they continue to hide, He will sharpen His sword; which if you can, imagine the sound of it being sharpened as you try and hide yourself from His sight. But, if they choose to run, then He has readied His bow: it is already bent and ready to strike! The point being, that there is no way around us facing His judgement, unless we turn completely from our wicked ways! Okay; you still need some help? How about this: we do not get the pleasure of picking the terms of our surrender!!! I know that we sometimes wish that there was a pause button on our life of redemption; as if we could take a break from being fashioned in His likeness, just long enough to wet our whistle at the bar of sin; but this is not what true repentance is all about. There is no watered down version of holiness; although, that is what we are looking for, and that which we want to hear. Do you know what I am talking about? Well then, here is an example: the sermon for today is Holiness, so you prepare your heart to be changed; and yet, you go away relieved to hear, that you are still just a sinner, who has been saved by grace. But you see, there is another reason for those who died in the wilderness, choosing not to look upon that Brazen Serpent which Moses lifted up: they were willing to take their chances with death, rather than to receive a complete healing and to be changed!!! Why were they dying in the first place? Was it not from having a rebellious heart? The object that they needed to look upon was for them to surrender; which meant that they needed to humble themselves enough to but gaze upon it; yet, their rebellious heart would not allow it, because in so doing, they must have been willing to turn from their rebellion, and to turn towards God. Maybe we can't see yet what we must turn to? And then again, maybe we can; yet, we turn not, because we know what that requires...

"The Hollows"

"God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day." (Psalms 7:11) Feel like playing the odds? By now you should have noticed the significant titles that I have given to each of these postings; all of which are characteristic to the places in which this ball ends up, or effects that the ball is subject to as it continues down this journey. Why a ball, you might be wondering? Well, I guess it just seemed to fit best as to the way we are rolling, bouncing, and even sometimes detour through our daily lives. What we have here today, is the place that I have chosen as the Hollows; which are formed by river valleys, that may be relatively dry clefts with a notch like characteristic in that they have a height of land and consequent water divides in the their bases. Remember that this is a wandering song, and as such, it traverses down a path where there are things which control it, and things which it effects; all of which are predicated on the form that it has taken. Anywho; this verse that we have before us today; well, let's just say that it has both aspects of control and effect, all rolled up in one! I could liken it to the care that I give to my wife; in that, as I care for her, she is cared for, for me to care for her yet another day; and in that care that I give her, she blesses me with her presence each and every day that she is still with me! For, "God judgeth the righteous" speaks about Him governing the lives of those who are righteous. In other words; those that are righteous are governed by His Spirit; those that are wicked, well, not so much! As a matter of fact, David takes this right to the point, by saying, "and God is angry with the wicked every day"; meaning, every day that they live in wickedness, God's wrath is upon their lives, like a curse, waiting to judge them with the righteous anger of a Holy God! I can't believe some of these studies that our tax dollars are spent on; as I heard the latest 28 year long study about the effects of eating red meat upon our chances of getting cancer. I was watching them cook up some really nice looking Ribeyes, yet they were speaking about Pork byproducts. Who comes up with this stupidity? And the radio version was even worse, as they gave some made up statistic about a 19% better chance of not getting cancer for every day that you do not eat red meat; or some such nonsense! How about this: you have 100% chance of going to Hell every day that you walk in wickedness!!! There is only one way to become righteous in God's eye, and that is by being covered in the blood of His Son Jesus Christ! And when we are made righteous, He governs our lives!!!

"The Valley Floor"

"My defense is of God, which saveth the upright in heart." (Psalms 7:10) And then again, maybe David was making a request instead of asking a question! I don't know, but do you think there could be an internal struggle going on; and maybe, just maybe there is a coexistence taking place on a much smaller scale? "O let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end; but establish the just: for the righteous God trieth the hearts and reins." This would be something like Paul saying, "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." (Romans 8:1) And if you know what led up to the "therefore", then you should know it was the verses from 7:14 through 7:25, where Paul was speaking about 'Sin Lives in Me'; starting out with, "For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin." The idea of what Paul is saying, is that the law is the influence upon our lives to do what is right before God; which speaks of our rational soul: as a part of man which is akin to God and serves as his instrument or organ. But, he then declares that he is carnal, meaning that he fleshly, and has the appetite to satisfy the flesh; being "sold under sin", which means, entirely under the control of the loving of sin. This is our inheritance passed down from our fathers; that which we were born into, and what we naturally are outside of Jesus Christ! In this realization of who we are outside of Christ, there is only one way that we can have an upright heart, and that is to get on our face before God!!! "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin." (Romans 7:24-25) To be abundantly clear, there is nothing we could do about our situation, because we were trapped in sin, yet bound by the law; and the only thing to possibly release us from this condemnation would be death of the flesh, which is that carnal part of us that feeds upon sin. Which Paul speaks about in Romans 8:8-10, "So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness." We could spend hours and hours going over the things that Paul speaks about here in the Book of Romans, but for now, I would like to understand what David is saying here in verse ten; because, if verse nine is a statement of that which is the internal struggles of the heart, then the later portion of that verse is very condemning; for it says, "for the righteous God trieth the hearts and reins"; which then means, that there is no hope for our wicked hearts, because God proves them wicked. However; when David says, "but establish the just", he is speaking about those that are justified by God, being made secure; which means, to be established in what God has accomplished for us; or in David's case, what God would be doing on his behalf! With that; let me say this again: There is absolutely no way that we can have an upright heart without a contrite spirit; therefore, we must humble ourselves before a Holy God and beg for mercy; and He will lift us up!

"The Canyon"

"O let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end; but establish the just: for the righteous God trieth the hearts and reins." (Psalms 7:9) Okay; now how many, after reading my last statement from yesterday, "By asking God to govern our lives", said, 'Well, duh; as if we didn't know that'? You are not alone; because I even asked it of myself; yet, we do not allow Him the opportunity to do that which we have asked Him to do!!! Time and time again I see brothers and sisters who say that they are governed by God, yet as soon as someone ruffles their feathers, they do not present a heart that proves they are governed by God; but one which shows they are about their own business, and not the Lord's. There are two types of people which David is speaking about here: the wicked and the just; both of which are people associated with each other, or are people who mingle together; in other words, they coexist together. The reason that we can begin to assume this is so, is by the last part of the verse, which says, "for the righteous God trieth the hearts and reins". We all know what "the heart" means, but "reins" speak of the seat of emotion and affection; and the word "trieth" means to prove, or to examine. The main difference that is between these two people, is the one is guilty and one is not! You must know by now, that the answer given in many disputes between couples, friends, brothers and sisters; you name it, the answer given is always, 'There are two sides to every story'. I learned how this works from a very young age; while in third grade, it became apparent to me that disputes between classmates always had two sides to them; but let me get into a dispute with my teacher, and all bets were off. If you know anything about geology, then you should know, that a canyon is a deep narrow valley that is worn by a river; in other words, as the river moves through a particular valley, it takes with it bits and pieces of the earth, until eventually there is a canyon which has been formed. As is the case with most canyons, they usually create a divide, or a two sided valley; which makes crossing from one side to the other more difficult, especially as time goes on. This is a little illustration of what happens when we have disputes among each other; and, as is the case of the river, it moves on down the valley, taking with it the loose particles of the earth; so too, the discord sown within the body will do the same with those that are not securely fastened in the Lord; taken down the river, and who knows where they might end up! So; if we truly are asking God to govern our lives, then who's at fault? Who is guilty? This is more or less David's question, put forth in the form of a statement: "O let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end; but establish the just": for who ever is guilty, and whoever is just, "the righteous God trieth the hearts and reins"...

"The Big Bounce"

"The LORD shall judge the people: judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness, and according to mine integrity that is in me." (Psalms 7:8) How serious are we about getting right with God? "What have I done? What have I done again? What have I continued to do?" You might know the scene from the movie Year One, as Cain continues to plummet Abel in the head with a rock; each time he hits him, he immediately repents for his action; that is until his brother moves again, at which time he hits him again, and then repents again; until finally his brother is dead, and he is now about covering up for his actions. Repentance is more than just turning from sin; real repentance requires that we turn towards righteousness! God warned Cain about what unrighteousness can do, and that instead, he should do well; however, if he did not well, sin would be waiting at the door. These are two different types of "judge" that David is speaking of; the first one means to govern, as in to govern Thy people; the second one means to judge, as in to govern my cause, or to be an arbitrator in my defence. There is a reason that David was called "A man after God's own heart", and it had to do with getting close to God! In other words; just turning from sin will not get us close to God, it will help us not to sin; but sin will always be waiting at the door. Instead, we must turn towards righteousness; which means, doing that which is right; which sets us on the path of righteousness! In case you did not get that meaning; it means that our life is set on a different path! In other words; there are two paths that we have to choose from: one is that of sin, and not sinning; while the other, is the path of righteousness, of which sin is not an option. Jesus has provided for us a path of righteousness; wherein, we are placed upon that path by what He accomplished on the cross for our sin. When we do sin, we have stepped off of that path, and onto the path of sin; therefore, we must not only turn from that sin which we have committed, but step back onto that path of righteousness; otherwise, sin will be waiting at the door! What am I saying here is quite simple: we simply must do what is right! And how do we do that? By asking God to govern our lives...

"The Cliff-Face"

"So shall the congregation of the people compass Thee about: for their sakes therefore return Thou on high." (Psalms 7:7) If it's going to start somewhere, and with someone, then why not let it be me? Have you ever wondered that to yourself? And if so, how far did you get with that, before turning around and heading the other way? Sometimes, the only way to actually see the face of the cliff, is to jump! Right about now, you are probably wondering what the heck I am talking about, and whether or not I am even speaking about the verse above, at all? But here is the thing that I believe David is getting at; and it has to do with a little thing that is called, Leading By Example; and as we shall see tomorrow, this is a serious matter! For many in the church, life as a believer is mundane; with each day rolling into the next; never really expecting, nor looking for God to do anything spectacular within their everyday life. It's kind of like that old expression: Just Going With the Flow. For David, his life was not structured as one who 'just goes with the flow', but rather, as someone who went against the flow, for most of his life; as someone which took a chance with God, even though others went the other way, he choose to do it the way that he felt was best. You can see this kind of structure demonstrated in his first public battle with Goliath; as Saul tried to fit him in is armor, before he set out to face the giant; yet David refused the armor, saying, "I cannot go with these; for I have not proved them". The word "return" that David is using here, as in, "for their sakes therefore return Thou on high", speaks about refreshing, as in, to refresh God's Spirit upon the people as they turn to Him for direction, having been made weary. This is a serious battle; therefore, we must be serious about fighting for our very souls!!! If it has to start somewhere, and with someone, then why not you? I pray that God would refresh His Spirit upon my life, upon my family, upon my church, upon this nation, and upon this world; that brothers and sisters throughout, would get serious about making a stand for Jesus Christ! Saying, Lord, do something spectacular in my life today; don't let me waste the time I have been given; but for the sake of those within my life, return Thou on high!!! "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew Him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as He is pure." (1 John 3:1-3)

"The Plateau"

"Arise, O LORD, in Thine anger, lift up Thyself because of the rage of mine enemies: and awake for me to the judgment that Thou hast commanded." (Psalms 7:6) Remembering what caused David to write this particular Psalm, and what Shimei the Benjamite really represented, it is really not hard to understand the point that is being made. Going back to 2 Samuel 16:13 & 14, we can see something that took place in the heart of David and his men, because of this character Shimei. "And as David and his men went by the way, Shimei went along on the hillside over against him, and cursed as he went, and threw stones at him, and cast dust. And the king, and all the people that were with him, came weary, and refreshed themselves there." This word "refreshed" is a word that speaks about 'taking a breath'; to breath strongly, to pant; to rest, or to cease from working; to refresh any one. Knowing what it is that the enemy will try and accomplish, as he taunts us, we must realize that his intention is to make us weary, on so many levels! Weary of our church; weary of our leadership; weary of our abilities to serve God; weary of our brothers and sisters, and their actions; and most of all, weary of our own personal relationship with God! The point that David is making, when he says, "and awake for me to the judgment that Thou hast commanded", is that of establishment. In other words; it is a request for God to awaken to him the ordinances of His commission; which is to say, that which God has established. A really good example of this, would be the words that Jesus spoke to Peter when He asked him three times, "Peter do you love me?" The point that is being made, has to do with our calling; whereas, God has called us to a particular work, which is His establishment for our lives. In that, our response must be to love Him, and to love each other; knowing also, that the enemy will do everything within his power to distract us from doing just that! When we can get to a point where we can see this, and when we can realize the craftiness of his ways, then we can begin to take charge of the commission that we have been given within God's kingdom...

"The Second Bump"

"Let the enemy persecute my soul, and take it; yea, let him tread down my life upon the earth, and lay mine honour in the dust. Selah." (Psalms 7:5) Just in case you did not know, Gath was the city that Goliath came from; FYI. Anyways; let's get hold of this verse; shall we? How innocent are you of offending another? Are you innocent enough to say this? Because, that is what David is saying here! David never would have come against Saul; he had several chances to take him out, and did not; and if he would have been allowed to fight within the ranks of the Philistines, then he would have delivered them into Saul's hand. If only we could have this attitude when it comes to division and contention towards each other! However; in reality, this is in fact the truth! The problem is, that we just do not realize that it is so! This is what happens to our spiritual life when we harbor unforgiveness in our hearts; the enemy has his way in us! Oh, we may not realize what is happening; nor, will we acknowledge in our hearts that it is so; not until we take the time to evaluate our hearts, and to seek God's guidance within this specific area of our lives. For example: if we have an issue against a certain brother or sister, no matter who is at fault, we must strive to make amens with them! It should be something that is set at the forefront of our minds; knowing that it gives the enemy a foothold in our lives, whenever we have an issue with another brother or sister in Christ. But what about the hurt, you might be asking? It is but a flesh wound! Greater is the elimination of a limb, than a little scratch upon our arm! Besides; the healing that takes place when we surrender everything to Christ, is far greater than enough to heal our little scratches; just look at the relationship between Paul and Mark...

"The Thicket"

"If I have rewarded evil unto him that was at peace with me; (yea, I have delivered him that without cause is mine enemy;)" (Psalms 7:4) Oh, how we can really mess things up, when we become selfish and vain, and in how we treat our brothers and sisters in Christ! If you say that you don't know what I am talking about, well, good for you; maybe? However; there is something that takes place in our hearts and in our minds, as we imagine their plots against us; when in reality, they were just going through some trial of their own: there really was nothing going on; but now there is; and nobody, now, knows how to deal with it! It really is a case of 'who hurt who'; and in such a case, there is hardly any forgiveness offered; mostly because, no one knows what to offer forgiveness for: just that they feel wronged, and they expect to receive an apology. I have been an Elder in my church for many years, and I have witnessed this type of division time and time again. Sometimes, I wonder, What is wrong with these people; and why can't they just shake hands, give each other a hug, and press on for the kingdom of God? Vanity!!! That is all that I can place the blame upon; when it comes to reconciliation, our vanity is what gets in the way. Try to undo something that was never really done! It's hard to do! Yet, this is the hardest thing for us to deal with amongst each other; because no one wants to accept the blame for something that is nothing to begin with. And yet; we all know who is really to blame: he who sows discord amongst us!!! David is speaking of something for which he can easily be held responsible in doing; however, if that is what he is speaking about, then he knows that he is guilty. Therefore, I believe there is something else he is trying to say, in as few of words as possible; because, this is a song; a wandering song, which moves from one person of interest onto another, and from one place to focus upon to another. I have no doubt that David is speaking of a friend, as he remembers previous relationships in his life; one in particular comes to mind, and that is Jonathan, the son of Saul. At the time of Jonathan's death, which was at the hands of the Philistines, David was living amongst the Philistines in the land of Gath; where Achish, the son of Maoch, king of Gath, befriended David and gave him the city of Ziklag for him and all his mighty men to dwell. David continued to dwell within the land of the Philistines for a period of sixteen months, and spent time there invading neighboring cities, yet telling Achish that he had invaded the lands of Israel. The day had come when the armies of Israel were gather to fight against the armies of the Philistines, and David was in their ranks; which caused the lords of the Philistines to ask Achish to have David sent away, because they did not trust he would not fight against them as the battle progressed. As David and his men were headed back to Ziklag, they saw smoke ascending up from that city, only to find that all their wives and children, and all their possessions had been taken away by the Amalekites. So, David pursued the Amalekites, getting everything back; however, in the meantime, Saul and his three sons were killed upon the battlefield, including Jonathan, David's friend! Never, never take your focus off the enemy of our souls!!! We get distracted by selfishness, our own honour, and even letting pride come between us and our brothers and sisters. The enemy will use these things to harden our hearts against one another; and we must know that!!! Yet, we don't accept it as so, time and time again....

"The Pit"

"O LORD my God, if I have done this; if there be iniquity in my hands;" (Psalms 7:3) Do you like the game of Golf? I love watching it on the final day of the match, and seeing if the one who is in the lead going into that day, can keep the lead; because the odds are against them, and most likely they will begin to fall apart before they reach the back nine. If it is not someone that you are in favor of winning, then more than likely, you will be rejoicing at their demise; maybe even clapping each and every time they bogey another hole. Now; imagine for just a moment, that the one you were rooting against, could witness you rejoicing at his situation; would he wonder in himself, What have I ever done to you? Well then; can you begin to understand the question that David is pondering within his heart? The key to his question, is in the two words "iniquity" and "hands"; for the word iniquity that is used in this verse, speaks of that which has to do with judgement, as in wrongful judgement, or wicked judgement of another. It also speaks of poor judgement; something that is like assuming something that is not; as in, "The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God". The word "hands" is a word which speaks of clapping; as in two hands cupped together and slapping against each other. Do you see where I am going here? How often have we clapped our hands in our hearts for those that have fallen or been persecuted, only because we may not see eye to eye with what they believe or say? Sometimes, we may not even know the reason that we are against them; it could just be the way that they look, or the way they dress; but for whatever reason, we rejoice within our heart as they are taken down a notch or two! Let me explain the problem in this; which is something that is from the very 'pit of hell'. The first thing that we must consider whenever we have this kind of thing happen in our heart, is that we are all members of the body of Christ; each and everyone of us are members together of His body; and when we do this to another, we are actually doing this unto ourselves! Okay; let me put this another way. Let's say that there are two sets of spectators who are watching the demise of a brother or sister; one set are those that are part and parcel of who they are in Christ, while the other set are the devil and his minions. Now, who's side do you think that you are on while you are clapping in your heart? "That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. And whether one member suffer, all members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it. Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular." (1 Corinthians 12:25-27)

"The First Bump"

"Lest he tear my soul like a lion, rending it in pieces, while there is none to deliver." (Psalms 7:2) I hope I do not lose you, if I haven't already; but this is a wandering song, and I have made this little journey something of a picture in my mind; which is that of a big rubber ball rolling through all sorts of different obstacles. But feel free to make your own illustrations; just remember, things can get a little bouncy along the way, so you might want to adjust for that! "Lest he tear my soul like a lion"; now I wonder who David is speaking of? The first thing to notice here, is that "lest" is the continuation of verse one, which I did not get to yesterday, because it was for today. "Save me from all them that persecute me, and deliver me; lest he tear my soul like a lion, rending it in pieces, while there is none to deliver." That is how verse two begins to make sense, because the beginning of verse one, is that of David proclaiming that "in Thee do I put my trust"; which is then followed by the illustrated reason why. There is absolutely no way that we can continue down this road, without putting our full trust in God!!! "Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: but rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when His glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy." (1 Peter 4:12 & 13) When David is referring to his soul, he is referring to his will to carry on. What this implies, is that of trusting that God will deliver, even though that there are those that persecute him, he shall put his trust in God; otherwise, the enemy shall render his will to go on, making him believe that there is none to deliver. This is the confidence that we have in Christ: that no matter what fiery trial comes our way, we are not only protected, but we are partakers of His sufferings; making our sufferings that which shall bring glory onto Him. Again; this ability to be confident in this, is based upon our acceptance of His forgiveness; whereas, we know that we are forgiven, being washed in His blood, and that nothing can tear us from His mighty hand! Although, it is good to evaluate our lives, as we shall see; we do so with the understanding of who we are in Christ, which is that of being chosen by Him. We cannot ever forget that! Because; each and every trial that we face is for His glory to be revealed in us; refining us, and making us more into His image. If we focus our attention upon those that persecute us, then we are going to miss the blessing which was meant to be received by the trial; instead, holding things in our hearts against those that we feel have done us wrong. This is the thing about true forgiveness, in that there is nothing held against us; likewise, there is nothing that we hold against those that we have forgiven...

"The Roll Begins"

"O LORD my God, in Thee do I put my trust: save me from all them that persecute me, and deliver me;" (Psalms 7:1) As with any trial that we face, our first reaction is to plead for mercy. It is our natural reaction to that of self preservation. The question we are faced with in our time of trials, is, Why? Why is this happening Lord? In this, David clearly says, "in Thee do I put my trust"; which is to say, LORD, I really don't know why, or even what shall come of this, but I trust in You. If you did read the portion of Scripture in 2 Samuel 16:5-14, then you should know that David did not let any harm come to this raving idiot; but instead, let him curse and throw rocks at both him and his mighty companions, as they walked down the road, trying to mind their own business. He even went as far as to say that God sent him out there to curse him; as if to say that he deserved it. However, when you see the message delivered by this man, there is only one place that this message could have come from! "And thus said Shimei when he cursed, Come out, come out, thou bloody man, and thou man of Belial: the LORD hath returned upon thee all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose stead thou hast reigned; and the LORD hath delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom thy son: and behold, thou art taken in thy mischief, because thou art a bloody man." (2 Samuel 16:7 & 8) So; here is the thing that David is facing within his own heart: Do I deserve this? What say you? For, anyone who was not for David, would most likely say that he deserved being called 'a man of blood'; but anyone who could understand the scope of the charge, would want to chop off Shimei's head! Do you see what I am getting at? Yes, No; Maybe so? Okay; first off, David was called by God to be the king; and if you know the story, he did not take Saul's kingdom from him. Sure, he may have done wrong by sinning with Bathsheba; and for that, he was suffering with the humiliation of Absalom's revolt. But he was anointed king by God! We who are called by Jesus Christ into His kingdom, are chosen by Him; and as such, we might mess up, but we have still been chosen for His purposes. The enemy will try to use our sins against us, as to try and make us believe that we have not been called, but that we are in a wrong standing; making us question whether we were even called at all. Forgiveness starts in our own hearts! Surely we have been given forgiveness for our sins by the blood of Jesus Christ, but that forgiveness begins when we accept it within our heart; knowing that He has chosen us and that He has died in our place, we walk upright and in the spotlight of that forgiveness! Do you question His calling upon your life? "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9)

"The Roaring Lion"

"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour; whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethern that are in the world. But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto His eternal glory by Jesus Christ, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. To Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen." (1 Peter 5:8-11) The introduction to Psalms Seven, is about as complex as the Psalm itself; yet, once understood, it makes perfect sense! Within this introduction are several things that are rarely shown anywhere else in Scripture, and they are modifiers in there own right, because they speak of something other than what they say. In the above passages of Scripture, Peter is warning us of the devil and his attempts to destroy those that have been called into God's kingdom; of which he is speaking from experience! Here in Psalms Seven, we have the same situation, whereas David is also speaking from experience, and his introduction to this Psalm is based upon personal experience! "Shiggaion of David, which he sang unto the LORD, concerning the words of Cush the Benjamite." To start to understand this introduction, or at least to see what I am seeing from this, we should envision a roaming song. I envision a black man in coveralls and a straw hat, walking and singing down the road, with blue birds circling around him; or Dorothy and her companions skipping down the road on the way to meet the wizard. The word 'Shiggion' is only found in two places, here in this introduction, and then again in Habakkuk 3:1; although, in my Bible the two are spelt a little differently. Looking up this definition, you find this: song?; used in title of Psalm 7; meaning doubtful. Not much help in that is there? However, when looking to what others have said that this word means, there are several examples; two of them in particular that I like; one is that of a 'wandering song', while the other is that of a 'charming song'. For now, I would like us to look at this through the prism of a 'wandering song'; which has several very distinct meanings: one is that of wandering down the road; another, is that of the wake made upon the water; and another, is that of a wandering adversary. If you look up the word "Cush", you will not find anyone that is associated with the tribe of Benjamin; however, what you will find is a person named Shimei the Benjamite, who was from the house of Saul. If you read the encounter that David had with this character in 2 Samuel 16:5-14, you will see what might be meant by 'wandering adversary'; or better yet: an adversary that taunts you on your way!!! There are a couple things that we must keep in mind when it comes to "the roaring lion" that Peter is speaking of: one is that of vulnerability and the other is of weakness; both are the characteristics that are looked for in the people that this lion will devour. The strength that we have in Christ is based upon location and our position in Him; in other words, we do not want to be found outside the body, nor should we forget our standing in Jesus Christ. The word "Cush" that David is using here, describes someone who is not what they should be; in other words; Shimei the Benjamite, although a real Israelite, and from the tribe of Benjamin, he was far from acting as such; and to a greater degree, was acting as someone who was from a much darker place...

"A Prayer for Justice"

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast." (Ephesians 2:8 & 9) As we begin Psalms Seven, there is placed above this Psalm a title, which I have made the title of this post: "A Prayer for Justice". And, as I have said before in a previous post, ("The Converted Soul" from September 17, 2010), that God's mercy is given freely, but His grace must be received. To understand the meaning of what it is that I was talking about, we must totally understand what true forgiveness really means; both the forgiveness that we have received, as well as the forgiveness that we give unto others, including ourselves. I know that I have shared on this before; yet many people that I have spoken to about this subject have not been able to receive what I am saying, and have rejected the idea of Jesus being able in to not only help us to forgive others, but to also remove the hurt. What this is saying, is, Sure, I forgive them for what they did, but I still feel the hurt by what they did, and that is okay. Is it??? Why don't you ask them if it is okay, and see what they think about that! Because, I am sure that they would still feel guilty for what they had done, even though you have said that you forgave them; because the hurt says otherwise! There is something about unforgiveness that we must know, and see the darkness that is associated with it; and yes, I said darkness; for with unforgiveness, comes all the powers of hell with it, because it is contrary to the whole message of what God's grace is all about! Within this Psalm that we are about to go into, is all the forms of forgiveness: that of God's forgiveness towards us, our forgiveness to ourselves, our forgiveness to others, and others forgiveness towards us. The word 'Justice' is a word that means righteousness, piety, virtue; prosperity, justification, salvation, and truthfulness. However; it also means 'Right', and the original meaning is found in the phrase, "What right have I anymore?" This is what God's grace is all about! God's grace is Him giving us what we do not deserve...A Right Standing with Him...

"Transformation"

"Let all mine enemies be ashamed and sore vexed: let them return and be ashamed suddenly." (Psalms 6:10) In 'light' of what has been said up to this point about what I believe that God has been showing me through this Psalm, we are at a point where David has been restored, and God's Spirit is manifested upon his life. What we could call this, is a transformation to the Light, and to that of godliness; whereas, those to whom he referred to as his enemies, are not only made ashamed and depart bewildered, but when they show back up, they are astounded by his countenance. Because of what we have been talking about is that of spiritual warfare, there is always the chance of those "workers of iniquity" coming back; and they come back in a greater force than when they left! There is a good illustration of how this works in Matthew 12 and in Luke 11; both of these passages of Scripture show how demons will return, and how that they bring with them other demons more wicked then them. Now why do you think that might be? I like Luke's version of what transpired before and after Jesus shared about "The Return of the Unclean Spirit". In Luke 11, Jesus starts out teaching His disciples how to pray; then He goes into the "Ask, Seek, and Knock" portion of Scripture, that speaks about the Holy Spirit being given. And then, in verses 14-17, it says, "And He was casting out a devil, and it was dumb. And it came to pass, when the devil was gone out, the dumb spake; and the people wondered. But some of them said, He casteth out devils through Beelzebub the chief of the devils. And others, tempting Him, sought of Him a sign from heaven. But He, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house divided against a house falleth." Jesus then speaks of the house divided, the strong man keeping his palace, the return of the unclean spirit, true blessedness, the demand for a sign, and then finally, the light of the body. It is this "Light of the Body" that I wish to focus upon, for He says in verses 33-36, "No man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which come in may see the light. The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness. Take heed therefore, that the light which is in thee be not darkness. If thy whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light." Now then; we all know that light casts out the darkness; so then, when that darkness has been casted out, and when it returns, it must bring with it stronger demons to try and snuff out that light. This is why it is so vitally important that we make sure that there is no darkness within us at all! We are starting in get there...But we still have some issues of forgiveness!!!

"Alleviation"

"The LORD hath heard my supplication; the LORD will receive my prayer." (Psalms 6:9) What a relief it is when your house is in order! No more skeletons in the closet; no more mischief hiding under the bed; everything equip for complete devotion to godliness and holiness! In the verse which we have before us today, is a continuation of the why, or for what reason of the exile that we looked at yesterday. The point of what we were looking at yesterday, was that those workers of iniquity had to depart, because the LORD had heard the voice of David's weeping! God can and does read our hearts, as well as our minds! He knows when we are serious, and He knows when we are pretending; there is no fooling God! But, here is the things that are pointed out in the verse above; there are two time periods that are present here: the past and future. In other words; there is the reference to "hath", as in, "The LORD hath heard my supplication"; and then there is the definitive "will", as in, "the LORD will receive my prayer". God hears our prayers always, yet He may not receive them! Who do we think that we are fooling!!! Don't you know that God knows the intentions of our heart? He knows what we are going to do, before we even know; that is why He is God!!! Sometimes we forget this very important characteristic of who God is, and that nothing can be hidden from His eyes; for God is ALL SEEING! Therefore; to truly have the legal right to banish those "workers of iniquity" from our lives, then God must receive our prayer as sincere, and they will be banished!!! "Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world." (1 John 4:4) This John is speaking about to those that are walking in the True Spirit of God, and are those that receive the testimony of Jesus Christ! In this we know that we are His children, when we love Him and we keep His commandments! It is Love that motivates our heart and our minds to follow His commands, and to separate ourselves from all that is unholy! He has manifested His love towards us in the form of His Son Jesus Christ; how must we manifest our love towards Him? "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment." (Matthew 22:37 & 38) These were the words of Jesus to those that tempted Him as to what was the greatest commandment. So, how is that love which Jesus is speaking about expressed to God? It is by our sincere desire to be holy, because He is Holy! We do this because we love Him, and because we want to be as close to Him as we can possibly be; and anything which is standing between us and Him, we want to be removed! In other words, we want it banished from our lives, so that we can be closer to Him...That is what Love does: it makes us want to be closer!!!