Dissing A Fool (Psalm 52)

A diss track is a song written with a particular target in mind, attacking their character or choices, often mockingly, while promoting the author’s choices and perspective. They’re most often associated with rap and hip hop, but the fact of the matter is you can find examples in pop, country, rock, folk, soul, thrash metal, and samba, too.^[1] One list traces diss tracks as far back as 1933 and many big name artists have their own entries.

John Lennon and Paul McCartney traded diss tracks after the Beatles broke up. Pink Floyd has a couple. Lynyrd Skynyrd, Bob Dylan, Queen, Fleetwood Mac, Green Day, Ed Sheeran, and Justin Timberlake all have diss tracks of their own. And then there are artists like Eminem and Taylor Swift who have built whole careers around writings songs that target certain people for public criticism.

Does it surprise you that there is a diss track in the Psalter? In Psalm 52, David calls out Doeg, trashes his choices and character, and declares he is a washed up failure headed for a grizzly end.

David wasn’t being petty like so many modern artists. Remember: David was a prophet on top of being a poet.^[2] But Psalm 52 is also given to us as an instructional guide. That’s what a Maskil is, by the way – a song that will help us skillfully understand God’s wisdom for life.^[3]

This is one of the rare Psalms that gives us a specific time or situation connected to its writing. We see it there in the superscript above verse 1.

Psalm 52:Title – For the choir director. A Maskil of David. When Doeg the Edomite went and reported to Saul, telling him, “David went to Ahimelech’s house.”

The context of this song is important. Saul, the first king of Israel, refused to obey God. So, the Lord announced the kingdom would be taken from him and given to David. Saul wasn’t happy about that, so he started a long campaign of trying to kill David.

At one point while David fled to the city of Nob where the priest Ahimelech lived. Ahimelech gave him some provisions. The problem is, Doeg was there and he was loyal to Saul. Eventually he told Saul what happened and killed Ahimelech and 85 members of his family. Doeg is a very bad guy.

Psalm 52:1 – ¹ Why boast about evil, you hero! God’s faithful love is constant.

Right from the start, we see this is not just a song about one person, it’s a song about good and evil. As Doeg is contrasted with David, we realize it’s about the choice each of us has to either love God and go His way or love evil and go our own way. God’s way will end in life, man’s way will end in death. It’s not just a diss track, for us it’s a decision track. Which way will we go?

The two men representing these two paths have more similarities than we might think. David was a shepherd who was put in charge of all the fighting men of Israel.^[4] Doeg was also a shepherd – Saul’s chief shepherd – who was also put in charge of all Saul’s servants.^[5]

Both were fierce warriors – cunning and valiant. Both were mighty. Both had horrible instances of slaughtering whole towns of people. So what made them different in the end? It’s that the inclination of their hearts took them on separate paths to separate destinations.

Doeg was was proud and selfish – ready to do anything he had to to get ahead. David was humble and loved the Lord. He was ready to do whatever was necessary to serve God and submit to Him.

Psalm 52:2-4 – ² Like a sharpened razor, your tongue devises destruction, working treachery. ³ You love evil instead of good, lying instead of speaking truthfully.  Selah  ⁴ You love any words that destroy, you treacherous tongue!

Doeg held onto the news about David and Ahimelech until it was most advantageous for him to share it – until the moment it would win him the most favor with an increasingly paranoid Saul.

But Doeg wasn’t just doing some dirty work to get ahead in life. He really loved evil. It’s shown in stomach-churning carnage when Doeg goes to Nob at Saul’s command and doesn’t just kill Ahimelech, but every man, woman, child, and even the animals there.

While David’s life was being used by God to save Israel from her enemies and build up the spiritual life of the nation with songs and poems praising God, Doeg became a lethal wrecking ball.

It started with his wicked words. Of course, words aren’t the cause of evil, they’re a symptom of it. From the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. But words fan the flame of our hearts’ desires. Where it says, “Your tongue devises destruction,” the word denotes Doeg’s “evil desires.”^[6]

Have you ever talked yourself into something? Talked yourself into being upset? You weren’t really bothered by that thing someone said or did, but then you started talking about it with someone else, and by the end you’re all fired up and angry?

Our words matter. The tongue has enough destructive power to set the world on fire.^[7] We can look at a life, whether it’s ours or someone else’s, and know a lot about the trajectory that life is on based on the speech coming out of a person. Do they speak the truth or do they lie? Do they tear down or build up? Do they always find something to complain about or are they thankful to God?

Doeg was a person who had dedicated himself to words that destroy.^[8] What are we dedicated to? What do our hearts desire? What do we love most in life? Our words will tell us.

Psalm 52:5 – ⁵ This is why God will bring you down forever. He will take you, ripping you out of your tent; he will uproot you from the land of the living. Selah

The song opened with David asked Doeg, “Why? Why are you like this? Why are you doing what you’re doing?” He may have been taunting Doeg, but the question was also a warning. When a person lives out verses 1 through 4, they only have verse 5 to look forward to.

God will not stand idly by while the wicked work their evil in the world. They are definitely, certainly, without exception headed toward a terrible judgment.

Verse 5 is like one of those scenes where the hero is on the phone with the bad guy and says, “If you hurt them, I’m going to hunt you down and tear you limb from limb,” and they start to detail all the ways they’re going to destroy them.

There are four intense verbs used here. First, He will bring them down. Those who reject God and go their own way often think they’re elevated themselves above others – they’ve fought their way to the top of the heap – but God says, “I’m bringing you down.” But not just back down to earth, down to the grave. Down to sheol. Ultimately, the weight of their sin will bring them down to the Lake of Fire, paying the penalty for their rejection of Jesus Christ for all eternity.

Second, God will take them. They will be snatched wherever they are. There is no place they can hide, nowhere they can run where God’s justice won’t find them, where His arm can’t reach them.

Third, they will be ripped out of their tent. No home. No safety. Isolated and laid bare.

Finally, they will be uprooted from the land of the living. Their way has only one destination: Death.

God’s judgment isn’t just a slap on the wrist. When sinners refuse to receive His salvation, this is what they’re choosing. You may be powerful, mighty, successful – you may tower above all the weaker people around you, but you’re not greater than God. And all of us must answer to Him. And if you are not willing to let Him deliver you from the guilt of your wickedness, He will destroy you.

Psalm 52:6-7 – ⁶ The righteous will see and fear, and they will derisively say about that hero, ⁷ “Here is the man who would not make God his refuge, but trusted in the abundance of his riches, taking refuge in his destructive behavior.”

Doeg was a murderer who scoffed at God’s laws but what does Psalm 52 say was his biggest mistake? “Here is the man who would not make God his refuge.”

Don’t get me wrong: His violence and murders were horrible crimes against God and man. But remember: David committed similar sins. When he was in Philistine country, he would go to towns and kill everyone so no one could reveal what he was up to.^[9] It was a very dark time for David.

The difference was that David was cleansed from his guilt because he loved the Lord and he would turn back to the Lord and take refuge in his God.

By contrast, Doeg said, “I’ll take care of my own life. My wealth will save me. My abilities will protect me. I will command my own future through the force of my will and the strength of my sword.”

But it all led to destruction and death. Yes, he gained wealth for a time, but the bill came due. The charges for his wicked words, his evil deeds, his rebellion against the King of heaven. Instead of repenting, he rejected the God of Israel. So, instead of being cleansed, he was condemned.

This year on the Isle of Man, a tourist was stopped for speeding only for the police to discover they had been ticketed for the same thing when they visited 12 years earlier – only they never paid the fine. The driver was arrested and brought to the station and forced to pay their debt.^[10]

You and I are sinners. We’ve all fallen short of the glory of God – of His standard of perfection. We’ve done wrong things in thought, word, and deed against our Creator and our fellow man. For these wrongs, we must pay the penalty. The bad news is that these infractions are capital offenses. The wages of our sin is death. But, the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus, our Lord.

If you will not believe – if you decide you’re going to try something else – some other religion, or your own good deeds or just ignoring the issue altogether, then you will die in your sin. But if you surrender and repent and take refuge in Jesus Christ, then He is able to take your debt, pay the penalty Himself, and give you the wealth of His righteousness. That’s the difference between David and Doeg. One man trusted God. The other trusted himself, trusted his wealth, trusted his own strength and greatness. And in the end, one had everlasting life and the other, death.

Now, David was far from perfect. And, like David, we still make mistakes and fall into sin. But when you trust in God, He continually cleanses you and restores you and makes your right, conforming your life and transforming you from the inside out so that your end is glory, not guilt – life, not death. Look at what happens for David in verse 8.

Psalm 52:8 – ⁸ But I am like a flourishing olive tree in the house of God; I trust in God’s faithful love forever and ever. 

Physically, David was not safe and snug in the Tabernacle. He was on the run as Saul used all his resources to hunt him. But David knew what was true on a higher level: The care God had for him and the future God planned for him. He could say with confidence, “I am flourishing in the house of my God.” Because God’s ability and affection are more consequential than our predicaments.

Olive trees were the most important tree in Israeli life.^[11] They could live for hundreds of years and yielded gallons of oil year after year.^[12] Olive oil was used for cooking, for lamps, for ointments and medicines, for cosmetics, and in formal worship in the house of God. These trees have a root system that combines a deep taproot with wide spreading fibrous roots, giving the tree stability and great nutrient uptake and the ability to adapt to various soil conditions.^[13]

David said, “That’s my life. Not just being watched by God, but safe in His presence. He’s brought me into His own home and allows the tap root of my life to reach into Him. And He is going to cultivate my life so that it can produce gallon after gallon of oil for all sorts of purposes.”

Because of that, even while he had to run for his life, he knew that God’s love would see him through, because God’s love is loyal and active and never fails. And so, David chose to root his life, his hope, his future in Who God is and the promises He has made.

Psalm 52:9 – ⁹ I will praise you forever for what you have done. In the presence of your faithful people, I will put my hope in your name, for it is good.

And so the contrast has been laid out for us. Instead of being destroyed, David would endure. The end for the righteous is goodness and hope and eternity. Doeg has been obliterated since verse 5. He only made it half way into the song before it all came crashing down.

In the meantime, David chose to not only praise the Lord, but to wait on Him. That’s what he meant by “put my hope in Your name.”^[14] To wait with faith and endurance.^[15]

Doeg wanted to make a name for himself, and he did – a terrible name. David concentrated on the name of His God. He knew that what we really need is God’s leading, His action, His provision. That He will accomplish what He desires in us. That’s our hope. And it is a hope that will not disappoint.

And so, whatever you’re facing, whether it’s a period of waiting, or a time of frustration or fear, of danger or discouragement or simply the unknown, choose the path of David. Sing a song of hope in your Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. And “may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”^[16]

The Exalt In Our Stars (Psalm 19)

I’d like to congratulate you on the trip you just made. In the time it took us to listen to Psalm 19, you traveled more than 2,000 miles in our orbit around the sun. That’s as far as here to Cleveland.

If that doesn’t impress you, maybe this will: In these last 2 minutes you also travelled over 16,000 miles as our sun (with it’s solar system in tow) orbits the center of the Milky Way.^[1] That’s the same as crossing the United States six times. We didn’t cover much ground, but we covered a lot of space.

Psalm 19 covers a lot of space, from the cosmos to the Canon to the conscience. It’s a heavyweight Psalms. Of course, all of them are wonderful but a few stand out in their majesty and magnitude.

Psalm 19 is one of those. C.S. Lewis called it the greatest poem in the Psalter.^[2] Beethoven, Bach, and Haydn all wrote pieces inspired by these words. Verse 9 is inscribed on the Lincoln Memorial. When the James Webb space telescope launched on Christmas Day in 2021, NASA’s chief officer quoted the opening line of this Psalm, marveling at the greatness of God.^[3]

This truly is one of the greatest songs ever written in all of human history. In it both creation and revelation are unfolded to show us a magnificent God. Through creation, we see His power. Through revelation, we see His character. By the end, we discover that we can not only see Him, but we can serve Him, and He can save us.

Psalm 19:1-4b – ¹ The heavens declare the glory of God, and the expanse proclaims the work of his hands. ² Day after day they pour out speech; night after night they communicate knowledge. ³ There is no speech; there are no words; their voice is not heard. ⁴ Their message has gone out to the whole earth, and their words to the ends of the world.

Our universe is not random. It didn’t come from nothing. It is a purposefully designed, Master-crafted work of art and perfect engineering. The more we look out into the stars beyond with our eyes and our telescopes and our satellites, the more amazing things we learn.

Thousands of years ago, man discovered the moon has cycles. In 500 B.C., Pythagoras figured out the earth is a sphere. Centuries later, humans grasped our planet orbits the sun. That was all before the invention of the refracting telescope in 1608 AD. In the late 1,700s, science realized that dark stars or black holes must exist. In 1924 Edwin Hubble observed a galaxy outside of our own – the Andromeda galaxy. Five years later he saw the universe is expanding. In 1992 we had the first confirmed discovery of an exoplanet. And eight days ago, a new member was added to our own solar system when scientists conclusively discovered a dwarf planet beyond Neptune.^[4]

We keep discovering new things and having our understanding changed and refined, but one thing has always been absolutely clear: the Person Who made this cosmos is unimaginably powerful and precise. The universe is bubbling up, gushing^[5] with testimony of the glory of God.

The Psalms love to use this term, glory. It refers to His might, His weightiness.^[6] Each planet and pulsar a demonstration of His greatness. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then what is a whole universe worth?

Today our culture, classrooms, and content-creation sites are full of scientists who mock the idea of God. They’re convinced that all the something came from nothing. Which means you are ultimately nothing, by the way. Sadly, they sneer at the idea of this intricate design having a Designer.

And yet, they ignore the fact that every few years science dramatically changes. Did you know we’ve added 14 elements to the periodic table in the last 55 years? There are more hypothetical elements scientists are working to discover. So when a non-believing scientist mocks Christianity, just remember: They don’t even know all the building blocks this universe is working with.

Rather than a heap of randomness, Psalm 19 explains the universe is spreading the message of God’s infinite power and genius. His incredible artistry. His meticulous design. His careful administration. His love of variety. His abundance. His faithfulness. His excellence. The cosmos broadcasts this message, generation after generation, so that people can look to the stars and realize there is a God beyond them – a scripted melody put there by God for us to pick up on.

The New King James has a vivid translation of verse 4: “Their line has gone out through all the earth.” A line that points right back to God Himself. This creation doesn’t only reveal His power, but also shows something about Who He is.

You can know something about an artist from the mediums they use. Do they use paint or pencils or photographs? Do they work three dimensionally or two dimensionally? What about the mediums God uses? He uses light and life and beauty and truth and love.

From the wide lens of all the stars in the sky, the song now zooms in to look at just one – our sun.

Psalm 19:4c-6 – In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun. ⁵ It is like a bridegroom coming from his home; it rejoices like an athlete running a course. ⁶ It rises from one end of the heavens and circles to their other end; nothing is hidden from its heat.

Our sun is so essential to human life, such a major aspect of so much of earth’s our activity, yet it has no proper scientific name. It’s not Polaris or Arcturus. It’s just “the sun.”

Here we learn God fashioned the sun as a caring gift for planet earth. We are at just the right spot for it to not only give light but also heat, energy, even nutrients! Have you ever thought about how amazing it is that the sun – 94 million miles away – can provide Vitamin D for your body? The sun even helps to clean our planet, killing bacteria for us day-by-day.

You don’t want to look at the sun for too long, but as we consider it, we can start to piece together that God’s glory is gracious and generous and faithful. Look at what it does for us.

But the witness of the stars is not enough for us to know the Lord, personally. We can see there must be a divine Being outside of space, but Who is He? For that answer we need more than creation, we need revelation. Amazingly, the same God Who made the stars has given us a Book.

Psalm 19:7-11 – ⁷ The instruction of the LORD is perfect, renewing one’s life; the testimony of the LORD is trustworthy, making the inexperienced wise. ⁸ The precepts of the LORD are right, making the heart glad; the command of the LORD is radiant, making the eyes light up. ⁹ The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever; the ordinances of the LORD are reliable and altogether righteous. ¹⁰ They are more desirable than gold—than an abundance of pure gold; and sweeter than honey dripping from a honeycomb. ¹¹ In addition, your servant is warned by them, and in keeping them there is an abundant reward.

If you want to know God, you must find Him in His Word. In verses 1 through 6, David refers to God. Starting in verse 7 things change. He is “the LORD.” All capitals. In the first half, “God” is the general term El, which was used of many deities. In the second half, He is revealed to be Yahweh – the God of the Bible. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The God Who put on flesh and dwelt among us. The One True God, Who exists in Three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

His Word is displayed in these verses with the kind of admiration an astronomer has looking at the night sky. Look at the list, see what God’s Word does. Everything is positive and beneficial. It touches our hearts, our minds, our eyes. It restores us to life.^[7] It instructs us and gives us guidance. It brings joy and sweetness to life. In fact, in verse 10 David uses what scholars call hyperintensification. That God’s Word is the sweetest of imaginable honeys.^[8]

There is no evidence of bee domestication in Israel at this time.^[9] If they wanted honey, they had to happen upon it. In the same way, the people of earth cannot generate the truth and wisdom and life-giving power found in the Word of God on their own. It must be prepared and preserved for them, and that’s exactly what God did.

But God’s Word is not only to be enjoyed, but also obeyed. Look: Precepts. Ordinances. Commands. The stars reveal what God can do, the Bible reveals what God desires. It is not only a benefit to life, it is a necessity for life. It must be used medicinally and for regular nourishment. It is the highest, most valuable treasure we could lay hold of for our life now and for our future.

On top of all that, it serves as a warning system for us. It helps us see the dangers ahead and around us while at the same time revealing areas of weakness or blindness in our lives. But, once revealed, we discover that those areas of weakness are a big issue.

Psalm 19:12-13 – ¹² Who perceives his unintentional sins? Cleanse me from my hidden faults. ¹³ Moreover, keep your servant from willful sins; do not let them rule me. Then I will be blameless and cleansed from blatant rebellion. 

As David looked into the wonders of God’s Word, he found a life-threatening problem – like looking into a telescope to see a huge asteroid headed our way. That problem is sin. The ways we disobey God – rules of His that we break. Choices we make that reject His rule over our lives.

We have all sorts of sin issues, from the unintentional to the willful, spit-in-the-face-of-God rebellions. It’s not just “innocent” mistakes here and there. Sin brings death into the world.^[10]

God’s Word not only reveals Who He is and what He desires, it also reveals the truth about us. David discovered these truths but when he did, he didn’t try to hide from the light and heat of God’s Word. Neither should we. We must allow God’s Word to shine on us.

When we do, it will not only expose the darkness and the impurity in our hearts and lives, but it will do a cleansing work. Paul tells us we’re washed by the water of the Word.^[11]

Notice verse 12. David recognizes that he cannot clean himself. He can’t even know himself. Just like all the best scientists still haven’t unraveled all the secrets of the cosmos or all the elements of the periodic table, so we cannot know all the depths of sin within our hearts. Even if we did, we are powerless to heal the infection on our own. Even with the best of intentions and attempts, all fall short of the glory of God because of our sin.

We need an intervention from the God Who created our universe. Unless He saves us, we’re not just making mistakes or failing to live up to the best standards, but sin will actually rule over us.

That word was used back in Genesis 1 when we’re told the sun was made to rule the day. Later, in Genesis 4, God told Adam’s son Cain that if he did not rule over sin, then sin would devour him.^[12]

So, unless God intervenes and washes us and sets us free, sin’s fiery power will control us with it’s gravitational pull. It will burn us and dominate our lives, bringing death instead of life.

David sees only one antidote to the scourge of sin, and that’s to know the God of the Bible and to serve Him. Twice now he has spoken of being a servant to this powerful, purifying God. And in the closing verse, he doubles down, bringing the song to a close.

Psalm 19:14 – ¹⁴ May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, LORD, my rock and my Redeemer.

Many peoples throughout history worshipped the sun. Of course, the sun never spoke back to them and doesn’t care for them. David decided his life would not be about orbiting the sun, but anchoring on Yahweh. Yahweh was his rock. But not just his rock – Yahweh was his Redeemer.

David knew all about redemption. His great-grandmother Ruth’s story was all about redemption and grace and a life transformed by God’s goodness and mercy and providence. Like Job, David knew that his Redeemer lives and that His desire is to save us and transform us and nourish us and display the fantastic power of His grace through us like stars in the sky.^[13]

That His glory would shine through our lives – His special creation displayed for all the ages to come.

And so, the song does not end with, “Ok God, I see how great You are, so I promise to try really hard.”^[14] It ends with, “God, You made me, only You can save me. And that salvation will not just be a rescue, but a re-creation of who I am from the inside out.”

David’s desire was that his words and the motivations behind them would be so in line with God’s designs and principles that they would bring pleasure to Him.^[15]

Ever the poet, David used a lovely term. Meditation here refers to the sound of cooing doves or growling lions.^[16] And so we might say, “God, I want my melodies and my mutterings to glorify You.” Just as the stars in the night sky proclaim the glory of the Almighty God, so my life can shine as a beautiful example of His grace, His power, His goodness, His faithfulness, His splendor, His majesty.

The sun and moon and stars are impressive. Mankind spends billions of dollars trying to get to the moon. Now, we’re talking about whether we can get to Mars. But consider this: The sun is not eternal. None of this universe is…except you and me. We will endure long after our sun is destroyed because Christ has redeemed us. And He has left us here on earth to be light. To be scattered stars illuminating His glory.

Astronomers look at different stars and say, “That’s a neutron star,” or, “That’s a dying star,” or, “That’s a dwarf star,” or, “A giant star.” What sort of Christian are we? Do we shine with grace and truth and love? Or have the melodies and mutterings of our lives started to change from His glory to our groanings? May we exalt the Lord as His amazing universe continues to do, age after age.

Sing City (Psalm 48)

New cities have been making headlines. Starbase, Texas is the new city designed for SpaceX’s headquarters, future rocket launches, and dwellings for on-site workers.

EPIC City has also been in the news. It is a Muslim-centered planned community near Dallas, large enough for more than 1,000 homes plus schools, assisted living, athletic fields, and one of the state’s largest mosques.^[1]

Starbase was just officially incorporated as a city five days ago. Things aren’t going so well for EPIC City – a federal investigation has brought building and development to a halt for the time being.

Psalm 48 is about a magnificent city. A city full of beauty, strength, joy, brilliance and worship. The most magnificent thing about this city is its chief Resident: God Himself. He brings the splendor to this city which He designed, built, protects, and fills with gladness. His home reveals His greatness and His matchlessness. No competitor or attacker could ever rival the God of this city.

Psalm 48:1-2 – ¹ The LORD is great and highly praised in the city of our God. His holy mountain, ² rising splendidly, is the joy of the whole earth. Mount Zion—the summit of Zaphon— is the city of the great King.

The song begins with the bottom line up front: The Lord is great. Great in everything He is. Great in power, great in love, great in beauty, great in patience, great in kindness.

Sports have their superstars – players who do amazing things on the court or field. Yet all of them have some area of weakness. Steph Curry was once asked in an interview, “Why can’t Steph Curry dunk?” His answer was simple, “[You] can’t be good at everything.”^[2]

But God is great at all He is. No area of failure or weakness. The city He dwells in fits His greatness. As we look at His dwelling place, it should make us more in awe of Him.

Now, when the Old Testament refers to Zion, it usually means the real, physical Jerusalem. But throughout this Psalm, there are hints that we’re not just talking about a city built of wood and stone in the hills of Israel. The sons of Korah have in mind the true dwelling place of Yahweh.

They reference the height of the city, rising to the uttermost parts of the north. Physical Jerusalem is surrounded by higher mountains with better views.^[3] That’s our first clue that this is a different city.

They say this city is the joy of the whole earth. That certainly does not describe current Jerusalem.

They call Zion “the summit of Zaphon.” That doesn’t mean anything to us but it would to the ancient audience. In Canaanite belief, Zaphon was the home of Baal. Over time, it became a generic term for a sacred mountain.^[4] Think of how we use Mount Everest or Mount Rushmore descriptively.

In this song, Zion is the place where God dwells, especially in the ultimate sense. As Christians, we have a different experience when it comes to God’s dwelling place than Jewish singers in 1,000 B.C. did. We know that God dwells within our hearts – that we are the temple of the Holy Spirit – and we know that ultimately we will dwell in a New Jerusalem for all eternity. The city that Abraham faithfully looked forward to.

Cities become known for what goes on on their streets. Vegas is known for gambling, Detroit for cars. In high school history we learned Athens was known for philosophy, Corinth for commerce, Sparta for military training. The city of God is known for worship. It’s filled with His praises.

Zion is splendid and holy because God is splendid and holy. Without Him, the city is nothing. Think of most olympic cities. They’re only full of pageantry and glory and excitement as long as the games are there. Once the closing ceremonies are over, many of those cities fall into disrepair.

We look forward to the New Jerusalem which is absolutely perfect and glorious and eternal because God is there. Meanwhile, my life is an outpost of God’s presence, His promises, His holiness. So not only should my life reflect His attributes, but it should be full of worship of God – a prelude of praise before eternity’s symphony. An embassy of His joy and greatness.

Psalm 48:3 – ³ God is known as a stronghold in its citadels.

Stronghold means a palace, a haven, a refuge. We can hide ourselves in Him and that any corner of the world can be a place of joy and peace and safety because He is the refuge.

This truth is made known again and again in Scripture. David in the cave. Paul and Silas in a dungeon. The children of Israel on the shore of the Red Sea. Daniel in the lions’ den. All were safe in the Lord their refuge. They did not need a physical palace, they had a heavenly haven.

Psalm 48:4-7 – ⁴ Look! The kings assembled; they advanced together. ⁵ They looked and froze with fear; they fled in terror. ⁶ Trembling seized them there, agony like that of a woman in labor, ⁷ as you wrecked the ships of Tarshish with the east wind.

One day all the kings and all the nations will flow to Zion to worship the Lord and learn from Him.^[5] But not yet. That is part of the coming Kingdom.

Today, the nations of the world still rebel against God. They rage against Him. Here we see it depicted: Despite the splendor, despite the greatness and the glory and the goodness, they come to attack and destroy. But they never make it to the siege – God brings the fight to them. They assemble in this conspiracy and the Lord heads them off in the waters, wiping out their navies.

They looked and were frozen in fear. Why? Because they realized they could not defeat the Lord. And they had not been welcomed into the city as His friends and children. They were driven out.

In contrast, what does the Lord say to His people? Do not fear. Isaiah 41 says, “The LORD your God, who holds your right hand, says to you, “Do not fear, I will help you.’”^[6] We run to Him, not from Him.

Psalm 48:8 – ⁸ Just as we heard, so we have seen in the city of the LORD of Armies, in the city of our God; God will establish it forever.   Selah

God is not the only inhabitant of this city. The sons of Korah sing as though they have seen it from the inside! So how can I become a citizen of this incredible city? Is there a wait list or what?

In the 1990’s, the Disney Corporation developed a city in Florida named Celebration. Interest was so high Disney had to use a lottery system when selling the first batch of picture-perfect homes.^[7]

Do we have to win a lottery? How do we get to God’s city? That question is asked in Psalm 24.

Psalm 24:3-6 – Who may ascend the mountain of the LORD? Who may stand in his holy place? The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not appealed to what is false,  and who has not sworn deceitfully. He will receive blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. Such is the generation of those who inquire of him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob.

Those who seek the Lord and receive salvation from Him, who receive His gift of righteousness, are who are welcomed to dwell with Him in His glorious city forever. Hebrews tells us we come to this city through Jesus Christ Who brings us into covenant with the living God.^[8]

Disney didn’t make it forever. In fact, they didn’t even make it 10 years before they sold off Celebration. By 2016 there was more trouble in paradise. Residents brought a civil suit saying their roofs leaked, balconies were separating from the sides of buildings, and a host of other problems.^[9]

Nothing like that happens in Zion. God will establish it forever. No leaks. No moths. No rust.

Psalm 48:9 – ⁹ God, within your temple, we contemplate your faithful love.

We’ve heard it asked, “How can you think of food at a time like this?” Well, how could the sons of Korah sing of love when a war was going on outside? The Bible is clear that contemplation of God’s hesed, agape love should fill our minds day and night – especially when we gather together.

Sometimes churches make the mistake of either making our Christian faith all about what you do for God or how God can make you feel good in this life. God does call us to do things and He does care about our problems. But before we consider our feelings or doings, we must emphasize the love of God. Focus your attention on the magnitude of His love. That God so loved the world. That nothing could ever separate us from His love. That this love has been shed abroad – poured out in our hearts and changes the whole trajectory and experience of human life for those who walk in it.

The sons of Korah took God’s love seriously. Not in passing, but with passion. One commentary writes, “Their meditation was more than a devotional reading. They took comfort in, rejoiced in, and made offerings in gratitude to the revelation of God’s perfections.”^[10]

Psalm 48:10-11 –  ¹⁰ Like your name, God, so your praise reaches to the ends of the earth;

your right hand is filled with justice. ¹¹ Mount Zion is glad. Judah’s villages rejoice because of your judgments.

Usually civic pride doesn’t spread very far outside the city. We don’t care that much about what’s going on in Bogota or Bruges. But God’s greatness is so great that the celebration of His goodness and love and power and grace spread through the whole earth.

We become participants in praise from our outposts here in Hanford, in Lemoore, or wherever God sends us. We spread the rejoicing – not only praising the great deeds He has done, but also praising and elevating His holy way of life.

God’s people rejoice over His judgments. That word means His decisions, His standards, His ordinances.^[11] Today, very few people celebrate the HOA, but God’s mode of life is not something to be mad at or annoyed by. The guidelines He gives do not take anything away from us. They enrich our lives and spare us from many of the terrible consequences of sin. When we walk His path, within His boundaries, it leads to life. To satisfaction. To lasting purpose and eternal reward.

Psalm 48:12-14 – ¹² Go around Zion, encircle it; count its towers, ¹³ note its ramparts; tour its citadels so that you can tell a future generation: ¹⁴ “This God, our God forever and ever—he will always lead us.”

The sons of Korah challenge us to take a good look. Examine God’s work carefully. Check it out from every angle. We’ll find there is no flaw. But, it is only great if God is there. He is the focus, He is the reason, He is the cause, He is the hero.

As we build things, as we fight battles, as we live life through choices and actions, we must always remember that “Unless the LORD builds a house, its builders labor over it in vain – unless the LORD watches over a city, the watchman stays alert in vain.”^[12] God must be the leader. He must be infusing the life and the work with His love and His grace and His holiness and His transformation.

This message and the story of God’s love and power must be passed “from one generation to another until the end of time.”^[13] Your children need to know God is real. Real in history. Real in your life. Real in their future. He is proven real as we yield to Him and walk with Him and He is able to accomplish His perfect work in and through us. He is proven real as we allow Him to be our guide and our refuge. As we walk by faith He will always lead us. Leading us into victory, into service, into transformation according to His design and by His accomplishment.

Where is He guiding us? He guides us into truth. He guides us on the way we should go in a world that is often difficult and confusing to navigate. Ultimately, He guides us to this Psalm 48 city. The New Jerusalem in His forever Kingdom. That’s where Christians are going. Revelation ends with a tour of the heavenly city very reminiscent of these last verses. The most glorious place, the place where God dwells and where He has a prepared a place for us to dwell forever with Him.

We keep hearing about ideas for new cities that governments are planning. Smart cities, 15 minute cities. IBM defines Smart cities as “an urban area where technology and data collection help improve quality of life.”^[14] Not sure I want to hear about urban quality of life from a company who helped collect the data the Nazis needed for their “final solution.”

15 minute cities sound more like prisons than utopias. I don’t really want to live in Starbase, Texas or EPIC City. Ironically, both of those communities are in what we sometimes refer to as “God’s country.” But man’s best cities all still have graveyards and garbage dumps.

There is a perfect city, inhabited by a perfect God. I don’t have to fight my way in, cheat my way in, win a spot through a lottery. I’ve been invited in, and so have you. His faithful love has made it possible and so I know that I am a citizen there, on my way home.

What about you? Have you accepted the invitation? If you haven’t, you can right now. If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

And if you have received that invitation, remember that your life is a prelude to the praise of eternity. You life is an outpost of this great God and His great city. Fill the borders of your life with His joy and His praise and His love until you make it home, too.

The Talking Dead (Psalm 12)

Did you know Hollywood has been making zombie movies for almost 100 years? They were first brought to the silver screen in 1932’s White Zombie.^[1] We’re fascinated by stories of how the uninfected will survive in a world that has been overrun by the living dead.

Often those stories begin with one individual who believes they are the last healthy human on earth. I Am Legend, Omega Man, there are many others. Even though they think they’re alone, they hold out hope for a cure, hope that they will make it out alive.

By the end of these movies we always discover that the protagonists are not alone. There are others still alive. Together they do what they can to avoid the plague and escape danger.

Believe it or not, David paints a similar image in Psalms 11 and 12. Of course, his world wasn’t reeling from a global pathogen or nuclear fallout. David looked at the spiritual state of of the world and it looks like Omega Man. In Psalm 11 he wrote, “When the foundations have collapsed, what can the righteous do?” In Psalm 12 he says, “The Godly have all disappeared from the human race.”

Today’s Psalm serves as a soundtrack for the children of God living in a crumbling world – a world plagued by sin and suffering its consequences. But it is not a song of resignation. It’s not It’s The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine), it’s a song of confidence that God is a Savior and He not only moves to protect us, but He has provided us with a cure that can undo the devastation this plague has wrought on the culture and institutions around us.

Psalm 12:1 – ¹ Help, Lord, for no faithful one remains; the loyal have disappeared from the human race.

Did David really think he was the last faithful believer in the entire human race? Well, apparently he felt that way. We have these sort of hyperbolic feelings sometimes in our lives, right? Flashes of hopelessness or confusion, even complaint against God? This song begins as a complaint.

We don’t have to pretend like we never feel this way. We don’t have to fake our prayers or act like we’re never frustrated or discouraged. There’s a whole category of Psalms called lament Psalms. This is one of them.^[2] A lament is an expression of some sort of complaint or hurt or sorrow to God.

Now, we don’t stay in an attitude of complaining. We’ll see David moves from confusion and complaint to clarity and confidence. But God wants you to be open and honest with Him when you pray to Him, when you sing to Him. He already knows what you’re thinking and feeling, anyway.

David’s song opens with a simple word: HELP! God, SAVE! What would we do if right now, from outside, we heard someone screaming for help? I imagine a whole bunch of people would go outside to see what they could do. And David knows that God not only has power to save, but that He is listening for the cries of His people.

The Psalms are very clear on this fact. God listens closely and carefully to us.^[3] Our calls, our needs, our desires, our questions. God hears them and answers.

David’s assessment was that the Godly were fast disappearing from the human community. The result was not pretty. He realized we have an urgent need to be saved not from a comet hitting the planet, not from a virus, not from alien invasion. We need to be saved from ourselves.

But what does it mean to be faithful or loyal? These terms refer to people who keep covenant with God.^[4] Those who believe God and respond with faith and obedience and go His way through life according to the principles and directives and leading He gives. And that can apply to anyone.

Psalm 12:2 – ² They lie to one another; they speak with flattering lips and deceptive hearts.

In the movies, zombies are usually identified by how they look. In this song, they are identified by what they say. Their words are categorized as lies and deceit and flattery. The term here literally means, “a lip of slipperiness.”^[5] The human tongue spouts empty talk, smooth talk, and double talk.^[6]

The problem is we’re all naturally infected with this condition. You don’t have to teach a child to lie. Humans are so prone to lying we have to start judicial questioning by making people promise they won’t lie. David wasn’t immune. He lied to Achish. He lied to Ahimelech. He lied about Bathsheba.

Lying is a part of the human condition. But it’s something we need to be saved from. It’s a malignancy we must partner with God to root out of our lives if we want to bear spiritual fruit.

As David moved through the hordes of humanity, he heard lie after lie. Why do we lie to people? Our friends and family and neighbors? Sometimes it’s because of jealousy, sometimes fear. Sometimes we’re trying to manipulate others for our own purposes. But lying is destructive to societies and to relationships and to our own hearts. It is a deadly virus.

Flattery is a form of lying that doesn’t feel like a big deal to us. But God’s Word gives us warnings even about this lesser type of lying speech. Proverbs explains that flattery causes ruin.^[7] Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians that it is not a tool we should use.^[8] Our relationships and institutions cannot survive if they aren’t built on truth and trust and honesty and genuine unity. So, if you give your language life an audit and discover traces of flattery or manipulation, allow the Lord to deal with it in a loving, cleansing way, because we don’t want Him to deal with it this way:

Psalm 12:3 – ³ May the Lord cut off all flattering lips and the tongue that speaks boastfully.

That escalated quickly! But this plague has to be dealt with. We see in Acts how Ananias and Sapphira lie to the Holy Spirit and to the church and what does God do? He cut them off by killing them. Now, that isn’t what He usually does these days, but it illustrates the seriousness of this issue.

It’s not actually about the words themselves, it’s about what’s going on in our hearts. From the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.^[9] And what we see is that, among the ungodly, the plague of pride has infiltrated their hearts and spread to their lips and then corrupts their relationships and their whole perspective. Look at verse 4.

Psalm 12:4 – ⁴ They say, “Through our tongues we have power; our lips are our own—who can be our master?”

The truth is, our tongues do have power. The words you say can change lives. James says your tongue can set the course of a life on fire.^[10] Or we can use our words also to build up and draw people out of darkness by preaching the truth that will set them free.

The people speaking in verse 4 are so impressed with their powers of speech they say, “Who can be our master?” The term they use is a play on Adonai.^[11] “Who’s my God? I’m my own God and master!” That’s what the person who is not in covenant with Jesus has convinced themselves of.

But here’s the truth: You are not your own master. Your tongue is not your own. In fact, it’s not even your breath in your lungs. It’s God’s. The Bible makes that very clear in Job and Isaiah and Acts. You’re alive by God’s grace and mercy. And you belong to Him, not only because you are His creation, but also because He bought you with the blood of His Son Jesus Christ.

Today, if you’re not a Christian, you may think you’re your own master, but you’re not. In reality, you are enslaved to sin. You are held captive by the Devil. You are a citizen of the kingdom of darkness and will spend eternity in the Lake of Fire unless you are rescued and the only way for you to be rescued is by being in covenant with Jesus Christ, Who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. You can be saved today, right now, by believing and calling out to this rescuing God.

Psalm 12:5 – ⁵ “Because of the devastation of the needy and the groaning of the poor, I will now rise up,” says the Lord. “I will provide safety for the one who longs for it.”

“Longs for” here can also mean the person who puffs or pants for it.^[12] Those who realize they don’t want to stay trapped in the plague of sin and the devastation it brings to life.

You see, it’s not just about little white lies, it’s not just about a little flattery here and there. Words lead to actions. This plague has led to a world where violence is done to the helpless. Where the weak are crushed and left defenseless. But God will not allow that to continue. He hears their cries. He sees their suffering and He moves with power and compassion on their behalf.

You Christians, be encouraged that God still hears your groanings. Paul tells us in Romans how the Holy Spirit is here to help us in our weakness, interceding for us with inexpressible groanings.^[13]

But notice that David is no longer alone. In verse 1 it was as if he was the last man standing. But now we see there are others. God sees them and He is mindful of them all.

Psalm 12:6 – ⁶ The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver refined in an earthen furnace, purified seven times.

The antidote to the plague of proud hearts and corrupted tongues is the eternal word of God. His word is not proud, it is pure. In fact, “seven times” here is actually the dual form. So David is saying that God’s word has been refined and purified seven times twice.^[14]

Why does that matter? Well, here we are in a sin-ridden world, a world where the truth of God is often under attack. A world where we sometimes face pressure for being in covenant with Jesus.

What happened when Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego were faced with pressure and opposition and attack? They told Nebuchadnezzar they would not bow to him as master. They remained faithful to the Lord. They trust His promises. So what did Nebuchadnezzar do? He had the furnace heated seven times hotter. And what happened? God intervened to save these faithful ones. His word, His promises not only withstand the furnace of life, they withstand a furnace heated seven times hotter. They could’ve gone another seven times hotter still and God’s truth would’ve remained just as pure, just as valuable, just as reliable in any circumstance.

We sing God’s words, we decorate our homes with them, that’s good. But they are not only good for melody or decoration. They are as beautiful and useful and valuable as the purest silver.

Psalm 12:7 – ⁷ You, Lord, will guard us; you will protect us from this generation forever.

Which generation? The one we’re in. David sang this song many centuries ago. We can still sing it today. Because God is always faithful in every generation. His mercy, His power, His goodness, His care for us is never diminished.

David is no longer alone. Now it’s “us.” What a good thing that God connects us with one another, as living stones knit together for strength and encouragement and cooperation and community.

The complaint has given way to confidence. Though at times we may be outnumbered, we are never outmatched because our God is with us and He says that He is ready to perform His word.^[15]

Psalm 12:8 – ⁸ The wicked prowl all around, and what is worthless is exalted by the human race.

We get one more similarity to the zombie flick here. The wicked, we’re told, “prowl all around.” They’re wandering in the dark, not really going anywhere, just looking for victims. That’s what sin does to humanity – to the sons of Adam. That’s the second time David uses that terminology. Where we read “human race” he says the sons of Adam.

Christians were sons of Adam, but we’ve been born again thanks to the work of the Second Adam. Now, we are sons and daughters of God. So great is the love of God that He allows us to be called His children.^[16] And we do not wander through life aimlessly, trying to satisfy cheap and worthless desires. Now we walk with God toward glory, toward life, toward the future He has set aside for us.

The ungodly heart elevates what is worthless. It exalts insignificant things. Cheap and gluttonous and shameful excess.^[17] That’s what a heart and a society dominated by sin celebrates and worships and builds up for itself. But we don’t have to be infected with that plague. We are people who walk with purpose – people who know where we’re going, and so we lift up and build and worship that which is eternal.

In most zombie movies, the hero’s goal is to kill as many of them as they can. Or, at least, the goal is to get as far away from them as possible. God’s way of doing things is not like that. Yes, He rises up to protect His people and fight for them when need be, but He has delivered the cure and then sends us out to try to rescue the infected so that they, too, can join our assembly of the living. Because His merciful, loving care extends to all the lost of this world. They need help just like we do. And before He rises up in ultimate judgment, He sends us out with the cure of the Gospel, to seek and to save others just as we were sought and saved. So they, too, can become children of God.

What do the righteous do when the foundations are crumbling? When it seems like the Godly are fast disappearing? Go and make disciples, knowing that God is with us, protecting us, caring for us, sending us out in His grace and His life and His power.

Take Cover (Psalm 57)

Certain songs take on new life when another artist covers them. Aretha Franklin’s Respect. Johnny Cash’s Hurt. Jimi Hendrix’s All Along The Watchtower. Whitney Houston’s I Will Always Love You. Ray Charles’ Georgia On My Mind. All covers.

Psalm 57 is a cover in more ways than one. In the superscript above verse 1, we read:

Psalm 57:Superscript – For the choir director: “Do Not Destroy.” A Miktam of David. When he fled before Saul into the cave.

Do Not Destroy was probably a known tune at the time.^[1] Four Psalms are set to this melody: 57, 58, 59, and 75. I guess it was the Ba Ba Black Sheep/Twinkle Twinkle Little Star/ABCs of it’s generation.

We’re also told that this is one of David’s Miktam songs. Just like a band may have a power ballad, an anthem, a love song, and a deep cut all on the same album, there are different styles of Psalms.

There are six Psalms labeled as Miktams – all written by David – and linguists believe it can mean “a song of covering.”^[2] Scholars also suggest that it was a type of song that was particularly precious.^[3]

In Psalm 57, David finds himself in very serious trouble. His life is threatened by Saul, and he has fled to a cave. From the cave he authors this prayer to the Lord, trusting not in the limestone that’s concealing him for the time being, but in the Solid Rock on which David has anchored his life.

Psalm 57:1 – ¹ Be gracious to me, God, be gracious to me, for I take refuge in you. I will seek refuge in the shadow of your wings until danger passes.

David hid from Saul in a cave twice. Strategically speaking, they were great hiding places. Strong. Secluded. Secure. That is, unless your enemy also comes in the cave! That’s exactly what happened in David’s case in 1 Samuel 24. Things worked out – thanks to God’s providence – but it illustrates a very important truth for us when we find ourselves in a time of trouble: The cave isn’t going to solve the problem. The cave might be able to conceal you for a time, but it can’t ultimately deliver you.

David knew the cave wasn’t his destination – it was a layover. Deliverance must come from the Lord. The Lord was his true refuge. It wasn’t just a naive hope – his faith was anchored in God’s word and track-record. As David considered this and wrote Psalm 57, it seems he had Moses’ song in mind.

Deuteronomy 32:4, 11 – ⁴ The Rock—his work is perfect; all his ways are just. A faithful God, without bias, he is righteous and true…¹¹ He watches over his nest like an eagle and hovers over his young; he spreads his wings, catches him, and carries him on his feathers.

David doesn’t just hope that God will help him. He believes God is Who He says He is. David roots his life choices and his mental perspective on what has been revealed about God in Scripture.

Yahweh as Refuge is the familiar melody of David’s life. Our English versions hide how David’s past experience with God assured his future hope. What he said was: “In You has my soul found refuge; and in the shadow of Your wings will I find refuge.”^[4]

Psalm 57:2 – ² I call to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me.

How many people have plans for your life? You have plans. Your parents have plans for you. Some of you have friends that have plans to set you up with someone. The Devil has plans for you.

More important than any of the plans anyone has for your life are the purposes God Most High has for you. A life full of good, full of grace, full of growth. A life He describes as “more abundantly.”^[5] Do you know what God’s purposes for you are?

If you surrender your life to this Most High God, your Creator, your Savior, the One Person in the universe Who loves you more than anyone else, then He will fulfill His plans for you.

“Fulfill” means to complete or finish. That sends us to Philippians 1 where Paul said, “I’m sure of this, that He who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”^[6]

But, it’s interesting: This Hebrew word for “fulfill” (or your version might say “performs”), when used negatively refers to the abrupt, seemingly permanent termination of that which previously existed.^[7] So, as we walk with God, He not only absolutely will complete the work that He began in us, but at the same time, the old person that we used to be, with all our weakness and all our failure and all our wretchedness will also be wiped away. Replaced with a transformed heart, a transformed mind, a sanctified future, secured and ensured by the power and the promise and the purposes of God.

Psalm 57:3 – ³ He reaches down from heaven and saves me, challenging the one who tramples me…God sends his faithful love and truth.

When a fugitive is being chased, we say they’re “run to ground.” David was quite literally run to ground. In fact, he was below ground, deep in a cave. And yet, he will keep speaking of the hope of heaven. The power of heaven. Heaven is a focal point for him in this crisis and throughout the song.

The Bible explains that the eternal God has decided to reach down from His throne in heaven so that He can rescue people on earth. And, unlike Zeus or Odin or other man-made gods, He doesn’t just “reach down” with lightning bolts. No, He came down Himself, put on flesh, died in our place, and rose again so we could be made right with Him and dwell with Him in heaven forever.

David knew that his God was a Deliverer – One Who cares about the suffering and struggles and hard times His people endure. One Who gives real help to us in our time of need. And, as David points out, the specific help the Lord sent in this situation was: Faithful love and truth.

“I don’t know God…Saul and his army are right outside this cave…how about a lighting bolt after all? Send a Samson or something!” But, no – the Lord would save with hesed love and truth.

It’s hard for us to really believe that the love of God will make the difference in some troubles, isn’t it? We’re convinced we need some other strength, some other supply, something more substantial. But there is nothing more powerful or more effective than the love of God and the truth of God.

With His truth, He sets us free and with His love He covers us, quiets us, and strengthens us.

Psalm 57:4 – ⁴ I am surrounded by lions; I lie down among devouring lions—people whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are sharp swords.

His enemies used their words to destroy – teeth like spears and arrows, tongues like swords. David was a fierce warrior, but he was also the Sweet Psalmist of Israel. He used his words for prayer, for worship, for the spreading of the good news about God. I often forget that David was, in fact, one of the Old Testament prophets. In that first sermon of the book of Acts, Peter said this about David:

Acts 2:30-31a – ³⁰ Since he was a prophet, he knew that God had sworn an oath to him to seat one of his descendants on his throne. ³¹ Seeing what was to come, he spoke concerning the resurrection of the Messiah…

David talked to people about the resurrection! His tongue was an instrument of worship, not a weapon of war. And because he inclined his heart and his mind to the Lord, filling his thoughts with the truth of God’s character and purposes, he found rest, even in these terrible circumstances.

“I lie down among devouring lions.” That’s not something we would normally do. But it’s a common behavior of Believers who trust the Lord. Instead of fight-or-flight it’s nighty-night. Daniel in the lion’s den. Peter, on the night before he is to be beheaded, chained between two soldiers, slept soundly – his soul at rest because he knew that deliverance was coming. Maybe not physical deliverance, but absolutely, without a doubt, ultimate, eternal deliverance is ours. It’s on the way.

David spent his night in this cave writing a song. Not sharpening a sword. Not drilling with his soldiers. He spent it in worship, in prayer, in contemplation of God’s power and goodness.

Psalm 57:5 – ⁵ God, be exalted above the heavens; let your glory be over the whole earth.

The term “be exalted” has been translated as, “Loom over the heavens and over the whole earth.”^[8] Saul the maniac king loomed large in David’s mind. His threats caused David so much anxiety that, at some points, David reacted with terrible decisions. But at this moment, in this cave, David reminded himself of what was true. It was the Lord Who loomed largest: A God Who cannot be defeated. A God Who cannot be outsmarted. A God Who cannot be thwarted or outdone. If that is Who my God is, if an unstoppable God has made me His friend and taken responsibility for my life, then I can stop worrying about my tomorrow and instead concern myself with His glory.

Psalm 57:6 – ⁶ They prepared a net for my steps; I was despondent. They dug a pit ahead of me, but they fell into it! Selah

Just like that everything changed. In the cave at En-Gedi, David and his men were hiding, hoping to survive. Saul came in to relieve himself and suddenly he was at David’s mercy.

Saul fell into his own pit. The hunter became the hunted. Not by David’s cunning, but by God’s compassion. A compassion that providentially works on behalf of His people.

Here in verse 6, David said, “I was despondent.” He was terribly low, like an enemy pressed his neck into the ground.^[9] But in that darkness, David received hope. Not just in feelings, but in reality. His worry gave way to worship. As he exercised his faith in Who God is, David was brought out of his despondency and into thanksgiving and excitement and confidence.

Psalm 57:7 – ⁷ My heart is confident, God, my heart is confident. I will sing; I will sing praises.

This is not what you would expect from a man running for his life. Instead of whimpers, there was worship. How? While the enemies was setting a trap, David was setting his heart on truth.^[10]

We can take our thoughts captive. It can be incredibly difficult but we can do it and we must do it if we want to obey Christ and walk with Him and enjoy the transforming work He wants to accomplish in our lives. David was made a singing strategy, not just a scrambling strategy.

Psalm 57:8 – ⁸ Wake up, my soul! Wake up, harp and lyre! I will wake up the dawn.

John Goldingay writes, “We can stir up our inner beings…to the end that they come alive, like a parent waking a child.”^[11] Being a Christian doesn’t mean you always feel like things are great. It doesn’t mean you always feel like you’re at rest or everything is working out the way you wanted. The world is full of trouble. We have enemies. Not flesh and blood, but evil, cosmic powers of darkness.^[12] We might feel discouragement, anxiety, fear, despondency, and many other painful emotions. But what does the Bible reveal to be true about our lives? About our futures? About God’s faithfulness? Psalm 55 says plainly: “Cast your burden on the Lord, and He will sustain you.”

Sometimes, we need to wake up our souls. Wake them up to pray. Wake them up to worship. Wake them up to truly believe what we say we believe – to believe in action and practice.

And David wanted others to join him in this wakefulness. He talks about harp and lyre. This song is sent to the whole choir. Multiple people on multiple instruments. He wants all the people to come together to rest in the Lord, to exalt the Lord, to be invigorated through worship as they exercise their faith. It was not time to whimper, but to worship.

Psalm 57:9 – ⁹ I will praise you, Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations.

David hoped not only all Israel would sing it, but eventually even Gentile nations, too. That people who were currently his enemies would eventually become part of God’s family of faith.

Psalm 57:10 – ¹⁰ For your faithful love is as high as the heavens; your faithfulness reaches the clouds.

The God of the Bible is faithful at every level. Faithful to His plans, faithful to His creation, faithful to you. But He works not only to free you – to unshackle you from your sin – but also to lead you. In Psalm 43, the prayer to God is, “Send Your light and Your truth and let them lead me, let them bring me to Your holy mountain, Your dwelling place, Your altar.” God is faithful to love you, faithful to help you, and faithful to lead you day by day.

Psalm 57:11 – ¹¹ God, be exalted above the heavens; let your glory be over the whole earth.

David repeats verse 5. No matter what was going on, his focus was that God’s glory be poured out all over the world – on earth as it is in heaven. He closes the song by reminding us again that God has eternal, cosmic plans that He will accomplish. That heaven be more in view than the cave.

Since 1905, Sherwin-Williams has had an iconic logo. It’s a globe, and above it is a gallon of blood-red paint pouring out all over it with the words “Cover The Earth.” That’s their mission. Cover everything with their paint.

In the midst of terrible circumstances, David chose to fill his mind with the truth of God’s power, His purpose, His compassion, and His faithfulness. He prophetically looked to that time when God’s glory will cover the whole earth. And then David decided to react and behave as if it was not only going to be true one day, but as though it was being carried out through his life – which it was!

David was in a great spiritual headspace as he wrote Psalm 57. But how quickly our minds can change. Awhile after the famous scene in the cave at En-Gedi, David would change his tune. He said, “One of these days, I’ll be swept away by Saul.”^[13] And he runs off to hide among the Philistines. It’s one of the worst chapters of David’s life and almost ends in total disaster.

He needed to cover this song again. To sing it in his own heart and to those around Him. That God is faithful. That God’s compassionate love is on the move. That God fulfills His purposes. That In Him our souls have found refuge; and in the shadow of His wings we will find refuge.

It’s a song we should cover in our own lives. These precious truths aren’t meant to just make us feel better, but to live with hope, with peace in our hearts, with perspective on our circumstances, with minds at rest as we walk with God, Who is fulfilling all His purpose for us.

Scholars also think that a miktam might refer to a song engraved on a stone slab with gold letters. And so, let’s certify this song as gold in our lives. A familiar and beloved melody of confidence and praise in the Most High God, Who is our Rock, Who is with us, working to fulfill all His purpose in us. Our part is to believe, to receive from Him, and to respond in faith and worship.

The Hallelujah Chorus (Psalm 117)

In the AD 1295, Marco Polo returned to Venice with his father Nicolo and his uncle Maffeo. Gone for 24 years, their family had long given them up for dead. In fact, the 3 Polos weren’t recognized at first when they arrived at the Polo estate. But, once they were cleaned up and identified by relatives, the weary travelers called for a feast that very night.

At the meal, Marco shared about the places they had been – Sumatra, Java, Tibet, India, Ceylon, Burma, and Mongolia. Moreover, Marco told of a king – one richer and more powerful than all the kings of the world. His name was Kublai Khan and he ruled over the largest contiguous empire in history.^[1] Marco Polo had not only been welcomed in to the dazzling courts of this great king, the king made him his friend, had sent him out on missions, and given him great rewards.

It sounded like a fable. After all, the Polos had arrived in coarse clothing – old and torn. But then Marco, Nicolo, and Maffeo ripped open the seams of their tattered traveling garments and out spilled piles and piles of gemstones. Diamonds, pearls, emeralds, and rubies. The people of Venice had never seen treasures so great in size and number.^[2] The story was true. The King was real.

Psalm 117 might come up on a trivia night for two reasons: First, it is the shortest chapter in the Bible. Second, it is actually the middle chapter of the Bible. The song may be little, but it isn’t trivial. Derek Kidner writes, “the shortest Psalm proves to be one of the most potent.” It reaches to every corner of the globe – a universal call to praise. But it also extols the greatness of heaven’s King.

As we’ve looked at almost 70 of the Psalms in the last few years, we’ve learned that there are collections of songs within the book. Psalm 117 is part of a group called the Egyptian Hallel Psalms – Psalm 113 through 118. As Israel’s history developed, these songs became associated with the annual religious festivals, especially Passover. Eventually, Psalms 113 and 114 would be sung before the eating of Passover and 115 through 118 sung after the meal.^[3]

And it is for this reason that Psalm 117 reminds me of the Marco Polo’s dramatic banquet. Because this Psalm invites all of us in to hear the story of the greatest King, Who shares His Kingdom, lavishes His treasures, changes history, and makes us His friends. A King Who redefines everything we thought we knew about the world and who has called all of us – no matter who we are, where we’re from, what we have, or what we’ve done – into relationship with Him.

Psalm 117:1 – ¹ Praise the Lord, all nations! Glorify him, all peoples!

In Hebrew, the opening and closing of the song are the same: Hallelujah! This is a Hallelujah chorus. Thanks to the Bible, hallelujah is a familiar word to us, but what does it mean? It’s not just giving God an attaboy, not just that passing feeling of “oh wow” we sometimes have when we see an impressive card trick or hear something interesting. A hallelujah is a special kind of reaction.

The word “connotes being sincerely and deeply thankful and satisfied” in the Lord.^[4] It is an essential part of human life. One Bible dictionary puts it this way: “The frequency and mood [with which this word is used] emphasizes the vital necessity of this action.”^[5]

The object of our hallelujah praise is presented very clearly: We are to praise Yahweh – the One true God revealed on the pages of Scripture.

There are so many religions in the world, so many philosophies and perspectives. But there’s only One God. There is no other.^[6] And here all the nations of the world are commanded to worship the God of the Bible. Deism isn’t enough. Spiritualism isn’t enough. Meditation isn’t enough. The One true God demands that you respond to His revelation – that you acknowledge Him, turn to Him, surrender to Him.

In the last few years, a lot of big time comedians have adopted no-cell-phone policies at their shows. Dave Chappelle, Kevin Hart, Chris Rock, John Mulaney, and others. If you want to go to their show, you have to lock up your phone. If you take your phone out, you’re taken out of the venue.

I saw an interview with Dave Chappelle where they were talking about this policy and the interviewer was totally on board and they were saying that, really, if the audience didn’t go along, they were only cheating themselves.

These people have said, “If you want to be a part of what I’m doing, this is the requirement.” And, whether we agree with their policy or not, they sell out arena after arena.

God has requirements for us – commands and precepts and principles. He requires that we go His way and not our own. This response to God is somewhat encapsulated in the word, hallelujah. Acknowledge God, believe Him, be filled with thanks and satisfaction as God works in your life.

But here is where this little song becomes absolutely radical: “Praise the Lord all nations.”

Remember: This is a song sung by Israelites in the Temple or at their Passover celebrations. The nations refer to the Gentiles outside of Israel’s borders and outside the Mosaic covenant. Not only are they outside, in the Old Testament they were almost always at odds with the Jews. In fact, the next time we see “the nations” referenced in the Psalms is right next door in Psalm 118 where the nations are gathered in violent opposition against God’s people.

There are other Psalms where we see “the whole earth” praising God, but this is the only one where we specifically see the Gentile nations joining in.^[7]

This line would remind Israel that, one day, God would reconcile the whole world under His authority and His truth. But not only that, singing these words should have reminded them of their calling to be light in the dark. To be a beacon of God’s love and salvation even for Gentiles.

This had always been the plan. Back when God chose Abraham to start the family of faith, which would grow to be the nation of Israel, the Lord said, “Abraham, through you all the peoples of the earth are going to be blessed.”^[8] In the Law we read of this evangelical intention. In Deuteronomy the Lord tells Israel, “Follow My statutes and ordinances because, when you do, the nations of the world will see it and think, ‘Oh, we want to have a relationship with a real God they way you do.’”^[9]

Of course, this reminds us that we are meant to be lights in this world. If you’re a Christian, you are meant to preach the Gospel through the way you live your life. The words you speak, the choices you make, your attitudes and actions, so that a watching world will see the love of God and the grace of God and be drawn to Him. Your life is designed to be a beacon of the grace of Jesus.

Sometimes we forget that that is our function – not our only function but a major function that we’re all commissioned into: Go and make disciples. In God’s eyes, every Christian is a missionary.

Now, we might look at this first line and say, “Fat chance the nations of the world would really turn to God.” And it is a rare thing, but it has happened. Look at the city of Nineveh in the book of Jonah: Everyone from the greatest to the least repented and turned to the Lord. Look at historical revivals like what happened in Wales in the early 1900s. Stories are told of police precincts having nothing to do, so they closed down and formed choirs to sing at the revival meetings.^[10]

But, we recognize that those sort of wide-scale turnings to Christ are few and far between. Ultimately, this looks forward to the day when the Lord Jesus comes and establishes His physical, global Kingdom on the earth and all nations will bow before Him in obedience and worship.

But in the second line of verse 1 we see it’s not just about nations, but the people within them. Any person in any nation can glorify God. That’s possible because you and I were designed to glorify God. That is the purpose of your life. Isaiah 43 says we were created for God’s glory.^[11]

How do we bring glory to God? Good news! Your heart can bring glory to God. Your lips can bring glory to God. Your hands, your feet, your home, your wallet, your day-to-day life – all of it can bring glory to God. 1 Corinthians says your body can bring God glory.^[12] Peter says our suffering as Christians and our regular conduct can bring God glory.^[13] In 2 Corinthians we see our ministry and preaching and generosity can bring God glory.^[14] In John we learn that even our deaths can bring God glory.^[15] In Colossians it’s set out plainly: Whatever you do, do it from the heart, as something done for the Lord.^[16]

We can glorify the Lord through great actions and small, in the home or out of it, from the solitude of a prayerful heart or in public proclamation of the Gospel. But all of us have been created for this purpose: To glorify God and to be crowned with glory and honor^[17] by Him as He transforms us more and more into His image, set apart for His purposes.

Psalm 117:2a – ² For his faithful love to us is great; the Lord’s faithfulness endures forever.

What does Yahweh do with all His unstoppable power? With His undefeated record? With His authority and strength and freedom to do anything He wants? He uses His power to love you.

This is hesed love which is based on compassion, loyalty, and mercy – an active love that rescues a weaker person in need. God doesn’t have to save us. He wants to save us because He loves us.

Verse 1 already showed us that this love is extended to everyone. All the people of all the nations of the world. And the rest of the Bible shows us that anyone is welcome. Israel was the chosen nation to show the world that God loved them all. That His active love was also extended to Ruth the Moabitess, Rahab from Jericho, Naaman the Aramean, Uriah the Hittite, Nebuchadnezzar the Babylonian, Cornelius the Roman, the Samaritan woman at the well. You and me.

God’s love toward us is great. The word means it is a love that has prevailed in power.^[18] Prevailed over what? Well, in Psalm 65 we read that our iniquities “overwhelm” us, and the same word is used there as is used describing God’s love fr us here. Meaning that God’s love has prevailed over the sin that hold us captive in guilt and shame and failure.

Not only does God’s love prevail, it also protects.^[19] The love of God through Christ Jesus is our atonement and shield and refuge. And so, He prevails over our sin and protects us from death.

This song shows God fighting foes we could never hope to stand against and overwhelming us with His kindness.^[20] And what good news that His tender mercy, His faithfulness will always endure.

I read a story this week of an Italian couple who got divorced after being married for 77 years!^[21] The husband was 99 years old. The wife was 97.

We never have to worry about God’s love for us growing cold. His faithful love endures forever. The greatness of His love never lessens, it never weakens. Which also means that every single thing He has promised to us out of His love will absolutely come to pass.

The song ends where it began:

Psalm 117:2b – Hallelujah!

The song leader practices what he preaches. He’s commanded all of us everywhere to look on the revelation of God’s love and power and then to respond with praise and then he praises!

Real praise happens when a person is in right relationship with the God of the Bible. Real praise flows from knowledge and revelation. His work is brought to our attention and we respond with adulation. Or we learn something more of Who God is – His heart, His kindness, His goodness, His character and we run into His loving embrace, thanking Him and lifting His name high.

The more we understand what God has revealed about Himself, the more we will see how great His faithful love is. And that’s what God wants. Yes, His is strong and yes, He is holy – yes, we need to know those things and understand what they mean. But when God called Moses up to Mount Sinai and said, “Ok, I’m going to show you Who I am,” He appeared to Moses and said, “I am gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love and truth.”^[22] And after that revelation, Moses worshipped. Yes, God warns us of the wrath that must pour out on sin, but He warns us about it so we can avoid it – so He can save us by His love and grace.

God loves you and invites you into a lifetime relationship where He saves you and transforms you and rescues you from sin and the grave and then you begin to glorify Him as you live out worship and evangelism to a lost and dying world so that others can be saved just like you. The offer is open to anyone. Everyone. The nations of the world.

Sadly, we look around and agree with Psalm 2: The nations rage and the people plot in vain against the Lord Jesus.

One day there will be no more opposition. All the nations of the earth will bow in worship and harmony before the King of kings. But before that wonderful day, there will be a time of great judgment where those who refuse God’s love will be destroyed by His wrath.

You can be saved from that judgment by believing on the Lord Jesus – by accepting the gift of salvation by grace, through faith.

During the feast at the Polo estate, Marco and his father and uncle changed robes after each course. They had taken off their tattered rags and now were sporting beautiful, luxurious garments. But each time they changed into a new robe, they carefully folded the previous robe and then presented it as a gift to one of their guests. “This,” explained Marco, “is in strict accordance with Mongol custom.”^[23] The robes they were handing out had been presented to Marco by the Khan himself.

What a greater King is Jesus, Who not only gives of His riches to His servants, but He laid down His own life to save you from your guilt. He doesn’t give you a robe of satin or velvet, but a robe of righteousness which is full of life and strength and hope and peace and promise and eternal reward.

Praise this King and His unfailing love! And now we who have been welcomed into His family can go out with the Good News that there is room for other weary travelers to come in and be refreshed by His grace, saved from death, protected by His power.

This Is Our Fight Song (Psalm 20)

“It was a gray morning. Fog hid the enemy, but they were there, just across the field. The king commanded his men to kneel. The king too fell to his knees and lifted up his prayer to the Lord of hosts, the God of all battles. As he concluded, the whole army thundered back with conviction: A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing; our helper he, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing. When the hymn died away, the king of Sweden, mounted his white horse and called out to his troops. He told them to remember that they fought for God, country, and king. And with that, the Snow King of Sweden led his men onto the field to save the German Reformation.”^[1]

The year was 1631. At the Battle of Breitenfeld, the Swedish-Saxon protestants faced an invasion from the Holy Roman Empire. When the dust settled, after 13 years, they had won their first major victory in the Thirty Years War.^[2]

Martin Luther wrote A Mighty Fortress Is Our God in the 1520’s. It was known as the “battle hymn of the reformation.”^[3] In the case of Breitenfeld, it was a literal battle hymn.

Psalm 20 is a battle hymn – a anthem meant to be sung before the God’s people go out to fight.^[4] The main focus of this song is the king – that God would grant him victory. So, scholars will call this a royal Psalm. But, not only is this a royal Psalm, it’s also a Messianic Psalm. Ultimately, it’s not just talking about a king, but the King of kings. It’s not just a song for David, but ultimately for the Son of David, Who wins total victory over every foe and over death itself.

But does that mean we should pass over this song as not applying to us? Sometimes songs are out of place, like if I sang Happy Birthday to most of you today. Or if I sang Auld Lang Syne. It’s not the right time for those songs, they don’t apply.

If this song is a royal, Messianic song, can it minister to me? The full and final fulfillment of the great promises in these verses are accomplished through Christ Jesus. He is the King. He is the anointed One referenced in verse 6. But we then remember that Christ has invited us into His redemptive work. If you’re a Christian here this morning, then you, too, have been anointed by God. Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 1:21:

2 Corinthians 1:21 – ²¹ Now it is God who strengthens us together with you in Christ, and who has anointed us.

You are not the anointed Messiah, but you are an anointed messenger, an anointed minister, an anointed missionary, set apart for specific purposes that God reveals as you walk with Him.

So let’s take a look at this wonderful song, and allow it to be a melody of hope and confidence and triumph as we face the spiritual battles of life.

Psalm 20:Superscript-1 – For the choir director. A psalm of David. ¹ May the Lord answer you in a day of trouble; may the name of Jacob’s God protect you.

Are you facing trouble today? Some sort of adversity or anguish or affliction or tightness?^[5] God’s desire is to give you an answer for your trouble. But an answer follows a call, right?

Verse 1 reminds us of Who we’re calling out to. It’s the God of Jacob. David says, “May the name of Jacob’s God protect you.” What is His name? God is called by many names in the Bible, each expounding His greatness and strength and goodness and grace and love. But, most of all, it’s Yahweh.^[6] When God explained His name to Moses in Exodus 3, He said, “I AM WHO I AM. I am the God Who has been with your ancestors from the beginning. I’m the God Who sends and reveals.”

Linguists tell us that this name speaks of God’s “faithful presence.” Yahweh is the God Who is there. One source writes, “It connotes God’s nearness, His concern for man, and the revelation of His redemptive covenant.”^[7] Yawweh is the God Who makes promises to Jacobs like us. Stiff-hearted, rebellious deceivers who do nothing but slow Him down. Yet, out of His love and grace, God enters into and keeps covenant with us.

Psalm 20:2 – ² May he send you help from the sanctuary and sustain you from Zion.

Not from the treasury. Not from the armory. From the sanctuary. That’s where God’s presence was. That’s where help comes from. When trouble came to Israel, their first stop shouldn’t be to the forge of the blacksmith, but to the altar of the Lord. To draw near to Him so they could hear from Him and be cleansed by Him and be covered by His favor.

We don’t live in a theocracy, nor do we have physical temples which house the visible glory of God. If you’re a Christian now you are the Temple of the Lord. But, this song demonstrates that in the day of trouble the Lord wants to send help from the sanctuary. How does that work in the Church age?

In the temple there were priests and Levites on duty, around the clock, to minster to the people on behalf of the Lord. Today, God has made Christians a royal priesthood. He calls us to support one another, to sustain one another, to bear one another’s burdens. You and I should expect God to send us as help to others in their day of trouble – as member of the working Body of Christ.

Psalm 20:3 – ³ May he remember all your offerings and accept your burnt offering. Selah

Remember: This Psalm is first about Christ’s Kingship and victory before principles start to apply to us. And here we receive the history-changing, life-saving news that Christ’s offering was accepted. When Jesus offered Himself as a sacrifice on the cross, that offering was sufficient for all your sin, all my sin, all the sins of all the world. It was sufficient. It was effective. That is very good news!

But then on the secondary level, we see here someone who is in covenant with God. They offer according to His demands and expectations, and He receives it. This is what God requires.

Many people have absolutely no interest in God until the day of trouble. It’s the classic scene where someone cries out, “God, if you get me through this, I promise I’ll go to church every Sunday.” They want the deliverance without devotion. And, God is gracious – more than we deserve. But He wants a relationship with you based on love and trust. He’s offered you a covenant.

When David wrote this Psalm, God’s people were under the old covenant, with all its rites and rituals. Today believers are brought into the new covenant where God gives us a new heart. A covenant where His word is written on our hearts and He is our God and we are His people and He gives us lives to lead full of faith and proclamation and a desire to obey the Lord and go His way.

How appropriate that David puts a selah after this moment for each of us to ask ourselves whether we’re in covenant with the Lord. Are we devoted to Him? We’re called to present our whole selves as living sacrifices to God Who loves us and has saved us. How is that relationship going?

Psalm 20:4 – ⁴ May he give you what your heart desires and fulfill your whole purpose.

Of course, this isn’t suggesting that God gives us anything we want. Remember: In the new covenant, God gives us a new heart – His heart. But at the same time, we shouldn’t allow ourselves to think of God as withholding or that He always wants to take things from us. Sometimes we get that sort of idea about God – that whatever we really like in life He’s going to crush. Whatever we don’t want to do, that’s what He’s going to command us to do. But that’s not how Yahweh is presented in this song. He is a God of kindness and incredible generosity.

But then notice the second half of that verse. What is your purpose? In our secular culture, a default goal we hear sometimes is, “Are you doing better than your parents’ generation?” But that’s really not a measure of real purpose, is it?

What is your purpose? Christ came with purpose: Not to be served, but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many.^[8] Part of His purpose was also to give you purpose. Listen to 1 Peter 2:24:

1 Peter 2:24 – ²⁴ [Christ] himself bore our sins in his body on the tree; so that, having died to sins, we might live for righteousness.

Your life was saved on purpose for purposes. Purposes God wants you to discover as you walk with Him and trust Him. A life of growth and fullness and value that brings praise to His glory.

Psalm 20:5 – ⁵ Let us shout for joy at your victory and lift the banner in the name of our God. May the Lord fulfill all your requests.

A banner, of course, is a symbol of who we identify with, who we’ve pledged our allegiance to, who our authority is. Our Kingdom and cause.

The banner reminds us we’re not individualists, at least not spiritually. We’re not to be detached and heading out on our own. To enjoy God’s victory, we must be participants in His work.

And it is His victory, not ours. Our excitement, our enthusiasm, our worship should be a response to the victorious work of Christ. In fact, there’s something remarkable in the language here.

Scholars point out that the Hebrew says, “Let us shout for joy at God’s Yeshua.”^[9] Yeshua, some of you know, is the Hebrew name of Jesus. Success isn’t our victory. Earthly power or position isn’t our victory. Comfort and safety are not even our victory. Christ Jesus is our victory. He is our salvation. He is the fount of our joy and rejoicing. Jesus Christ, the Gift of God, given for us, given to us, to overcome all the foes that we are too weak to resist.

Psalm 20:6 – ⁶ Now I know that the Lord gives victory to his anointed; he will answer him from his holy heaven with mighty victories from his right hand.

There are a lot of great promises of rescue and deliverance and heavenly help in this song, but how can we know it’s true? How can we know that Jesus is the answer to our trouble?

We can know it’s true because Jesus Christ was raised from the dead. The tomb was empty. He was seen by more than 500 people at one time.^[10] The apostles who hid in fear after the crucifixion endured torture and death, never deviating from their testimony that Christ had risen. This living King continues to change countless lives and transform the world.

Through Christ we receive victory over sin and death. It’s not a maybe, it’s a certainty.

Scholars note that David uses the past tense here. The victory is won. The fight ahead is a formality.^[11] That doesn’t mean we won’t face difficulty, but we can know the outcome is sure. Christ is the King of kings and His Kingdom will be established and He will reign forever and ever.

Psalm 20:7 – ⁷ Some take pride in chariots, and others in horses, but we take pride in the name of the Lord our God.

David is absolutely confident but that doesn’t mean he sits back and does nothing. He knew God would defeat Goliath, but he still got his sling and five smooth stones. At the end of this song, he goes out with sword in hand to the field of battle before him. He knows there is work to be done – a fight to fight – but his heart is at peace. Because God is with him, he has no fear of chariots.

Chariots were the pinnacle of death technology. From man’s point of view, there was no better weapon.^[12] But David was wise enough to not fear them. He was also wise enough to not trust them. Like us, he would’ve been tempted to stockpile what the world offers for help and defense. But God shows what can happen to chariots when His people crossed the Red Sea on dry ground.

What do we trust in? What do we boast about? Where do we look for help? David said there’s no greater shield or resource than the name of the Lord our God.

Do you know what the most valuable name on earth is? Believe it or not, it’s Mark. Bloomberg compiled a list of 500 billionaires. The most common names among them were David, John, and Mark, with Mark boasting the highest average wealth at $41 billion each.^[13]

While the world pursues fleeting fortunes, we look to the name of Jesus. That term also means that we remember His name. We bring it to mind. We mention it and confess it and celebrate it.^[14]

Psalm 20:8 – ⁸ They collapse and fall, but we rise and stand firm.

This is the second time David spoke of God’s people being lifted up. Back in verse 1 where it says “may God protect you,” the term means to set you in an elevated fortress.^[15] In your day of trouble, the Lord’s desire is to lift you up and make you stand. To elevate your thoughts to not be on things of earth, but to be on the truths of heaven. When we fight spiritual battles, we don’t get in the mud with our opponents. We go the high route of heaven.

There is no battlefield where God is outmatched, where His methods don’t work, or where we can be separated from His love. He lifts us up. Because Christ rose from the dead, we also will rise.

Psalm 20:9 – ⁹ Lord, give victory to the king! May he answer us on the day that we call.

And so we have circled back to verse 1 – us calling and trust God to answer. The song begins again because the fight is not over. There are still days of trouble ahead for God’s people, but we know victory is coming. We know that Yahweh is a God Who hears prayer and answers them and Who never stops working on our behalf. If we know Him, then we know we can trust Him. And if we trust Him, then we can praise Him before the battle, in the fray, and after the victory.

All Nations Under God (Psalm 65)

Monday was the inauguration of a new president and with him a new administration with the promise of new policies, new priorities, and new public servants to effect change in our nation.

Some greet this new term with excitement and hope. Others, just the opposite. Setting aside emotion for sensibility, everyone knows that some things will change, but a lot will stay the same. Some promises will be kept, many will not. That’s the way it goes. No matter how you feel about this new administration, it will be constantly racing against the hour glass. In a few years, it will give way to the next, which will come roaring in with its own policies, priorities, and people.

When David was finally installed on the throne over all Israel, it was a time of unrest and upheaval. A years-long civil war had been raging. There were assassinations, deep partisanship among the tribes, and historic culture shifts. A lot going wrong and a lot of problems to solve.

David brought many changes to the nation of Israel. His dynamic administration touched just about every aspect of Israeli life. But he knew he couldn’t solve every conflict or predict every problem. His ultimate hope was never in his managerial genius, his battlefield prowess, or his own inventiveness. He was all too aware of his own weakness, failure, and imperfections.

David knew the all the world’s problems would ultimately be answered and solved by the arrival of a forever King, Whose administration is perfect and never comes to an end. Psalm 65 sets our minds and our hopes on the forever King and His perfect administration so that we will put our hope in Him and direct the attention of our hearts and lives toward Him.

Psalm 65:Superscript-1 – For the choir director. A psalm of David. A song. ¹ Praise is rightfully yours, God, in Zion; vows to you will be fulfilled.

The song looks forward to the Millennial Kingdom of Christ on the earth.^[1] But as Christians, we know that we are citizens of His Kingdom even now. We’re passing through this world, on our way to our forever home. As servants of the King, this song gives perspective on this life and excitement as we remind ourselves once again of the greatness, goodness, and generosity of our Savior.

There was a lot of hub-bub because they moved the Inauguration ceremony indoors this year. People had a lot of opinions about the location. What was the reason? What did it mean?

Why does God establish His throne in Zion, which is Jerusalem? Why that spot of all places? Why make an earthly kingdom at all when He could create a whole new universe to rule on?

There are so many reasons, but first, the throne being in Zion proves God’s kindness. In Deuteronomy 7 we read:

Deuteronomy 7:7 – ⁷ “The Lord had his heart set on you and chose you, not because you were more numerous than all peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples.

That text goes on to say that God did what He did out of love. Of course, God’s design wasn’t only to save the children of Abraham. He picked Abraham as the line through which all the world would be blessed. But this work of God shows His incredible, compassionate kindness.

The throne in Zion proves God’s faithfulness. The Old Testament is story after story of man’s rebellion and God’s redemption. The city that failed so many times is still the apple of His eye.

And the throne in Zion proves that the Lord keeps all His promises. When you look up how many promises American presidents keep, it’s not a strong showing. But our God keeps every promise.

The verse opened with an interesting phrase: “Praise is rightfully yours.” Your version may say, “praise is awaiting You.” The words can be translated, “To You, silence is praise.”^[2]

The psalms always instruct us about the way we worship. You can worship God in silence. Or with singing. Or with stringed instruments. Or with cymbals. Or with the raising and clapping of hands. Worship flows from a heart that acknowledges the truth of God and offers adoration and thanksgiving to Him.

Psalm 65:2 – ² All humanity will come to you, the one who hears prayer.

One day, all humanity will flow to the Lord in obedience and worship. Micah tells us that the nations will stream to the mountain of God and say, “Let’s go to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us about his ways so we may walk in his paths.”^[3]

Today, sadly, most people do what’s right in their own eyes. Many proudly reject the God of the Bible. But all humanity still can approach the Lord today. No matter who you are, no matter what you’ve done, no matter what you’ve thought or said in the past, today you can have an audience with the King of the universe. In fact, the Bible says that He stands outside the door of your heart knocking, hoping that you will let Him in so He can dwell with you.

But then look at the wonderful second half of the verse: Yahweh is “the One Who hears prayer.” God hears your prayer. It seems impossible to finite beings like us – we can’t listen to even two people talk to us at once. But God hears the prayers of your lips, the prayers of your heart.

Not only can He hear them, He invites us to send them! The Bible commands us to “pray without ceasing.”^[4] Jesus taught a whole parable to teach us to pray always and not give up.^[5]

Not only does He hear us and invite us to pray, God also assists us in praying. He gives guidelines and examples and sends the Holy Spirit to intercede on our behalf and pray for us when need be.^[6]

Psalm 65:3 – ³ Iniquities overwhelm me; only you can atone for our rebellions.

We come weighed down with guilt and shame. Where David says his iniquities overwhelm him, it means they are too strong for him.^[7] Our sin is an opponent we can never defeat on our own. The only hope we have is for God Himself to atone for our guilt.

Perhaps you’ve heard that the word atone means “to cover.” But don’t let that give you the wrong connotation. God’s atoning work doesn’t mean He swept it under the rug in a cover up. No, in the Bible atonement means to purge away sin.^[8] It means to ransom or buy back a life.

Sin separated us from God and from each other. And God alone can build a bridge over the gap. He did so by offering His own Son to die in our place as an atoning sacrifice. The blood of that sacrifice will purge your sin if you are willing to put your faith and trust in Him. Only by kneeling before Christ can we be freed from the weight of our guilt. If you try to go through life carrying that guilt on your own, you will be overwhelmed. You will be defeated. You will die in your guilt. But if you come to Jesus, the Savior King, He will free you and cover You with His love and grace.

Psalm 65:4 – ⁴ How happy is the one you choose and bring near to live in your courts! We will be satisfied with the goodness of your house, the holiness of your temple.

Is David saying God only chooses some to be citizens of His Kingdom? By that logic, we’d have to look at verse 2 and conclude God is a universalist. David’s point in this verse isn’t to teach us how a person gets saved, but rather the incredible blessings of being a citizen of God’s Kingdom.

But, who can dwell on the Lord’s holy mountain? That’s what Psalm 15 is all about. Anyone who acknowledges the truth in their heart and walks in righteousness. In Isaiah 1, God said to the people, “Your sins are as scarlet, but I’ll make you white as wool if you are willing and obedient.” He says, “Come, let’s settle it. Leave your rebellion so that you don’t have to be judged.”^[9]

But one might say, “Hey, it says the one You choose.” God chooses His covenant people. He offers the new covenant to everyone. Some scholars make the case that the One being chosen here is not you and me, but is Christ Himself and that we are hidden in Him when we’re saved.

As partakers of the new covenant, the question is: Are we satisfied with the agreement? Is God’s administration over our lives enough for us? Are we willing to accept what God decides is good – meaning what is best for us? That’s what goodness means: the best things.

We humans struggle with that satisfaction. Adam and Eve didn’t think God’s administration of their lives was enough. Same with the children of Israel after the exodus. And the tribes of Israel demanding a human king like the other nations. Same with Naomi and her husband. Achan at Jericho. Jeroboam. Jonah. The Pharisees in the very presence of Jesus. Their hearts weren’t satisfied with what God wanted for them.

God administrates your life with the goodness of His house. The best things. Is that enough? Or do we demand more? Do we refuse to follow along, thinking we have a better way forward?

Psalm 65:5 – ⁵ You answer us in righteousness, with awe-inspiring works, God of our salvation, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the distant seas.

The God of the Bible is the hope for all the earth. We see here His rule reaches every corner, every place. He not only hears our prayers, He answers them with awe-inspiring works.

Psalm 65:6-7 – ⁶ You establish the mountains by your power; you are robed with strength. ⁷ You silence the roar of the seas, the roar of their waves, and the tumult of the nations.

All the rumbling troubles of earth are under God’s sovereign authority. The tumult of the nations – the agitation and commotion- the God of the Bible is the final answer and the only true hope.

Don’t put your hope in man! Man will always fall short, always eventually let you down, and make mistakes. Psalm 146 says outright, “don’t trust in nobles who cannot save you!”

Don’t get me wrong – if I had my choice I’d rather have Hezekiah as king than Manasseh. One is definitely better than the other, but both bring their failings and their limitations, both are subject to the same laws of time, death, and chance that we are. So, it’s ok to have a preference, but our hope must be in Christ and His transformative power for our lives, for our nation, for the world.

Psalm 65:8 – ⁸ Those who live far away are awed by your signs; you make east and west shout for joy.

Sometimes when public figures show up to an event, they’re met with cheers, sometimes with jeers. Hulk Hogan was recently surprised with an arena full of boos when he expected applause.

One day, when the Lord establishes His Kingdom, rebellion will be replaced with rejoicing. Today, many still jeer at Him, scoff at His word, mock the idea of His coming. But we know the truth. And so, we can choose to do now what will be done later. We rejoice at the glory of our King.

As the song closes, David paints a series of beautiful garden images.

Psalm 65:9-10 – ⁹ You visit the earth and water it abundantly, enriching it greatly. God’s stream is filled with water, for you prepare the earth in this way, providing people with grain. ¹⁰ You soften it with showers and bless its growth, soaking its furrows and leveling its ridges.

We see the return of the forever King to the earth He created, which we ruined – to a people who so often rejected and reviled Him – and what is His response? He comes to restore and to work. Christ watering. Christ enriching. Christ preparing. Christ providing. Christ soaking the world with His tender generosity.

It’s not just a vanity project. It’s not just a photo-op. His whole purpose is to nourish His people. He is cultivating the world so that His people can overflow with the blessings of His provision.

The Sahara desert is steadily growing across 11 different countries. Soon it will cover even more. Right now it’s gobbling up 30 miles of Mali every year.^[10]

In the Lord’s Kingdom, the whole earth will be a thriving, fertile garden, with soft, rich soil.

It will be exciting to live in a world like that one day, but today, the Master Gardener still wants to accomplish this work. Today He does it in the garden of your heart. Jesus, of course, compared your heart to a field full of soil. God’s desire is to soften our hearts, to water them, to smooth out the rough edges, and to bear fruit through our lives. God’s design is that our soil be soft but strong – nourished and bountiful. Our Gardner calls us to work with Him to remove the thorns, root out sin, make the rough places smooth. Watered by the Word, growing in the Spirit, reaping harvests.

Psalm 65:11-13 – ¹¹ You crown the year with your goodness; your carts overflow with plenty. ¹² The wilderness pastures overflow, and the hills are robed with joy. ¹³ The pastures are clothed with flocks and the valleys covered with grain. They shout in triumph; indeed, they sing.

God can bring overflowing life and bounty even from the wilderness pasture. We can’t overstate how much David wants us to be thinking of overflowing goodness here. In fact, where he says “your carts overflow with plenty,” the words mean, “your cart track drips fatness.”^[11]

The idea is that God’s cart is so overflowing with goodness and grace, that as He passes through it just spills off the top. It’s like when your kids get the load of laundry out of the dryer.

But notice that God’s Kingdom is not just about making a good looking land. It’s always land and people. John Phillips reminds us that Christ is our Kinsman Redeemer who rescues both people and property.

The whole earth will be covered with His grace, His goodness, and His generosity. See it here: Valleys and hills, pastures and wildernesses. The soundtrack of every place will be a thriving, thanking, triumphant song of praise and rejoicing.

And so, we see our Lord has been shown to us as the Source of life, the Sustainer, the Shepherd, the best Steward, the Sovereign, and the Savior. What is not to hope in? What is not to praise? Perhaps that’s why the first word of the song is praise and the last word is sing. And how fitting that we start and end our services on Wednesday nights with singing.

But, as we close, not only is the goodness of God our future hope, it is our present reality. Though we wait for the full fulfillment of these things, so much of it has already been made true for us. Hasn’t Christ provided the Bread of life? Living Water? Spiritual growth? A flock to walk with under the Good Shepherd? Hasn’t He poured out His grace and goodness on us, even now?

Life has its struggles and difficulties, but the King of the coming Millennium is the King of our hearts now. His goodness spills from heaven in the tracks of this path He’s leading us on. And so, let us go forward in joy, in rejoicing, in thanksgiving, and praise, as we go to Him, keep our vows to Him, pray to Him, put our hope in Him, and be satisfied in Him.

Roll Of Thunder, Then We Cry (Psalm 29)

Every year the south prepares for hurricane season. The plains for tornado season. California has fire season. Have you heard of superbolt season? Between November and February thunderstorms with what are called superbolts occur in a handful of hotspots around the globe.^[1]

An average lightning strike contains around 300 million volts of power. But superbolts are 1,000 times stronger^[2] – so strong they cannot be replicated in a lab.^[3] They’re extremely rare, making up less than a thousandth of a percent of all lightning strikes.

There are three regions in the world that experience the most superbolts: The North Atlantic, the Altiplano of Bolivia, and the Mediterranean Sea.

In Psalm 29, David describes the deafening, earth-shaking, power of a thunderstorm that rolls in from the Mediterranean, lighting the sky with superbolts. His point isn’t to show us something natural. He draws our gaze to the supernatural. He wants us to see the matchless power of the Almighty God Who created the storms and towers over them in strength and majesty.

As His greatness passes by, roaring in magnitude and intensity, there’s nothing for us to do but cry out “Glory!” In fact, in this song there are no requests, no mention of the things we need from the Lord. As one commentator notes, this song is pure praise.^[4] No confession, no supplication, no direct application. This is simply a portrait of the magnificent power of Jehovah – That all the peoples of the earth may know that He is God and there is no other!^[5]

Psalm 29:1-2 –  A Psalm Of David. ¹ Ascribe to the Lord, you heavenly beings, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. ² Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.

What right does David have to command angelic beings? Well, the truth is that humans will judge angels in eternity.^[6] But why would David tell call out orders to angels and other spiritual beings?

There’s a good case to be made that this song is not only a portrait of the power of God, but is also an apologetic refutation of the paganism of the Canaanites. David uses a term in verse 1 – “heavenly beings.” Your text may say “mighty ones.” The words mean the “sons of god(s).” This was a term used in Canaanite religious texts to refer to their many false gods.^[7]

It seems that David was taking specific aim at Baal in this song. Baal was supposed to be the god of thunderstorms and of fertility. He was known as the “cloud rider.” But in Canaanite mythology, every year, in what historians call the “Baal Cycle,” another god named Yam would decide he wanted to be king of the gods. Yam was the god of chaos and the god of the sea. And so, Yam and Baal would fight each year for supremacy. A sort of divine storm season.

But here comes David to say, “You think you know something about power, you think you know something about deity, but you have no idea.” It is Jehovah and Jehovah alone Who deserves our praise. David is going to use his name 18 times in this song – over and over again. And here, David says ascribe to Him glory and strength and the glory due His name.

To ascribe doesn’t mean that we decide – as if God gets glory if He proves He’s worth it. No, ascribe means that we acknowledge what is already true.^[8] We acknowledge it and then we bow down in worship.^[9] And there’s a great little post script there that is so important – David calls on the host of heaven (and anyone who worships God) to do so in the splendor of His holiness.

Proper worship is not about our strength or our design or our approach. Biblical worship is done in God’s holiness. Peter wrote that since the God Who has called us is holy, we also must be holy in our conduct.^[10] We receive His robe of righteousness – we put on His garment of holiness – and worship in that splendor, not any robe of our own making.

Worthy worship does not flow from having fancy equipment or having the most talented person make the melody. It flows from a heart that understands what is true about the God of the Bible. Worthy worship is about personal understanding and acknowledgment and surrender.

Psalm 29:3-4 – ³ The voice of the Lord is above the waters. The God of glory thunders—the Lord, above the vast water, ⁴ the voice of the Lord in power, the voice of the Lord in splendor.

David looks out on the vast water of the Mediterranean sea where a storm has formed. In the distance, he hears the thunder starting to rumble. It’s the voice of the Lord. A voice we’ll hear seven times in the next seven verses.

God’s voice above the waters reminds us immediately of the creation account in Genesis 1, where with a few words the Lord created all that there is. But have you ever wondered why He did so with His words? Why not just do it with His thoughts? Does God just like talking to Himself?

Here also, as David pictures God coming in power, our attention is drawn to His voice. Why?

The God of the Bible is a God Who speaks. He announces. He calls out to us so that we might know Him and flee to Him and be saved by Him. He speaks so that He might draw our attention to His presence, His power, His work, so that He can share His splendor with us. That’s what He wants to do. He speaks with a voice that is creative and salvific.

Psalm 29:5-6 – ⁵ The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars; the Lord shatters the cedars of Lebanon. ⁶ He makes Lebanon skip like a calf, and Sirion, like a young wild ox.

Having rolled in from the West, the Lord’s thunderous voice now swings up to the far north of Israel in Lebanon and starts to shake the earth below.

In the Old Testament, the cedars of Lebanon are a figure of strength. Sirion is another name for the mighty Mount Hermon. It was the tallest mountain in the area.^[11] Look what the voice of the Lord does to the strongest trees and the highest hills. Derek Kidner writes, “…everything that man finds impressive…[is] brought low.” They immediately give way in surrender before the Lord.

Your voice isn’t that powerful. With some practice you might be able to crack a thin piece of glass at the right frequency. But try using your voice to trim your tree in the backyard.

The Lord’s voice shatters the cedars of Lebanon. The words suggest that these trees standing 60 feet tall and 30 feet wide are broken in pieces again and again at the sound of the Lord’s voice.^[12]

Psalm 29:7-9a – ⁷ The voice of the Lord flashes flames of fire. ⁸ The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness; the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh. ⁹ The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth and strips the woodlands bare.

The thunderstorm has swept down from the mountains right above Israel. The lightning flashes and the thunder rolls.

All this imagery of shaking and fire speaks to us of the power of God’s judgment, especially His ultimate judgment which will come on the whole world. It is a judgment that cannot be escaped. We’ve seen His voice and presence and power over the seas, over the mountains, over the forests, now over the wilderness. A weatherman could track this storm moving from west to north then all the way to the remote south below Israel in Kadesh.

There is no place outside of God’s presence. There’s no boundary to His dominion. In the original Lion King, Mufasa shows his son the edges of their kingdom. “Everything the light touches is ours.” Simba says, “What about that shadowy place over there?” That’s beyond our borders. You must never go there.

Not so with the Lord. No place and no person is beyond His reach. His voice, with all its power and all its care calls out to you right now and to family, to your friends, your unsaved neighbors, prodigal sons, sworn enemies, and all the lost of this world.

As this storm passes in terrible judgment we see something unexpected in the aftermath: His voice makes the deer give birth.

This is a challenge to Canaanite paganism. Baal is not the god of fertility. It is Jehovah Who gives life. At the same time, we are reminded that in wrath God remembers mercy. From judgment new life is born. God will judge, He will destroy, but He is a Deliverer. He is a life-giver. His desire is to make all things new – for His mercy to revive and sustain and create beauty from the ashes.

Psalm 29:9b – In his temple all cry, “Glory!”

Scholars tend to agree that the temple here is referring to the house of worship in Jerusalem rather than the heavenly temple, but both sanctuaries take up the same shout: Glory to God! Seeing His power, His greatness, there is nothing else to say but to lift high His honor, splendor, and majesty.

We Christians have the privilege of joining with the heavenly host in worship. To give God His due. Kidner writes, “[This] climax…[is] a response of humility, joy, and understand which reveals that…the storm is not an outbreak of meaningless or hostile forces, but the voice of the Lord, heard in all His works. The Hebrew goes even further, in that all is literally ‘all of it.’ Everything in the temple.”^[13]

Psalms 29:10-11 – ¹⁰ The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord sits enthroned, King forever. ¹¹ The Lord gives his people strength; the Lord blesses his people with peace.

Every year, Baal and Yam fought it out over who would be king. Then Baal had to struggle with other gods. One source writes: “His kingship is limited, attained by difficult single combat and with the help of other gods, and his overcoming of his enemies is not permanent.”^[14]

Jehovah sits enthroned King forever. He sat enthroned over the flood. The word David uses here is only used elsewhere to refer to the Genesis flood.^[15] The greatest storm the earth has ever known. The storm of judgment no one could escape from.

Well, not no one. Eight souls were saved because they received God’s grace. By faith, they obeyed God and were safe in the storm. Because this is a God not only of power but of generosity.

David presents the kindness and charity of this Almighty King in the closing verses. Twice we see Him on His throne, and twice we see Him giving freely to His people.

First, He gives His people strength. The same term that was ascribed to the Lord at the beginning, now God turns and offers it to us. The kind of strength only He has. What did Jesus say in Matthew? He said when we walk by faith God shares with us the kind of strength where we can say to a mountain, “be lifted up and thrown into the sea” and it will be done.

The mountain-shaking God brings us into His work and equips us to do what He does. His design is for us to be strong. That doesn’t mean we never suffer or struggle or hurt or doubt, but God’s design for you is not perpetual weakness, not constant frailty. God’s design and desire for you is strength. Strength of mind. Strength of heart. Strength of conviction. To make you like a tree that is not splintered by the storms of life, but one rooted in rock, whose leaf does not wither, whose boughs are laden with fruit season after season. Do you feel weak tonight? The answer is to discover what God does, has done, and still plans to do for you. The answer is for you to be strengthened with power in your inner being through His Spirit.^[16]

But not only do we see the enthroned God giving us strength, we then see Him giving us peace. Yam was the god of chaos, Jehovah is the God of peace. Peace with God. Peace in your heart. Peace in your relationships as far as it depends on you. Peace of mind, knowing the God of the flood is your God of grace, Who will see you through and bring you to glory with Him one day.

Jesus, our King, renewed this promise of peace to us in John 14:

John 14:27 – ²⁷ “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Don’t let your heart be troubled or fearful.

This is the God we serve. The God of majesty and power, of grace and peace. A God Whose voice  fills the earth. His Word commands and demands, reveals, creates, judges, and destroys. Today, His voice calls. It calls us to know Him and then to know Him more. To walk with Him and worship Him and abide in Him so He can bring life to us.

It’s good for us to catch a glimpse of the Lord’s awesome power. But whenever He reveals His power, He also shows His goodness.

Moses once asked to see the glory of God. On the mountain, God descended in a great cloud as He had before at Sinai, where the Lord answered Moses in thunder, and the mountain shook. As God’s glory passed by Moses, His voice thundered with this message:

Exodus 34:6 – The Lord—the Lord is a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love and truth.

That was the message God wanted to convey through the power of His glory. It’s the same message for us today. And so, as we ponder the greatness and power of the One true God, we join with what we read in Job 37:

Job 37:2 – ² Just listen to his thunderous voice and the rumbling that comes from his mouth.

Worship While You Wait (Psalm 33)

Happy new year! The Christmas carols are back on the shelf for another 11 months. There are so many Christmas songs to listen to. Everybody has a different favorite. But there’s really only one New Year’s song, right? Auld Lang Syne. We all know it even though we don’t know what it means.

It’s an old Scottish song, first written down in the late 1700’s.^[1] Did you know there are traditional movements you’re supposed to make as you sing it? It’s meant to be sung in a group. Participants stand in a circle and cross their arms to grab the opposite hand of those beside them and then, as the song ends, the group rushes to the middle in a throng of camaraderie and nostalgia.

Psalm 33 is the Auld Lang Syne of the Psalter. In fact, there’s some evidence that it was sung at Jewish new year celebrations.^[2] But it’s not just a tipsy tune about old friends and pint glasses. It’s a song about our amazing God, Who created this world so He could love you and me. And how reminding ourselves of Who He is will fill our new year with hope, comfort, and rejoicing.

Psalm 33:1-3 – ¹ Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous ones; praise from the upright is beautiful. ² Praise the Lord with the lyre; make music to him with a ten-stringed harp. ³ Sing a new song to him; play skillfully on the strings, with a joyful shout.

Like Auld Lang Syne, our worship is meant to be in a group setting. The singing portion of our services isn’t meant to simply be an intro and outro to the real stuff. It is a crucial aspect of our faith. One we all have a part in. A beautiful thing.

In these verses we see arrangement and preparation and passion and development and excellence and exuberance. The author calls us all to be involved and to grab some instruments to accompany us. But, that doesn’t mean everyone should bring their own tambourine to church – the command here is to play skillfully. The point is worship is something the whole group participates in with thoughtfulness and gladness. There should always be a newness and freshness to it.

But here’s an important point: even though worship ministers to us – it fills us with joy – it isn’t about us. It’s about the Lord. Rejoice in Him. Sing to Him. Worship has one object and that’s Yahweh. His name is used thirteen times in this Psalm. It’s all about Him. Our worship is a response to Him.

Psalm 33:4-5 – ⁴ For the word of the Lord is right, and all his work is trustworthy. ⁵ He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the Lord’s unfailing love.

Why do we worship? Because of God’s word and His work and because of Who He is.

Christians are squabbling online over the legacy of President Jimmy Carter. Some are praising him, some revile him. As usual, everybody’s mad.

When you consider the Lord, when You look at His work, when you hear His word, we find that He is always right, gracious, and faithful. He is always victorious, always able, always good. And He continues to accomplish His great work all over the earth.

I saw a map the other day showing which parts of the world have safe tap water to drink. It’s not a very encouraging graphic. Apparently I’ve had tap water in countries where the CDC thinks I shouldn’t have. But I love that phrase at the end of verse 5: The earth is full of Yahweh’s hesed. A love that acts. A loyal love. A faithful love. An unfailing love that covers the map.

Your life is never outside the coverage of God’s tender love. And He expresses His love for you through His work and His word.

Derek Kidner writes, “[God’s] word and His work are inseparable, for His words are never empty.”^[3] When you read a truth or a promise in your Bible, it is still true today. Because God is always right and His promises will be kept. God’s love is still operative and it is forever unfailing.

Psalm 33:6-7 – ⁶ The heavens were made by the word of the Lord, and all the stars, by the breath of his mouth. ⁷ He gathers the water of the sea into a heap; he puts the depths into storehouses.

80% of the earth’s oceans is unexplored.^[4] 2,000 new marine species have been discovered every year since the 1800’s. Researchers think there are maybe 2 million still out there.^[5] Meanwhile space scientists make discoveries that are so massive, we don’t even react. This year they discovered a black hole that has the mass of 17 billion suns and eats the equivalent of our sun every day.^[6]

There was Yahweh, on His throne in heaven. He spoke a word and it was done. “Let there be light.” He did so freely, out a desire to create human beings so He could love us and we could love Him back. This God, Who has this much power, is still working. Did you notice verse 7? He gathers. He lays up. He continues His creative work to accomplish His eternal purposes. He still measures the shores. He still sends the rain. He still holds the earth in His hand and calls each star by name.^[7]

Psalm 33:8-9 – ⁸ Let the whole earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. ⁹ For he spoke, and it came into being; he commanded, and it came into existence.

Ecclesiastes tells us that God works so mankind will be in awe of Him.^[8] He reveals Himself so that we can receive real life from Him and enjoy His presence and His provision and His grace.

We’re only inhabitants of this world because God made it for us and sustains it for us, day by day, moment by moment. It should stun us into worship. Yet, so much of the world remains in unbelief.

This song not only puts God’s power on display, but also His amazing grace and patience. How much patience do you have when a clerk doesn’t give you back proper change? When you’re owed $10, but they only give you $1? I’m guessing most of you don’t cause a scene, but obviously we say, “Excuse me – You messed up. You owe me more than this.”

Now here’s Yahweh, the Almighty, All-powerful, Self-existent God. He decides to create a universe so that He can create you and me so that He can lavish us with life and salvation and relationship with Him and everything else. And most people on the planet don’t bother to even acknowledge Him. Or, they say, “I’ll save myself.” Or, “I don’t need God.” Or, “The universe came from nothing.” Yet, the Lord still pours out grace and love toward them. As we consider God, His grace and patience should be just as awe-inspiring as His power and ability. We don’t realize how great He is.

Psalm 33:10-11 – ¹⁰ The Lord frustrates the counsel of the nations; he thwarts the plans of the peoples. ¹¹ The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of his heart from generation to generation.

If God is so loving, why would He “frustrate the counsel and plans” of the nations? Well, the nations rage and plot in vain. The people of earth have taken a stand against the Lord.^[9] Meanwhile, while their counsel and plans are frustrated, we see God has counsel and plans of His own. His counsel stands forever. His plans flow from His character and nature – His heart of love – and they never expire. They are for every generation. Year by year, His work continues and is just as good.

Perhaps you’re facing a lot of unknown in 2025. Or, maybe you know what you’re facing, and it’s frightening. God still has counsel and plans for you. He still has designs and intentions for your life. Plans to sanctify you and build up your faith and make you an epistle of His grace and power.

Psalm 33:12 – ¹² Happy is the nation whose God is the Lord—the people he has chosen to be his own possession!

Do we want to be a frustrated nation or a happy nation? Sadly, I think we have to be honest and say that America’s god is not the Lord. And we can see the consequences all around us. Even by the world’s standards, 2024 saw America’s happiness index drop to an all time low.^[10] But, that doesn’t have to be true for us. We can be like Joshua and say, “As for me and my house, we’re going to serve the Lord.” And the consequence of that choice will be true happiness – real joy.

But, Yahweh being our God doesn’t just mean we believe certain facts about Him intellectually. It means to be His own possession. To belong to Him. To be wholly His. To live in obedience and dedication to our Creator and Savior and King. To submit and listen and follow.

Psalm 33:13-15 – ¹³ The Lord looks down from heaven; he observes everyone. ¹⁴ He gazes on all the inhabitants of the earth from his dwelling place. ¹⁵ He forms the hearts of them all; he considers all their works.

Looks can communicate, can’t they? Especially when you really know someone, sometimes they can say all they need to with just a look.

God’s looking is highlighted here. First, we see that even though His throne is in heaven, He chooses to occupy Himself with our lives. And then, where we read the word “observes,” the term doesn’t only mean to view something, it can mean to understand or to become acquainted with.^[11] Another dictionary explains it means He stares at us.^[12] When’s the last time you were stared at?

God is locked in on your life. He’s watching with care and concern. But He is also watching to evaluate. Remember: He is the Judge and things we say and do matter to Him. They will be rewarded or discarded when we stand before Him in eternity. But be sure that He was carefully, personally watching your life today and will do so tomorrow because He is truly concerned for you.

Psalm 33:16-17 – ¹⁶ A king is not saved by a large army; a warrior will not be rescued by great strength. ¹⁷ The horse is a false hope for safety; it provides no escape by its great power.

As we consider this new year, it’s a good time for us to pause and audit our own mindset. What are we building our life on? What plans and values motivate our decisions?

The world around us is a world of adversity. Life demands a lot of decision-making. So what are we trusting in? Hopefully, after our audit we’ll be able to agree with Psalm 20 which says: “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.”^[13]

Psalm 33:18-19 – ¹⁸ But look, the Lord keeps his eye on those who fear him—those who depend on his faithful love ¹⁹ to rescue them from death and to keep them alive in famine.

God isn’t only looking at us as a Judge. We shouldn’t think of Him staring at us, hoping to catch us in a mistake. He watches us as a faithful Father. He is our closest Friend Who looks out for our eternal and our daily needs. He invites us to depend on Him and to entrust our lives to Him. That’s the position He wants to be in. He takes seriously His role as Shepherd.

This verse doesn’t promise that we’ll never face death or famine – sadly, those are realities in this world. But it promises that God will never leave us or forsake us. There is no trouble on earth that is too great for Him to conquer. He won’t let us down. He is a Sustainer and Provider and Refuge.

Psalm 33:20-22 – ²⁰ We wait for the Lord; he is our help and shield. ²¹ For our hearts rejoice in him because we trust in his holy name. ²² May your faithful love rest on us, Lord, for we put our hope in you.

We’ve seen God’s part. What’s our part? We wait. We wait with trust and rejoicing. Wait doesn’t just mean standing around. The word speaks of longing, of confident hope, and earnest expectation.^[14] Christians are waiters. Waiting and watching and worshiping as the Lord continues His work.

We wait, knowing He is true. Knowing He is still speaking, He is still working, He is still forming, He is still loving faithfully. And we can worship while we wait. Praising this amazing God with thankfulness and adoration and hope and trust. Singing together the wonderful truths of His power and greatness as we face a new year together, knowing God is still on the throne, He is still watching, we are still His, and He is still ours.

But we all know it can be very hard to wait this way. It can be hard to trust the Lord. We don’t see Him. So often He seems far away. But that’s where this song comes in, where we remind ourselves that He is with us and He is watching over us and He is all-powerful, omniscient, omni-present, all-knowing, and full of affection toward us. That He really does have intentions for us.

New years is a time of resolutions for many people. God is resolved to love us and speak to us and involve Himself in our lives. What are His intentions for you in this new year?

As we close, I believe in His power and grace, the Lord really wants us to know the message of this Psalm is true. Not that we doubt it, but I think He has given a real reminder that as we wait on the Lord, He will continue to renew our strength. That He is really reaching down to us.

About a week ago I was thinking about what our study would be on tonight, and Psalms 30-40 had been in my through-the-Bible reading and I thought this one would be a good passage. Then as I started studying, I learned it was a New Years Psalm. I didn’t look up, “What’s a new years Psalm?”

And then, this morning Pastor John sent over his set for tonight and the final song we get to sing together is about God’s Unfailing Love. And on a night where we hear a Psalm about singing a new song, Pastor John brought a new song for us to sing.

These are small but tender ways for the Lord to speak to us about His real, personal, continuing work in our lives and in our church family. And that is a wonderful way to start a new year. A new year with the same Lord.

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References

↑1	https://www.scotland.org/inspiration/the-history-and-words-of-auld-lang-syne
↑2	Frank Gaebelein, Willem VanGemern, Allen Ross, J. Stafford Wright, and Dennis Kinlaw. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 5: Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs
↑3	Derek Kidner   Psalms 1-72
↑4	https://www.abyss.com.au/en/blog/viewpost/648/how-much-of-the-ocean-is-explored-and-why-were-just-scratching-the-surface
↑5	https://oceancensus.org/mission/
↑6	https://www.space.com/2024-big-year-black-holes
↑7	Psalm 95:4-5, Psalm 147:4
↑8	Ecclesiastes 3:14
↑9	Psalm 2:1-2
↑10	https://www.axios.com/2024/03/20/world-happiness-america-low-list-countries
↑11	Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary Of Old And New Testament Words
↑12	Theological Wordbook Of The Old Testament
↑13	Psalm 20:7
↑14	TWOT