From ccrlist at tulip.org Fri Apr 1 16:18:25 2005
From: ccrlist at tulip.org (ccrlist@tulip.org)
Date: Fri Apr 1 16:18:33 2005
Subject: [Ccrlist] CCR Weekly for the 27th of April
Message-ID: <6.1.0.6.2.20050401161325.01a67e80@mail.loganrec.com>
Good Afternoon,
Please be in prayer for us at CCR, we ask you to pray for at least one new
family to become involved within the next month, and two more by the end of
summer.
God bless,
Max A Forsythe
Psalm 26
of David
1 Vindicate me, O Lord,
for I have walked in integrity.
I have trusted in the Lord without wavering.
2 Examine me, O Lord,
and try me;
test my heart and my mind.
3 Your steadfast love is before my eyes,
I walk continually in Your truth.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - -
Who Do You Trust?
For the Lord?s Day: the 27th of March 2005
Introduction: At the end of a week where the courts of our land have been
more and more in the limelight, it is fitting that we turn to a psalm which
contains hints of a courtly hearing within the Temple or Tabernacle
precincts. Dahood supposes that in this ?psalm of innocence? that the
accusation of idol-worship has been made and thus ?the psalmist responds
with a plea for judgment, a protestation of innocence, a prayer to Yahweh,
and a reaffirmation of his innocence.? Further, my Translator?s Handbook
allows for ?a ritual in the Temple [being] the occasion of the psalm.?
I want to be careful here, but in this respect. Because of my agricultural
and military experiences ? I have often found my mind to be extra sensitive
to any texts where those topics are the subject. Thus, if specialized
commentators sense a certain legal certitude within the words and phrases
here, I am willing to examine the contents within that light. But, I will
not go quite so far as Dahood supposes ? even though his outline of the
psalm appears adequate. We may consider this psalm in the context of a
contemporary church trial, wherein accusations have been made and the
plaintiff?s heartfelt prayers are heard out loud as it were. We should
also observe, that in the context of the provisions of Deuteronomy, the
Tabernacle courts ? possibly reinstituted by David, were appellate in
jurisdiction, the case having already been heard at a lower court, unless
it be a case of original jurisdiction within the highest levels of church
and government, whose definitive rights were hardly as rigid and developed
as in our own system.
Another possibility is that this prayer of David becomes ritualistic over
time for the use of plaintiffs before their cases were heard. However, we
suppose the situation ? it will do no harm to indulge our imaginations as
we listen to the plaintiff wrestle with his place, position and case before
the throne of the Triune God in who?s Name, the courts of Israel worked in
their best days and times.
As to a time and incident, Spurgeon reports that some would place this case
?at the time of the assassination of Ish-bosheth, by Baanah and
Rechab.? And that David writes this psalm ?to protest his innocence of all
participation in that murder.? However, this surmise can only be
conjecture since there is precious little evidence to make it certain.
Development: In another century of American literature, Herman Melville
wrote a fictional report of one Billy Budd, who was to be tried aboard a
British frigate for striking another sailor and accidentally causing his
death. Certainly, as the story unfolded, it was evident that the
sub-officer deserved to be rudely knocked around, but ? death was not a
justifiable outcome, given the situation. As the plot moves towards the
execution of the plaintiff, Melville reports that the plaintiff is more
ready to accept the consequences than the Captain of the ship is to order,
what was absolutely necessary: an upholding of the system of jurisprudence.
I mention this example, because all of us, who belong to the Lord God, must
come into His courts, civil and sanctuary, with the same attitude. Our
thinking must be that the Lord of all the earth will do rightly whatever
must be done. Our court before the Lord is not like some old fashioned
Mayor?s Court where a plaintiff can address the judge in the familiarity of
?Hi dad, let?s get this case decided and over with ? I have plans for later.?
Certainly, the plaintiff here will argue his innocence, but in the careful
wording of the petitions and claims, it is with profound respect for the
judge that David writes his arguments. Delitzsch notes carefully that
David ?does not self-righteously hold himself to be morally perfect, he
appeals only to the fundamental tendency of his inmost nature, which is
turned towards God and to Him only.? In this sense, then let us move on to
our specific text this morning.
We begin with the opening statement of the accused: ?Vindicate me, O Lord,
for I have walked in integrity. I have trusted in the Lord without
wavering.? My Translator?s Handbook notes that: ?The Hebrew verb is ?to
judge?, meaning here to declare innocent, to show to be guiltless.? The
Oxford American Dictionary defines our word ?vindicate? in this way: to
clear of blame or suspicion. or: to justify by evidence or results, to
prove (a thing) to be valid. Calvin, who was trained in the law, sees the
claimant addressing the highest court, of God?s own opinion regardless of
the ordinary humanity of the legal process.
We are speaking of legalities here, and as the first verse unfolds, we
should note the two fold arrangement. It begins with a petition, and then
lists two claims of the accused to be considered. The first claim is that
of any honest man caught up in legal problems beyond his ordinary condition
and habit. David claims his God given integrity, which should be known to
any and all who have looked upon his life as He lived it daily before the
face of God. I can remember several situations in public service where
other teachers and staff were accused of irregularities of behavior by
vindictive students. Some claims were so outlandish that the
administration would close the books and say to the accuser and even their
parents that the lies being claimed were impossible given the integrity of
the one accused. They would then be advised of the libel and slander laws
which could be invoked, if the claimants wished to persist in their false
accusations. Usually, that was enough to finish off the common threats
aimed at honest, hard working staff. This is the argument of David;
consider the case in the context of my life.
His second claim is based upon the regular and consistent relationship he
has with the Almighty Lord of the universe:?I have trusted in the Lord
without wavering.? Usually, but not always ? regular and trusted members
of Christ?s Church are not the worst of criminals. Yes, we are familiar
with recent case of the BTK serial killer, but this is extraordinary
thankfully. We may observe in that case, that the person in question has
no claims upon the Lord of all the earth beyond the fact that confession
and eternal forgiveness are still possible. David?s case is totally
different in context and content.
In verse two, David comes on bended knee as we all should to the Lord?s
Table and presence: ?Examine me, O Lord, and try me; test my heart and my
mind.? This second petition in the psalm is more intense and trusting than
the first. It is almost as if David had second thoughts about his
protestations of innocence. After all, the Lord?s elect know full well
that God always has a case against us because we are legitimate descendants
from the first Adam, and thus infected by sin and always deserving death
because of our ordinary opposition to the absolute holiness of the Creator God.
But yet, given the unspecified case being brought ? David is willing to
stand trial before the God of heaven and earth. He is willing to be
examined, tried and tested in the most intimate manner possible by One who
knows the nooks and crannies of our inner selves better even than we know
ourselves. Spurgeon tells us that so convinced of innocence was David that
he ?submitted himself unconditionally to any form of examination which the
Lord might see fit to employ.?
I am reminded of the methodology used in schools to prove the knowledge of
a student. In the plurality of methodology here requested by David, we can
easily acknowledge the ordinary necessity of examination by more than one
line of questioning. Far too often, our courts and schools err in the
direction of establishing the facts alone. Motive and culpability too are
areas that must be examined. Whenever I gave tests during my public
career, they were always seven parts, with the students required to
complete any five. There would always be the factual sections of true or
false, fill in the blank or multiple choices. Then there would be the
essays and association drills to establish if all the pieces of information
fit together to show a competent understanding.
While the necessities of a court case are somewhat different, still the
complete and exhaustive methodology granted by David may serve to prove the
innocence which he so solemnly declares.
Application: In verse three, David begins a lengthy litany of evidence to
put before the bar. This will be the second claim, in addition to the
information in the opening statement of verse one. David writes
sincerely: ?Your steadfast love is before my eyes, I walk continually in
Your truth.?
In these words, David argues that it is the goodly ?steadfast love? of God,
which is before Him that, informs His day to day actions. Once, a liberal
teacher accused me of growing more and more reactionary over the years: I
objected to the charge and argued that I had the Westminster Confession and
the Holy Scriptures to outline and mold my day to day attitudes and
performance. In point of fact, it was her intellectual and moral drift to
the left that gave her the perception that I had changed. I told her, she
was like the cloud that in passing by a mountain, only supposed that the
mountain was moving away from her.
Any and all who belong to Christ and give more than a cursory glance at the
Bible, must also like David become a solid rock in a transitory
age. Twenty-five years in the public service taught me one thing for
certain ? unless you have solid spiritual and moral foundations ? those
core values, attitudes and convictions can all too easily be swayed, moved
and changed beyond recognition.
Let us be certain of one thing that David puts before us in this
verse. And that it is precisely because of the ?steadfast love? of the
Father, that we are held back from being all that the worldly want to
be. And our eternal security rests more firmly on what the Father of
lights demonstrates in His interests toward us than upon the personal
convictions of our innermost thoughts. Calvin would allow the intent of
the word ?because? to be used in the context of this verse. He paraphrases
the text in these words: ?Because thy goodness, O Lord, has been ever
before mine eyes, and I have trusted in thy faithfulness, I have restrained
all wicked lusts in my heart, lest provoked by the malice of mine enemies,
I should be forced to retaliate.?
The Apostle Paul too conveys the same thought in his letter to the
Romans: ?If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with
all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God.?
(Romans 12: 18) If this be the attitude of the elect in every age and
place, then they are secure in the trials of heaven. This sense of
personal innocence, declared by David should be an encouragement to us all,
even as we face the worldly day by day and do our best to demonstrate the
love of God that informs us. Even the majority of the worldly are astute
enough to realize that the same people who give witness to the goodness,
truth and love of God are not the criminals advocated by the extremist
humanists in our age, or the same sort of anti-godly who lived in David?s
age as well. As we have just seen in the last week, the intensity of the
spiritual struggle in our day and place has been ratcheted up several
notches. And surprisingly, the pro-death faction in Congress decided to
lay low and hope that the pro-life views so vividly on display might turn
the whole world against them? May heaven help us, even as David was helped
? if our world has become so jaded and infected with the lies and hatred of
Satan. And even if the world be that far gone, we like David can continue
to plead God?s cause in every case, trial and public argument. May God?s
people be so strengthened for the political and moral struggles still ahead
of us. Amen.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - -
PREACHING RESOURCES
Calvin, John: Commentary on Book of Psalms.
Delitzsch, F: Commentary on the Old Testament ? Psalms.
Spurgeon, C.H: Treasury of David.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - -
Permission granted to redistribute unedited versions with this notice.
http://www.tulip.org/selah/sel025a.htm
To Subscribe or Unsubscribe go
to:
http://www.four.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/ccrlist/
From ccrlist at tulip.org Tue Apr 5 21:41:46 2005
From: ccrlist at tulip.org (ccrlist@tulip.org)
Date: Tue Apr 5 21:42:05 2005
Subject: [Ccrlist] CCR Weekly
Message-ID: <6.1.0.6.2.20050405213647.01a2d7e0@mail.loganrec.com>
Good Evening,
Here is the message for the 3rd of April, last weeks notation should have
been the 27th of March.
God bless,
Max A Forsythe
Psalm 26
04 I do not [conspire] with men of falsehood,
nor do I consort with pretenders.
05 I abhor the company of evildoers,
I refuse to sit with the wicked.
06 I wash my hands in innocence
to [approach] Your altar, O Lord,
07 singing thanksgiving aloud,
telling all Your wondrous deeds.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - -
Consider My Witness
For the Lord?s Day: the 3rd of April 2005
Introduction: As we continue our study of a supposed legal case which
David pleads before the presence of his Lord, we follow the claims of
verses four to seven where the psalmist would establish his personal
character before the face of God, day by day. There are four claims here,
two negative and two positive ? that should be convincing before any human
court, as long as his reputation is solid and the court would act honorably.
Providentially for David, any fact finding court that we can imagine in his
day could not be as corrupt as the worst of the Federal and State
establishments in our own time. Recently, I read that just because
scripture was quoted during jury deliberations ? a verdict was thrown out
as tainted! Tainted ? with the word of God, what has gotten into our
system. The last two weeks, in spite of legislative and executive hints
that jurists ought to revisit the evidence related to the suffering of
Terri Shiavo, the courts have argued about everything but what they should
have.
The only possible good that can come out of the horror story of the last
two weeks, is that hopefully some honest legislatures will institute some
version of ?Terri?s Law? that will keep our courts from sentencing by
negligence another comatose victim to a slow deliberative death. Or better
yet, the general public may finally be persuaded to comprehend the
necessity of appointing judges who rule by law in the interests of life,
liberty and justice.
Who would have thought that this simple psalm that urges a real substance
of justice in a court of Israel would be as timely as it has turned
out? To that end, let us consider the honest claims of David and consider
the application of his claims to our own national system of jurisprudence.
Development: The four claims put forth by David in our text for today, may
be summarized as related to his ongoing witness in the land before not only
the God of heaven, but also before all of those who followed the deeds of
David, even as the annals of Israel were being written large across the
historic landscape of David?s time and place.
David?s first two claims relate to the company he keeps in
Israel. Certainly, the former government of Saul considered the ?sacred
band? of David?s personal guard as nothing more than outlaws when they were
protecting David instead of killing Philistines in the name of Saul. All
manner of men, warriors all were attracted to the service of David. Yes,
there were probably a few cutthroats and reprobates among them. In time of
war, you almost take any skillful soldier you can lay your hands on and
press them into service, even for a righteous cause.
Late in life, David urged his heir and son: Solomon ? to rid the earth of
his loyal general Joab, simply because he had taken innocent blood. Enough
was enough, David had tolerated Joab long enough and Solomon needed a new
start, with men loyal to his own person and above connivance with disloyal
citizens. Now, while this was in the future when this psalm was first
written, still David?s interest to be protective of his public record was
strong indeed, except for on disastrous moment of lust. But that is
another story related to the fifty-first psalm. Here, David?s integrity is
not as clouded as it would be in his declining years. ?I do not [conspire]
with men of falsehood, nor do I consort with pretenders.?
There is an old saw that ?birds of a feather, flock together.? And
certainly, in my public experience this worldly advice has proved its basis
in fact more times than I would have once considered the probability. You
see, when first time criminals are being treated, the single most important
thing to be done to make them better people is to get them away from the
family and crowd that allowed and even encouraged their legal misadventures
in the first place. Years ago, when this fair land was less politically
correct, troubled young teens would invited to meet informally with the
prosecutor, the sheriff and a Marine or Army recruiter. Usually, a change
of livelihood not only served the interests of the country, but the
community and individual as well.
David?s claim here is that while true and honest men can often be found on
the outside of the laws of men, still ? if their cause be right, there can
be no disgrace in standing up for what is right and good. The legends of
Robin Hood and numerous other honest rebels come to mind to prove the
realities of David?s history with the nervous and desperate Saul, who
wasted precious national resources protecting himself for a kind and
righteous David, a David, who had not allowed Saul to be killed, when it
was within the power of his own warriors.
David?s ongoing situation is not unlike that of righteous rebels in
Scotland, Switzerland and other places where desperados ruled by force of
arms alone. Both Robert Bruce and William Tell lived lives in imitation of
that of King David. The legends of Robin Hood indicate a story teller
familiar with the biblical responsibilities and goals.
In all of those cases, fictional and real, these were men who did not
pretend to rule by might alone, but men who placed themselves in service to
the cause of righteousness and truth. My own ancestors apparently left
Scotland after the Rising of Forty-five, I do not know if they had to flee
for their lives or not. But they did arrive in this country just in time
to appreciate the foundation of a government based upon the same biblical
foundations which David did so much to re-establish in Israel.
In the fifth verse, we have another plea for David?s God:?I abhor the
company of evildoers, I refuse to sit with the wicked.? While this as well
as the first claim is a negative claim, still the righteous outcome of such
activity is hardly a bad thing.
As I paraphrased this verse, it just did not seem that ?hate? was a strong
enough word for David?s distaste of association with the worldly
wicked. And well does David describe the common attributes of Satan?s
minions. ?Evildoers? and ?wicked? he aptly describes their all too worldly
condition. We sense immediately to whom these common reprobates have given
their allegiance: to Satan, the very father of lies, corruption and
wickedness. Earlier, I had mentioned that sometimes, even the likes of
David must accept the honest service of warrior men who may not be
considered saints by any stretch of the imagination. Well, the difference
is in who they serve: God or Satan. There are very many ?rednecks? and
?good ol-boys? in this country who have given their lives for freedom,
righteousness and truth. While we may accept their service in a good
cause, we must leave their final judgment to the Lord God of heaven and
earth. Such service, by itself has absolutely no merit ? even as we
understand, but God is still God indeed and He has not only the means, but
the reasons to provide honest yet worldly men to serve his cause. Old King
Saul would be one classic example of a deeply flawed human used by God to
advance the cause of His everlasting Kingdom.
In the end, however ? David could not sit with Saul, because Saul had
become so demented and battle scarred. Over the years I have known and
even cared for some of these interesting characters who seemingly showed no
interest in the things of the Spirit. I even had to do a funeral for one,
scared for life by battle fatigue. Even so, my good worldly friend, who
would never say anything bad about the church ? still he refused to
consider publicly the claims of Christ. I do not think he came to a good
end, but that is not my judgment to make. A guess, what I am getting at
here is something I sense between the lines of verse four and five. And it
is this principle, while there are exceptionally wicked men with whom we
ought not to associate, there are others with whom we may and must witness
? yet in the final analysis, they are honest enough to admit that they
cannot sit with us. Thereby ? their final judgment is assured even as we
realize where the real and dastardly cr?me-de-la crude belong because of
their self-proclaimed association with Satan.
Application: Our last verse demonstrates David?s true personal interest;
He will come into the house of the Lord, wherein even some of his worldly
friends will not show their face. In the context of verse six, there are
religious habits and rituals associated, perhaps in the time of David, or
organized afterwards on the basis of his actions here. We read simply: ?I
wash my hands in innocence to [approach] Your altar, O Lord,?
Later in the history of Israel and Judah, the hand washing in court takes
hold, even down to the time of Pilate! The wording that I have used for
[approaching} the altar in the Tabernacle and Temple may imply a ceremonial
circumference of the sacrificial mound. A real procession ? if you
will. Now, we should not doubt the heartfelt nature of David?s ablutions
here. In his basic integrity before the Lord, he is not claiming any
self-righteousness, but only approaches the altar to seek honest and fair
judgment from the Lord of heaven and earth.
What a wondrous approach, as we read in our last verse: ?singing
thanksgiving aloud, telling all Your wondrous deeds? How could a common
criminal come into God?s courts with praise and thanksgiving on his
lips? It is certainly a scene where a hypocrite would be most conniving
and desperate to prove his case before men. But, such a self-serving
witness would cloud the grace and mercy of God outright, so it would take a
brazen heathen to even attempt such a false travesty. This, David is
not. And it is in the innocence and trust in the Lord, that David comes,
thereby proving his case and cause for all time.
May we learn the honest integrity of David?s heart here whenever we come
before our God and King. May our own daily witness be as transparent as
that of David. And finally, may we count it all grace and mercy that we
too, like David may serve a God who knows our hearts and minds, even as He
knew David?s. Amen.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - -
PREACHING RESOURCES
Calvin, John: Commentary on Book of Psalms.
Delitzsch, F: Commentary on the Old Testament ? Psalms.
Spurgeon, C.H: Treasury of David.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - -
Permission granted to redistribute unedited versions with this notice.
http://www.tulip.org/selah/sel026b.htm
To Subscribe or Unsubscribe go
to:
http://www.four.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/ccrlist/
From ccrlist at tulip.org Mon Apr 18 11:46:44 2005
From: ccrlist at tulip.org (ccrlist@tulip.org)
Date: Mon Apr 18 11:46:52 2005
Subject: [Ccrlist] CCR Weekly 10 April 2005
Message-ID: <1091.65.171.78.132.1113839204.squirrel@webmail.loganrec.com>
Good Morning,
Catching up with mailings - being semi-retired with three part time jobs
gets a little hectic now and then.
God bless,
Max A Forsythe
Psalm 26
11 But as for me, I shall continue in integrity;
redeem me, and be gracious to me.
12 My foot is brought to level ground;
in the great assembly I will bless the LORD.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - -
Redeem Even Me!
For the Lord?s Day: the 17th of April 2005
Introduction: Here at the near end of this courtly themed psalm, we have
the final statement of the psalmist stating again the integrity he
affirmed at the beginning. And in the final verse, David affirms his own
private thought that there can be but one outcome, one verdict, and one
blessing to be affirmed in the midst of God?s people. And that is the
righteousness of his cause given in service to the Lord God of heaven and
earth.
I believe I understand David?s heart here. Some years ago, in the public
service the ongoing stress got to me and my doctor put me out to pasture
for six weeks rest and relaxation. In the midst of those many trials and
tribulations ? there appeared in the background of my mind a song that
kept recurring over and over. You have had that happen no doubt from time
to time? You hum a tune, it plays again and again in your mind, and you
wonder, why can?t I put this aside and concentrate on my problems and how
to solve them? The song that sprang to mind in my time of turmoil was Up
from the grave He arose!
Of course, like many ? the song had to play on and on before I finally
realized the message attuned to my spiritual need. No matter what toils
and troubles we may go through, the Lord Jesus Christ has been there
before us and he has triumphed over the grave. This should give us hope
day in and day out. Now, this does not change the conditions that we find
ourselves in, but it does give us a certain hope that God will prevail and
that all our personal problems are meant to grow us in grace and truth.
I am reminded of a great golfer who lived and played before World War Two.
He was as honest as the day is long. Once he hit a ball into the rough
and having no witnesses, he could have fudged a point and won the
championship, but instead he chose to play the ball where it lay. As a
result ? because of his absolute honesty, another won the game.
Development: If it please the court, in this summary ? David is saying
the same. He will play the truth straight from the heart of God and
depend upon the divine grace to avail him a righteous judgment. ?But as
for me, I shall continue in integrity.?
Nothing for David has changed from the beginning of this case to the end,
he will continue to live as he has always lived: before the face of God.
You should note one slight change to the phrasing here in comparison to
verse one. In the previous verse, the integrity was situated in the past,
in this case the same is presumed not only in the present but also into
the future. Calvin notes: ?In this repetition there is to be remarked a
circumstance which more clearly illustrates David?s righteousness; namely,
that, in the midst of so many temptations, he steadily held on his way.?
In other words: David had stayed the course. He would continue to be who
he always was ? a man of God seeking only to serve and glorify Him in
every political and spiritual affair of life.
In my ongoing role of Stated Clerk for the Presbytery ? I am very careful
not to use a heavy hand in the acquisition of my own agenda. That agenda
is always spelled out on a regular basis before the brethren. And yet,
like David ? I must await the awesome possibilities that our Creator God
has in mind. If my ideas return through the agency of others, I am
pleased to see them accomplished. Not all of my druthers in the
presbytery regard are accomplished, but seemingly the more important are
achieved not by power and corporate man handling, but by a common assent
of the brethren who may come to agreement in a timely manner.
David?s political, military and spiritual situation was of course a lot
closer to untimely and ultimate disaster than any events I have ever been
involved it. Thus, his spiritual pain is more intense that what
transpires here in American church politics. Just as it may take a dozen
years for any congregational problem to be solved, so ?was Rome not built
in a day:? if I may quote the worldly wisdom.
While God?s will is being worked out in every age and place, all of those
called into the church must keep their minds and hearts focused where
David?s ultimately was in the second line of verse eleven: ?redeem me, and
be gracious to me.?
Spurgeon puts this phrase in the proper perspective: ?Our integrity is
not absolute nor inherent, it is a work of grace in us, and is marred by
human infirmity; we must, therefore, resort to the redeeming blood and the
throne of mercy, confessing that though we are saints among men, we must
still bow as sinners before God.?
Therefore ?redemption? from the Lord s always a necessary condition for
those tried by fire in His divine service, and those He has called, He has
kept always in mind and blessed the members of His church down through
both covenantal eras. A year or so ago, I was working through the two
books of Chronicles in the Old Testament and in a few weeks we will be
looking at the great eleventh chapter in Hebrews in some detail. In that
regard, I have always understood that when 1st & 2nd Chronicles were
written ? the composition was meant as a covenant survey of the work of
God over the whole Old Covenant economy down to the return of that church
from exile. In a similar way ? we may understand the book of Hebrews to
be something of the same covenant survey with a different perspective in
mind. And that new perspective is written from the mind and intent of our
Lord Jesus Christ. After all, it is in His name that both Testaments in
our scriptures are subscribed to insure the greatness of His Name and the
divine effectiveness of His gospel and grace.
Application: This thought brings us to the twelfth verse in our psalm. A
verse that is usually set apart from the rest as a summary statement of
fact. Even though I have styled the verse as David?s private thoughts in
the course of the final summary of his case in court, still ? there is the
premise that these thoughts will be brought up before the church for the
praise, honor and glory of the God of Gods and King of Kings, the ruler
over Church and state: even God Himself.
And so David writes: ?My foot is brought to level ground; in the great
assembly I will bless the LORD.? Calvin ascribes the thinking here to a
celebration of God?s grace towards him. Therefore, David vows his
gratitude. The level ground is a biblical concept that encourages us to
see and know that the precepts, regulations and commandments of God give
us a better place to stand throughout eternity than the shifting sands of
human expedience. The fads and fancies of the last fifty years should
help us to greatly appreciate the more desirable ground of God?s being and
purpose.
Even as you noticed when you drove in this morning, there is a sudden
influx of more dirt out on the hillside. What many of you don?t
appreciate ? unless you drove by here seven or eight years ago: is the
fact that the level ground up here by the road has more than doubled in
useable acreage. So it is also in the spiritual realm understood by David
and every saint who has been given to appreciate the solid nature of the
doctrines of God.
Therefore, David promises to give witness to the graces of God towards
him, before the people. As the last line of this psalm is worded, it is
not that David will walk into an empty sanctuary and give his thanks and
praises to God, but that he will come when the whole people are assembled
that they might hear what God has done. Years ago, I was given a book to
read in Seminary. It?s title was something like: The Acts of God. The
title is the only thing I remember, seemingly in my mind that was the only
thing the author really and truly got right in his whole commentary.
David, of course does a lot better ? and in our own evangelical,
conservative and biblical understanding of the inspired text we come close
to David?s understanding. The Lord God of heaven and earth, has taken the
measure of each man and nation. Some He uses directly to serve Him in
prayer and praise. Others he uses indirectly through the human comedy of
serving their own will and purpose. This competition between the two
cities of men, the worldly and the churchly moves history along towards
His providential end, in spite of many and manifold objections to it and
cursing of it.
David here in this trial of will and purpose gives all credit to the
divine side of things. Since God has called him personally to serve as an
earthly regent, thereby God will win out even through the inadequate
agency of His chosen people. And in the midst of sometimes hard service,
many trials and troubles, if His people will humble themselves, understand
the nature of His redemption and call upon His Name ? all will be well
both in their day and forever after. May we understand His story in the
same way as David. Amen.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - -
PREACHING RESOURCES
Calvin, John: Commentary on Book of Psalms.
Delitzsch, F: Commentary on the Old Testament ? Psalms.
Spurgeon, C.H: Treasury of David.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - -
Permission granted to redistribute unedited versions with this notice.
http://www.tulip.org/selah/sel026d.htm
To Subscribe or Unsubscribe go to:
http://www.four.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/ccrlist/
From ccrlist at tulip.org Mon Apr 18 11:49:41 2005
From: ccrlist at tulip.org (ccrlist@tulip.org)
Date: Mon Apr 18 11:49:47 2005
Subject: [Ccrlist] CCR Weakly! 17 April 2005
Message-ID: <1094.65.171.78.132.1113839381.squirrel@webmail.loganrec.com>
Greetings,
Yes, the datings on these last two portions of Psalm 26 are reversed. It
seems these senior moments drag on more than ever as the years go by.
God bless,
Max A Forsythe
Psalm 26
08 O LORD, I love the [beauteous presence in] Your house
the tabernacle of Your glory.
09 Do not sweep my soul away with sinners,
nor my life with bloodthirsty men,
10 in whose hands are evil devices,
whose right hands are full of bribes.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Consider My Love
For the Lord?s Day: the 10th of April 2005
Introduction: The first thing I need to mention today is the fact that my
grouping of the verses in this psalm is not of the ordinary division. If
it were, verse eight would have been considered last week. Now, I will
not claim any superiority for my arrangement ? since one ordering of
David?s poetry in another language than his, is usually as good as
another. However, my purpose here ? where David is arguing for the Lord
to consider the love he has for God, especially in the sanctuary: that
love can be cast in contrast to the cleansing of dirt from the divine
precinct.
My thinking here is similar to my understanding of Matthew and Mark?s
reports of Jesus? view on the hellishness of Gehenna: that final resting
place where all kinds of unredeemed trash are thrown at the end of the
age. Hell thus may be perceived as the greatest trash dump in the
universe, fit only and always for those whose presence cannot be abided by
the One true and holy God of heaven and earth. Certainly, we may
appreciate that David?s constant and abiding love for the Divine presence
indicates that he, as almost always - is welcome in the courts of the
Lord.
In our outline and understanding of this psalm, verse eight is a claim by
David, followed immediately with a heart felt petition ? that his claim is
justified because of the Lord?s interest in his own person and soul.
The courtly scene here as I have established it, should be considered in
the same sense of Moses, Isaiah and the Apostle John ? when they realized
the awesome presence of the Lord God of heaven and earth. Moses hid his
face, Isaiah thought that he was lost and John fell down as if dead.
David realizes from long association with the Most High ? that in His
presence, no ungodly persons can stand except for those covered over by
the intensity of the Divine love: a loving presence that heals the sincere
in heart but destroys all who follow their natural inclinations.
Development: With those thoughts in mind, let us consider the sincerity
of David?s claim and the humble petition that follows afterwards in these
three verses. God?s grace here is simply contrasted with the awesome
holiness of the Divine wrath. We begin with the intricacies of verse
eight. The wording in the first line reads ?habitation? in the Hebrew,
but ?beauty? in the LXX Greek translation. Commentators have attempted to
wrestle with this difference for many generations. Obviously the theme in
this verse is the real presence of the Spirit of God on Mount Zion,
whether that presence was known in the tabernacle of David?s era or the
fabulous Temple built by Solomon.
In David?s mind, it was not the sanctuary itself that impressed him, but
the real presence of his LORD. ?O LORD, I love the [beauteous presence
in] Your house, the tabernacle of Your glory.? Certainly, the Divine
presence is beyond real description and it is probably that reality that
confuses the translation of the wording in the first line. With the
word?s [beauteous presence] I have attempted to point however awkwardly to
the awesomeness of the reality of God, known for certain by David,
whenever he attends to the duties of worship and prayer.
I am also reminded of the nebulous description of the divine presence
leading Israel through the desert exodus from Egypt. ?The Pillar of
Cloud,? with which we are more familiar in the Book of Exodus means in the
Hebrew ?something standing.? This fact of God's regular presence noticed
daily over a long period of time was described in familiar terms even as
His presence is still known to be out of the ordinary ability to describe.
Years, ago I read a description in one of CS Lewis' novels about
spiritual beings. In this description he compared microscopic life (which
is too small to be seen by the naked eye) - to macroscopic beings (which
would be too big to be fathomed). We have to appreciate that Moses as well
as David, was describing something beyond normal comprehension. So there
He was: the column like a ?pillar of cloud? which indicated God's abiding
presence with His people in their coming out of Egypt. Given the implied
vagueness of Moses? language, we can better appreciate the [beauteous
presence] described by David.
The [beauteous presence] is expanded upon in the second phrase: ?the
tabernacle of [His] glory.? Those specific words come from the notes in
my old copy of the New Geneva Study Bible. The point of the whole verse
is this; it is the exceeding glory of the God of heaven that not only
fills the Holy of Holies in tabernacle or temple, but also the whole
universe as well. David, like many spiritually experienced saints:
fathoms the sanctity of any and every place - wherever and however, the
God of heaven and earth is experienced by the elect. Francis Schaeffer
spoke well of our experience: ?God is there and He is not silent.?
This knowledge is what gives David the utmost confidence as he worships
and declares himself in solemn oaths before the throne of God. However,
as every saint well knows ? we are at the disposal of the Lord God, to do
with us whatever He will. And therefore, immediately after his claim ? he
moves naturally to the petition that should always be ours. And this
involves a regular confession of sin and a begging for forgiveness,
because without the blessed salvation that is ours in the grace of Christ
? we too would be swept out of not only the tabernacle, but also into the
fire of consumption that burned in the valley of Gehenna down through the
time of Christ.
The petition is heart felt, and hangs on David?s mind: ?Do not sweep my
soul away with sinners.? Whatever accusation brings David before the
tabernacle altar, it is one that must have been pernicious indeed. A
guilty party to the deed must have deserved such sweeping cleanliness
presumed in the heartache of this prayer. We certainly know that David
sinned and when confronted by godly men, he would repent ? this we know
from the later Psalm, the fifty-first as well as words and phrases
throughout all of his psalms.
But, here ? it is the totality of true innocence in the charges levied
that concerns him. Sort of like Rush?s observations about the liberal
mantra in out time: ?that the seriousness of the charges are always more
important than any evidence that might or might not be available to
substantiate them.? Like David?s son Solomon noted: ?There is nothing
new under the sun!? The enemies of Christ and God?s kingdom really
haven?t learned any new lies since the dawn of time. Continually the
belief that if a false charge is repeated enough than it must certainly be
factual, if not ? well it darn well ought to be!
Application: Such men are the bane of the church, both Old and New
Covenant! The last three lines of this petition, I have grouped together.
Beginning with the first words of verse nine, we finish the petition in
this manner: ?Do not sweep
my life with bloodthirsty men, in whose
hands are evil devices, whose right hands are full of bribes.?
Here in these words, David earnestly prays that God will not ?mingle good
and bad together without distinction,? as Calvin notes. Further, Calvin
is of the opinion that the ?sweeping? here signifies to ?gather into a
heap.? Pretty much like the janitor or housewife sweeps the dust and dirt
into a pile before using a dust pan to fetch it to the trash!
Again Calvin encourages us that ?these forms of prayer are dictated by the
Holy Spirit, in order that the faithful may unhesitatingly assure
themselves that God still sits in inquisition upon every man?s case, in
order to give righteous judgment at last.? Ah yes, but because of God?s
grace and mercy ? our Lord Jesus Christ received the punishment that
should have been ours.
Therefore by that grace we will not on the last day be mingled with those
who worship idols, as we might read here. Neither are we to be co-mingled
with those who suppose their sacrifices to be a spiritual form of bribery!
Blood thirsty are they all who serve the cause of Satan.
In our land today, there are several forms of cults that sacrifice animals
to pagan deities. The more occultic they are, the more likely that
eventually they will work their way up the food chain and slaughter a
human. This almost happened in a neighboring county about fifteen years
ago. And there is some minimal evidence that occasional bodies discovered
in rural areas might have met just such a tragic fate. But, it would be
politically incorrect to make such accusations in the media ? otherwise
connections might be drawn to consider the refuse of abortuaries in a
similar light. And so the worst forms of murder may generally go
unmentioned.
Before we close our meditation on this section, we must return to how it
began. There in the heart songs of one devoted to the God of heaven we
may find our own peace and security. And if we truly love and seek the
divine presence day by day, and if we make our prayers and worship regular
? thereby will grace be made more manifest and like David, who allowed the
Lord to dispose of himself in whatever manner pleases Him, still there is
the divine hope of a better end than that of the all too common sinner who
despises any reference to the Lord of hosts. May we share David?s blessed
hope that in the hands of the Lord, we are safe and secure against all
alarms. And that we may be assured that He is ours and we are His, not
only today ? but for all time. Amen.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - -
PREACHING RESOURCES
Calvin, John: Commentary on Book of Psalms.
Delitzsch, F: Commentary on the Old Testament ? Psalms.
Spurgeon, C.H: Treasury of David.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - -
Permission granted to redistribute unedited versions with this notice.
http://www.tulip.org/selah/sel026c.htm
To Subscribe or Unsubscribe go to:
http://www.four.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/ccrlist/
From ccrlist at tulip.org Sun Apr 24 16:20:42 2005
From: ccrlist at tulip.org (ccrlist@tulip.org)
Date: Sun Apr 24 16:20:50 2005
Subject: [Ccrlist] CCR Weekly
Message-ID: <1130.65.164.158.95.1114374042.squirrel@webmail.loganrec.com>
Good Sunday Afternoon,
When I woke up and looked out the window, I was thankful that I won't have
to mow yard tomorrow - there was an inch of snow!
Note: Later this summer I may have some vacation time when I can travel
and do a special seminar or two on the Psalms. As long as my expenses are
covered I do not care what size the church. However, since I really don't
like to fly - any invitations should be within 500 miles of Columbus,
Ohio.
God bless,
Max A Forsythe
Psalm 27
of David
01 My LIGHT - the LORD: He is my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life;
whom shall I dread?
02 When the wicked besiege me
to eat up my flesh,
my adversaries and foes,
it is they who stumble and fall.
03 Though an army encamp against me,
my heart shall not fear;
though war arise against me,
[still] I will be confident.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Light & Salvation
For the Lord?s Day: the 24th of April 2005
Introduction: In the context of this lovely psalm, Calvin marvels at the
?invincible fortitude of soul? which David possessed. Taking up the theme
of David?s life, he also notes how ?his wonderful piety shines forth in
this, that he wished to live for no other purpose than to serve God: nor
could he be turned aside from this purpose by any anxiety or trouble.? In
Calvin?s descriptive prose, we can also attune to the heroic attitudes of
the men who led the Reformation. Like David, these were men who meant to
live all of life in the light of God?s revelation.
Now, we must remember that the Psalms are divine poetry and so it should
be no surprise at David?s descriptive Light of the being of our Father God
in heaven. ?My LIGHT ? the LORD,? David declares absolutely. And the
Apostle John concludes the anticipation of that statement in his first
letter (1 John 1: 5c), when he writes further: ?and in him is no darkness
at all.?
Of course, given the hind sight of the New Covenant, we can better
appreciate the language of David here. But, there is one thing that is
difficult to translate and that is the use of ?My LIGHT? as a divine name.
Given the thinking here, it is necessary to sound a little awkward in
making this point absolute. ?My LIGHT ? the LORD.? Delitzsch notes that:
?this sublime, infinitely profound name for God, is found only in this
passage.? However, he allows for rather firm echoes in both Isaiah and
John. Isaiah writing prophetically of the future, anticipates the coming
of the Lord?s Messiah: ?Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the
glory of the Lord has risen upon you.? (Isaiah 60: 1) And the Apostle
John records the Lord?s own words in this regard: ?I have come into the
world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in
darkness.? (John 12: 46)
If we like David know this fact to be absolutely true, than we are also
aware of the last portion of the opening line: ?He is my salvation.?
Spurgeon speaks beautifully of the implications apparent in this line.
?Into the soul at the new birth divine light is poured as the precursor of
salvation;
Salvation finds us in the dark, but it does not leave us
there; it gives light to those who sit in the valley of the shadow of
death. After conversion our God is our joy, comfort, guide, teacher, and
in every sense our light.? And so, the incredible Light of God?s being
must accomplish our salvation when He chooses to look kindly upon us.
And once the believer realizes what God has accomplished, then we must
have confidence to move mountains if that is His will. The second line of
verse one is completely informed and encouraged from the first. ?Whom
shall I fear,? David writes in anticipation of the true believer?s answer:
none ? not one!
With this beginning, do we comprehend how this psalm is different from
many that have gone before? Usually, David writes from utter despair and
only slowly and prayerfully does he work up the ground of his complete
confidence in the Almighty. However, in this unusual Psalm, he begins
with the solid ground of being enlightened by and through the power of the
only God. And it is this fact informs him throughout the remainder of the
Psalm when he considers the remnant of his troubles.
Development: The second line of verse one only echoes the substance of the
first: ?The LORD is the stronghold of my life; whom shall I dread? The
word stronghold here is very much the same as The Mighty Fortress of
Luther?s hymn based upon Psalm Forty-Six. The Godly ?stronghold? here, is
the final refuge of the soul, and if God be for us and with us, who can
stand against Him? (Romans 8: 34). Who shall we dread with such an
impregnable, unassailable fortress? There is absolutely none to fear if
we stand in the light of God?s power. Calvin observes that ?those who
have never tasted the grace of God tremble because they refuse to rely on
him.?
Well does Luther?s hymn refer to the fact that when the elect depend upon
their own poor strength, their power is piteous in comparison to the
almighty power of God. The mighty fortress mentality here is important,
because the following two verses fit into that theme all the easier. In
the first line of verse two David imagines or remembers a fortress
surrounded:
?When the wicked besiege me to eat up my flesh,
my adversaries and foes, it is they who stumble and fall.?
And it is the savage cruelty of his enemies who consume his and his
troop?s energy, their food stores and even their muscular substance by
siege craft, hoping to starve Zion into surrender. Even though the David
and indirectly, the church be weakened by the attentions of the satanic
hordes, still God must only shine the light of His presence upon them and
the enemies of Christ must fain and fall to the ground. Remember the
great siege of Jerusalem during the reign of Hezekiah, one of David?s
material and spiritual heirs? Though a host of Assyrians encamped against
the citadel of Zion ? still the Lord God destroyed the greater majority
when He tired of their ungodly attention upon the fortress city of His own
people.
At the time of the Reformation, all of God?s worst enemies, those who
harried and destroyed the elect, their families and churches: the
majority saw a very sorry end indeed. And so it is in all ages, the
enemies of Christ, while they may seemingly aspire to worldly domination ?
they are usually undone in a moment by the very wickedness they bring to
any and every discussion.
Application: Our third verse is similar in substance and at the end
returns us boldly to the statements with which we began.
?Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear;
though war arise against me, [still] I will be confident.?
The military theme continues, this time, David presumes to be in the open
country, where the enemy by its choice of encampment means to cut him off
from any retreat to the safety of Mount Zion and the presumed presence
there of the Almighty God. However, David will not be moved, He is the
Lord?s and the Lord is His, no matter where he must lead the armed hosts
of Israel. In fact, it is presumed in this third verse, that in the
confidence of God ? the king may resort to offensive war by taking the
battle to the enemy. Still David proclaims for all his troops and people:
?My heart shall not fear.?
Even though battle be given and any odds be calculated against him, still
David proclaims his utter and complete confidence in the Lord of hosts ?
the great God of heaven and earth.
Calvin tells us that some commentators would point the essentials of this
verse to the next, the fourth. And in this context ? even though defeated
and murdered, he must have the assurance of eternal life with God.
However, given the record of David?s wars and the firm establishment of
David?s kingdom ? the foundation of the eternal kingdom of his greater Son
presumes that God will keep the foundation secure. Thereby, just as the
Reformers moved forward against all odds, so too was David encouraged to
move forward ? knowing all the while that God was with Him and that the
promised kingdom must and would be established in and through him for all
time.
Certainly, the earthly glory of David?s line crumbled and failed as all
human endeavor must in the long run. However, the kind and type of
kingdom envisioned for David?s greater Son is and was of an entirely
different kind. And therefore, since David was doing the work of God ? he
was able to declare with all the more confidence that the Lord?s will must
be attained and affirmed.
Now, let us take a strong dose of David?s medicine and apply it to the
present seemingly dismal circumstance related to Christ?s Church in our
day and age. The Roman Church was given the unique opportunity to present
all the pomp and ceremony of a nation state before a watching world. It
is not without reason that the Roman Church presumes to call itself a
nation state, because there in the vicar of Christ, as they presume any
Pope to be ? they have a kingdom that must appear to go back to not only
the time of Christ, but also by implication to the kingdom of David as
well.
Haile Sellassie, the emperor of Ethiopia also presumed to be the heir of
Solomon and David?s royal throne. That dynasty proved finally to be
futile ? its end was tragic in the seventies ? but it finally ran down
with all the relatives murdered by communist thugs who meant to make an
end of worldly claims.
And so will all worldly imitations of the true kingdom of our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ come to final ruin. Denomination after denomination
have ruined themselves by turning the churches of Christ into temples of
Satan. Over and again throughout time, the worldly institutions and
organizations have perished, but in every time and place the Lord God has
made certain that His chosen regent will have a spiritual body of people
to call His own. And that we are, if we like David fully comprehend that
it is the loving gaze of our Lord seeking us that enlightens our hearts
and thereby granting us the great gift of salvation. May we know Him even
as we are known for ever and ever. Amen.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
PREACHING RESOURCES
Calvin, John: Commentary on Book of Psalms.
Delitzsch, F: Commentary on the Old Testament ? Psalms.
Spurgeon, C.H: Treasury of David.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Permission granted to redistribute unedited versions with this notice.
http://www.tulip.org/selah/sel027a.htm
To Subscribe or Unsubscribe go to:
http://www.four.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/ccrlist/