|
This is a text reader for the article below:
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Wednesday 01/29/25
Thru the Bible: Psalm Book IV: Chapters 100-104
Message Video Player
Message Audio Player:
Podcast: Download (Duration: 1:25:54 — 96.8MB)
Praise the Lord and remember all His kindness!
Psalm 100:1-5,
This famous Psalm is actually more instructional and informative than I think most people realize. In many ways we see the general pattern expressed here in approaching God in showing up in Jesus’ prayers.
“(1) A psalm of thanksgiving.
Shout triumphantly to the LORD, all the earth.
(2) Serve the LORD with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs.”
It has been said that God is a happy God. I suppose that it is largely true, though He is more joyful than happy since the circumstances of His existence are often surrounded by the sorrow and tears our disobedience causes.
That being true, God still wants His people to have light and exaltant hearts. He is very near to one who is broken and contrite, but He does not want His people to linger long at the waters of mourning. After all as Psalm 30 tells us, “Weeping remains for the night, but Joy comes in the morning.”
When Israel first heard the law read to them after years in captivity – many of them it was their first time to hear the words of the Lord and they wept bitter tears of sorrow. The law did its job and revealed how their ways and thoughts were not consistent with His but were in fact an offense to Him. They mourned for their unwitting offense – but God rejoiced! He saw the tenderness of their hearts in response to His words and declared a Feast – a day of rejoicing! He told them that the Joy He was experiencing in response to their repentant hearts will strengthen them to stand firm.
In short, God desires those who come to Him – come to Him in joy!
“(3) Acknowledge that the LORD is God. He made us, and we are His–His people, the sheep of His pasture.
As the scriptures say – this will cause our ways (paths) to be directed by Him!
(4) Enter His gates with THANKSGIVING and His courts with PRAISE.
Give thanks to Him and praise His name.
(5) FOR (because) the LORD is good, and His love is eternal; His faithfulness endures through all generations.”
Psalm 101:1-8,
“(1) A Davidic psalm.
This psalm is a psalm of house cleaning – so to speak. Every follower of God is brought to times of awareness that they have slowed their pace and are no longer pursuing growth in godliness as they once had.
This is both an observed law of the natural world AND of the human soul so long as we live in this natural world. All things, if not maintained, will always move from a state of higher order and energy to a place of lower order and energy.
In short it is a law that admits the need for power and order to be brought to it from a source outside itself.
This was such a time spiritually for David. If you see past the words and listen with your heart you will find something very familiar in these words.
David begins with an awareness and resulting praise of God’s faithfulness and justice. Something which as a musician naturally David begins to sing to the Lord about.
But the result of pondering God’s justice coupled together with His faithful love is a desire of increased personal integrity.
David begins cleaning house internally which naturally flows outward to that which is within the sphere of his influence and authority – which is his kingdom.
“…I will sing of faithful love and justice; I will sing praise to You, LORD.
(2) I will pay attention to the way of integrity.
When will You come to me?
I will live with integrity of heart in my house. (3) I will not set anything godless before my eyes. I hate the doing of transgression; it will not cling to me. (4) A devious heart will be far from me; I will not be involved with evil.”
“(5) I will destroy anyone who secretly slanders his neighbor; I cannot tolerate anyone with haughty eyes or an arrogant heart.
(6) My eyes favor the faithful of the land so that they may sit down with me. The one who follows the way of integrity may serve me.
(7) No one who acts deceitfully will live in my palace; no one who tells lies will remain in my presence.
(8) Every morning I will destroy all the wicked of the land, eliminating all evildoers from the LORD’s city.”
If this had been a psalm of Korah or Heman or Asaph the example would have been that of the temple. Both are instructional.
- The kingdom of course represents the kingdom of God of which we are a part. To purge the kingdom of evil and wickedness begins with a personal house cleaning and moves outward to the rest of the kingdom – its people, teachings and outreach to the world.
- The temple would represent our bodies and how we maintain them and present them to God in our stewardship. Even as David began his psalm with an inward conviction and determination to walk with integrity.
Psalm 102:1-28,
Have you ever experienced troubles and afflictions which were so pervasive – so owning of your thoughts that they consumed you even to the point of losing sleep and forgetting to eat? If you are human, then it would make you part of a very small lot to claim you haven’t.
The writer of this Psalm provides all we need for understanding its point and flow in their opening statement. They give us reason to enter in and hear their words because they are familiar to us – we’ve been here too.
“(1) A prayer of an afflicted person who is weak and pours out his lament before the LORD.
LORD, hear my prayer; let my cry for help come before You.
(2) Do not hide Your face from me in my day of trouble. Listen closely to me; answer me quickly when I call.
(3) For my days vanish like smoke, and my bones burn like a furnace. (4) My heart is afflicted, withered like grass; I even forget to eat my food. (5) Because of the sound of my groaning, my flesh sticks to my bones.
(6) I am like a desert owl, like an owl among the ruins. (7) I stay awake; I am like a solitary bird on a roof.
(8) My enemies taunt me all day long; they ridicule and curse me.
(9) I eat ashes like bread and mingle my drinks with tears (10) because of Your indignation and wrath; for You have picked me up and thrown me aside. (11) My days are like a lengthening shadow, and I wither away like grass.”
The part about eating ashes is not intended to be taken literally as likely the entire statement is not. It has never been uncommon in literature like Psalms, poems, dirges and lamentations to make use of hyperbole and that is almost unmistakeable here.
In the east the practice of covering the head with ashes as a sign of mourning was common. We saw it in the book of Job, the person of which predates Abram by many years. So while Israel practices this as well, it predates the entire Jewish race.
It is said that these ashes also symbolize humility and lowliness and perhaps even are symbolic of having gone through a fiery trial.
At any rate, consuming the ashes was not a typical practice for mourning. It was a poetic statement like saying, “I have eaten only the bread of sorrow and tears have been only drink.”
In Psalm 42 the sons of Korah used a similar literary device by saying “My tears have been my food day and night”.
Since this first part of the statement is clearly hyperbole it is only fitting to read the second part as a continuation of the same.
While this unknown psalmist may have literally believed God had cast him to one side in His wrath, we know that God is actually near those who have a broken and contrite heart. More than likely he was speaking from the language of national rejection all Israelites felt while in Babylonian bondage which I think is confirmed when we arrive at verse 17.
Furthermore, if conventional wisdom is correct in categorizing most of the psalms in book 4 as just being written during that time just prior to Israel’s return from Babylonian exile through to the time of silence this makes even more sense. Especially as we continue reading…
“(12) But You, LORD, are enthroned forever; Your fame endures to all generations. (13) You will arise and have compassion on Zion, for it is time to show favor to her–the appointed time has come. (14) For Your servants take delight in its stones and favor its dust.”
(15) Then the nations will fear the name of the LORD, and all the kings of the earth Your glory, (16) for the LORD will rebuild Zion; He will appear in His glory.
(17) He will pay attention to the prayer of the destitute and will not despise their prayer.
(18) This will be written for a later generation, and a newly created people will praise the LORD:
(19) He looked down from His holy heights–the LORD gazed out from heaven to earth– (20) to hear a prisoner’s groaning, to set free those condemned to die, (21) so that they might declare the name of the LORD in Zion and His praise in Jerusalem, (22) when peoples and kingdoms are assembled to serve the LORD. (23) He has broken my strength in midcourse; He has shortened my days.
(24) I say:
“My God, do not take me in the middle of my life! Your years continue through all generations.
(25) Long ago You established the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands. (26) They will perish, but You will endure; all of them will wear out like clothing. You will change them like a garment, and they will pass away.
(27) But You are the same, and Your years will never end.
(28) Your servants’ children will dwell securely, and their offspring will be established before You.”
Unfortunately, this psalmist was wrong. Not about God’s current judgment of Israel or of His favor in delivering them, but in Israel’s response.
The writer has Israel as “taking delight in the stones and dust” of Jerusalem and by extension the temple as if they would rejoice to return there and by God’s power and favor rebuild. But that is NOT what happened.
God moved upon the heart of King Cyrus the Great to release the Jews to return to Jerusalem, but history shows that only about 2% actually returned.
This was NOT a rousing response to their freedom, but rather a passive response.
It offers a snapshot in time of the heart condition of most Israelites towards the end of their Babylonian captivity.
These people had grown comfortable where they were in Babylon. They felt safe where they were. They had established new lives where they were and in fact, many had chosen the worship of other gods where they were.
One thing is certain, they clearly desired other things more than the worship and honor of God in returning to the land given them by Him.
This also tells us about the author of this Psalm. He was clearly outstanding in comparison to his fellow Jew and more than likely surrounded himself with those who were like minded – for he seemed to believe Israel would respond to their freedom to return with enthusiasm.
It was the anticipation of this writer that the response of the Jews and their love for their homeland along with the power and favor of God would cause a rebuilding of the city and temple to praise God from Jerusalem. He believed it would impact the surrounding nations towards fearing the Lord. While this did happen to a small degree, I imagine it fell far short of what this writer anticipated.
Psalm 103:1-22,
Among both Jews and Christians, this Psalm needs no real introduction. It has been a celebrated psalm probably since its composition.
In it David extols the wondrous virtues of God, such that reveal God’s character to be entirely different and far greater than all the man made gods of other nations.
David also draws attention to the Fathering heart of God in this Psalm connecting it with His compassion for Israel and by extension all those who call upon Him in faith.
“(1) Davidic.
My soul, praise the LORD, and all that is within me, praise His holy name. (2) My soul, praise the LORD, and do not forget all His benefits.
(3) He forgives all your sin; He heals all your diseases. (4) He redeems your life from the Pit; He crowns you with faithful love and compassion. (5) He satisfies you with goodness; your youth is renewed like the eagle.
(6) The LORD executes acts of righteousness and justice for all the oppressed. (7) He revealed His ways to Moses, His deeds to the people of Israel.
(8) The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and full of faithful love. (9) He will not always accuse us or be angry forever. (10) He has not dealt with us as our sins deserve or repaid us according to our offenses. (11) For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His faithful love toward those who fear Him. (12) As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.
(13) As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him. (14) For He knows what we are made of, remembering that we are dust.
(15) As for man, his days are like grass–he blooms like a flower of the field; (16) when the wind passes over it, it vanishes, and its place is no longer known. (17) But from eternity to eternity the LORD’s faithful love is toward those who fear Him, and His righteousness toward the grandchildren (18) of those who keep His covenant, who remember to observe His instructions.
(19) The LORD has established His throne in heaven, and His kingdom rules over all.
(20) Praise the LORD, all His angels of great strength, who do His word, obedient to His command.
(21) Praise the LORD, all His armies, His servants who do His will.
(22) Praise the LORD, all His works in all the places where He rules. My soul, praise the LORD!”
Psalm 104:1-35,
“(1) My soul, praise the LORD!
LORD my God, You are very great; You are clothed with majesty and splendor.
(2) He wraps Himself in light as if it were a robe, spreading out the sky like a canopy, (3) laying the beams of His palace on the waters above, making the clouds His chariot, walking on the wings of the wind, (4) and making the winds His messengers, flames of fire His servants.
(5) He established the earth on its foundations; it will never be shaken.
(6) You covered it with the deep as if it were a garment; the waters stood above the mountains.
(7) At Your rebuke the waters fled; at the sound of Your thunder they hurried away– (8) mountains rose and valleys sank–to the place You established for them.
(9) You set a boundary they cannot cross; they will never cover the earth again.
(10) He causes the springs to gush into the valleys; they flow between the mountains. (11) They supply water for every wild beast; the wild donkeys quench their thirst. (12) The birds of the sky live beside the springs; they sing among the foliage.
(13) He waters the mountains from His palace; the earth is satisfied by the fruit of Your labor.
(14) He causes grass to grow for the livestock and provides crops for man to cultivate, producing food from the earth, (15) wine that makes man’s heart glad–making his face shine with oil–and bread that sustains man’s heart.”
I thought I would pause here for a moment and show the wisdom and reliability of the scriptures above conventional wisdom and even many modern claims of nutritional science.
The wine here mentioned is the Hebrew word yahyin and means wine as we would understand it though not as strong.
This is NOT grape juice otherwise known as “new wine”.
The intention of intoxicating wine was to make man’s heart glad.
It should be noted that in the ancient world most wine only had the amount of fermentation which would occur naturally without the addition of other yeasts or sugars to draw out more fermentation. This would make the strongest wine back then 12% which was nearly always diluted with water when served. So while such wine “could” certainly make one drunk, that was NOT the intention of God in making the fermentation process possible. He DID however, intend to encourage gladness of heart.
Next is “oil to make man’s face to shine”. The oil being referenced is olive oil which as used almost exclusively in the ancient world.
It was used for skin care through direct application which it still is today. However, when taken internally it also has remarkable skin care attributes.
Consuming olive oil can improve skin oils by strengthening the skin’s natural oil production and providing fatty acids that lock in moisture.
Olive oil is also rich in antioxidants and other nutrients which further help with skin health.
Lastly we are told that God intended bread to be for “the strengthening of man’s heart”.
For years, modern nutritional science has claimed that bread is bad for heart health and can actually increase your risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and obesity.
Now the problem is that these studies are right when conducted on the bread consumed in the typical American diet. These are made with unsprouted grains, are loaded with pesticides and chemical fertilizers and are highly processed. However, the bread consumed in ancient times was altogether different and natural.
Breads made with sprouted grains can be good for your heart because they can help lower blood pressure, reduce inflammation, and manage blood sugar. It is high in potassium and fiber and helps to steady blood sugar levels.
Sprouted grains also increase antioxidants like vitamins C and E, and beta-carotene which help protect the body against cell damage.
This type of bread is easier to digest because it converts some starches into simple carbohydrates and is most likely easier to tolerate for people with gluten sensitivity.
An example of bread made with sprouted grains which is available today is Ezekiel bread which uses the ingredients God gave to the prophet Ezekiel as is mentioned in Ezekiel 4:9. Sprouting grains common in the ancient world. This may have been from wisdom or from cultivation habits which included storing grain which allowed time for sprouting before being consumed.
In modern times the press to make a profit from each harvest has inspired the production of countless foods composed of grains which are conditioned for immediate use and superficially fortified with synthetic nutrients, the benefits of which are all limited to begin with, but which are cancelled out anyway by the anti-nutrients which are in unsprouted grains.
In short, the greed inherent in capitalism is killing us!
While this passage was not originally written to compare God’s wisdom or ancient wisdom with the near destitution of common sense realized in the modern era, it does reveal that the Bible is in fact not outdated or outmoded by modern society or science.
It also offers tangible examples of man discrediting and contradicting God’s word with “modern science”. However, at the end of the day – the Bible is still right.
I use this more than nearly any other thing to steer my diet.
Whenever a “new study” shows that science has proven that eggs are bad or margarine is better than butter or dairy is bad for you or grains are unhealthy or that the sugars in fruit and honey overshadow any health benefits you might get from them or that caffeine in inherently harmful – I know they are wrong.
Most of these studies are performed in a vacuum and are advanced by evolutionary assumptions which actually set science back YEARS nearly every time rather than advancing it.
For example early studies on caffeine were largely on caffeine which was isolated from a natural source. These showed an adverse effect on living organisms. I long maintained that this was probably due to the studies introducing too much caffeine to the subjects AND that the caffeine was not chemically balanced for biological consumption. Caffeine which is naturally occurring has no detrimental effects if consumed within reason. Synthetic caffeine does not appear at present to be harmful, but is typically only found in man made consumer goods like sodas,energy drinks, dietary supplements, and even cosmetics.
Something tells me that eventually they will discover that the natural plant sources of caffeine are chemically balanced for biological consumption and that unnatural, man made caffeine added to man made consumables are less healthy.
My point is that you can stay ahead of the curve by believing that God is smarter than man and that He knew what He was doing. If God put caffeine in coffee beans He did it for a reason. If He made some more acidic and others less so – He did it for a reason. God’s not an idiot – He is the architect of the universe and knows that He’s doing. THAT is a safe assumption. That is how I knew not to be afraid of eggs and butter and salt LONG before “the science” came back around to it.
I will offer one last caveat. It would have been unwise to discredit the “science” regarding processed white bread in favor of passages like this assuming they were both the same kind of bread. Or that all milk is the same – when we began force feeding cows grain we changed their body and milk fat so that it is higher in Omega 6. Furthermore this form of omega 6 is more prone to oxidation compared to those in grass-fed cows.
This is primarily because grass-fed beef contains higher levels of antioxidants like vitamin E, which helps protect against oxidation. So when cows are allowed to eat what God designed them to eat their meat and milk is more healthy. When we force them to eat grain in order to artificially increase their size and fat for resale purposes we corrupt what God made for our good.
So be smart!
Do your research!
But this is still a safer line of thinking than anything coming out of laboratories and modern nutritional studies when they contradict scripture or even ancient wisdom.
Now let’s get back to our psalm to finish out our lesson tonight…
Picking back up in verse 14 and continuing on…
“(14) He causes grass to grow for the livestock and provides crops for man to cultivate, producing food from the earth, (15) wine that makes man’s heart glad–making his face shine with oil–and bread that sustains man’s heart.
(16) The trees of the LORD flourish, the cedars of Lebanon that He planted.
(17) There the birds make their nests; the stork makes its home in the pine trees.
(18) The high mountains are for the wild goats; the cliffs are a refuge for hyraxes.
(19) He made the moon to mark the seasons; the sun knows when to set.
(20) You bring darkness, and it becomes night, when all the forest animals stir.
(21) The young lions roar for their prey and seek their food from God. (22) The sun rises; they go back and lie down in their dens. (23) Man goes out to his work and to his labor until evening.
(24) How countless are Your works, LORD! In wisdom You have made them all; the earth is full of Your creatures.
(25) Here is the sea, vast and wide, teeming with creatures beyond number–living things both large and small. (26) There the ships move about, and Leviathan, which You formed to play there.
(27) All of them wait for You to give them their food at the right time.
(28) When You give it to them, they gather it; when You open Your hand, they are satisfied with good things.
(29) When You hide Your face, they are terrified; when You take away their breath, they die and return to the dust.
(30) When You send Your breath, they are created, and You renew the face of the earth.
(31) May the glory of the LORD endure forever; may the LORD rejoice in His works.
(32) He looks at the earth, and it trembles; He touches the mountains, and they pour out smoke.
(33) I will sing to the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God while I live.
(34) May my meditation be pleasing to Him; I will rejoice in the LORD.
(35) May sinners vanish from the earth and the wicked be no more.
My soul, praise the LORD! Hallelujah!”
Blessings!
Tri
