David's confident confessions

Nowadays when one uses the word "confession'", he or she is talking about something negative as the confessing to a crime or sin or a passion for eating something not good for the body. In this study that is not how I am using the word. I am using it in the secondary sense of making a formal declaration of one's beliefs or doctrine. At bottom the word means to acknowledge something. In today's world to make such a confession as David did or a Christian's confession that Jesus Christ is Lord, may make one guilty in some areas of the world. The question we must always ask ourselves is this: if it became against the law to make such confessions, would we still boldly and confidently make them?
And in a society where such statements are frowned upon and vehemently denied, do we compromise our beliefs to conform to society or do we boldly proclaim by deed and word our trust in the Lord?

When did it become breaking a rule
To say Your name out loud in school
When Your name is the only one that sets us free
When did it become incorrect
To speak the truth about life and death
When Your life gave us all eternity

Even if it gets me convicted
I’ll be on my knees with my hands lifted

If serving You is against the law of man
If living out my faith in You was banned
Then I’ll stand right before the jury
If saying ‘I believe’ is out of line
If I’m judged ‘cause I’m gonna give my life
To show the world the love that fills me
Then I want to be guilty

I’ll rise up and honor You
I’ll testify to the good You do
‘Cause your grace and Your mercy have overtaken me

Guilty by association
Guilty of being a voice proclaiming
Your ways
Your truth
Your life
I’ll pay the price to be Your light

I want to be guilty

Lyrics to a song by the Newsboys

August 30,2015

Worship: Glorious Day (Living He Loved Me) by Casting Crowns—an adaption of the hymn written by John Wilbur Chapman (1859-1918)Music:Charles Howard Marsh (1886-1956); Perfect Day by Josh Bates

One day when Heaven was filled with His praises
One day when sin was as black as could be
Jesus came forth to be born of a virgin
Dwelt among men, my example is He
Word became flesh and the light shined among us
His glory revealed

Living, He loved me
Dying, He saved me
Buried, He carried my sins far away
Rising, He justified freely forever
One day He's coming
Oh glorious day, oh glorious day

One day they led Him up Calvary's mountain
One day they nailed Him to die on a tree
Suffering anguish, despised and rejected
Bearing our sins, my Redeemer is He
Hands that healed nations, stretched out on a tree
And took the nails for me

'Cause Living, He loved me
Dying, He saved me
Buried, He carried my sins far away
Rising, He justified freely forever
One day He's coming
Oh glorious day, oh glorious day

One day the grave could conceal Him no longer
One day the stone rolled away from the door
Then He arose, over death He had conquered
Now He's ascended, my Lord evermore
Death could not hold Him, the grave could not keep Him
From rising again
Rising again

Living, He loved me
Dying, He saved me
Buried, He carried my sins far away
Rising, He justified freely forever
One day He's coming
Oh glorious day, oh glorious day

One day the trumpet will sound for His coming (For Your coming)
One day the skies with His glories will shine (Glories will shine)
Wonderful day, my Beloved One, bringing
My Savior, Jesus, is mine

Living, He loved me
Dying, He saved me
Buried, He carried my sins far away
Rising, He justified freely forever
One day He's coming
Oh glorious day, oh glorious day
Oh, glorious day

Oh, glorious day

https://youtu.be/VXp6xcY5IqU

Personal: Below is the note I wrote quickly the other day just before I left for work on Friday night:

Note for personal tomorrow. When I got up from my rest the Song, Psalm 23:  A Thankful Heart was playing. I rejoiced in the Lord. As I dressed for work, I couldn’t stop from thanking God for this experience and blessing. Chill bumps broke out and I wanted to dance before the Lord (actually I did). But He wasn’t through yet. When I came out, guess what song was playing?  A song titled Thank you Lord!

https://youtu.be/XkV2SDAEpmg

Well, I thought I might have some time Saturday, but I was very tired having slept very little that day because I helped a brother move some stuff to his new house. Now I am here Sunday (actually it has dawned into Monday) and I am tired again. It’s my middle name lately. This persistent cold doesn’t help either. Just a few thoughts for today, then I am going to bed.

WORD:

1The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. 2He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 3he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. 4Even though I walk through the darkest valley,a I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 5You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. 3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. 5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever. A Psalm of David. KJV

As noted in a previous day this is a very familiar psalm. Of this it has been described as that psalm which is:

“[K]nown and loved of all generations to this day, and perhaps the best known of any portion of Scripture. It is the most precious jewel in that treasure house of devotion, and worship, and praise we call the Psalms. Committed to memory in childhood's early years, it has been to multitudes the comfort of life's closing years. It has dried many a tear and dissipated many fears. It forms the mold into which the faith of countless saints has been poured.”

(from Names of God, Copyright 1944 by The Moody Bible Institute of Chicago.)

The first verse is brief but packed with meaning. Stored up in it is a treasure trove of blessing and provision for us, His sheep. David shares some of those treasures in this short psalm, but one has to the plumb the depths of scripture to find them all and some might say that even then we may not know all till we arrive in glory!

Here we are introduced to a name of God hitherto not revealed in scripture-- Jehovah-Rohi. Genesis 48:15 intimates the concept in the blessing of Joseph by Israel.

The NIV says:

Then he blessed Joseph and said, "May the God before whom my fathers

Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd

all my life to this day,”

The KJV Says:

And he blessed Joseph, and said, God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which fed me all my life long unto this day,”

 The words used there are “haa-’Elohiym haaro‘eh’(the word order has been reversed so you can see the difference better) in Psalm 23 the words are “Yahweh ro‘iy”.

Interlinear Transliterated Bible. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved. [For more detail see the full copyright page.]

Keil & Delitzsch translate it this way:

           

"The God (Ha-Elohim) before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God (Ha-Elohim) who hath fed me (led and provided for me with a shepherd's faithfulness, Ps 23:1; 28:9)

(from Keil and Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament: New Updated Edition, Electronic Database. Copyright © 1996 by Hendrickson Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.)

So, while the concept may have been expressed somewhat in the past the actual name whether formally or informally is introduced in Psalm 23.

Nathan Stone says, in his classic book on the names of God, concerning this name:

“The name Jehovah-Rohi means Jehovah my Shepherd. It is that most precious designation of Jehovah which begins the Twenty-third Psalm, where it is translated, "The Lord is my shepherd." Perhaps it is not so specifically a name of Jehovah as the other names which have been studied, but no designation of Jehovah has brought more comfort to the heart or sounded sweeter to the ears of the saints of both Old and New Testaments, ancient and modern, than this beautiful expression.”

(from Names of God, Copyright 1944 by The Moody Bible Institute of Chicago.)

Notice David’s confident confession here.

First, it is a confident confession that distinguishes:

The LORD is my Shepherd. Yahweh, not Ashe'rah, Ba’al, Che’mosh, Dagon, Mo’lech, Ne’bo nor any of the other multitude of god’s the pagans worshiped. Not a god of something, but the God of everything¹. Not a god located somewhere, but a God who was everywhere². Not a god born of a god, but the self-existing God of eternity³. This was David’s God and all who, with God’s given discernment, name Yahweh as their one and only God, who is the one and only true God⁴.

Second, it is a confident confession of declaration:

 The LORD is my Shepherd. There is no doubt in his mind. There is no pleading or requesting: “LORD please be… may You be… won’t You be my Shepherd? Alright, no bursting into song now to the tune of Mr. Rogers! This is serious business here. A believer must see himself as a sheep of God’s pasture (see Psalm 95:7, 100:3; Ez. 34:31) or he will wander constantly and live in constant dread and harm.

Third, it is a confident confession of designation:

The LORD is my Shepherd. In times past God may have revealed Himself as Provider, or Protector, or Peace but here David calls Him his Pastor. This is a name David gives to the Lord. David understands what it means to be a shepherd, so it is significant that he calls Him by this designation - more on shepherds later. From the New Testament we learn that Our Lord Jesus calls Himself the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for His sheep (John 10:11). He is the Good Shepherd who knows His sheep and they know Him and they know His voice and they follow Him (John 10:14, 27).

This is the confident confession of all God’s followers and we invite, declare, and exhort with confidence:

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.

 Worship the Lord with gladness;

come before him with joyful songs.

Know that the Lord is God.

It is he who made us, and we are his;

we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Ps 100:1-3 NIV

¹ Psalm 74:13-17; Psalm 135:5-6

² Psalm 139:7-10; 2 Chronicles 2:5-6

³ Psalm 90:2; Psalm 93:2

⁴ Psalm 18:31; Psalm 83:18