April 15, 2016
Worship: Show Us Christ by Sovereign Grace
Prepare our hearts, O God
Help us to receive
Break the hard and stony ground
Help our unbelief
Plant Your Word down deep in us
Cause it to bear fruit
Open up our ears to hear
Lead us in Your truth
Chorus
Show us, Christ, show us, Christ
O God, reveal Your glory
Through the preaching of Your Word
Until every heart confesses Christ is Lord
Verse 2
Your Word is living light
Upon our darkened eyes
Guards us through temptations
Makes the simple wise
Your Word is food for famished ones
Freedom for the slave
Riches for the needy soul
Come speak to us today
Bridge
Where else can we go, Lord
Where else can we go
You have the words of eternal life
Credits:
Music by Doug Plank, words by Doug Plank and Bob Kauflin
© 2011 Sovereign Grace Worship (ASCAP)/Sovereign Grace Praise (BMI)
credits
from The Gathering: Live from WorshipGod11, released November 15, 2011
Witness:
Another gap of days. It’s actually 2:17 am. I took Thursday night/Friday morning off from work because I thought I was going to have company spending the night. That fell through. While I missed fellowshipping with some old friends; Thursday night was still a good time of fellowship for me with my Band of Brothers. It was board breaking night. The night we write on a board the sins we have in our life that still need to be broken. When finished we discuss them in our platoons and then pair up and pray with a brother over these challenges in our lives. When through we line up in two lines facing each other. Then the brothers facing each other swap boards. One side of the line holds the board up and braces themselves as the one who owns the board proceeds to break the board with the palm of his hand symbolizing his break with what is written on the board. Then the other side picks up the others board, and the process is repeated. It is an awesome night that we all look forward to. My board contained in big words “Fear,” and then I listed all the fears I could think of that hold me back, or I am afraid will happen. One thing I fear is my failure in ministry to others. I also fear I don’t have the ability to be creative when it comes to teaching, or the wisdom when it comes to counseling. I have to face the fact that I lack self-confidence. “Not in a fleshly way, for I put no confidence in the flesh,” but wait… perhaps that is what I was looking for. Perhaps I was fearful because I was seeking a feeling of confidence in my own abilities and then giving feign recognition to God as the source of my confidence. This misplaced trust - this “trust” that we often won’t admit to or even recognize – is what is the source of fear and my failure. I must learn to place my trust in the Lord who is working out the gift(s) He has given me in my life. This is part of my salvation process as seen in Philippians 2:12c-13:
“… continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” NIV
WORD:
Ps 25:4-5
4 Show me your ways, O Lord,
teach me your paths;
5 guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my Savior,
and my hope is in you all day long.
NIV
|
Ps 25:4-5
4 Make me to know your ways, O Lord;
teach me your paths.
5 Lead me in your truth and teach me,
for you are the God of my salvation;
for you I wait all the day long.
ESV
|
Ps 25:4-5
4 Show me the right path, O Lord;
point out the road for me to follow.
5 Lead me by your truth and teach me,
for you are the God who saves me.
All day long I put my hope in you.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation ®, copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.
|
Ps 25:4-5
4 Make me know Your ways, O Lord;
Teach me Your paths.
5 Lead me in Your truth and teach me,
For You are the God of my salvation;
For You I wait all the day.
NASU
|
Both the NIV and the NLT translate the Hebrew word yada by the word “Show.” ESV and NASU use the word “Know.” Both are accurate.
Vines has this to say about the word:
KNOW
Essentially yada means: (1) to know by observing and reflecting (thinking), and (2) to know by experiencing… Thirdly, this verb can represent that kind of knowing which one learns and can give back.(from Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, Copyright © 1985, Thomas Nelson Publishers.)
The TWOT adds:
In certain contexts, it means "to distinguish." "To know good and evil" (Gen 3:5,22) is the result of disobeying God. To distinguish between these is necessary for the king (2 Sam 19:36). A child cannot distinguish between the left and right hands (Jonah 4:11) nor between good and evil (Deut 1:39; Isa 7:15). The context of the latter passage and the similar statement in Isa 8:4 may indicate that the reference is to a child's not being able to distinguish what is beneficial and harmful. While ordinarily gained by experience, knowledge is also the contemplative perception possessed by the wise man (Prov 1:4; Prov 2:6; Prov 5:2; Eccl 1:18).
(from Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament. Copyright © 1980 by The Moody Bible Institute of Chicago. All rights reserved. Used by permission.)
Thus, I believe David is crying out for knowing the right from the wrong both morally and practically in his life. He is also calling on the Lord to help him understand how God acts in this world so he can follow those ways.
Barnes observes:
The "ways" of God are His methods of administering the affairs of the world; His dispensations; the rules which He has prescribed for Himself in the execution of His plans; the great laws by which He governs the universe. Deut 32:4, "All his ways are judgment; a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he." The prayer of the psalmist is, that he may be able to understand the methods of the divine government; the principles upon which God bestows happiness and salvation; the rules which He has been pleased to prescribe for human conduct; the arrangements by which He confers favors upon mankind; the scheme by which He saves people. The idea evidently is that he might understand so much of this as to regulate his own conduct aright; that he might not lean upon his own understanding, or trust to His own guidance, but that He might always be under the guidance and direction of God.(from Barnes' Notes, Electronic Database Copyright © 1997, 2003, 2005, 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)
There is an urgency in this prayer that might not show up in English. The form of this verb is in the imperative. Now when we think of a word being in the imperative, we immediately think of the word being some sort of command, but this is not always so. I don’t think “Show me” or “Make me” are meant to be construed as commands or demands by David towards God. This is the information I found about Hebrew imperatives:
Hebrew ImperativeThe imperative often represents a direct command demanding an immediate response. It differs from volitional Imperfect in being more urgent and demanding immediate, specific action from the addressee. Many contexts demand a less forceful meaning: advice, counsel, invitation, wish, request, or petition.(from Wheeler's Hebrew Syntax Notes, Copyright © 1988-2006 by Rev. Prof. Dale M. Wheeler, Ph.D. All rights reserved. Used by permission.)
Wheeler goes on to describe the way the imperative is used that I believe pertains to this verse.
Request or Petition: The speaker may use an imperative to convey a request to humans or a petition to God. The imperative conveys respect and full dignity.Ø "Arise (hm*Wq), O God, judge (hf*p=v*) the earth." (Ps 83:8 )Ø "Gehazi said, '... Please give (aN`-hn`T=) them a talent of silver and two sets of clothing.'" (2 Kings 5:22)(from Wheeler's Hebrew Syntax Notes, Copyright © 1988-2006 by Rev. Prof. Dale M. Wheeler, Ph.D. All rights reserved. Used by permission.)
I cannot but help think that David is showing “respect and full dignity” as well as conveying an “urgency’ in his petition to God! Like a person lost and out in the middle of nowhere may cry out for help. He needs direction, but he doesn’t demand them but humbly pleads for guidance by someone who knows where they are and is also able to give them directions on where they want to go. So too, David is pleading for direction in his life.
As I write this portion, a song is playing in the background that gives the answer for our source of direction in our lives, and I think I will end here with the lyrics and a link to the song.
Holy words long preserved
For our walk in this world
They resound with God's own heart
Oh, let the ancient words impart
Words of Life, words of Hope
Give us strength, help us cope
In this world, where e'er we roam
Ancient words will guide us home
Ancient words ever true
Changing me and changing you
We have come with open hearts
Oh, let the ancient words impart
Holy words of our Faith
Handed down to this age
Came to us through sacrifice
Oh heed the faithful words of Christ
Holy words long preserved
For our walk in this world
They resound with God's own heart
Oh let the ancient words impart
Ancient words ever true
Changing me and changing you
We have come with open hearts
Oh, let the ancient words impart
Songwriters: FREEMAN, RONNIE C. JR. / WOOD, TONY W.
Ancient Words lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Video: https://youtu.be/JIF3GQJF72g?list=RDMM_rR_Rdb1CTE
No comments:
Post a Comment