Good and Upright is the LORD

August 1, 2016

Worship: Kindness by Chris Thomlin

Open up the skies of mercy
And rain down the cleansing flood
Healing waters rise around us
Hear our cries Lord let 'em rise
Open up the skies of mercy
And rain down the cleansing flood
Healing waters rise around us
Hear our cries Lord let 'em rise

It's Your kindness Lord
That leads us to repentance
Your favor Lord, is our desire
It's Your beauty Lord
That makes us stand in silence
Your love
Your love
Is better than life

We can feel
Your mercy falling
You are turnin our hearts back again
Hear our praises rise to heaven
Draw us near Lord
Meet us here

It's Your kindness Lord
That leads us to repentance
Your favor Lord, is our desire
It's Your beauty Lord
That makes us stand in silence
Your love
Your love

It's Your kindness Lord
That leads us to repentance
Your favor Lord, is our desire
It's Your beauty Lord
That makes us stand in silence
Your love
Your love
Is better than life
Is better than life

Your love

Open up the skies of mercy
And rain down the cleansing flood
Healing waters rise around us
Hear our cries Lord let 'em rise

Video: https://youtu.be/ekAMBWcAn7E

Witness:

I was reading a devotional written by Chuck Swindoll earlier today (well actually yesterday now). Actually it was a devotional book which pairs a scripture each day with an excerpt from one of the many books he has written. The scripture was from Isaiah 26:4:

Trust in the Lord forever,

For in God the Lord, we have an everlasting Rock.

NASB

Or more literally:

Trust in Yahweh forever;

For in Yah, Yahweh, is an everlasting Rock.

WEB

Here is the devotional thought in its entirety:

It doesn't always make sense---in fact . . . it is often mysterious. It can seldom be explained. It isn't always pleasurable and fun.

But I have lived long enough to realize that His way is always right. . . .

I believe that not until we embrace God's sovereignty will we have the ability to reason our way through life.

Until then we will be too important in the plan. Man's opinion will be too significant to us. And we will churn and wrestle and struggle our way through this Christian life, trying too hard to please people rather than living it relieved and relaxed in His plan.

http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/insight-for-living/read/devotionals/todays-insight-from-chuck-swindoll/today-s-insight-october-19-2012-11679729.html

As I meditated on this my mind went to the old phrase, “God is my co-pilot.” Now you may ask why I went there. If you understood my mind you would see that my mind can make weird associations with things that seem unrelated but really are. Chuck spoke of embracing God’s sovereignty. He also spoke about our own self-importance or the opinion of man as being factors in keeping us from embracing that sovereignty.

So, you ask again, “how does that relate to this phrase?”  It relates in this way. I have always taken exception to this phrase. God is not my co-pilot, I object. He is my Pilot! He is in control. He is sovereign. Are you beginning to see where I am going with this? As I meditated further, I began to think about the variations we could take on this phrase representing various extremes. The first, is that God is my pilot and I am the passenger. Another, is that God is my pilot and I am His co-pilot. Finally, we could say God is my co-pilot or even worse, He is my passenger!

As I ended my thoughts on this earlier, I landed (pun intended) on the thought that I am God’s co-pilot. I thought of the verse in 1 Corinthians 3:9:

For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building. NIV (84)

A few chapters later we read:

                As God's fellow workers we urge you not to receive God's grace in vain.

                 2 Cor 6:1 NIV (84)

Or as the ESV translates it:

              Working together with him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace

              of God in vain. ESV

I arrived at this thought because to be a mere passenger would imply that I just sit back and enjoy the flight. As a co-worker with God I am actively involved but not in charge.

As I have had time to think further I realize that like all analogies relating to God, they break down. In the end, my place can be seen in all three of these roles.

As a passenger, I place my trust in the pilot (i.e. God) to get me where I am going. Where the analogy breaks down here is that God has chosen the destination not me.

As a co-pilot, I am active in serving my pilot in the mission to fly to a certain destination. The analogy breaks down here because a co-pilot knows how to fly the plane to the destination if the Pilot is incapacitated. I do not know exactly how to get to the destination and God will never become incapacitated, though He may allow me to fly the plane sometimes which can be quite scary as I veer off course from time to time. Here that analogy also breaks down, for even when I veer off course God’s hand is still in control - His hand is still on the stick – allowing me to veer but correcting me when He sees fit.

Finally, in some ways I am a pilot in training. God is teaching me how to fly. My instruction manual is His WORD. My instrumental panel the Holy Spirit. My inspiration His Son who not only purchased the plane I fly but has already flown it and broke the death barrier and is waiting for me at the end of my flight!

WORD:

Ps 25:8-10  Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in his ways. 9 He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way. 10 All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful for those who keep the demands of his covenant.

Ps 25:8-10 8 The Lord is good and does what is right; he shows the proper path to those who go astray. 9 He leads the humble in doing right, teaching them his way. 10 The Lord leads with unfailing love and faithfulness all who keep his covenant and obey his demands. Holy Bible, New Living Translation ®, copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.

Ps 25:8-10 8 Good and upright is the Lord: therefore will he teach sinners in the way. 9 The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way. 10 All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies. KJV

Ps 25:8-10 8 Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in the way. 9 He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way. 10 All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies. ESV

We now take a look at the second word in this couplet- “upright”. A word study reveals these things about this word.

UPRIGHT

A. Adjective.

yashar OT:3477, "upright; right; righteous; just." … When yashar pertains to people, it is best translated "just" or "upright." God is the standard of uprightness for His people: "Good and upright is the Lord: therefore will he teach sinners in the way" Ps 25:8. His word Ps 33:4, judgments Ps 19:9, and ways Hos 14:9 reveal His uprightness and are a blessing to His people.

(from Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, Copyright © 1985, Thomas Nelson Publishers.)

   

RIGHT

I. In the OT. — The Hebrew root most commonly rendered "right" is ‎ysr‎. The verb ‎yasar ‎literally means "go straight" but in ethical contexts means "be upright." Derivatives include the adjective ‎yasar ‎("upright") and the nouns ‎yOier ‎and ‎meg¹rîm‎, both of which denote "straightness" or "uprightness." ‎Yagar ‎is used to describe God's ways (Deut 32:4; Hos 14:9 [MT :10 ]), His precepts (Ps 19:8 [MT :9 ]), His judgments (119:137), and His ordinances (Neh 9:13).

(from International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, revised edition, Copyright © 1979 by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. All rights reserved.)

   

‎y¹š¹r‎. Upright. The attributive adjective is used to emphasize an attribute of: a. God, describing his reign over his people (Deut 32:4), his ways (Hos 14:9 ), words (Ps 111:8), and judgments (Ps 119:137)…

(from Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament. Copyright © 1980 by The Moody Bible Institute of Chicago. All rights reserved. Used by permission.)

   

OT:3477* yashar —

straight, upright, correct, right

a)       straight, level

b)      right, pleasing, correct

c)       straightforward, just, upright, fitting, proper

d)      uprightness, righteous, upright

e)       what is upright (substantive)

(from The Online Bible Thayer's Greek Lexicon and Brown Driver & Briggs Hebrew Lexicon, Copyright © 1993, Woodside Bible Fellowship, Ontario, Canada. Licensed from the Institute for Creation Research.)

Looking at the depth of meaning for this word it seems that when referring to God or people it is translated normally upright or righteous. When it refers to conduct it is translated right. In my research, I came across an interesting passage that versions have translated in a way that is not normative. In other words, there are a few passages where the context makes the translators diverge from translating it “upright’ or “right” but even then they still contain the words upright and right as part of the word used (i.e. – “uprightness”; “what is right”, etc.).

In 2 Kings 10:3 contains the word “yashar” but it is translated this way in the NASB:

select the best and fittest of your master's sons, and set him on his father's throne, and fight for your master's house. 2 Kings 10:3

The updated version of the NASB does have a note saying – “Lit most upright”

Other versions have: “most worthy” NIV, “best qualified” NKJV, “most fit” AMP.

Notice the word “best” that proceeds “fittest”. The Hebrew word used is the word “towb”. Sound familiar? It’s the same word translated in psalm 25:8 as “Good”. The HCSB translates this verse this way:

select the most qualified^b of your master's sons, set him on his father's throne, and fight for your master's house.

(from Holman Christian Standard Bible® Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005 by Holman Bible Publishers.)

The translators have chosen to combine the two adjectives into one adjectival phrase. Notice the ^b next to the word qualified. This refers to a note which says – “Lit the good and the upright”

2 Kings 10:3 was a challenge given by Jehu, who was God’s instrument in destroying the dynasty of Ahab and Jezebel. It was a challenge for war, not for finding a morally upright leader. Unlike Jehu’s challenge, our LORD goes unchallenged as “good and upright”. He is the most qualified, the best and fittest, and the most worthy of all!