Doubt's Direction

WORD:

Ps 28:1-29:1 28 To you I call, O LORD my Rock; do not turn a deaf ear to me. For if you remain silent, I will be like those who have gone down to the pit. 2 Hear my cry for mercy as I call to you for help, as I lift up my hands toward your Most Holy Place. NIV	Ps 28 28 1 I pray to you, O Lord, my rock. Do not turn a deaf ear to me.  For if you are silent, I might as well give up and die. 2 Listen to my prayer for mercy as I cry out to you for help, as I lift my hands toward your holy sanctuary NLT
Ps 28 A Psalm of David. 28 Unto thee will I cry, O LORD my rock; be not silent to me: lest, if thou be silent to me, I become like them that go down into the pit. 2 Hear the voice of my supplications, when I cry unto thee, when I lift up my hands toward thy holy oracle. KJV	Ps 28 28 To you, O LORD, I call; my rock, be not deaf to me, lest, if you be silent to me, I become like those who go down to the pit. 2   Hear the voice of my pleas for mercy, when I cry to you for help, when I lift up my hands toward your most holy sanctuary. ESV

I.  Minor Key

            A. Pleas (vv. 1- 3)

1.     Hear Me! - v. 1

2.     Have Mercy! – v. 2a

3.     Help! – v. 2b

            B. Imprecation (vv. 4-5)

II. Major Key

            A. Praise (vv. 6-8)

            B. Supplication (v. 9)

David’s Pleas:

1. Hear Me!

2. Have Mercy!!

3. Help Me!!!

The intensity of his prayers is increasing as borne out by the Hebrew word translated “when I cry... for help.”

7768. uw~v* š¹wa±: A verb meaning to cry out for help, to cry out. It indicates a cry for help or of despair in general
(from The Complete Word Study Dictionary: Old Testament Copyright © 2003 by AMG Publishers. All rights reserved.)

 

The passion in his prayer is brought out by the verb stem that is always used for this word.

2348 OT:7768 uw~v* (š¹wa±) cry out (for help).
 The intensity of the action conveyed by š¹wa± is aptly illustrated by the fact that the verb occurs only in the Piel. It is used twenty-two times, most often in Psa (ten times) and Job (eight times). This leaves only four references in the rest of the OT: Isa 58:9; Lam 3:8; Jonah 2:2; Hab 1:2.
(from Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament. Copyright © 1980 by The Moody Bible Institute of Chicago. All rights reserved. Used by permission.)** the numbers you see preceding the words are the numerical system used by the particular reference work. Most us Stong’s numbering system, but may add their own as well, as you can see from the citations made above.

I consulted a Hebrew grammar reference work which said that older grammarians thought that the main intent of the Piel stem was that of intensity. This reference work disagreed –

PIEL

I. Introduction: The Pi'el does not have "Intensification" as its primary nuance, as has been suggested in the past. While "Intensification" usages do occur, it is more common for the Pi'el to bear a causative sense. This causative idea can be related to the creation of a stative* idea, either physically, mentally, or verbally.
(from Wheeler's Hebrew Syntax Notes, Copyright © 1988-2006 by Rev. Prof. Dale M. Wheeler, Ph.D. All rights reserved. Used by permission.)* expressing a state or condition rather than an activity or event, such as be or know, as opposed to run or grow (https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/stative)

Another authority said,

PIEL Its true force has always remained somewhat elusive to Semitic grammarians.(from Pocket Dictionary for the Study of Biblical Hebrew © 2003 by Todd J. Murphy. Published by InterVarsity Press. All rights reserved.)

However, Wheeler does allow for the fact that this is a stem that can refer to intensification.

II. Uses: The Pi'el can nuance the lexical meaning of a verbal root found in the Qal to indicate:A.        Intensification
(from Wheeler's Hebrew Syntax Notes, Copyright © 1988-2006 by Rev. Prof. Dale M. Wheeler, Ph.D. All rights reserved. Used by permission.)

 

Note that while this authority doesn’t see intensity as the primary use, they still list it first in a list of seven uses.

The fact that it can be used that way and that this particular word used in Psalm 28 always appears in this stem form throughout the OT would indicate to me that David is crying out with intense, passionate feelings.

It is a cry for help founded on David’s belief in God’s mercy. It grew out of God’s seeming silence. It is as if David was praying, “God? GOD? Don’t You HEAR ME?  I am calling out to YOU! Please LISTEN TO ME!! PLEASE HAVE MERCY AND HEAR MY CRY FOR HELP!!!”

Witness:

When I drove home the other morning, a beautiful sky spanned before me. There were brilliant hues of orange and blue and hints of purple, contrasted by the soft white and grey and charcoal colored clouds that bespeckled the firmament. If it weren’t for this contrast, I don’t think I would have appreciated the beauty of the brighter tones.

I saw all this through the windshield of my car which has some huge cracks in it. If I focused on the cracks, I would have missed the glory in creation altogether. In fact, if I concentrated on the cracks, I might have ended up in an accident.

 I found myself saying:

The heavens declare the glory of God;

the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

Ps 19:1 NIV

Doubt seeks to make us look only at the dark clouds and deep cracks in our circumstances. If we succumb to it, what joy we will miss. What injury we experience when our faith crashes. What dishonor we bring to the One who created the clouds, so that we may appreciate His glory. To Him, who providentially arranges the cracks to test us to see if we will focus on the fault lines, or in faith trust in the Him, who holds all things together (see Col. 1:17; Heb. 1:3)

The depth of our faith determines the direction our doubt takes...

I’m sure David was experiencing doubt as he cried out. The fact that he persevered in spite of it tells us the direction he was going and how deep his faith was. You see, the depth of our faith determines the direction our doubt takes, and the direction our doubt takes either deepens or destroys our faith.

If David had caved, think of the possible ramifications. Would his kingdom have crumbled? Would The messianic promise have been fulfilled? Would there be a Son of David?

Perhaps, after all, did not Mordechai tell Esther that if she did not intercede on behalf of her people, then help would “arise from another place” (see Esther 4:14). But think of the personal ruin as well as the devastation it would bring to David’s family (see the warning Mordecai issued to Esther concerning her and her family in Esther 4:14).

Maybe we might think, “my doubts won’t have such devastating consequences.” However, if our doubts lead us to stumble, it may set off a domino effect that causes others to fall as well. The results would be overwhelmingly ruinous to for us and for others. Note the warning Jesus gives found in Mark chapter 9.

"If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea.

Mark 9:42 NIV

Faith is the foundation upon which we build our life of joyful praise, godly philanthropy, and personal purity. If the cracks of doubt are allowed to weaken that foundation, how long will it be before the building itself starts to crumble and fall?  

 "The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell — and great was its fall."

Matt 7:27 NASU

Someone has said:

A weak faith is weakened by predicaments and catastrophes whereas a strong faith is strengthened by them. Victor Frankl
(from 1001 Quotes, Illustrations, and Humorous Stories for Preachers, Teachers, and Writers, 2008 by Christianity Today Intl. All rights reserved) Faith

However, faith is strengthened not so much by difficulties or disasters. These have no real power over our belief. No, our faith is fortified in the midst of these dilemmas by the one through whom we can endure and execute all things (Phil. 4:13; Rom. 8:31-39; 2 Cor. 12:9). Our faith is weakened when we look away from Christ and worry about our circumstances.

Faith can only be maintained and matured if its object is trustworthy. As believers we have come to know and understand that:

    Our God is faithful (Deut. 7:9; 1 Cor. 1:9; 2 Cor. 1:18) and His word is faultless (Psa. 12:6, Psa. 18:30; Prov. 30:5; John 17:17).

    Faith is delivered, and doubts are dissolved, by our triune God (1 Cor. 2:1-5; Col. 1:9-12; 2 Cor. 12:9; Eph. 3:16) and His word (Rom. 10:17)

These truths were driven home to me later that day when my daughter called me while I was sleeping. She called me to inform me that her keys were missing. She had placed her keys in the top section of her shopping cart. She said she had walked away from the cart for a second and upon returning to it, noticed that there was some clothing neatly laid in the bottom of the buggy that she had not put there. The socks she had placed in the seat section of the shopping cart were still there, but her keys were missing from it.

When I received the call, I rose and got dressed to go help. My daughter had informed me that she had already asked security to look on the video to see who took them. They told her that no one was seen taking anything from the cart.  Meanwhile, at home, I was panicking and questioning God. After all, what if someone stole her car? What if we had to get a new key for it? We didn’t have a spare because it costs a lot nowadays to get a copy of the “smart keys” they have for cars. A new key would be even more expensive.

“God, what are You doing?” “We don’t have the money for this.” “Why are we going through this?” Those were my immediate thoughts. However, I stopped abruptly in the midst of this train of thought and doubt and said, “No, I am going to trust You, Lord. You are in control.”

As I rushed out and started to drive there, I realized I had forgotten my phone. I felt I should turn around and go back and get it, but I kept going (how dependent and addicted we are to these things). For some reason, the urge to turn around grew stronger, so I turned around and returned home. By then I realized I had forgotten my glasses anyway. After retrieving these items, I started back towards the store where my daughter was waiting.

Earlier, while I was sleeping, I had received two pings on my cell phone almost back to back. I assumed it was a friend I have in Africa messaging me. I did not look at them at the time because I had not slept well, and responding to them would keep me from getting the sleep I needed. Now, while driving to the store, I looked at my phone to read the messages. It turns out that it was messages from two different people that came almost simultaneously. When I opened one of them, this was the message:

God is saying to you today,

 I know you are

Physically and emotionally drained.

But you have to keep on going.

I’LL SEE YOU THROUGH!

If I had opened this message earlier, I don’t think the words would have been so poignant or impactful. I could not thank God enough as I drove.

To make a long story short. My daughter had accidentally taken someone else’s cart in the middle of shopping and left her cart behind. Someone earlier had suggested this possibility. At the time she thought, “No because the socks I had put in the cart were still in it.” However, when I suggested the possibility she remembered she also had a Starbucks drink in the cart as well. This cart didn’t. Upon returning to the place where she had last been before she had realized the keys were gone, she found them being held at the service desk in that area.

During the time this was taking place, the Lord was reminding me of the things I have been writing about in this journal entry. I thank my God for His goodness and mercy and great patience with me. I thank my Father for the trials and testings that He sends to toughen my faith. He’s faithful to His promises (Deut. 31:6,8) –  and He is an unfailing Father  (Hebrews 12:7-11).

Worship: No Doubt by Petra

There are times when you feel like you can't go on
There are times when you feel like giving in
And there are times when you feel like you can't try anymore
There are times of trouble in believing
This test of your faith will last
As long as it takes to pass
Till you have no more doubt, you'll endure
And your faith will emerge true and pure

No doubt it'll be alright
With God, it'll all work together for good
No doubt, in the end, it will be understood
No doubt it'll all work out
With faith, He can move any mountain for us
No doubt in the power of Jesus
And after all is done, we find out
All we really need to have is no doubt

There's a time to take a “reckless” leap of faith
There's a time to be cautious and wait
And there's a way of learning from the past
That this time of trouble won't last
And sometimes we want to think we know
The ways He will choose to make us grow
But it's never the way of our choosing
And we can't always see what He's using

No doubt it'll be alright
With God, it'll all work together for good
No doubt, in the end, it will be understood
No doubt it'll all work out
With faith, He can move any mountain for us
No doubt in the power of Jesus
And after all is done, we find out
All we really need to have is no doubt

There will be winters in the seasons of our soul
With a cold and bitter wind that chills our lives
But our faith can be building a fire
That will warm us till springtime arrives

No doubt it'll be alright
With God, it'll all work together for good
No doubt, in the end, it will be understood
No doubt it'll all work out
With faith, He can move any mountain for us
No doubt in the power of Jesus
And after all is done, we find out
All we really need to have is no doubt

Songwriters: John Elefante / Robert Hartman / Ronnie Cates

No Doubt lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group

Lyrics: https://www.google.com/search?safe=active&ei=ywrZW5ihJLKf_Qaxip_gDA&q=lyrics+to+no+doubt+by+petra&oq=lyrics&gs_l=psy-ab.1.0.35i39l2j0i67l4j0i20i263i264j0l2j0i131.4978.7094..11850...0.0..0.119.662.1j5......0....1..gws-wiz.......0i71.q67v4rhzIQg

Video: https://youtu.be/bNw4idhyLL0

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