Journal for Christ: Three Questions I Ask Myself

Sorry for the long hiatus. The reasons will become clear in what I wrote

December 6, 2018

WORD:

Ps 28:1-5

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.

3 Do not drag me away with the wicked,

with those who do evil,

who speak cordially with their neighbors

but harbor malice in their hearts.

4 Repay them for their deeds

and for their evil work;

repay them for what their hands have done

and bring back upon them what they deserve.

5 Since they show no regard for the works of the Lord

and what his hands have done,

he will tear them down

and never build them up again.

NIV

Ps 28:1-5

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.

3 Do not drag me away with the wicked—

with those who do evil—

those who speak friendly words to their neighbors

while planning evil in their hearts.

4 Give them the punishment they so richly deserve!

Measure it out in proportion to their wickedness.

Pay them back for all their evil deeds!

Give them a taste of what they have done to others.

5 They care nothing for what the Lord has done

or for what his hands have made.

So he will tear them down,

and they will never be rebuilt!

Ps 28:1-5

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.

3 Draw me not away with the wicked, and with the workers of iniquity, which speak peace to their neighbours, but mischief is in their hearts.

4 Give them according to their deeds, and according to the wickedness of their endeavours: give them after the work of their hands; render to them their desert.

5 Because they regard not the works of the LORD, nor the operation of his hands, he shall destroy them, and not build them up.

KJV

Ps 28:1-5

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.

3 Do not drag me off with the wicked,

with the workers of evil,

who speak peace with their neighbors

while evil is in their hearts.

4 Give to them according to their work

and according to the evil of their deeds;

give to them according to the work of their hands;

render them their due reward.

5 Because they do not regard the works of the Lord

or the work of his hands,

he will tear them down and build them up no more.

ESV

I. Minor Key: vv. 1-5

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: vv. 6-9

A. Praise (vv. 6-8)

B. Supplication (v. 9)

If you look at the various versions and how they break this Psalm down into paragraphs or sections, most divide it into 4 segments. The usual breakdown is verses 1-2, 4-5, 6-7, and 8-9 (ex. NIV, NLT, ESV, HCSB, NRSV). The NASB in its various versions divides it simply into to segments, verses 1-5 and 6-9 much like the two major points in my outline. Probably along the lines of prayer (1-5) and Praise (6-9). The TEV includes verse 3 with verses 1-2.

Each has its merit. If we break it down by who are the subjects in each section, then The TEV might be right. The outline might look something like this:

I. David (vv. 1-3) – David is speaking concerning himself

II. David’s enemies (vv. 4-5) – David is speaking concerning his enemies

III. The Lord and David (vv. 6-7) – David is speaking about the Lord in relation to himself

IV. The Lord and His people (vv. 8-9) – David is speaking about the Lord in relation to His people

To avoid any quandary over where verse 3 should go the NASB might be best.

I. Pleas & Petitions (vv. 1-5)

II. Praise & Pronouncements (vv. 6-9)

If we follow the majority of versions then the breakdown might center around these focuses:

I. David focuses on himself (vv. 1-2)

II. David focuses on his enemies (vv. 3-5)

III. David focuses on the Lord (vv. 6-7)

IV. David Focus expands to include all of God’s people (vv. 8-9)

My own outline is a hybrid of them all with a further separation of verse 9 from vv. 6-8. It was difficult to include an actual subpoint to verse three as part of my outline. Not one which would fit my alliteration. Perhaps “Don’t haul me” might work😊 as subpoint 4. Verse three gives specificity to his previous pleas and serves as a segue to verses four and five.

There is similarity between verse 3 of this Psalm and Psalm 26:9-11 which says:

⁹ Do not take away my soul along with sinners,

my life with bloodthirsty men,

¹⁰ in whose hands are wicked schemes,

whose right hands are full of bribes.

¹¹ But I lead a blameless life;

redeem me and be merciful to me.

NIV

In Psalm 26 he chooses to end on a note of comparison and an appeal for mercy. In Psalm 28 the contrast is implied, and the plea for mercy has preceded the petition.

What is David talking about when he says, “do not drag me away with the wicked” in verse 3? Many commentaries view this verse is referring to judgment. In fact, the translators of the Septuagint add the word sunapole/sh|$ which translated means:

to destroy somebody together with somebody

It would seem that they did this because they saw the similarities of this verse with Psalm 26:9. In fact, this very same word is used in that passage in the phrase “do not take my soul along with sinners” Ps 26:9 NIV.

If we take this to refer to judgment, it seems to open up a tension for us as I noted in Psalm 26. It is the same question Abraham asked of God back in Genesis:

Gen 18:23

Then Abraham approached him and said: "Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked?

NIV

However, I do not believe that David really thought that if he suffered the same fate as the “wicked,” God was actually punishing him because the Lord looked upon Him as wicked as well. He may have had his doubts due to His silence so far. But at the end of the day, he was confident in the justice and mercy of the Lord.

For one thing, I think, as with Abraham, he was concerned for God’s reputation. Some might infer that the Lord was like the capricious gods of the surrounding nations. He believed that God would not arbitrarily lump him in with the wicked when God brought judgment on them.

When we speak of judgment, we tend to think of the final judgment, but David probably was concerned about a more local and temporal punishment resulting in death as the final outcome here on earth.

Calvin points out:

3. Draw me not away with wicked men. The meaning is, that in circumstances so dissimilar, God should not mingle the righteous with the wicked in the same indiscriminate destruction. Undoubtedly, too, in speaking of his enemies, he indirectly asserts his own integrity. But he did not pray in this manner, because he thought that God was indiscriminately and unreasonably angry with men; he reasons rather from the nature of God, that he ought to cherish good hope, because it was God's prerogative to distinguish between the righteous and the wicked, and to give every one his due reward.
(from Calvin's Commentaries, PC Study Bible formatted electronic database Copyright © 2005-2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)

That is the upward look. David’s hope in the goodness and righteousness of God. However, I believe there may be an inward look implied as well.

Barnes says:

The reason of the prayer seems to have been that the psalmist, being at this time under a strong temptation to associate with wicked persons, and feeling the force of the temptation, was apprehensive that he should be left to "yield" to it, and to become associated with them. Deeply conscious of this danger, he earnestly prays that he may not be left to yield to the power of the temptation, and fall into sin. So the Saviour (Matt 6:13) has taught us to pray, "And lead us not into temptation." None who desire to serve God can be insensible to the propriety of this prayer. The temptations of the world are so strong; the amusements in which the world indulges are so brilliant and fascinating; they who invite us to partake of their pleasures are often so elevated in their social position, so refined in their manners, and so cultivated by education; the propensities of our hearts for such indulgences are so strong by nature; habits formed before our conversion are still so powerful; and the prospect of worldly advantages from compliance with the customs of those around us are often so great that we cannot but feel that it is proper for us to go to the throne of grace, and to plead earnestly with God that he will keep us and not suffer us to fall into the snare.(from Barnes' Notes, Electronic Database Copyright © 1997-2014 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Ironside’s makes this application:

The Psalmist recognizes that he is in the midst of enemies, and every believer must see that, and so David prays that he might not learn their ways-“Draw me not away with the wicked, and with the workers of iniquity, which speak peace to their neighbors, but mischief is in their hearts.” You never saw anybody like that, did you? You never saw a person like that in your mirror, did you? We can be so soft and sweet and nice, and all the time mischief is in the heart. David says, “I do not want to be like that.”(from Ironside Commentaries, PC Study Bible formatted electronic database Copyright © 2012 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Gill gives three possible reasons for making this petition:

... the sense is, that God would not suffer him to be drawn away, or drawn aside by wicked men, but that he would deliver him from temptation; or that he would not give him up into their hands, to be at their mercy; who he knew would not spare him, if they had him in their power; or that he might not die the death of the wicked, and perish with them; see Ps 26:9,10(from John Gill's Exposition of the Old and New Testaments, PC Study Bible formatted electronic database Copyright © 2011 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Matthew Henry says:

v. 3. 1. "Save me from being entangled in the snares they have laid for me. They flatter and cajole me, and speak peace to me; but they have a design upon me, for mischief is in their heart; they aim to disturb me, nay, to destroy me. Lord, suffer me not to be drawn away and ruined by their cursed plots; for they have, can have, no power, no success, against me, except it be given them from above." 2. "Save me from being infected with their sins and from doing as they do. Let me not be drawn away by their fallacious arguments, or their allurements, from the holy oracle (where I desire to dwell all the days of my life), to practice any wicked works;" see Ps 141:4. "Lord, never leave me to myself, to use such arts of deceit and treachery for my safety as they use to my ruin. Let no event of Providence be an invincible temptation to me, to draw me either into the imitation or into the interest of wicked people." Good men dread the way of sinners; the best are sensible of the danger they are in of being drawn aside into it; and therefore we should all pray earnestly to God for his grace to keep us in our integrity. 3. "Save me from being involved in their doom; let me not be led forth with the workers of iniquity, for I am not one of those that speak peace while war is in their hearts." Note, those that are careful not to partake with sinners in their sins have reason to hope that they shall not partake with them in their plagues, Rev 18:4.(from Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible, PC Study Bible Formatted Electronic Database Copyright © 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All Rights reserved.)

So, we see David’s revulsion at the thought that God would act unrighteously. We observe him wrestling with inner temptations. We perceive the repulsion David as *a man after God’s heart, of ever becoming involved in the actions and destiny of the ungodly. I have to ask myself these questions:

· Do I ever pray in this manner?

· Do I have the same concern for God’s reputation?

· Do I feel the same disgust towards sin and becoming involved with those who practice such things

Maclaren captures that feeling in this statement on verse 3:

The shuddering recoil from the fate of the wicked is accompanied with vehement loathing of their practices. A man who keeps his heart in touch with God cannot but shrink, as from a pestilence, from complicity with evil, and the depth of his hearty hatred of it is the measure of his right to ask that he may not share in the ruin it must bring, since God is righteous.(from The Expositor's Bible, PC Study Bible formatted electronic database Copyright © 2013 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Finally (some of you reading are saying the same thing 😊 ), even though David may have had a more temporal view here concerning judgement, the believer can extrapolate from it a view concerning the final judgement and our present practices.

Spurgeon says aptly:

David fears lest he should be bound up in their bundle, drawn to their doom; and the fear is an appropriate one for every godly man. The best of the wicked are dangerous company in time, and would make terrible companions for eternity; we must avoid them in their pleasures, if we would not be confounded with them in their miseries.(from The Treasury of David, Biblesoft formatted electronic database Copyright © 2014 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)

* See 1 Sam 13:14; 1 Kings 15:3; Acts 13:22

Lord,

Take me not in judgment fair

Though I undeserving of Your mercy

Ever finding ways to err

A truth without controversy

Drawn by the attractions of the world

Let me not succumb to its trappings

In the cup of wrath be not swirled

Nor clothed in all its wrappings

Adorn me with a robe of righteousness

Washed in the priceless blood of Christ

Daily may I fight in this

And naught by the world be enticed

– Amen

Isa 61:10

I will greatly rejoice in the Lord;

my soul shall exult in my God,

for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation;

he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,

as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress,

and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

ESV

Witness:

Days grow shorter as we head towards the winter solstice. It is a yearly phenomenon, yet I am still unsettled by the diming of the sunshine even at high noon. The tilting of the earth seems to bring a shift in my mood. When you add loneliness into the mix, melancholy tries to settle on my spirit and not let go. Every year I say I am going to celebrate Christmas. I am going to experience the joy and peace heralded by the angels at His birth long ago. Yet here it is December 6, and I haven’t done anything more than listened to Christmas music, put up my tree, and watch some holiday movies.

I have allowed the stresses in my life to invade my soul. Things I should be free of by now still cling to me: fret, fatigue, and fear of loss. Daily I fight for faith. Every day I cry out for His presence, and I know He hears me, but too often I feel like He is silent and distant. Too often my prayers lately are disjointed and messy. I have struggled over a week on this journal entry. There have been times of productive study, but for most of the days I would write only a line or two and have to quit because I am tired and in the case of the last 3 days, sick.

But I recall the last segment of my poem and the robe of righteousness He has clothed me in. In this, I fight the darkness that encroaches on my joy and seeks to place a shadow over my peace. I will rejoice in His faithful wounds that strengthen my faith. A friend of mine is writing a whole Bible study on this truth. Sometimes God breaks us so that when we heal, we will actually be stronger than before.

There is a statement attributed to Oswald Chambers that says,

Before God can use a man greatly, he must wound him deeply.

I cannot find the original source where he said this. I can document this pertinent quote from him,

If we are ever going to be made into wine, we will have to be crushed—you cannot drink grapes. Grapes become wine only when they have been squeezed. (from the devotional: My Utmost For His Highest, Sept 30^th entry)

Tozer says something very similar,

It is doubtful whether God can bless a man greatly until he has hurt him deeply.

I found a brief article written by Nancy Guthry – the host of the radio program Help Me Teach the Bible (one can hear this program on Refnet online) where she tells of hearing various versions of this truth. She wanted to know the original source when researching for a book she was writing.

Here is what she says,

I found something similar by A.W. Tozer, included in his book, The Root of the Righteous where he wrote, “It is doubtful whether God can bless a man greatly until he has hurt him deeply.” What I found most intriguing is the context in which Tozer makes the statement. He draws a picture that helps us to see the sense in his hard-hitting proposition:

The flaming desire to be rid of every unholy thing and to put on the likeness of Christ at any cost is not often found among us. We expect to enter the everlasting kingdom of our Father and to sit down around the table with sages, saints and martyrs; and through the grace of God, maybe we shall; yes maybe we shall. But for the most of us it could prove at first an embarrassing experience. Ours might be the silence of the untried soldier in the presence of the battle-hardened heroes who have fought the fight and won the victory and who have scars to prove that they were present when the battle was joined.

Tozer continues by saying that it is “necessary” for God to use suffering in his holy work of preparing his saints, adding, “It is doubtful whether God can bless a man greatly until he has hurt him deeply.”https://www.crossway.org/articles/must-we-be-hurt-deeply-to-be-used-significantly/

Therefore, it occurs to me that far from being a sign of His absence, suffering is actually a sign of His loving presence. That He is not silent but speaks through my pain. When I am lethargic or walking in my sleep as a believer, He may shout to me through some pain He brings to wake me up from my slumbering. When I begin to run and hide from Him to avoid any further pain, He whispers, “What are you doing here” (2 Kings 19:13). When I feel like giving up because the pain has lasted “too long,” He reminds me of these promises:

Ø ⁸ Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. ⁹ Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.

¹⁰ And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.

¹¹ To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

1 Peter 5:8-11 ESV

Ø ³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴ to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, ⁵ who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. ⁶ In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, ⁷ so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 1:3-8

Ø Blessed are those who persevere under trial, because when they have stood the test, they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. James 1:12 TNIV

Ø Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. ³ Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; ⁴ perseverance, character; and character, hope. ⁵ And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. Rom 5:1-5 NIV

Ø But he knows the way that I take;

when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.

Job 23:10 NIV

The sun dimly lights a clear blue sky

As autumn wanes and winter draws nigh

A cold breeze chills my thin clad flesh

I try to pray, but my words don’t seem to mesh

My hope is waning like the light of winter

And sadness festers from an emotional splinter

Embedded deeply with the jagged edges of rejection

Only a sliver of hope left to fight its infection

I pray, and I pray, but silence fills the air

Oh God can’t You hear me, don’t You care?

The enemy’s taunts billow around me

“God doesn’t care don’t you see?”

Then I opened the book and heard God speak

“The enemy is a liar, your good he does not seek.”

“And I am not silent to those who have ears to hear.”

“To the humble in heart, to those who draw near.”

“I may shout in your pain, I may whisper in your fears.”

“I am there in all your struggles, I store up all your tears.”

“I will not leave you of this you can be sure.”

“Just stand upon my promises, My words are true and pure.”

*******************************

Come, Lord Jesus, be my life

Amidst the sorrows and the strife

Be my strength all the day

In the battles, among the fray

- Amen

Worship: Your Heart (David) by Chris Tomlin

[Verse 1]

It never was about the oil dripping from my head

I never did dream beyond the pastures I could tend

It never was about the praise, not about the street parade

I didn’t really need a crowd when Goliath fell down

[Verse 2]

I never meant to woo a king with simple shepherd songs

Or hide away inside a cave, safe from danger’s arms

I never meant to wear a crown, or try to bring armies down

It never was about me and who I hoped to be

[Chorus]

At the end of the day, I wanna hear people say

My heart looks like Your heart, my heart looks like Your heart

When the world looks at me, let them agree

That my heart looks like Your heart, my heart looks like Your heart

[Verse 3]

I never thought I would be much more than Jesse’s kin

Who would ever dream a king would come from Bethlehem?

I know that I’ve crashed and burned, lives have been overturned

But You redeem everything, yeah, even me

[Chorus]

[Bridge]

Five little stones, or a royal robe

Shepherd or king doesn’t mean a thing

At the end of the day

[Chorus]

At the end of the day, I wanna hear people say

That my heart looks like Your heart, my heart looks like Your heart

Unashamed I will dance, In Your name, lift my hands

‘Til my heart looks like Your heart, my heart looks like Your heart

Songwriter(s): bernie herms, nichole nordeman

Record Label(s): 2012 Provident Label Group LLC, a unit of Sony Music Entertainment

(source of songwriter info from: https://www.elyrics.net/read/c/chris-tomlin-lyrics/your-heart-(david)-lyrics.html)

Lyrics: https://genius.com/Chris-tomlin-your-heart-david-lyrics

Video: https://youtu.be/3aWEhNqnjuY

Journal for Christ

Thursday, December 6, 2018

Three Questions I Ask Myself

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