Worship in
WORD
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A psalm. A song. For the dedication of the temple. Of David.
30 I will exalt you, O Lord,
for you
lifted me out of the depths
and did not let my
enemies gloat over me.
2 O Lord
my God, I called to you for help
and you
healed me.
3 O Lord,
you brought me up from the grave;b
you spared me from going
down into the pit.
4 Sing to
the Lord, you saints of his;
praise his holy name.
5 For his anger lasts only a moment,
but his favor lasts a
lifetime;
weeping may remain for a
night,
but rejoicing comes in
the morning.
6 When I felt secure, I said,
“I will never be
shaken.”
7 O Lord,
when you favored me,
you made my mountain stand
firm;
but when you hid your
face,
I was dismayed.
8 To you, O Lord,
I called;
to the Lord I cried for
mercy:
9 “What gain is there in my destruction,d
in my going down into the
pit?
Will the dust praise you?
Will it proclaim your
faithfulness?
10 Hear, O Lord,
and be merciful to me;
O Lord, be my help.”
11 You turned my wailing into dancing;
you removed my sackcloth
and clothed me with joy,
12 that my heart may sing to you and not be
silent.
O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever.
NIV
|
A psalm of David. A song
for the dedication of the Temple.
30 1 I
will exalt you, Lord, for you
rescued me.
You
refused to let my enemies triumph over me.
2 O Lord my God, I cried to you for help,
and
you restored my health.
3 You
brought me up from the grave,* O Lord.
You
kept me from falling into the pit of death.
Praise his holy name.
5 For
his anger lasts only a moment,
but
his favor lasts a lifetime!
Weeping
may last through the night,
but
joy comes with the morning.
6 When
I was prosperous, I said,
“Nothing
can stop me now!”
7 Your
favor, O Lord, made me as secure
as a mountain.
Then
you turned away from me, and I was shattered.
8 I
cried out to you, O Lord.
I
begged the Lord for mercy, saying,
9 “What
will you gain if I die,
if I
sink into the grave?
Can
my dust praise you?
Can
it tell of your faithfulness?
10 Hear
me, Lord, and have mercy on me.
Help
me, O Lord .”
11 You
have turned my mourning into joyful dancing.
You
have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy,
12 that
I might sing praises to you and not be silent.
O Lord my God, I will give you thanks
forever!
New
Living Translation ®, copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust.
Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved_
|
|
A
Psalm and Song at the dedication of the house of David.
30 I
will extol thee, O LORD; for thou hast lifted me up, and hast not made my
foes to rejoice over me.
2 O
LORD my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me.
3 O
LORD, thou hast brought up my soul from the grave: thou hast kept me alive,
that I should not go down to the pit.
5 For
his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure
for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.
6 And
in my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved.
7
LORD, by thy favour thou hast made my mountain to stand strong: thou didst
hide thy face, and I was troubled.
8 I
cried to thee, O LORD; and unto the LORD I made supplication.
9
What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? Shall the dust
praise thee? shall it declare thy truth?
10
Hear, O LORD, and have mercy upon me: LORD, be thou my helper.
11
Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my
sackcloth, and girded me with gladness;
12 To
the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O LORD my
God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.
KJV
|
Joy Comes with the
Morning
A Psalm of David. A song
at the dedication of the temple.
30 I will extol you, O
Lord, for you have drawn me up and have not let my foes rejoice over me.
2 O Lord my God, I cried
to you for help, and you have healed me.
3 O Lord, you have
brought up my soul from Sheol; you restored me to life from among those who
go down to the pit.
4
Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name. 5 For his anger is but
for moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night,
but joy comes with the morning.
6 As for me, I said in my
prosperity, “I shall never be moved.”
7 By your favor, O Lord, you
made my mountain stand strong; you hid your face; I was dismayed.
8 To you, O Lord, I cry, and
to the Lord I plead for mercy:
9 “What profit is there
in my death, if I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it tell
of your faithfulness?
10 Hear, O Lord, and be
merciful to me!O Lord, be my helper!”
11 You have turned for me
my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with
gladness,
12 that my glory may sing
your praise and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you
forever!
ESV
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II. Personal Praise: vs. 1- 3
III. Public Exhortation & Encouragement: vs. 4 - 5
IV. Personal Plea: vs. 6 - 10
V. Personal/Public Praise: vs. 11 – 12
There is an abrupt contrast between David’s situation in the
first half of verse seven and the last half. The first half speaks of favor.
God’s face shone on David with favor. In the second half, God turned His face
away in displeasure because of David’s sinful attitude and actions. When God
turns His face away, it is a sign of His rejection.
Notice also there’s a contrast found in verses six and
seven. In the last half of verse six, David says he would not be “shaken” (NIV)
or “moved” (KJV, ESV). In the last half of verse seven, we find him not only
“shaken,” but “shattered” (NLT). The NIV and ESV translate the Hebrew word bāhal as “dismayed.” This is an
accurate translation, but to me, it is a weak one. The CSB (Christian Standard
Bible) is more forceful here:
Ps 30:7Lord, when You showed Your favor,You made me stand like a strong mountain;when You hid Your face, I was terrified.(from Holman Christian Standard Bible® Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005 by Holman Bible Publishers.)Emphasis added
The TWOT is helpful here in understanding the meaning of the
Hebrew word used here.
lh^B* (b¹hal) be disturbed, disturb, alarm, terrify; to hurry. (ASV renders "be troubled," "dismayed" but RSV* frequently uses the more intensive "terrify," "panic," "alarm")(from Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament. Copyright © 1980 by The Moody Bible Institute of Chicago. All rights reserved. Used by permission.)
(*Note: I checked the RSV to see what word they used in
Psalm 30:7. Ironically, they translated it as “dismayed.” So also the NRSV)
God’s people need to live in such a way each day that they
are attuned to the promptings of the Spirit. They must be saturated in the Word
so the Spirit can recall it to their minds. David’s spirit was disturbed, which
led to alarm over the crumbling of his secure estate. Shattered, he cried out
to the Lord.
If I may take some liberty here, notice that one of the ways
bāhal is translated is “hurry.” The
context determines whether to translate it this way. Of course, it would not be
fitting to translate it that way here. However, may I say that when we find
ourselves shattered by the Lord because of sin in our lives, let our response
be to quickly (hurry to) confess it. Then repent and receive His forgiveness
and allow Him to rebuild our lives.
Our lives are to be built upon the foundation of Christ.
However, sometimes God has to shatter the edifice we are constructing
completely. This is a terrifying act by God but also a gracious one. God wants
to rebuild our lives with material that will last forever. We should be
grateful when He does. For one day, our works will be judged. Not for our
eternal destiny, but our eternal reward. Let us pray daily then, that the Lord
will remove the stubble from our life, and let us seek His “gold and silver and
costly stones,” to use in building our lives for His glory.
10 By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. 11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13 his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. 14 If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. 15 If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.1 Cor 3:10-15 NIVFor we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.2 Cor 5:10 NIV
Worship
in Witness:
Humpty
Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty
Dumpty had a great fall.
All
the king's horses and all the king's men
Couldn't
put Humpty together again.
So
goes the familiar nursery rhyme. Here is a life shattered for which there is no
remedy. They were sitting contently when an ill wind blew them off what they
thought was a secure perch. Or perhaps they made a wrong move and lost their
balance and fell. Now their life lies in ruins, and they see no way of putting
it back together again. So they give up and let their life dry up and die.
Some
will try to mask the pain with drugs and or alcohol. Some will attempt to allow
others to put them back together with dismal or disastrous results. Either
because they are not satisfied with how someone is trying to help them, or
because it just isn’t the same as it was, and that is all they want. Perhaps,
they think, love is the answer. But they look for it “in all the wrong places.”
In
looking for a blueprint to rebuild their life, they may stumble upon a guru who
claims they have the answer. It usually comes with a high price, but in the end,
they only become a cheap imitation of what their creator designed them to be. Some
will look within and say, “I can do this myself.” But all that will lead to is
pride and conceit, and ironically, they will end up full-circle at the place
where they began.
Pride goes before destruction,a haughty spirit before a fall.
Prov 16:18 NIV
My
life was shattered five years ago when my wife left me. And as I read the note,
my wife left me; I literally fell to the ground. Picking up the pieces hasn’t
been easy. I first sought shelter in the familiar by living with my mom. I did
seek help from a counselor, and I elicited the prayers of others. I started a
journal, which eventually grew into this blog.
Most
importantly, I am “letting” God put me back together again as He sees fit. I am
trying to rebuild with the precious materials the Lord provides. That may sound
contradictory. You may be asking yourself, “How can one say God is rebuilding their
life, and turn around and say they are trying to rebuild it?” Yet we see this
principle in scripture. It is in a different context but equally applicable.
One of those
examples is found in the verses preceding 1 Cor. 3:10-15, which I referenced
above.
5 What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe — as the Lord has assigned to each his task. 6 I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8 The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. 9 For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building.1 Cor 3:5-9 NIV
Another example
is found in Philippians 2:12-13
12 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed — not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence — continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.
In
both of these examples, people are working, but ultimately it is God who works
in us and through us to accomplishes His will and plans. We even saw in the
last study, that even our praise comes ultimately from God as well. Recognizing
this humbles us and delivers us from the destructiveness of pride and the arrogance
of self-will and self-reliance.
Therefore,
let us discard the old pieces. Let us build with the exquisite material
provided by God. Then we will be made new and find peace as the Bible often
uses the word to mean: wholeness or completeness.
The Hebrew term for peace (š¹lôm) is derived from the verb “to complete, make sound.” This verb is often used to express the finish of major buildings (e.g., the temple, 1 Kings 7:51 = 2 Chron 5:1; or walls of Jerusalem, Neh 6:15).(from Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible, © 2000 by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. All rights reserved.)
Peace,
then in some sense, is a process and a project. When we pick up stubble along
the way, we lose our peace, and our lives tend to fall to pieces. Stubble such
as anxious thoughts, doubt, unbelief, and ungodly thinking and practices. It’s
the works of the flesh listed in Galatians:
19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these.Gal 5:19-21 ESV
When
we build with the materials God provides, we experience peace. Our lives are to
be constructed with faith, hope, love, and . . . holiness (2 Cor. 7:1; Heb. 12:14). It’s the
fruit of the Spirit:
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control.Gal 5:22-23 NIV It’s the product of praise, prayer, pure thoughts, and practice: 4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me — put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
Phil 4:4-9 NIV
And when the
building is complete, what should it look like? Well, it should look like
Jesus!
For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son . . .Rom 8:29a NIV
And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.2 Cor 3:18 NIV
Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.
1 John 3:2 NIV
And because of
this, we must continually seek to remove the stubble from our lives.
Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.
1 John 3:3 NIV
From Pieces to
Peace
From
pieces to peace
From
shambles to shalom
May
my life increase
By
Your hand alone
To
Christ from collapse
To
doxa from dust
Built
not with scraps
Or
things that rust
But
with gold, silver, and gem
Upon
the firm foundation
Not
with things You condemn
Make
my life an oblation
—
Amen
This is where the walls gave way
This is demolition day
All the debris and all this dust
What is left of what once was
Sorting through what goes and what should stay
Every stone I laid for you
As if you had asked me to
Monument to holy things
Empty talk and circling
Isn’t that what we’re supposed to do?
What happens now?
When all I’ve made is torn down
What happens next?
When all of you is all that’s left
This is the unmaking
Beauty in the breaking
Had to lose myself to find out who you are
Before each beginning
There must be an ending
Sitting in the rubble
I can see the stars
This is the unmaking
This is the unmaking
The longer and the tighter that we hold
Only makes it harder to let go
Love will not stay locked inside
A steeple or a tower high
Only when we’re broken are we whole
What happens now?
When all I’ve made is torn down
This is the unmaking
Beauty in the breaking
Had to lose myself to find out who you are
Before each beginning
There must be an ending
Sitting in the rubble
I can see the stars
This is the unmaking
This is the unmaking
I’ll gather the same stones where
Everything came crashing down
I’ll build you an altar there
On the same ground
Because what stood before
Was never yours
This is the unmaking
Beauty in the breaking
Had to lose myself to find out who you are
Before each beginning
There must be an ending
Sitting in the rubble
I can see the stars
This is the unmaking
This is the unmaking
Oh this is the unmaking
Had to lose myself
To find out who you are
(with corrections submitted)
Video: https://youtu.be/OCqjE8pYa_E
