Journal for Christ: The Bank of Hope & Trust

June 7, 2021

Worship in WORD

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

9 Be merciful to me, O Lord, for I am in distress; my eyes grow weak with sorrow, my soul and my body with grief. 10 My life is consumed by anguish and my years by groaning; my strength fails because of my affliction, and my bones grow weak.

NIV

Ps 31

For the choir director: A psalm of David.

9 Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am in distress. Tears blur my eyes. My body and soul are withering away. 10 I am dying from grief; my years are shortened by sadness. Sin has drained my strength; I am wasting away from within.

Ps 31

To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.

9 Have mercy upon me, O LORD, for I am in trouble: mine eye is consumed with grief, yea, my soul and my belly.

10 For my life is spent with grief, and my years with sighing: my strength faileth because of mine iniquity, and my bones are consumed.

11 I was a reproach among all mine enemies, but especially among my neighbours, and a fear to mine acquaintance: they that did see me without fled from me.

KJV

Ps 31

Into Your Hand I Commit My Spirit

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

9 Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am in distress; my eye is wasted from grief; my soul and my body also. 10 For my life is spent with sorrow, and my years with sighing; my strength fails because of my iniquity, and my bones waste away.

ESV

I. Hope – vv. 1-8

A. Verse 1: Action

B. Verse 2: Appeal

C. Verses 3 & 4: Acknowledge

D. Verse 5: Abandon

E. Verse 6: Abhor

F. Verses 7 & 8: Acclaim!

II. Help! – vv. 9-18

A. Verses: 9 -13: Sorrow

1. Soul sickness – vv. 9-10

2. Societal scorn – vv. 11-13

b. Verses: 14-16: Sovereign

C. Verses: 17-18: Silence

III. Hail – vv. 19-22

IV. Heart – vv. 23-24

II. Help! – vv. 9-18

A. Verses: 9 -13: Sorrow

1. Soul sickness – vv. 9-10

It has been said that “the best defense is a good offense.” Applied to life, it means, among other things, to be proactive rather than reactive. To prepare when things are going well so that you have a resource to draw from in the lean times. To have an emergency fund you can bank on when things break down.

The Psalms are one resource that is readily available that we can draw from before, during, and after the destructive storm hits. I say “the destructive storm hits” and not “if the destructive storm hits” because they WILL strike. The prepared will usually weather the storm better than those who are not prepared. We have an example of preparedness in the parable Jesus told of the ten virgins in Matthew 25:1-13. The five virgins who were prepared had the resources ready when needed. The five who did not were left out in the cold, as it were. Consider also Noah. Noah weathered the storm and flood (literally) because he was prepared. He was ready because of his obedience and trust (read Genesis 6). I will also mention Joseph and his preparation during the 7 years of plenty to be prepared for the 7 years of extreme famine (read Genesis 41).

The faithful follower of Christ must continually make deposits in the “Bank of Hope & Trust.” When calamity strikes, they will be prepared and have a resource from which they can make withdrawals. The Psalms are a rich resource we can bank on and make withdrawals from in time of need.

What does this have to do with the passage before us? Plenty, if we meditate on it (not in the mindless repose of the eastern mystic, but the prayerful reflection of one who trusts in God and His word). In Psalm 31, we see David’s preparation and practice that enabled him to persevere the onslaught that pursued him in his present situation. How did David prepare?

· He made God his refuge (vv 1-2).

· He trusted Him to guide him (vv 3-4).

· He yielded his life to the LORD’s sovereign hand (v 5-8).

Does that mean that a calm demeanor is the first reaction we have when destruction deals a devastating blow, or hardships bring debilitating weariness? Perhaps we try to face them with the attitude of the stoic, “keep a stiff upper lip” or “Que sera, sera whatever will be will be.” Maybe we respond with a flippant air, “oh well, at least I am prepared for this” or “this too will pass.” These may be the responses of the smug and self-reliant, but not the saints of God.

No, the believer may often respond as David did in vv 9-13 as he saw his walls closing in on him. Rejected and despised on all fronts, David felt crushed beneath the weight of the flood (to change the metaphor in keeping with what follows). He was drowning in the deluge of his own tears.

Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am in distress; my eye is wasted from grief; my soul and my body also. – v 9a ESV (see also Ps. 6:7)

"I've cried my eyes out"

(from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.)

He felt sick to his soul and stomach (“body” in verse 9 is literally “belly”). It felt to him like his very life was falling apart. Sorrow was eating away at him.

My life is consumed by anguish – v 10a NIV

In times like these, we tend to exaggerate the negative and forget all the blessings and joy we have experienced in the Lord.

I have known only sorrow

all my life long, and I suffer

year after year. – v 10 a,b CEV

Or was David saying he felt like he was dying, as some translations have it?

For my life nears its end in pain;

my years draw to a close as I groan. – v 10 a,b

(from The NET Bible®, Copyright © 1996-2006 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C., Dallas, Texas, www.bible.org. All rights reserved. Used by permission.)

In any event, all these may be true. And in those times, we can tend to be introspective as well. This becomes apparent in what David said was a significant part of his problem – his sin.

my strength fails because of my iniquity,

and my bones waste away. – 10 c,d ESV

Barnes comments (See the full quote in “Notes & Quotes section below):

[My strength faileth because of mine iniquity] Because of the trouble that has come upon me for my sin. He regarded all this trouble—from whatever quarter it came, whether directly from the hand of God, or from man—as the fruit of sin. Whether he refers to any particular sin as the cause of this trouble, or to the sin of his nature as the source of all evil, it is impossible now to determine. As, however, no particular sin is specified, it seems most probable that the reference is to the sin of his heart—to his corrupt nature.

Barnes, A. (1870–1872). Notes on the Old Testament: Psalms (Vol. 1, p. 264). London: Blackie & Son.

But to the point I was making initially, David did not stay in the poverty of stress and suffering. Instead, he made a withdrawal from the “Bank of Hope & Trust,” to which he had been faithfully making deposits (vv1-8). We see this in verses 14-15.

¹⁴ But I trust in you, O Lord;
I say, “You are my God.”
¹⁵ My times are in your hand;
rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutors!

ESV

The question that I must ask myself daily is: “Am I making adequate deposits?” Are you? To quote a familiar advertising phrase: “What’s in your wallet?”

Worship in Witness:

The previous section could serve as both my “Worship in Word” as well as “Witness.” But I also want to share an insight that came to me the other day. I had shared my previous blog with a friend and college and seminary classmate of mine. He told me that a friend he had shared it with enjoyed the poems I wrote. You must understand that before my wife left me, I was not in the habit of writing poetry. One could say, “I didn’t know I had it in me.” When my friend shared this response with me, a thought almost immediately came to my mind. Here is what I thought and shared with my friend: “Sometimes water hides in a rock until it is struck.”

Struck

Moses struck the rock

And water began to flow

The LORD may strike His people

To reveal things they did not know

A gift or talent or provision

By which our faith can grow

Let not our Massah¹ be our Meribah¹

But our weal² in times of woe

– Amen

¹ Massah: In Hebrew, it means “testing.”

Meribah: In Hebrew, it means “quarreling.”

See Exodus 17:1-7

² Weal: Old English word meaning well-being. Now an idiom for happiness, joy, well-being, and prosperity

Worship in Promise, Poetry, Prayer, and Praise:

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.kingjamesbibleonline.org%2FInspirational-Images%2Flarge%2FJames_1-17.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

A Prayer to the Lord

Lord, let us not look at the storms we're in,

Nor cast our lot with fear and sin.

But rest in Your everlasting arms,

And find a refuge from all life's harms.

So, Father, may Your name be magnified--

In me, whether good or ill betide.

May Your glorious kingdom come.

Let Thy will on earth as in heaven be done.

And provide for me my daily needs.

Forgive all my sins; My ungodly deeds,

Which I have committed, O Lord, against Thee

As I forgive others for theirs against me.

And lead me not into temptation's snare,

But away from such evil, that is my prayer.

And to You be all rule and authority;

All power and glory and priority.

Lyrics: We Plow The Fields

Words: Matthias Claudius; translated to English by Jane M. Campbell

Music: “Wir Pflügen (Dresden),” by Johann A. P. Schulz

We plow the fields, and scatter the good seed on the land,

But it is fed and watered by God’s almighty hand;

He sends the snow in winter, the warmth to swell the grain,

The breezes and the sunshine, and soft refreshing rain.

Refrain

All good gifts around us

Are sent from heaven above,

Then thank the Lord, O thank the Lord

For all His love.

He only is the Maker of all things near and far;

He paints the wayside flower, He lights the evening star;

The winds and waves obey Him, by Him the birds are fed;

Much more to us, His children, He gives our daily bread.

Refrain

We thank Thee, then, O Father, for all things bright and good,

The seed time and the harvest, our life, our health, and food;

No gifts have we to offer, for all Thy love imparts,

But that which Thou desirest, our humble, thankful hearts.

Refrain

Note: I realize this is more of a harvest song or even a song for Pentecost, but surely the song can have a wider meaning, can it not? For indeed, ALL good gifts (even those disguised in the garb of pain) ARE from the FATHER OF LIGHTS!

Video: https://youtu.be/ZWHMZsf-Ano

Video: https://youtu.be/xkiieVXolpo

(This is a modern and shortened version that goes by the title of “All Good Gifts.” Some may recognize it as coming from the 1973 movie “Godspell.” Leaving aside the merits or demerits of that movie (and later Broadway play), I like the arrangement of the song and include it here for your edification).

Some Further Notes & Quotes:

My strength faileth because of mine iniquity. Because of the trouble that has come upon me for my sin. He regarded all this trouble—from whatever quarter it came, whether directly from the hand of God, or from man—as the fruit of sin. Whether he refers to any particular sin as the cause of this trouble, or to the sin of his nature as the source of all evil, it is impossible now to determine. As, however, no particular sin is specified, it seems most probable that the reference is to the sin of his heart—to his corrupt nature. It is common, and it is not improper, when we are afflicted, to regard all our trials as fruits of sin; as coming upon us as the result of the fall, and as an evidence that we are depraved. It is certain that there is no suffering in heaven, and that there never would be any in a perfectly holy world. It is equally certain that all the woes of earth are the consequence of man’s apostacy; and it is proper, therefore, when we are afflicted, even though we cannot trace the affliction to any particular offence, to trace it all to the existence of evil, and to regard it as among the proofs of the Divine displeasure against sin.

Barnes, A. (1870–1872). Notes on the Old Testament: Psalms (Vol. 1, p. 264). London: Blackie & Son.

Journal for Christ

Monday, June 7, 2021

The Bank of Hope & Trust

No comments:

Post a Comment

About Me