Worship in WORD
|
19
Oh, how abundant is your goodness, which
you have stored up for those who fear you and
worked for those who take refuge in you, in
the sight of the children of mankind! 20
In the cover of your presence you hide them from
the plots of men; you
store them in your shelter from the strife of tongues.
21
Blessed be the Lord, for
he has wondrously shown his steadfast love to me when
I was in a besieged city. 22
I had said in my alarm, “I
am cut off from your sight.” But
you heard the voice of my pleas for mercy when
I cried to you for help. ESV |
Ps 31:19-22
19 How great is your goodness, which you have stored up for
those who fear you, which
you bestow in the sight of men on those
who take refuge in you. 20 In
the shelter of your presence you hide them from the
intrigues of men; in your
dwelling you keep them safe from
accusing tongues.
21
Praise be to the Lord, for he
showed his wonderful love to me when I
was in a besieged city. 22 In my
alarm I said, “I am
cut off from your sight!” Yet you
heard my cry for mercy when I
called to you for help.
NIV (1984) |
|
Ps
31:18-22
19 Oh
how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee;
which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men! 20 Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence
from the pride of man: thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the
strife of tongues. 21
Blessed be the LORD: for he hath shewed me his marvellous kindness in a
strong city. 22
For I said in my haste, I am cut off from before thine eyes: nevertheless
thou heardest the voice of my supplications when I cried unto thee. KJV |
Ps 31:19-22
19
How great is the goodness you have stored up for those who fear you. You lavish it on those who
come to you for protection, blessing
them before the watching world. 20
You hide them in the shelter of your presence, safe from those who conspire against them. You shelter them in your presence, far from accusing tongues.
21
Praise the Lord, for he has shown me the wonders of his unfailing love. He kept me safe when my city was under attack. 22 In
panic I cried out, “I am cut off from the Lord!” But you heard my cry for mercy and answered my call for help. Holy
Bible, New Living Translation ®, copyright
© 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House
Publishers. All rights reserved. |
A.
Action – v. 1
B.
Appeal – v. 2
C.
Acknowledge – vv. 3-4
D. Abandon – v. 5
E. Abhor – v. 6
F. Acclaim! – vv. 7-8
II. Help! – vv. 9-18
1. Soul sickness – vv. 9-10
2.
Societal scorn – vv. 11-13
1.
Surrender – vv. 14-15
2.
Shine – v. 16
3.
Shame – v. 17
4.
Silence – v. 18
A. God, for His Great Goodness – v. 19
B. God, for His Sheltering Presence – v.
20
C. God, for His Hesed [ds#j# ]#]
– V. 21
D. God, Who Hears and Answers His
People – v. 22
IV. Heart – vv. 23-24
Thought flow: Hope→Help!→Hail→Heart
Hail, interj. - An exclamation of
respectful or reverent salutation
(from Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary of the English
Language, PC Study Bible formatted electronic database Copyright © 2011 by
Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)
C. God, for His Hesed – חֶסֶד – V. 21
As I said in a previous journal entry, verse 20 illustrates God’s
goodness in a more specific setting, as it pertains to God’s people. It is not
the sum of God’s goodness, which is boundless and inexhaustible, but a
particular example related to God’s people. In verses 21-22, David refers to a specific
incident in his own life that personally affected him.
It is as if the excitement, joy, and gratitude is building
in David as he writes these words we read in verses 19-22. Unable to contain
himself, David explodes forth in praise! He declares “blessed be”(ESV) or
“praise be” (NIV). Why? David says it is because of God’s “hesed.” Note how
each translation above renders this word. The ESV has “steadfast love,” and the
NLT has “unfailing love.” The KJV has “kindness” modified by the word
“marvelous.” The NIV simply has love, but follows the KJV pattern and modifies
it by another term in the sentence “wonderful.”
I have touched on this word “hesed” many times in my study
of the Psalms since it appears in so many (127 times to be exact). It is a word
that is so rich and full of meaning that one word in English cannot fully
convey its depth, breadth, and height. However, instead of including a long
quote, as I have in the past. Let me include a few short excerpts to highlight
the depths and importance of this word. I will include more information in the
“For Further Study” portion below for those who wish to read more about it.
Vines defines the word this way:
"loving-kindness; steadfast love; grace; mercy; faithfulness; goodness; devotion."
(from Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, Copyright © 1985, Thomas Nelson Publishers.)
Then points out its frequency
and value:
This word is used 240 times in the Old Testament, and is especially frequent in the Psalter. The term is one of the most important in the vocabulary of Old Testament theology and ethics.
(Ibid)
Historically this word has been
handled in various ways by different translations:
The Septuagint nearly always renders checed with eleos ("mercy"), and that usage is reflected in the New Testament. Modern translations, in contrast, generally prefer renditions close to the word "grace." KJV usually has "mercy," although "loving-kindness" (following Coverdale), "favor," and other translations also occur. RSV generally prefers "steadfast love." NIV often offers simply "love."
(Ibid)
Behind this word are three essential elements that must be
included:
In general, one may identify three basic meanings of the word, which always interact: "strength," "steadfastness," and "love." Any understanding of the word that fails to suggest all three inevitably loses some of its richness. "Love" by itself easily becomes sentimentalized or universalized apart from the covenant. Yet "strength" or "steadfastness" suggests only the fulfillment of a legal or other obligation.
(Ibid)
Oh, the depts of this word which drove David to praise! Is
this not a word that conveys – as best any human word can express – the character
and essence of who God is and how He acts? So John 3:16 declares that “God so
loved.” And in 1 John 4:8 & 16, John succinctly states that “God is Love.” Could
John have the word “hesed” in the back of his mind when he penned these words? If
we were to write “God so hesed” or “God is hesed,” would we not be conveying the
depth of meaning expressed in these two passages?
Worship in Witness:
David was in a desperate state. We can see this at the beginning
of verse 22:
“In panic I
cried out” (NLT)
The KJV captures another aspect of David’s cry:
“I said in
my haste”
Alarmed by his predicament, he cried out in a panic:
“I am cut
off from the Lord!”(NLT)
Despite these words spoken in haste, the Lord heard and
answered:
Yet you
heard my cry for mercy
when I
called to you for help. (NIV)
Here David does not use the word “hesed,” but it is implicit
the Hebrew word translated as “cry for mercy (supplication – KJV).” How often
do we cry out in a panic over our own dilemmas? In our pain, we forget or question
the “hesed” of God. In haste, we cry out, forgetting this truth the Psalmist
declares in Psalm 100:
For the Lord is good;
his steadfast love endures forever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.
Ps 100:5 ESV
God IS good, and in grace, He answers our pleas in His time
and in His way. However, we may miss it if we don’t see it through Heaven’s eyes
instead of our earthly eyes.
So this Christmas, let us see our Savior not only laying in
a manger, surrounded by shepherds and later visited by wise men from the east.
Let us see Him as He who dwelt in glorious light from all eternity who came to
dwell among us. Who came to a world that desperately needed Him. Who came to
deliver us from our sin and give us eternal life. And from a manger to a cross,
our Savior suffered loss, that we who were lost would be found and forgiven. He
who dwelt in Heaven and came to dwell on earth now dwells within those who
receive Him as Lord. This is the “hesed” of God!
And in this “hesed” or “steadfast love,” we are held secure.
An omnipotent love that will never let us go. So we declare along with the
Apostle Paul:
38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Rom 8:38-39 NIV
Worship
in Promise, Poem, Prayer, and Praise
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQGgcOgV7PSDsfpfqSblnTtjQqV9krBbkcIrg&usqp=CAU
Long Time Ago
Lord Loose My Lips
Lord,
If You would use the rocks to tell
Then use me God to speak as well
Of the glorious truth through Virgin birth
When the Son of
God came to earth
If angels sang to shepherds below
A Savior is born,
we want you to know
If Magi came from a land afar
Led to the King
of Kings by a star
Then loose my lips and make me able
To speak of the
One who was born in a stable
Who lived a sinless life here on earth
Admist the sin
and sorrow and empty mirth
For our richest gain He suffered loss
And died for our
sins upon the cross
Then three days later He rose again
Shattered the
darkness and loosed death's chain
With one hope we look to sky
For our Savior's
return, to whom we will fly
And so shall we ever be with the Lord
And worship Him
forever in one accord.
Amen
Wonderful by
Cain; featuring Steven Curtis Chapman
Gathered round the table
So
much to be thankful for
It’s
Christmas
Oh,
how I’ve missed this
But
through the joy and laughter
You
can feel the sadness
Cause
this Christmas
Everyone’s
not with us
It’s
the time of year
When
happiness and cheer
Won’t
be enough to get me through the night
I
need a Wonderful
Counselor
The
Mighty God, The Prince of Peace
Who’s
strong enough to carry me
Immanuel
God
with us
The
One who’s love will never end
Oh,
Jesus can you make this sеason Wonderful
Almighty
in a manger
Told
us He’d bе no stranger
To
all our sorrow
All
the hurt we’ll ever know
So
let these gifts remind us
How
Love came down to find us
Wonder
of the ages
The
life, the truth, the way
He
is our
Wonderful
Counselor
The
Mighty God, The Prince of Peace
Who’s
strong enough to carry me
Immanuel
God
with us
The
One who’s love will never end
Oh,
Jesus you can make this season Wonderful
(Wonderful)
For
unto us a child is born
(Wonderful)
For
unto us a son is given
(Wonderful)
And
He will live
And
He will die
To
conquer death and bring us life
Forever
He
will be our
Wonderful
Counselor
The
Mighty God, The Prince of Peace
Who’s
strong enough to carry me
Immanuel
God
with us
The
One who’s love will never end
Oh,
Jesus You are Wonderful
Lyrics:
https://genius.com/Cain-wonderful-lyrics
Video:
https://youtu.be/wyN134Zk5GQ
For
Further Study
LOVING-KINDNESS
checed
OT:2617, "loving-kindness; steadfast love; grace; mercy; faithfulness;
goodness; devotion." This word is used 240 times in the Old Testament, and
is especially frequent in the Psalter. The term is one of the most important in
the vocabulary of Old Testament theology and ethics.
The
Septuagint nearly always renders checed with eleos ("mercy"), and that usage is
reflected in the New Testament. Modern translations, in contrast, generally
prefer renditions close to the word "grace." KJV usually has "mercy,"
although "loving-kindness" (following Coverdale), "favor,"
and other translations also occur. RSV generally prefers "steadfast
love." NIV often offers simply "love."
In
general, one may identify three basic meanings of the word, which always
interact: "strength," "steadfastness," and
"love." Any understanding of the word that fails to suggest all three
inevitably loses some of its richness. "Love" by itself easily
becomes sentimentalized or universalized apart from the covenant. Yet
"strength" or "steadfastness" suggests only the fulfillment
of a legal or other obligation.
The
word refers primarily to mutual and reciprocal rights and obligations between
the parties of a relationship (especially Yahweh and Israel). But checed is not
only a matter of obligation; it is also of generosity. It is not only a matter
of loyalty, but also of mercy. The weaker party seeks the protection and
blessing of the patron and protector, but he may not lay absolute claim to it.
The stronger party remains committed to his promise, but retains his freedom,
especially with regard to the manner in which he will implement those promises.
Checed implies personal involvement and commitment in a relationship beyond the
rule of law.
Marital
love is often related to checed Marriage certainly is a legal matter, and there
are legal sanctions for infractions. Yet the relationship, if sound, far
transcends mere legalities. The prophet Hosea applies the analogy to Yahweh's
checed to Israel within the covenant (e. g., 2:21). Hence, "devotion"
is sometimes the single English word best capable of capturing the nuance of
the original. The RSV attempts to bring this out by its translation,
"steadfast love." Hebrew writers often underscored the element of
steadfastness (or strength) by pairing checed with °emet ("truth,
reliability") and °emunah ("faithfulness").
Biblical
usage frequently speaks of someone "doing," "showing," or
"keeping" checed. The concrete content of the word is especially
evident when it is used in the plural. God's "mercies,"
"kindnesses," or "faithfulnesses" are His specific,
concrete acts of redemption in fulfillment of His promise. An example appears
in Isa 55:3: "...and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even
the sure mercies of David."
Checed
has both God and man as its subject. When man is the subject of checed, the
word usually describes the person's kindness or loyalty to another; cf. 2 Sam
9:7: "And David said... I will surely show thee [Mephibosheth] kindness
for Jonathan thy father's sake...." Only rarely is the term applied
explicitly to man's affection or fidelity toward God; the clearest example is
probably Jer 2:2: "Go and cry in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, thus saith
the Lord; I remember thee, the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals,
when thou wentest after me in the wilderness...."
Man
exercises checed toward various units within the community — toward family and
relatives, but also to friends, guests, masters, and servants. Checed toward
the lowly and needy is often specified. The Bible prominently uses the term
checed to summarize and characterize a life of sanctification within, and in
response to, the covenant. Thus, Hos 6:6 states that God desires "mercy
[RSV, "steadfast love"] and not sacrifice" (i. e., faithful
living in addition to worship). Similarly, Mic 6:8 features checed in the
prophets' summary of biblical ethics: "...and what doth the Lord require
of thee, but... to love mercy.. "
Behind
all these uses with man as subject, however, stand the repeated references to
God's checed. It is one of His most central characteristics. God's
loving-kindness is offered to His people, who need redemption from sin,
enemies, and troubles. A recurrent refrain describing God's nature is
"abounding plenteous in checed" Ex 34:6; Neh 9:17; Ps 103:8; Jonah
4:2. The entire history of Yahweh's covenantal relationship with Israel can be
summarized in terms of checed. It is the one permanent element in the flux of
covenantal history. Even the Creation is the result of God's checed Ps 136:5-9.
His love lasts for a "thousand generations" Deut 7:9; cf. Deut 5:10
and Ex 20:6, indeed "forever" (especially in the refrains of certain
psalms, such as Ps 136).
Words
used in synonymous parallelism with checed help to define and explain it. The
word most commonly associated with checed is °emet ("fidelity;
reliability"): "...let thy loving-kind- ness [checed] and thy truth
[°emet] continually preserve me." °Emunah with a similar meaning is also
common: "He hath remembered his mercy [checed] and his truth [°emunah]
toward the house of Israel...." This emphasis is especially appropriate
when God is the subject, because His checed is stronger and more enduring than
man's. Etymological investigation suggests that checed's primitive significance
may have been "strength" or "permanence." If so, a puzzling
use of checed in Isa 40:6 would be explained: "All flesh is grass, and all
the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field."
The
association of checed with "covenant" keeps it from being
misunderstood as mere providence or love for all creatures; it applies
primarily to God's particular love for His chosen and covenanted people.
"Covenant" also stresses the reciprocity of the relationship; but
since God's checed is ultimately beyond the covenant, it will not ultimately be
abandoned, even when the human partner is unfaithful and must be disciplined
Isa 54:8,10. Since its final triumph and implementation is eschatological,
checed can imply the goal and end of all salvation-history Ps 85:7,10; 130:7;
Mic 7:20.
The
proper noun Hacdiah 1 Chron 3:20 is related to checed The name of Zerubbabel's
son means "Yahweh is faithful gracious," a fitting summary of the
prophet's message.
(from
Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, Copyright © 1985, Thomas Nelson
Publishers.)