May 27, 2022
Worship in WORD
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Ps 31:23-24 23
Love the Lord, all you his saints! The
Lord preserves
the faithful but abundantly repays the one who
acts in pride. 24 Be strong, and let your heart take
courage, all you who wait for the Lord! ESV |
Ps 31:23-24
23 Love the LORD, all his faithful people!
The LORD preserves those who are true to him, but the proud he pays back in full. 24 Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the LORD.
The New
International Version. (2011). Zondervan. |
|
Ps 31:23-24 23 O love the LORD, all ye his
saints: for the LORD preserveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the
proud doer. 24 Be of good courage, and he shall
strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD.
KJV |
Ps 31:23-24 23 Love the Lord, all you
godly ones! For the Lord protects those
who are loyal to him, but he harshly punishes the
arrogant. 24 So be strong and
courageous, all you who put your hope
in the Lord! Holy Bible, New Living
Translation ®, copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by
permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved. |
Psalm 31’s
Thought flow: Hope→Help!→Hail→Heart
I. Hope – vv. 1-8
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
A. Sorrow – vv. 9-13
1. Soul sickness – vv. 9-10
2. Societal scorn – vv. 11-13
B. Sovereign – vv.
14-18
1.
Surrender – vv. 14-15
2.
Shine – v. 16
3.
Shame – v. 17
4.
Silence – v. 18
III. Hail – vv. 19-22
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
A. Love –
v. 23
B. Long –
v.24
A. Love— v. 23
David encourages
the true believers (i.e., the saints/faithful ones) to love the Lord, and he
gives two (of the many in Scripture) reasons why they should. The first is that
He protects His loyal and obedient followers. The second is because He punishes
the proud ones. I believe the proud here are those who live as if God doesn’t
exist or don’t need His help. In this passage specifically, they are the ones who
delight in persecuting God’s people. But let us look below the surface of these
reasons lest we think David urges others to love God for purely self-serving reasons.
The firm
foundation upon which David’s exhortation stands is WHO God is. He is the
faithful and true one (v. 5). Marvelous in His goodness, mercy, and steadfast
love (vs. 19 -21). David would not have a solid foundation to stand on if the
LORD were not these things. Name any attribute of God, and it would fit well with verse
23 of this Psalm.
Love the Lord, all you his saints! The Lord... (ESV)
Now think
about Who and what the Lord is. That is – to our limited understanding – what
stands behind this exhortation and the promise and warning that follows it. The
Westminster Larger Catechism (question 7) has an excellent summary of who God
is:
*God
is a Spirit, in and of himself infinite in being, glory, blessedness, and
perfection; all-sufficient, eternal, unchangeable, incomprehensible, everywhere
present, almighty, knowing all things, most wise, most holy, most just, most
merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth.
(from
Creeds of the Church, PC Study Bible formatted electronic database Copyright ©
2003, 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)
This is
the Lord to whom David directs our love. Therefore, we love God for who He is
in Himself. And this is the God who preserves and protects us! Therefore, let
all saints – those who are “faithful,” “true,” and “loyal” – love Him and
praise Him. Sincere praise is what flows out of our mouths from a heart full of
love for the Lord.
The
second reason David gives is the recompense promised against the proud who
persecute the saints. This is not said to provide the saints with a cause to
rub their hands in glee at the prospect of the proud person's punishment. How can we
delight in that which our Lord does not take delight in (see Ezekiel 33:11)? The response desired is not “Yes! Let the proud persecutor
get their just deserts.” Indeed, all the godly want justice (see Rev. 6:10-11). However, as David does in this verse, we leave justice in the Lord's hands (see Romans 12:17-21). This verse is not only a promise of justice for the faithful. It is also a gracious warning to the proud to repent
and humble themselves before the Lord.
But I
don’t believe that verse 23 is only given for the abovementioned reasons. There is another unstated reason behind David’s words. That being that David
wants to encourage the saints. He wants them to persevere in the face of the
seeming victories of the proud. Everything looks like all is going in favor of
the arrogant. They seem to live in peace while the saints are surrounded by
turmoil. But God will not only preserve His people; He will also punish the
proud. So, this verse turns out to be more than a promise. It is also an appeal
to persevere when things are not going well, and the wicked prosper. David ran
to God for shelter. He urges others to do the same. Let us not run away from God’s
cover when surrounded by the enemy. Let us not surrender to them but trust in our faithful God.
*Note: some may object that the word “love” is not included in this definition. However, upon deeper reflection, one will see that love is encompassed in these words: “most merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth.”
Worship
in Witness:
Believers worldwide face so much today: Pandemics and persecution, Wars and famines, Political adversaries and postmodern skeptics, racial unrest, cults, the rise in power and presence of other religions, false teachers, and prominent church leaders who have “deconverted.” Immorality reigns as once commonly held beliefs about sex and gender are considered outdated and narrow-minded.
Many even in the professing church are
surrendering when faced with all these things. And I would be a liar if I did
not admit that sometimes I feel the weight of these things myself. The truths
of God found in His word seem hard to believe. However, I
remember the words of Peter when our Lord asked the Disciples, in the light of
many defectors, if they would leave him too.
68 Simon Peter answered him,
“Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69
We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.”
John
6:68-69 NIV
I find that when I neglect God’s word
and fellowship with other believers. And when my prayer time is rushed. Then I, too, can see my faith weakening. David uses the metaphor of a fortress or
shelter. Surely, these three things are part of God’s means of grace to shelter
us in His love. But, if I may, let me change the analogy of a fortress here to another—one surrounding
one found in the New Testament. It concerns the time Peter stepped out of
the boat he was in and onto the stormy seas. When he took his eyes off Jesus,
he began to sink. When I look at the storm and not the Savior, I too, start to
sink as Peter did. But, praise God, when I do, I cry out as Peter did and find our
Lord’s hand waiting to rescue me. But so many have kept their eyes on the storm not on the Lord.
Lord,
Please keep me in Your sheltering presence.
Then, when
pestilence, persecution, or problems,
both
physical and intellectual, call me out to surrender.
May I trust in You
as my
impenetrable fortress.
My mighty saving hand.
And when tempted by the tempest,
may I keep
my gaze on You
and
not the billowing waves.
I pray this in the Name of the One
who has the words of eternal life
–
Jesus Christ, my Lord. Amen
Worship
in Promise, Poem, Prayer, and Praise
God is My
Fortress
Though fear assails me
And troubles betide
God is my fortress
In Him, I’ll abide
His peace surrounds me
In life’s stormy gales
He’ll deliver me safely
His LOVE never fails
The Prayer of the Pursued
Lord, You
are my Rock
Come
quickly to my Defense
Be my
Mighty Fortress
Please don’t
keep me in suspense
My fears
are all around
To You,
my Refuge, I flee
My spirit
yielded to You
My God of
Victory and Verity
– Amen
A Song of Testimony - a song I wrote a while ago and will be included in my book of poems, prayers, and praise whenever I get around to publishing it. The book will have the title: The Pain & the Glory)
Verse 1:
Faithful
and good, righteous and just
Merciful,
mighty, One we can trust
Cherished
by Him who made us from dust
A refuge,
a shelter from the enemy’s thrusts
Chorus:
He’s my LORD and my God
He’s my Savior and my Rock
A mighty fortress
His foes He withstands
By loving and loyal
Omnipotent hands
Verse 2:
Provider
and Guider, trusted and true
Defender, Redeemer, no other like You
Rescues
from evil the wicked have spewed
To You,
my Deliverer, all glory is due
Chorus:
He’s my LORD and my God
He’s my Savior and my Rock
A mighty fortress
His foes He withstands
By loving and loyal
Omnipotent hands
For Further Thought or Study
Wear the
Badge of Perseverance
Continue
in the faith.
Acts 14:22
Perseverance is the badge of
true saints. The Christian life is not only a beginning in the ways of God, but
also means continuing in those ways as long as life lasts. It is with a
Christian as it was with the great Napoleon: He said, “Conquest has made me
what I am, and conquest must maintain me.” So under God, dear believer in the
Lord, conquest has made you what you are, and conquest must sustain you. Your
motto must be, “Aim higher.” The only true conqueror who shall be crowned in
the end is he who continues until war’s trumpet is blown no more.
Perseverance is, therefore, the
target of all our spiritual enemies.
The world does not object to
your being a Christian for a time, if she can tempt you to quit your pilgrimage
and settle down to trade with her in Vanity Fair.
The flesh will seek to ensnare
you and to prevent your pressing on to glory. “Being a pilgrim is weary work
and makes me wonder: Am I always to be mortified? Am I never to be indulged?
Can I not have at least a holiday from this constant warfare?”
Satan will make many a fierce
attack on your perseverance; it will be the target for all his arrows. He will
strive to hinder you in service: He will insinuate that you are doing no good
and that you need to rest. He will endeavor to make you weary of suffering; he
will whisper, “Curse God, and die.” Or he will attack your steadfastness: “What
is the good of being so zealous? Be quiet like the rest; sleep as others do,
and let your lamp go out like the foolish virgins.” Or he will assail your doctrinal
sentiments: “Why do you hold to these doctrinal creeds? Sensible men are
getting more liberal; they are removing the old landmarks: Fall in with the
times.”
So, Christian, wear your shield
close to your armor and cry earnestly to God, that by His Spirit you may endure
to the end.
https://www.truthforlife.org/daily/?date=05/26/2022&tab=devotional
In view of God’s consistent
faithfulness to His promises to bless the righteous and punish the wicked, the
godly can endure periods of persecution and suffering with strong confidence.
We can trust in the Lord’s eventual deliverance, and even praise Him as we
endure rough times.
(from Thomas Constable’s Notes on the Bible. Copyright © March 4, 2014 by Thomas L. Constable. All rights reserved. Used by permission.)
****************************************************************************
Psalms 31:23
On the other hand, he declares
that he plentifully recompenses the proud, in order that when we observe them
succeeding prosperously for a time, an unworthy emulation may not entice us to
imitate them, and that their haughtiness, and the outrage they commit, while
they think they are at liberty to do what they please, may not crush and break
our spirits. The amount of the whole is this, Although the ungodly flatter
themselves, while they proceed in their wickedness with impunity, and believers
are harassed with many fears and dangers, yet devote yourselves to God, and
rely upon his grace, for he will always defend the faithful, and reward the
proud as they deserve.
(from Calvin’s Commentaries, PC
Study Bible formatted electronic database Copyright © 2005-2006 by Biblesoft,
Inc. All rights reserved.)
****************************************************************************
Psalms 31:23
The command Love the Lord in
the Bible refers not so much to the emotion as to the willingness and desire to
be faithful to him, to obey him, and to do what he commands.
(from UBS Old Testament
Handbook Series. Copyright © 1978-2004 by United Bible Societies. All rights
reserved.)
Wonderful, thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteOh Yes, I will keep my eyes on Jesus just like Peter and not on the storm. Thank you my friend
ReplyDelete