THE SILENCE OF GOD

September 24 - 30, 2018

WORD:

Ps 28:1-29:1 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. NIV	Ps 28 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 NLT
Ps 28 A Psalm of David. 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. KJV	Ps 28 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. ESV

I.  Minor Key

            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

            A. Praise (vv. 6-8)

            B. Supplication (v. 9)

David’s Pleas:

1. Hear Me!

The first plea of David in this psalm is for God to listen to him. One can sense the anxiousness in his petition. He needs mercy, he needs help in regards to his enemies (v. 3-5). One can also discern an impassioned pleading in his prayer. The old-fashioned word, “beseech” comes to mind in this passage. 

Webster defines “beseech” as:

1: to beg for urgently or anxiously

// beseeched him to write while he was away—R. W. Hatch

2: to request earnestly: IMPLORE

// besought their protection

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/beseech

David is not merely praying (NLT), nor is he simply calling (NIV, ESV). No, he is imploring God to hear him (“cry” – KJV). The Hebrew word used here is elastic and can be used in various ways in scripture.

OT:7121 ar*q* q¹r¹°: A verb meaning to call, to declare, to summon, to invite, to read, to be called, to be invoked, to be named. The verb means to call or to summon, but its context and surrounding grammatical setting determine the various shades of meaning given to the word.
(from The Complete Word Study Dictionary: Old Testament Copyright © 2003 by AMG Publishers. All rights reserved.)

OT:7121  qara' 1)        to call, to cry, to utter a loud sound2)        to call unto, to cry (for help), to call (with the name of God)3)        to proclaim4)        to read aloud, to read (to oneself), to read5)        to summon, to invite, to call for, to call and commission, to appoint, to call and to endow6)        to call, to name, to give name to, to call by
(from The Online Bible Thayer's Greek Lexicon and Brown Driver & Briggs Hebrew Lexicon, Copyright © 1993, Woodside Bible Fellowship, Ontario,
Canada. Licensed from the Institute for Creation Research.)

The context in this Psalm justifies an emphatic meaning to the word “qara'” here.

It would seem that David had been crying out to the LORD his rock for a while, but all he had received so far was a stony silence. Every believer has experienced times like these. If you haven’t, please share your secret.

I must go back to a quote from Calvin I used in my study of Psalm 25:6. There, I quoted his whole comments. Here, I will only quote the pertinent points.

This, therefore, is the complaint of a man suffering extreme anguish, and overwhelmed with grief. We may learn from this, that although God, for a time, may withdraw from us every token of his goodness, and, apparently regardless of the miseries which afflict us, should, as if we were strangers to him, and not his own people, forsake us, we must fight courageously, until, set free from this temptation, we cordially present the prayer which is here recorded, beseeching God, that, returning to his former manner of dealing, he would again begin to manifest his goodness towards us, and to deal with us in a more gracious manner. This form of prayer cannot be used with propriety, unless when God is hiding his face from us, and seems to take no interest at all in us.(from Calvin's Commentaries, PC Study Bible formatted electronic database Copyright © 2005-2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Although Calvin is commenting on Psalm 25:6 one can see how perfectly it can fit in the context of this passage as well.

Spurgeon comments:

Psalms 28:1 Be not silent to me. Mere formalists may be content without answers to their prayers, but genuine suppliants cannot; they are not satisfied with the results of prayer itself in calming the mind and subduing the will — they must go further and obtain actual replies from heaven, or they cannot rest; and those replies they long to receive at once, if possible; they dread even a little of God's silence. God's voice is often so terrible that it shakes the wilderness; but his silence is equally full of awe to an eager suppliant. When God seems to close his ear, we must not therefore close our mouths, but rather cry with more earnestness; for when our note grows shrill with eagerness and grief, he will not long deny us a hearing. What a dreadful case should we be in if the Lord should become for ever silent to our prayers! This thought suggested itself to David, and he turned it into a plea, thus teaching us to argue and reason with God in our prayers.
(from The Treasury of David, Biblesoft formatted electronic database Copyright © 2014 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Therefore, in the silence between our cries and His coming. Between the trial and the triumph. In the delay before the deliverance. When God seems to hide, I will abide. I will trust in His goodness and mercy He says follows me all my days (Psalm 23:6). When He seems far away, I will seek and draw near (James 4:8). When I am down, I will rejoice in my humbling, and He will lift me up (James 4:10). I will cry out to the Lord, and He who made the ear will hear (Psalm 94:9).

In the silence

In the darkness

In the violence

In the starkness

When He speaks

I will hear

When I seek

He draws near

Witness:

I can identify with David here. Life has its ups and downs. When my wife left me, I sought the Lord, and His fellowship was sweet. I found my strength in Him. I became more acutely aware of His presence in my life. But spiritual entropy inevitably set in causing dryness of soul and the absence of the awareness of the Lord’s company. I am not saying that this was the reason for David’s predicament here, nor am I saying that every time we lack the sense of His presence that it is due to neglect or sin. In fact, David’s predicament was more about his enemies than about entropy. However, what was once fresh, Spirit-filled, and driven by a thankful heart and a renewed mind, can turn into a stale and flesh driven ritual.

For this reason, God may choose to remove the awareness of His presence in order to draw us back. The shepherd uses his shepherd’s crook to pull back a straying lamb or pull out a sheep caught in the bramble. I believe God’s withdrawal is a crook to draw us back into His presence. Lately, I feel God is doing that with me in my life. The “have to” has taken over the “want to.” Oh yes, the desire to is still there, but fear of punishment rather than the loss of the pleasure of being in His presence has made me attribute specific occurrences as a punishment for not spending enough time in prayer or the Word.

In contemplating all this, I am drawn to a passage in Revelations 2:1-5.

"To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands: 2 I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. 3 You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.
4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. 5 Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.NIV

I am not making a one to one correlation between my situation and these verses. However, we have here a church that was doing things in the power of the Spirit and the desire to express their love for the Lord. Yet something happened, and that love had grown cold. They were still “doing,” but their motive for doing had changed. To this, the Lord gives two prescriptions – “Remember” and “Repent.”

Remember how it use to be. What your motives were for what you did.  Then repent – do an about face – and return to what you were doing before. We must not confuse what the Lord is saying here. This is not but about the external aspects of our works. Jesus was not telling them to change what they were doing, only the reason why they did it – from love, not duty – from a relationship, not ritual.

So in the silence when God seems quiet. In the darkness when I can’t see Him working. In times of violent upheaval in my life when I wonder where He is. In the starkness when things look bleak and bland. I will call upon the Lord for His mercy and goodness. I will seek His face. I know I will hear from Him and He will draw near. 

When times like these appear in our lives, we have two ways we can go:

Ø Give up and take the much-traveled path of our own pleasures

                                                OR

Ø Go on and take the road less traveled

This is what the Lord says:"Stop at the crossroads and look around.Ask for the old, godly way, and walk in it.Travel its path, and you will find rest for your souls.Jer 6:16a NLT

But do not respond like those did in Jeremiah’s day:

But you reply, 'No, that's not the road we want!'Jer 6:16b NLT

And persevere, which is proof of your calling and election:

³⁵ So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. ³⁶ You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. ³⁷ For in just a very little while,

"He who is coming will come and will not delay.

³⁸ But my righteous one will live by faith.

And if he shrinks back,

I will not be pleased with him."

³⁹ But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.

Heb 10:35-39 NIV

And God’s chosen will persevere:

Ø Because we are... “being protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time...” 1 Peter 1:5 (from The Lexham English Bible, Fourth Edition <NL><NL>Copyright © 2010, 2012 Logos Bible Software.)

Ø And He is... “able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—” Jude 24 NIV

Ø To which we cry out... “to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen. Jude 25 NIV

Therefore, persevere in prayer as well:

Be earnest and unwearied and steadfast in your prayer [life], being [both] alert and intent in [your praying] with thanksgiving. Col 4:2 AMP

John Piper commenting on this verse says:

There is so much power to be had in persevering prayer. Don’t forget the “impudent friend” of Luke 11:8 and don’t forget the parable Jesus told to the effect that we “ought always to pray and not lose heart” (Luke 18:1–8). Perseverance is the great test of genuineness in the Christian life. I praise God that some of you have persevered in prayer 60, 70, or 80 years! O, let us be a praying church, and ... be saturated with prayers to the Lord of the harvest. Won’t it be great to say in the end, “I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7)?https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/persevere-in-prayer

https://loosehim.files.wordpress.com/2016/04/img_4495.jpg?w=1400

Worship: The Silence of God by Andrew Peterson

It's enough to drive a man crazy; it'll break a man's faith

It's enough to make him wonder if he's ever been sane

When he's bleating for comfort from Thy staff and Thy rod

And the heaven's only answer is the silence of God

It'll shake a man's timbers when he loses his heart

When he has to remember what broke him apart

This yoke may be easy, but this burden is not

When the crying fields are frozen by the silence of God

And if a man has got to listen to the voices of the mob

Who are reeling in the throes of all the happiness they've got

When they tell you all their troubles have been nailed up to that cross

Then what about the times when even followers get lost?

'Cause we all get lost sometimes...

There's a statue of Jesus on a monastery knoll

In the hills of Kentucky, all quiet and cold

And He's kneeling in the garden, as silent as a Stone

All His friends are sleeping, and He's weeping all alone

And the man of all sorrows, he never forgot

What sorrow is carried by the hearts that he bought

So when the questions dissolve into the silence of God

The aching may remain, but the breaking does not

The aching may remain, but the breaking does not

In the holy, lonesome echo of the silence of God

Lyrics:  https://www.newreleasetoday.com/lyricsdetail.php?lyrics_id=15680

Video: https://youtu.be/qn5-2nZR9AA

A Rock Who Hears?

September 15, 2018

WORD:

Ps 28:1-29:1 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. 6 Praise be to the Lord, for he has heard my cry for mercy. 7 The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song. 8 The Lord is the strength of his people, a fortress of salvation for his anointed one. 9 Save your people and bless your inheritance; be their shepherd and carry them forever. A psalm of David. NIV

Ps 28 A psalm of David. 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! 6 Praise the Lord! For he has heard my cry for mercy. 7 The Lord is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving. 8 The Lord gives his people strength. He is a safe fortress for his anointed king. 9 Save your people! Bless Israel, your special possession. Lead them like a shepherd, and carry them in your arms forever. Holy Bible, New Living Translation ®, copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.

Ps 28 A Psalm of David. 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. 6 Blessed be the LORD, because he hath heard the voice of my supplications. 7 The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him. 8 The LORD is their strength, and he is the saving strength of his anointed. 9 Save thy people, and bless thine inheritance: feed them also, and lift them up for ever. KJV

Ps 28 The Lord Is My Strength and My Shield Of David. 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. 6 Blessed be the Lord! For he has heard the voice of my pleas for mercy. 7 The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him. 8 The Lord is the strength of his people; he is the saving refuge of his anointed 9 Oh, save your people and bless your heritage! Be their shepherd and carry them forever. ESV

I.  Minor Key

            A. Pleas (vv. 1- 3)

            B. Imprecation (vv. 4-5)

II. Major Key

            A. Praise (vv. 6-8)

            B. Supplication (v. 9)

David’s Pleas

The psalm begins with a very unusual use of an ascription of God. David calls Him his “rock.” Now that might not seem so strange. David uses “rock” as an appellation for God at least 22 times in the Psalms.

Here are a few examples:

Ps 18:1-2

¹ I love you, O Lord, my strength.

² The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;

my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.

He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

NIV

Ps 62:2

He alone is my rock and my salvation;

he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.

NIV

Ps 71:3

Be my rock of refuge,

to which I can always go;

give the command to save me,

for you are my rock and my fortress.

NIV

We see from these verses that to David, God is a rock who protects and delivers from trouble. It refers to His strength as an impenetrable fortress and shield and thus a Savior from one’s enemies. Rock refers to transcendence and exaltation as well. Remember what David said in Psalm 27:5-6, “he will ... set me high upon a rock. Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me...” NIV. But David knew there was a rock that was elevated and exalted above even him, God’s anointed king of Israel, for in Psalm 61:2 he prays, “lead me to the rock that is higher than I” NIV.

So why do I say the ascription of God as his “rock” is used in an “unusual” way? One that seems out of place? Because David is calling upon God his Rock to “hear” him. Rocks don’t hear. We can understand rock being used to represent a fortress or for strength, but for hearing a prayer? Why not God as a shepherd or a mighty warrior? These appellations certainly have ears to hear and bespeak of rescue and strength. But David chooses to call upon God as his rock. Perhaps it’s because rocks had become a dear friend to David when he was fleeing and hiding from his enemies. They came to symbolize God’s strength, protection, and deliverance from danger. Therefore, David calls upon God, his living rock or stone* to save him. Later in the Psalm, we discover that the idea of strength and protection is not out of his purview in verse 1 but the premise on which he prays. In fact, all the ingredients that are associated with “rock” turn up in this Psalm:

·        Strength

·        Shield

·        Fortress

7 The Lord is my strength and my shield;

my heart trusts in him, and I am helped.

My heart leaps for joy

and I will give thanks to him in song.

8 The Lord is the strength of his people,

a fortress of salvation for his anointed one.

9 Save your people and bless your inheritance;

be their shepherd and carry them forever.

NIV

Notice what description David uses at the end of the Psalm – Shepherd!

* In 1 Peter 2:4 Christ is called the “living Stone.”

Witness:

Question: Why are frogs so hard to get along with?

Answer: Because they like to spring things on you and jump to conclusions.

Okay, bad joke. I just made it up today and told it to one of my grandkids. They said “stop it” as fast as a frog says “ribbit.”

How often are we guilty of jumping to conclusions? I know I am, and it gets me in trouble sometimes. Today was no exception (except the trouble part). I jumped to a conclusion about somebody that I shouldn’t have, and the worry and bad feelings that came with it stuck with me until my suspicions were proven wrong.

Jumping to conclusions before all the facts are in demonstrates a lack of faith. Yes, you say, it reflects your lack of trust in that person. Perhaps, but I would go a step further. I believe the Lord showed me this truth today when I was in a frenzy over what I thought was taking place. As I was shaming myself over the fact of my lack of trust in this person, the Lord interrupted my thoughts and pointed out that the problem was more profound than that. I was not trusting God himself.

If I say I trust in God’s sovereignty and providential hand in all things, how can I fret beyond reason when I think some things are taking place. If I believe God is working His plan out in their life, then prayer, not perplexity should be my response. Surely part of the admonition to “Be anxious for nothing” (Phil. 4:6 NASB) is the fact that there may be “nothing” to your anxiousness. But notice what follows, “but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” (NASB). I may be entirely correct in my assumptions about a person, and still, my response should be prayer. When godly concern turns into worry or anger, it demonstrates a lack of trust in the One who rules the Universe. It is doubt and unbelief disguised as care and concern.

Worry has a deleterious effect on your body (Matt. 6:27), but it also deters the protection of God to your soul. Notice the outcome of yielding apprehension to prayer.

And the peace of God,

which surpasses all comprehension,

shall guard your hearts

and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Phil 4:7 NASB

Not only is prayer tied to overcoming anxiety and trusting in God’s sovereignty but a change in our thinking is as well. See what Paul says next in verse 8.

Finally, brethren, whatever is true,

whatever is honorable, whatever is right,

 whatever is pure, whatever is lovely,

 whatever is of good repute,

 if there is any excellence

 and if anything worthy of praise,

 dwell on these things.

Phil. 4:8 NASU

There is a “practical” aspect that also needs to take place. God’s sovereignty must be acknowledged by our actions.

The things you have learned

and received and heard and seen in me,

 practice these things,

and the God of peace will be with you.

 Phil 4:9 NASU

I have always seen these verses as separate exhortations. However, I believe I see a connection between verses 7-9 which tie all them together resulting in the peace of God surrounding us and ultimately in the God of peace residing with us.

Paul was saying: pray and plead and praise (v. 7) and as you do this, think on these things (v. 8) – for example, “the things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me” (v. 9) - then put them into practice.

                                            GOD OF PEACE

↑                                     PEACE OF GOD                                                     PRAY... PONDER... PRACTICE

                                            PEACE OF GOD 

   

Worship: It is Well With My Soul by Horatio Spafford

In thinking about what song to sing, my mind immediately thought of this song. It speaks of peace, and each verse is unquestionably an “excellent” thing we can meditate on.

I have a principle I follow – I never try to use a song I have used already. I was sure I had used this song since it was one of my favorite hymns. I even had sung it at my dad’s funeral. However, upon checking, I discovered that, while I was going to use it in my worship portion I never did. I had used other songs that were based on the song but not the song itself. May the Lord bless you as He has for me when singing this venerable old hymn.

Author:          Horatio G. Spafford

Composer:    Philip P. Bliss

Tune:              Ville Du Havre (Bliss)

Scripture:      Ps 49:15; 3 Jn 2

1          When peace like a river, attendeth my way,

When sorrows like the sea billows roll;

Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,

‘It is well with my soul.’

2          Tho’ Satan should buffet, tho’ trials should come,

Let this blest assurance control,

That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,

And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

3          My sin—oh, the bliss of this glorious tho’t!—

My sin, not in part, but the whole,

Is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more,

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

4          And, Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,

The clouds be rolled back as a scroll,

The trump shall resound and the Lord shall descend,

‘Even so,’ it is well with my soul.

Chorus           It is well with my soul,

It is well, it is well with my soul.^[1]

Lyrics: https://library.timelesstruths.org/music/It_Is_Well_with_My_Soul/

Video: https://youtu.be/GkmrWgGy1zY

---

^[1] Logos Hymnal. (1995). (1st edition.). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.