Today's Scriptures: Psalm 57 & Luke 24:45-47

This psalm was written especially for cave-dwellers, as you can see by the title: “A psalm of David. A miktam*. When he had fled from Saul into the cave.”

David and his men fled to the cave looking for refuge from King Saul. (1 Samuel 22) By now, I'm sure David thought he'd be living in a palace as King over Israel, but instead David spent months, perhaps years, living in a cave for Saul wanted David dead. It was there in this cave, however, that David wrote three of his most amazing psalms—Psalms 34, 142, and our psalm for today, Psalm 57.

Your cave might not be an actual physical cave, you may find yourself living in more of an emotional one, where it is dark, dismal and disillusioning. And perhaps the hardest part of all is that you cannot share this truth with anyone else because you feel so desperate . . . so alone. Surely others wouldn't understand, right?

The Christian life is suppose to be all these silver-lined clouds with one mountain-top experience after another. David is here to tell you that, that isn't always the case; sometimes the Christian life includes a deep, dark cave, but amazing things can come out of the cave!

I'd like to share a bit from all three psalms today since they were all written during David's cave-dwelling experience. 

To begin with, if you find yourself in the cave, look up—God is there! In his cave, David tells us in Psalm 34:18, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” This is one of my favorite promises from Scripture, for the cave is where David came to experience the God of the brokenhearted. And so will you if you’ll look for God there. 

Next, if you’re in the cave, David recommends you cry out—God is listening! Talk to God, tell Him all you're experiencing - he can handle it! If I've learned one thing reading the psalms I've learned David was masterful at sharing his heart, and it was great therapy for him. In his cave, David wrote Psalm 142:1-2, “I cry aloud to the Lord…I pour out my complaint before him; before him I tell my trouble.” Also in Psalm 57:2 David wrote, “I cry out to God, who fulfills his purpose for me.”

Then, trust Him! "He will send from heaven and save me; he will put to shame him who tramples on me. God will send out his steadfast love and his faithfulness!" - Psalm 57:3

Notice what David says to his men out of Psalm 34:

• To the distressed, "O taste and see that the LORD is good; how blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!"
• To those in debt, "O fear the LORD, you His saints; for to those who fear Him there is no want."
• To the discontented, "The young lions do lack and suffer hunger; but they who seek the LORD shall not be in want of any good thing."

If you're in a cave prepare to glorify Him! I know this sounds pretty crazy and probably the LAST thing you feel tempted to do in a cave, but David proves it can be done! Notice, My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast! (trusting) I will sing and make melody! Awake, my glory!" (57:7-8a) To his men he sang this while Saul was still seeking to kill him, "Magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt His name together." He's putting their eyes on the Lord. "I sought the LORD, and He answered me, and delivered me from all my fears."

And finally thank Him! Yes, thank the Lord for your cave-dwelling experience. 

A lot of great things can happen in a cave- dwelling experience! 

• David's men's skills were sharpened there. 
• David faith deepened. 
• Paul wrote much of the New Testament in prison. 
• And Jesus was resurrected for us all!

Proving God can do His best work in caves! David ran to his cave for refuge and found resurrections! God can resurrect marriages, jobs, relationship.. nothing is impossible for God!

So let me ask you:

Have you, or are you experiencing a time of "cave-dwelling"? If so how's it going? 

Have you cried out?

Are you trusting while you wait?

Are you thanking God and trusting Him to turn this all for His glory? 

Let's Pray:

Heavenly Father, thank You that nothing can separate me from Your love. Even in the valleys and caves You are always there beside me. The cares of this world may  cause sadness and despair at times, but help me to trust You in each season.  May I find refuge in your love, and safety in your shadow. Increase my faith that I might experience happiness and joy in your eternal kingdom. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord, Amen.

Blessings, 

*This psalm as well as Psalms 16, 56–60 are called Miktam or Michtam. The Hebrew word for “writing” here is miktab, which many scholars believe is related to michtam. It is not known why David uses this term in the titles, but one thought is that a related word to michtam is the Hebrew katham, which means “an engraving.” If the underlying meaning of michtam is “engraving,” then the songs labeled as “michtams” could have been considered of enough value to be stamped or engraved upon tablets for long-term preservation. - Got Questions

Scripture reading: Psalm 52 , 2 Samuel 12:1-14 & Romans 12:1 

This psalm is David's recollection of when he was fleeing King Saul. There was a certain Edomite "set over the servants of Saul” (1 Sam. 22:9), named Doeg, who had informed Saul that David had fled and was being helped by the priests at Nob. Saul then orders Doeg to kill over 85 priests (1 Sam 22:18), and Doeg obeys Saul’s order.

David seems to reveal what he knows about this informer through the first part of the psalm.  Doeg was a:

• Braggart (Psalm 52:1),
• Mighty warrior (Psalm 52:1),
• Person who used his tongue to stir up trouble (Psalm 52:2),
• Person who loved evil “more than good” (Psalm 52:3) and lying more than truth,
• Person whose speech was deceptive (Psalm 52:4) and had a plan to hurt and destroy others
• A man who would not get away with his sin (Psalm 52:5). There is always a wage for sin that all will pay unless God’s mercy spares them.

But in this Maskil, I believe David has an important lesson for all of us when we are facing troubled times, even death. David shifts his attention from the wicked to the Lord in verse 8 and makes a provocative statement of his confidence in God that should have captured everyone's attention: “But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God” (Psalm 52:8a).

Before we go any further may I ask, what are the trials, troubles, and tribulations you are  facing just now? David wants you to know that no matter what is going on in your life or in the world around you, you can face them like a green olive tree in the house of God.

How can we be like a green olive tree in the house of God? According to David, it's by,

1.) Trusting in the Lord

David declares, “I trust in the steadfast love of God forever and ever” (Psalm 52:8b). To trust in the Lord is to live in complete dependence and confidence in the Lord. According to David, this is the only way to face the evil and injustice. And we know the Lord is worthy of our trust, because of his “steadfast love.” 

2.) Thanking the Lord

David proclaims, “I will thank you forever, because you have done it” (Psalm 52:9a). A life of worry, doubt, and fear conveys a lack of confidence in God, but trusting in God’s future faithfulness is rooted in gratitude for God’s faithfulness to you in the past. Thanksgiving fuels this trust. 

3.) Waiting on the Lord

David announces, “I will wait for your name, for it is good, in the presence of the godly” (Psalm 52:9b). Did you know that a trusting and thankful heart will be marked by patience. This patience is not about sitting down and idly waiting, however. The biblical term to wait basically means to walk by faith, not by sight.  

David's life was in danger along with the very men who followed him and even those who helped him along the way! He had every right to give up and in, in my book. I hate to admit I've been tempted a time or two for lesser reasons, but David’s faith was based on his hope in the Lord, not man. He knew God would not fail him. He could wait on God to keep his promises. 

4.) Surrounding himself with others.

"I will wait for your name, for it is good, in the presence of the godly." Wait, but don’t wait alone. Surround yourself with godly people who will wait with you. Notice, Olive Trees flourish in a grove with others. 

So let me ask you:

• Are you like a green olive tree in the house of God?
• Are you facing trials and tough times? 
• Are you waiting on God's deliverance? 
• Are you trusting Him during this time? Walking by faith? Giving thanks and praising Him?
• Have you surrounded yourself with other godly believers who can lift you up and support you? 
• Are you that help to others going through tough times just now?

 Today's Reading: Psalm 42 &  Jonah 2:1-9

Deep calls to deep... What exactly does that mean? I've often heard this phase used in songs or poetry and I've always wondered what exactly was the writer referring to, so when I learned that I was assigned to write on Psalm 42 today, I decided it was time to research this psalm to find out its meaning!

I truly believe for us to get  the utmost from our study in the psalms this year, we need to gather as much information as we can from Hebrew scholars, for it is their wisdom that will bring more life to the psalm for us. That being said, I want to start with a bit of the back ground to this psalm and you can tell me later if you concur. 

The psalm begins: 

__Book II - Psalm 42-72

There are actually five books included in the Book of Psalm and we have now already  completed the first book! (I hope that makes you feel accomplished!) Book 1 ends with this important refrain, “Blessed is Yahweh, the God of Israel—From eternity unto eternity, Amen and Amen.”(Psalm 41:14). This refrain or some form similar will close out each of the books of psalm with Psalm 150 being just one big blessing to God. (Pretty neat, huh?)

__For the director of music. A maskil of the Sons of Korah.

I previously shared that the term Maskil  probably comes from the Hebrew verb (sakal), which means, “to understand.” 

Here's an interesting note I hadn't shared before:

 "Typically, this has been seen either as a liturgical term or a musical tune or beat to which this psalm would be sung. Some scholars have thus understood these Maskils to be memory verses and others have suggested that it is simply a designation for wisdom literature put to music"  _(The Preacher's Study emphasis mine)

(Since I've been trying to put more Scriptures to memory, I thought that was pretty neat that they too put verses to music in order to remember them better.)

Psalm 42 was written by the "Sons of Korah". The sons of Korah were leaders of the tabernacle and because it is mentioned how he “used to go to the house of God . . . with shouts of joy” (verse 4), and also writes as if he is east of the Jordan River (verse 6), and he hears the taunting of an enemy (verse 10), it is believed that the writers of this psalm were accompanying King David as he was driven from Jerusalem by his rebellious son Absalom (2 Samuel 15). 

As David and those faithful to him fled for their lives, they are looking back in sadness at their home of Jerusalem. Psalm 42 is essentially a record of their thoughts during that time of exile and the longing they feel in their hearts for home and all that is familiar to them. 

I found this description in Handfuls on Purpose for Christian Workers and Bible Students and thought it summed up the phase beautifully: “The deep of man’s need calleth unto the deep of God’s fulness; and the deep of God’s fulness calleth unto the deep of man’s need. Between our emptiness and His all-sufficiency there is a great gulf. . . . Deep calleth unto deep. The deep mercy of God needs our emptiness, into which it might pour itself. . . . Nothing can fully meet the depth of our need but the depth of His Almighty fulness” (William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1971. Vol. 8, p. 11.)

Have you ever experienced that sense of longing? 

We can understand the meaning of deep calls to deep when we recognize that our needs are great, but the riches of God are greater. Our wisdom and understanding is finite, but His knowledge and judgments are infinite and unsearchable (Romans 11:33–34). The height, breadth, and depth of God’s resources are without measure and I personally believe God purposely takes us through periods like that to show us not only our need, but His riches and ability to meet ALL our needs.

How amazing is it to know that He seeks us out? He searches our innermost being. He desires us, wretched sinners that we are. When we had/have no desire for Him, He still pursues us. His breath gives us life; His Spirit awakens our soul. He gives us the ability to see His beauty and love in ways that are only possible through Him. 

In the depths of the sons of Korsh's despair, they found help in the depth of God’s goodness, and they were able to say in conclusion, “Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise Him again—my Savior and my God!” (Psalm 42:11).

Time to Reflect:

Can you recall a time in your past when God answered your deep, heart-felt longing? Perhaps the situation hadn't changed at that time, as in the case of this psalm, but being reminded of God's care, compassion and His involvement made all the difference? 

Are you quick to pour your heart out to God, or are you one who keeps it suppressed too long?

I hope you'll come share on WitW and brag on our Father and Savior a bit today.

Let's Pray:

O Father, deep calls to deep so my heart longs to answer your call to go deeper and more intimate in my relationship with You. I can actually thank You for the times of loneliness and despair, for even then I am never alone, and now I realize that it is in those seasons when I grow to know and love You more. Forgive me for the times when my thoughts turn inward and I grow sorrowful and depressed, and help me to run to You right away. Help me to remember You are always there calling me deeper. In Your precious Son's name I pray. Amen. 

Blessings,

 Today's Reading: Psalm 32 &  Romans 4:1-12;  2 Corinthians 5:17-19

Upon my first reading Psalm 32, I couldn't help but to notice the huge contrast between David's groaning in verses 3-4, 

"When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy on me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer."

And rejoining in verse 11, 

"Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous; shout for joy, all you upright in heart."

What happened to bring about such a change in David?

"I acknowledged my sin to You,
And I did not hide my wickedness;
I said, “I will confess [all] my transgressions to the Lord”;
And You forgave the guilt of my sin." -Psalm 32:5

Psalm 32 is a psalm of thanksgiving. It is called a “Mashcil,” which means to give instruction or to understand and the reader would be wise to heed the wisdom found in the psalm. 

The Hebrew word translated “blessed” could actually be translated “Oh, how blissfully happy!” I like the sound of that.  Charles Spurgeon noted that this blissful peace came after David’s confession of his adulterous affair with Bathsheba ( 2 Samuel 11 & 12), recorded in Psalm 51.

I feel to truly understand this "Mashcil" we need to break down the true definitions of some of the terms David uses here. 

“Blessed is he whose transgression…” (v.1) Transgression is willful rebellion; willfully crossing the line of something you know is wrong and doing it anyway. 

“Whose sin…” (v.1) Sin is a failure to keep God’s law. The Greek word translated sin in the New Testament means to miss the mark. 

But the “sin is covered,”(v.1) that is, blotted out or in these days, redacted, so we can no longer see them. 

"Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute inequity"(v.2). Impute is actually an accounting term which would mean that The Lord is no longer holding the sinner responsible for this debt. The debt is canceled!

"Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute inequity" (v.2) Iniquity is a crookedness or deviation from the right path; more like going astray. 

 "And in whose spirit there is no deceit" (v.2) David is speaking here of self deceit. We can often deceive ourselves into believing that our actions are justified when they clearly go against God's word. David explains that there is no self deceit here because he has owned up to his sin (see v 5). 

David seems to cover all the bases here, but it may be something the average reader would miss unless he/she knew the definitions to each of these term and truly only then can we understand why David  felt it necessary to say all that he did here. 

Knowing all of this has brought so much more meaning to this psalm for me and I wanted to pass it along to you. 

But I believe the key that David doesn't want his readers to miss is the contrast between one who covers over their sin and transgressions and one who readily confesses them,

Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but he who trusts in and relies on the Lord shall be surrounded with mercy, compassion and lovingkindness." Psalm 32:10

 Our sin cannot be covered by God until man uncovers by confessing it. I immediately thought of 1 John 1:8-9,  "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
11 

And David goes on to share with us how wonderful it will be for us if we choose to walk each day, in the light and freedom of the grace of our God all because of what Jesus has already done for us, "Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous [who actively seek right standing with Him];
Shout for joy, all you upright in heart.-Psalm 32:10-11(Emphasis mine)

Let me ask you:

_Are you willfully walking in disobedience and rebellion in any area of your life? 

_Have you knowingly missed the mark in some area? 

_Knowing the freedom that comes from forgiveness, have you freely forgiven others remembering that God will not forgive you, unless you also forgive? (Mt 6:9-13)

_What does God most need you to do right now?

Let's Pray:

O Father, thank You that I can receive forgiveness at any time in my life, no matter how extreme or far I have strayed from You. Whether I acted willfully, or in ignorance, I'm so very grateful for the promises in Your word that reassures me that You will readily forgive and not hold it against me each time I come to You and confess my transgressions and sins.

 I pray that you would forgive me for __________. Help me to receive healing from the inside out through Your love. Thank You in advance for Your work of redemption in my life and the power of Your Spirit. I pray that You would pour Your Spirit into me; filling me and use me to be a blessing to others in my life. Thank You for Your precious Son, Jesus, who has made all this possible, and it is in His name I pray. Amen.

Blessings, 

 

 Today's Psalm: Psalm 22  &  Matthew 27:32-44,  Hebrews 2:10-13

Psalm 22 is known as the Psalm of the Cross. It is perhaps the most amazing of all the Psalms, for it accurately predicts what Jesus will experience on the cross some 950 years before His crucifixion occurred and is known as one of the messianic psalms. 

David begins with “My God, My God, Why have you forsaken me?” These same words were echoed from the cross when Jesus said, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (Matthew 27:46). We can see in Psalm 22 some of the suffering and emotions that Jesus must have experienced on our behalf from the cross. 

David too, must have been dealing with a difficult time in his life; a time when he felt overwhelmed and abandoned, and  before we go any further, can you remember a time when you felt alone and abandoned by God and others? Perhaps, wondering if anyone cared. I may be wrong, but I think all of us can remember a time, or two in our life when we felt exactly that way.  

The trouble is when we get into a state where we begin to feel alone and abandoned our focus tends to be on ourselves and how we're feeling and the circumstances going on around us, and here in this psalm, David give us the solution for rising above our circumstances and placing our focus back on The Lord. 

First, he begins to cry out to God, But you, Lord, do not be far from me. You are my strength; come quickly to help me." (Psalm 22:19 and other verses.) 

Second, he begins to focus on God's promises and turns his prayer into praise and I believe this is key, for there is power found our praises! 

Notice beginning in verse 22, David's focus seems to shift from the circumstances around him, etc. to the truths about who God is and that He will never abandon him. I will declare your name to my people; in the assembly I will praise you. You who fear the Lord, praise him! (Psalm 22:22-23a) 

The truth is even in our darkest hour God is never far away. He will come to the rescue and make things better. Here's just a few truths I pulled from this psalm and I hope you'll share others with us on WitW

1.     God does not abandon us (Psalm 22:24).

2.     God will always help us (Psalm 22:19, Psalm 22:26).

3.     We can trust God to be with us through whatever we are up against (Psalm 22:3-5).

4.     With God, there is not a single person or circumstance that can permanently defeat us (Psalm 22:27-28).

Pause to Reflect:

1. Have you ever felt distant from God during a difficult time? What did you experience in both your thinking and feelings?

2. What helps you in difficult times to regain your balance?

3. Does it comfort you to know Jesus experienced all you have and more and can sympathize with all you go through?