A Light at the End of the Tunnel -Psalm 73-

A Light at the End of the Tunnel

Psalm 73 verses 15-28

¹⁵ If I had said, “I will speak thus,”
I would have betrayed your children.

Here Asaph is sharing his feelings with God.  Since he was a leader, he didn't make his feelings known to the people so that their faith would stay firm with God. Many young adults can relate to this. Whether it comes through being an older sibling or by being a leader in youth group or in a group of friends, leadership can be a hard job. However, Asaph is saying that he will stay strong so that others won't fall.
¹⁶ When I tried to understand all this,
it was oppressive to me
¹⁷ till I entered the sanctuary of God;
then I understood their final destiny.

I think this shows the power of coming together for worship, where God says He will be with us. When we try to figure out things on our own, everything is confusing and we can't understand, but being in the presence of God clears our minds and helps us to trust more in Him. Because Asaph went into worship, his thoughts about the wicked prospering weren’t heavy on his mind. God made them clear to him. Most of us have grown up in Christian families and have been going to church our whole life. It’s easy for us to forget how important Sunday worship and fellowship is to our lives.
What Asaph was understanding was how the story ends for the wicked:

¹⁸ Surely you place them on slippery ground;
you cast them down to ruin.
¹⁹ How suddenly are they destroyed,
completely swept away by terrors!
²⁰ As a dream when one awakes,
so when you arise, O Lord,
you will despise them as fantasies.

These verses are similar to the verses in Psalm 1 that say the righteous will be like a tree planted by the waterside, but the wicked will be like chaff in the wind. Even though it doesn't always feel like the righteous will prosper and the wicked will receive what is just, the promise in Psalm 1 helps us to have hope. Here Asaph is remembering God's promises, and his hope is renewed. He is looking into the future and the things to come. In verse 20 it says that all the stuff the wicked have now is like a dream. It will be gone. As young Christian adults it’s easy for us to envy others who seem to have it all- money, lots of friends, beauty, and many other things. We need to remember that these things don’t matter, and we need to be storing up treasures in heaven.

²¹ When my heart was grieved
and my spirit embittered,
²²  I was senseless and ignorant;
I was a brute beast before you.

Asaph understands that because of his anger and because of his hatred towards the wicked, he had lost hope in God's promises. Because his mind was so focused on the wicked's short time of prospering now, he forgot about the future and that in the end, God will destroy them. He is aware that it was blind of him to doubt God.

²³ Yet I am always with you;
you hold me by my right hand.
²⁴ You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will take me into glory. -

After Asaph recognize his senselessness and ignorance, he remembers God's goodness and the loyalty He shows towards His people. ‘You hold me by my right hand’ shows that God was Asaph’s guide and reminds us that God is our guide also!  We need to trust Him and let Him lead the way. Asaph, being a leader, also needs God to be his guide so that he may guide others. He is asking God to guide him through life’s journeys, and then later he will be taken into eternal glory. This is a beautiful promise that God gives to all believers:  that he will always be with us, guiding us through our earthly lives and then afterwards taking us to eternal glory.

²⁵ Whom have I in heaven but you?^(A)
    And earth has nothing I desire besides you.

Asaph realizes his desire for God, and that nothing can quench his desire besides Christ.  ”...earth has nothing I desire besides you.” Most of us cannot truthfully make this statement.  Desiring God, wanting God more than all the earthly things that look so pleasurable, is definitely a hard thing.

²⁶ My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.

 We hate weakness. We hate the feeling of being weak and we tend to look down on those whom we would consider to be weak. But in 2 Corinthians Paul says “For when I am weak, then I am strong.”  This verse reminds us that God is our strength, and that no matter how hard we try, we can’t be strong enough on our own.

²⁷ Those who are far from you will perish;
you destroy all who are unfaithful to you.
²⁸ But as for me, it is good to be near God.
I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge;
I will tell of all your deeds.

The last two verses of this psalm really show Asaph’s change of heart.  He has entered into God's house, he has cleared his mind and is now able to understand that God will indeed destroy the wicked. Because Asaph has stayed faithful to God, he has a refuge, and will always be safe. Because of all the God has done for him, he wants to tell others how great God is. This should definitely be the attitude of all believers because of what God has done for us.

Applying this psalm to your life- We tend to forget God’s promises for the future. We see the pain and hardships that we are going through now and assume that God doesn’t really care about us. Asaph was able to understand hardships better when he worshiped God. Through the unity we have with Christ in worship and personal devotions, we, too, can understand things that we wrestle with. James 4:8 says “Come near to God, and He will come near to you.”

Applying this psalm to Jesus’ life- It’s easy to see in the gospels that Jesus spent lots of time talking to God. When He was just hours before His awful death and separation, all He wanted was to talk and be with God. Jesus was able to look ahead at the future promises, even through His sufferings, and see the coming joy.

We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. -2 Corinthians 4:8-9

Cross references:

1. Psalm 73:16 : Ecc 8:17
2. Psalm 73:17 : Ex 15:17; Ps 15:1
3. Psalm 73:17 : S Job 8:13; Php 3:19
4. Psalm 73:18 : S Dt 32:35; Ps 35:6
5. Psalm 73:18 : S Ps 17:13
6. Psalm 73:19 : Dt 28:20; Pr 24:22; Isa 47:11
7. Psalm 73:19 : S Ge 19:15
8. Psalm 73:20 : S Job 20:8
9. Psalm 73:20 : Ps 78:65; Isa 29:8
10. Psalm 73:20 : Pr 12:11; 28:19
11. Psalm 73:22 : Ps 49:10; 92:6; 94:8
12. Psalm 73:22 : Ps 49:12, 20; Ecc 3:18; 9:12
13. Psalm 73:23 : S Ge 48:13
14. Psalm 73:24 : S Ps 48:14
15. Psalm 73:24 : S 1Ki 22:5
16. Psalm 73:25 : Ps 16:2
17. Psalm 73:25 : Php 3:8
18. Psalm 73:26 : Ps 84:2
19. Psalm 73:26 : S Ps 31:10; 40:12
20. Psalm 73:26 : Ps 18:1
21. Psalm 73:26 : S Dt 32:9
22. Psalm 73:27 : S Ps 34:21
23. Psalm 73:27 : S Lev 6:2; Jer 5:11; Hos 4:12; 9:1
24. Psalm 73:28 : Zep 3:2; Heb 10:22; Jas 4:8
25. Psalm 73:28 : Ps 9:9
26. Psalm 73:28 : Ps 26:7; 40:5

Finding Christ When We Feel Alone

"As deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God." (Psalm 42:1)

Our pastor is really good at telling stories. And while preaching on this Psalm, he did a very good job of illustrating with words the desperation of a thirsty deer after it has been running for miles through the fields and woods. While going over this Psalm later on my own, I read this verse and I could not help but think of the many times I run to the water fountain in seeming desperation during dance practice. After a fast-paced five minute long dance (five minutes of dancing is longer than it looks), my chest feels about ready to die. My heart is beating hard and fast. And I plunge my head into that water fountain the way that thirsty deer, white with foam, sheen with sweat, and near parched to death, would probably plunge its own head into the flowing streams of life-giving water.

This is the thirst that the Psalmist has for God when he sings Psalm 42. You can almost imagine him walking along the shores of Jordan when all of a sudden he sees that thirsty deer approaching the river's shores. It plunges its head into the rushing waters and the Psalmist is inspired. His soul leaps, because he knows he is as thirsty for God's presence as that deer is for the water. And he bursts into song.

"My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?

My tears have been my food day and night.

while they say to me all the day long,

'Where is your God?'" (2-3)

My pastor is not just good at telling stories, but he's also good at finding Jesus Christ in the Psalms where I never would expect Him to be. Here in verses two and three, we not only have a defected, lonely, suffering Psalmist yearning for God's presence, but we also have Jesus Christ, hanging on the cross. He cries "I thirst" in the first verse of this Psalm. He thirsts not for wine or water, but for the living God, for the presence and nearness of His Father (Jn. 19:27-30). He cries out to His Father, but there is no answer. He is left to suffer all the judgment and wrath accumulated by us on his own. He is alone. His tears are His food all day and night. And below the crowds cry and jeer at Him, "Where is your God?"  (Mtt. 27:39-43, Mk. 15:29-32, Lk. 23:35-39).


Have we not felt this in our own lives? Even as Christians, as people who know and believe that God is forever present and with us, do we not still so often feel alone? As though God has abandoned us? When you feel alone and abandoned, remember, as much as you experience and struggle with these feelings, you never are truly alone. And I know this is true because Christ suffered loneliness on the cross for you. He was completely abandoned by His Father in Heaven in His suffering. He is the only man who ever legitimately cried, "When shall I come and appear before God?" and "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Ps. 22:1, Matt. 27:46) because God was truly not there.


When you feel alone, remember that Christ knows what it feels like to be left alone. And Christ is the only one who ever need be truly left forgotten and alone. 

"These things I remember,

as I pour out my soul:

how I would go with the throng

and lead them in procession to the house of God

with glad shouts and songs of praise,

a multitude keeping festival." (4)

While on the cross, our Savior remembers. He remembers how He led the people of Jerusalem in worship when He entered the Holy City, how He rode on the back of a humble donkey and led the people in procession to the house of God. And they cried, "Hosanna! Save us!" (Mtt. 21:1-11, Mk. 11:1-11, Jn. 12:12-19). He remembers how God fulfilled His promise that day. And He finds comfort in remembering the worship place of God as He suffers on the cross. 

"Why are you cast down, O my soul,

and why are you in turmoil within me?

Hope in God; for I shall again praise Him,

my salvation and my God." (5-6a).

This Psalm is one of the few Psalms that is in the foremost thoughts of my memory. I find myself singing it and repeating its words to myself quite often in times of confusion and doubt, especially this one phrase when the Psalmist reminds Himself, "Hope in God; for I shall again praise Him, my salvation and my God." These are my Savior's words, they're not just mine, or King David's, or the Sons of Korah, or whoever "really" wrote this Psalm. Jesus is the one singing these words to me. He carried them all the way to the cross. And now I sing these words with my Savior.

When Bad Things Happen to Good People -Psalm 73

Psalm 73-  This Psalm shows a question that many Christians ask: “Why do the wicked prosper?” When the Psalm starts, it talks about God’s goodness.  However, as the Psalm continues, it is easy to see that this belief didn’t come easy for Asaph. The first 14 verses of this Psalm describe how prosperous the wicked are, how God could strike them down but chooses not to, and how the righteous suffer and still God does nothing. The next verses, 15-28, show Asaph coming to an understanding of these things. He realizes that God’s people will suffer but, as 1st Peter 4:12-16 says, we will face suffering in this world but we need to remember our future glory.

Asaph- Asaph wrote Psalm 73. He also wrote Psalms 50 and 74-83. Asaph was one of the 3 leaders of David’s three Levitical choirs along with Heman and Jeduthun/Ethan; these three were representatives of the families and descendents of the three sons of Levi.

Make sure that as you read through this you apply it to your own life.
 I’m going to address this explanation in two parts. The first part will be verses 1-14.

¹Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. We can tell here that this psalm was composed after Asaph had resolved his problem that had hurt his relationship with God. He had been unable to understand God’s goodness.

 “Pure in heart” - in biblical language the word “heart” meant the center of the human spirit where emotions, actions, thoughts, motivations, and courage come from. Matthew 5:8 Jesus says, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God”

² But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold. ³ For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. Asaph is describing his doubt in God’s goodness. He almost fell off the straight path because of skepticism toward God. Asaph doubted God because it was obvious to see that the wicked were prospering. He may have been looking back at Deuteronomy 28 where God states the blessings for obedience and the curses for disobedience. Had God forgotten His promises? When we face hardships we tend to ask similar questions. We ask questions like "Has God forgotten about me?" "Does He really love me?"

⁴ They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong. Although Asaph was overstating the problem (obviously not every wicked person had no struggles), he is seeing a wicked person prosper and a righteous friend sick. He feels that God is permitting awful injustices.  

 ⁵ They are free from common human burdens; they are not plagued by human ills. ⁶ Therefore pride is their necklace; they clothe themselves with violence. “Pride is their necklace” this phrase contrasts Proverbs 3:3 “Let love and faithfulness never leave you;  bind them around your neck,” and other verses in Proverbs. Asaph is also showing in these verses that the wicked prospering lead to other sins such as pride and violence. Being envious of the wicked is a hard thing not to do.

⁷ From their callous hearts comes iniquity; their evil imaginations have no limits. ⁸ They scoff, and speak with malice; with arrogance they threaten oppression. ⁹ Their mouths lay claim to heaven,  and their tongues take possession of the earth. ¹⁰ Therefore their people turn to them and drink up waters in abundance. ¹¹ They say, “How would God know?  Does the Most High know anything?”  In these verses Asaph is in a way showing God what’s happening. First they say they possess everything YOU made. Then they turn YOUR people away from you, and,  if this isn’t bad enough, they mock YOU!  Asaph is having a hard time understanding why God would let these things happen, why God would let his holy named be mocked when he has the power to stop it. What makes things worse is that the wicked don’t deny that there is a God.  They are just too happy and comfortable in their lives to care.

 ¹² This is what the wicked are like— always free of care, they go on amassing wealth. Here Asaph summarizes the last 7 verses; basically he’s saying the wicked are careless and filthy rich.

 ¹³ Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure and have washed my hands in innocence. ¹⁴ All day long I have been afflicted, and every morning brings new punishments.   Asaph was previously talking about other people’s suffering, but here he talks about his OWN suffering.  He’s questioning why he has faith. He’s asking “Is it worth it?” Also we can see here that Asaph describes belonging to God as to having a pure heart and washed hands.
"Is it worth it?" We all have hardships in our lives and sometimes they seem unbearable. We want to give up. A question that runs through our mind is, "If life is gonna be this hard then is it really worth it?"

Applying this Psalm to our lives- When hard things happen in our lives, I think many of us tend to say to God. “Okay. So I’m following you. I’m doing the right thing here, and this is what I get? Is this all really worth it?”  I think something we need to understand  (and what Asaph grew to understand)  is in Isaiah 55:8 which says “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,”declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Applying this Psalm to Jesus’ life- During Jesus’ ministry He definitely saw and experienced the wicked prospering. He had no earthly home and no money, and He was criticized and mocked because of the truth He spoke unlike the Pharisees, who seemed to have it all. But Jesus did not care about earthly possessions. He understood and had hope in the greater treasure awaiting Him in heaven.

  

“We were promised sufferings. They were part of the program. We were even told, ''Blessed are they that mourn.''”-C.S. Lewis-

Rest in God Alone

    Psalm 62 always has held a special place in my heart. I have loved reading it and singing it for years. (Not that I am extraordinarily old or anything, but probably a good 8 years.....) As with all of God’s word, there is so much to be discovered and learned in this passage of scripture. No matter how many times I read this psalm, I always come away from it with a new understanding. The Word of God truly “is living and active, sharper than any double-edged sword...it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart...” (Hebrews 4:12)

      Psalm 62 came as both a challenge and comfort to me last school year, in the midst of finishing up my junior year. My younger brother started having unexplainable seizures around Christmas. A flurry of doctor appointments, MRIs and a slew of medications followed. It seemed like we were practically living at the hospital and the worst part was, the seizures just kept getting more and more frequent, until he was having up to twenty or more a day. It was a frightening time where we all felt completely helpless. This time, I couldn’t even fool myself into thinking I, or anyone else in my family, had control over this situation. The hard truth was....we didn’t. And it was scary. However, God is so faithful to His children. He gave us the strength to endure, even when we were so tired that when we went to pray, we couldn’t even think of words to say. The Holy Spirit interpreted the wordlessness, the groans and tears on my heart to a prayer before the Lord, who hears our prayers.

    God used Psalm 62 to give me encouragement during this time. There have been many times when the Lord has used this psalm in my life, but this is the time that stands out the most clearly to me. 

“For God alone my soul waits in silence; from Him comes my salvation.” (Vs. 1)

    Let’s face it. Waiting is hard. I absolutely hate waiting. (Guess how many times I’ve heard: “Patience is virtue”? Oh, and, more importantly, it’s a fruit of the spirit.) It’s even harder to wait when I’m not in control of anything, which, actually, is all the time.  In God’s grace, He has provided a way for sinful mankind’s relationship with Him to be restored. It came at a heavy price. A perfect, unblemished sacrifice had to be offered up in the stead of all those who would come to faith. That sacrifice was the sinless son of God, fully man yet still fully God—Jesus Christ. Death could not hold him, however, and after three days, Jesus rose again from the grave, triumphant over death and sin- victorious over that which has held His chosen in bondage. “...From Him comes out salvation.” (Vs. 1b)

   Men still sin, though. This is evident in everyday life. Even worse, we still have that prideful sin that was evident in Adam and Eve that makes us think we know just as much as God, or more. We don’t want to have to depend or rely on God for anything! We are bombarded by the world with the lies that we have to make a way for ourselves and there’s “no such thing as a free lunch” type of mentality.   

   Well, here’s something that is hard for us to swallow:

    We have nothing worthy in and of ourselves that would cause God to choose us as His children. I have no righteousness on my own. I can’t come to God on my own. There is such a thing as a “free lunch” when it comes to grace. It’s called free grace. And God bestows it on those who He has chosen since before the beginning of time. This understanding of grace is the basis of understanding our own depravity.

     Waiting on the Lord in silence, as it says in verse 1 of Psalm 62 is to rely on Him fully for salvation-not trusting in my own “power” or “righteousness” to save me. Isaiah 64:6 says that “...all our righteous acts are as filthy rags...” More than just that, it is also waiting for the Lord’s answer in prayer. Waiting in silence does not mean to aimlessly wait around or adopting an “oh well” type of attitude. It means waiting for God to answer our prayers in His time and continuing to pray and seek His face, even while we are waiting for the answer. The answer is not always the one that we are expecting, however. God commands us to pray and when we pray, we do have to resign ourselves mentally that, ultimately, God’s will, will be accomplished even if it isn’t in the means that I want or expect.

    I’m going to blow a big part of the story with my brother and tell you something about God working out prayer in unexpected means. I prayed that the Lord would bring healing to my brother, and if healing wasn’t in the plan, that He would continue to give my brother strength and faith to endure the seizures. The doctors put him on all different type of medications to try and control the epileptic attacks. There was one medicine that we thought was working for a while, but it actually inhibited his ability to talk and process things. Obviously, he wasn’t on that one very long, but that shook up my family and I even more.

    I was beginning to wonder if my brother was going to struggle with uncontrolled seizures for the rest of His life. That was not a comforting thought. I struggled hard with waiting on the Lord and relying on Him. (You would think I was the one having the seizures here....)
   Then, the doctors came across a medication that worked.  It worked! Praise the Lord! My family was absolutely awed at the way the Lord worked through the medical team to provide this healing.

    We found out later that it wasn’t total healing. It was merely a way to control the symptoms, but the problem was still there. We discovered that Colton has a benign tumor on his brain and that was what was causing the seizures. So far it hasn’t grown any more, but he still has regular MRIs to monitor the tumor.

    The Lord provided an answer to our prayers that the seizures would stop, but it was not in the way that we expected. My brother still could have trouble with this tumor, and thus seizures, in the future. But praise God for stopping the seizures for now, and my brother is now able to get back to his schoolwork and normal life.   

   Waiting on God is not easy. When you come to saving faith, it’s not like there’s a big BOOM, and your life is perfect. It actually gets harder, because you have to battle against the pride and selfishness that exists in our hearts. Jesus evens warns us, “I have said these things to you that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart: I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) The key words being here: I have overcome the world.

   In Christ, we are victorious over sin. “...From Him comes my salvation.” (Psalm 62:1b) Waiting on the Lord is a lifelong process, but in Him, we have victory.                                  

   

     

“Fearfully and Wonderfully Made” Psalm 139: 13 – 16

Naturally, just about every Christian is pro-life but for a few rare exceptions. In fact, it is rather hard to be a Christian without being pro-life since there are so many passages in the Bible that clearly speak against abortion. Psalm 139: 13 – 16 happens to be one of those passages.

¹³ For You formed my inward parts;
You covered me in my mother’s womb.

When does the fetus become a human being? “At conception.” And how do we know this? “Because the Bible says so.” Such elementary answers can be chanted by most young children at Sunday school or VBS. Those are the basics; almost anyone could repeat such answers when asked.

However, even though most Christians are pro-life, very few are actively pro-life; there is a huge difference between the two. My goal is not to guilt people into becoming actively pro-life in this article. Instead, I want to show Christians through the Psalms why abortion really is important enough for every person with pro-life views to actively fight against it.

¹⁴ I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Marvelous are Your works,
And that my soul knows very well.

God really is amazing; I cannot stress this enough. Only He has the strength and the power to create life, and not just life in general, but living and breathing human beings. In verse 14, King David praises the Lord for creating man, something we do not do nearly enough. Yet, with every breath Christians ought to recognize the preciousness of their lives and strive all the more to glorify their king.

¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.

Why should Christians be actively pro-life? Because abortion tears apart and destroys the beautiful human being growing inside a mother’s womb, and one cannot stress enough the horror of this reality. Sadly, many have become numb to abortion, accustomed to the gruesome massacre spreading across the world.

We become numb to it because we do not see the destruction taking place. Unless we live or work at an abortion clinic, there is no way for regular people to see with their own eyes the bloody horror of abortion, but God sees and that should be enough for us.

¹⁶ Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.
And in Your book they all were written,
The days fashioned for me,
When as yet there were none of them.

This verse is so beautiful. God knows about every child before he or she is born. He knows which are believers “And in your book they were all written,” and He knows everything that will happen in every child’s lifetime.

God cares about each individual unborn baby, and He knows everything about every victim of abortion. And now for a final, simple, and elementary question and answer: Why should we care about the unborn?

“Because God cares.”

Why Psalm 104 is so Dear to my Soul

 

       Ever since I was young I have liked to be in charge of things. I liked being the leader when playing games with my friends, I wanted to be the one to choose which Land before Time movie my family rented from Blockbuster, and I always wanted to have my own way. I tried to be the god for my own little universe as I attempted to ordain all that happened around me and to me. But this is not the way we ought to behave, we are commanded to depend on God for all the things in our life, for the food we eat, for the clothes we wear and for the very air we breathe. Even the sparrow may build her nest by the house of the Lord, and as He cares for that little creature by granting her shelter, wouldn’t He as much care for the creature that was created in His own image?

         

       This psalm taught me a hard lesson, that no matter how much I try, I cannot stretch out the heaven like a tent, nor can I build a foundation in the depths of the sea. But it did not only teach me what I cannot do, it also taught me what I can do. With my mortal mouth, that cannot cause the sun to rise or bring about the change in seasons, I can praise the One who can! This psalm showed me what a Great and Awesome God is the Lord who reigns in heaven, and how very small and insignificant I am. However, as opposed to rejecting His supremacy as the limitation of our so called free-will, this is a reason for rejoicing because on our own, without the sustaining power of God, the world would spiral into oblivion and disappear.    

           

       This psalm is very dear to my heart because when the cares of human life loom huge and unconquerable, when finals seem so very threatening, when that research paper seems to never be finished, when the world seems about to end because work and stress has piled up into an insurmountable mountain, I remember this psalm and know that God is in control over my life. I remember that He is the One who stills the churning waves of my mind, that I don’t have to worry about being in charge of every little detail because I know that the Lord reigns crowned in heaven and that nothing on earth, be it sea or fire, will ever change that fact.

           

       I rest in the assurance that a new day will dawn, one day the finals will be over, one day the paper will be written, one day I will be rid of this body of sin, and because of these things I will praise the Lord, who sustains my life and gives peace to my soul.

           

       This is what the psalm has taught me, and what sins it has caused me to see in my own life. But psalms do more than simply cause the reader to see the transgressions in their lives, the beauty of the psalms is that they can also bring joy and gladness to the hearts of the reader.

           

       On an earthly level, another reason I love this psalm is because of the way it speaks about nature. I have loved animals and flowers and trees and everything in nature ever since I was very very small and this psalm is a wonderful testimony to the fact that nature is God’s creation and we ought to delight in it. Who can read of the leviathan frolicking in the depths of the sea and not smile when they picture this great, bumbling creature dancing around with others of his kind. The pictures of creation that the psalmist paints are amazing. All of nature plays, and they are content and not filled with worry or stress because God fulfils their every need. The leviathan can frolic because the Lord has given him his food, and when it is time for him to die he does so, without complaint or objection because he knows somewhere in his little brain that God is the one who gave him life, so He is also the one who decides when to take it.

           

       This psalm fills me with delight every time I read it or sing it. The picture of God as the sustainer of this magnificent world He created is one that brings rest and gladness to my soul, which then bursts forth as a acclamation of praise to my God for all of the wonders He has done.         

Meet Blind

An interesting story resides behind the creation of this blog, and it goes like this. Once there was a rather weak Christian who attended the Theological Foundation for Youth conference. Who this person is doesn’t really matter, but for the sake of the story let’s name this person Blind. Blind had been singing the Psalms for several years, yet never truly appreciated or thought about the Psalms. Now at the conference, Blind discovered something very strange; other similar aged younger people seemed to love the Psalms. In fact, many of the people at the conference understood the Psalms and memorized them. This love for the Psalms puzzled Blind, so Blind went home and started to study the Psalms both through personal devotions and with a friend.  Through the Psalms, this rather weak Christian found new strength from the promises and words of guidance in the Psalms. I was this person, Blind, but now I see.


The Psalms filled me with joy, so I was pained to find that many other young people in the Reformed church, though exposed to Psalms, still sang the Psalms with eyes that could not see. I remembered all those godly saints I met at the Theological Foundation for Youth conference, and I proposed this idea of a Psalm blog to them and other lovers of the Psalms that I met. As a result, “Selah” was created.

A God who Delights in Beauty: An Exposition of Psalm 104:10-23

            The sounds of little children laughing, the smell of hamburgers grilling, the sight of colorful kites drifting lazily through the bright blue sky, all images and sounds we know well, and without much need to contemplate, the mental image of a picnic comes to mind. So it is with nature. Each piece of nature is a testimony to the greatness of God, declaring His wonders every day. No one can fully understand God, He is all-knowing, and to know the all-knowing is impossible. However, in the wonder of creation we are given glimpses into the mind and heart of God Himself.    

         

          In the absurdity of a little puppy chasing his tail we see a glimpse of the God who loves laughter, in the sober majesty of the great mountains we see a hint of the God who must be approached with fear and reverence, in the wretchedness of a majestic species going extinct we see a sight of the God who knows well what it is to weep, and in the wonder of a caterpillar transforming into a butterfly, and in the marvel of an apparently dead seed bursting from the ground as a mighty branch, and in the astonishment of cold, dark winter running its course and heralding warm spring, bristling with color and song we see an image of the God who delights in life.

           

          Psalm 104 is full of rich imagery such as this, describing God and the wonderful creation which He has created to sing His praises, and show His glory for all the generations.      

10 You make springs gush forth in the valleys; they flow between the hills;

 ¹¹ they give drink to every beast of the field; the wild donkeys quench their thirst. 

¹² Beside them the birds of the heavens dwell; they sing among the branches.

      

          Verses one through nine had been on the creative acts of God during the days of creation. Verse ten changes the focus from the established creative works of God to that which He sustains each and every day. God is the creator of the world, and He brought it into existence, without Him nothing would even have come from the formlessness from which the earth was formed. But not only is God the creator, He is also the sustainer. He causes the springs to pour forth their waters; He is the one who not only created the world, but also constantly sustains it. Without Him the world would fall apart. But He does more than merely sustain it; He also fills it with bird song that brings music and beauty into the life of the earth.      
   

¹³ From your lofty abode you water the mountains; the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work. 

¹⁴ You cause the grass to grow for the livestock and plants for man to cultivate, that he may bring forth food from the earth 

¹⁵ and wine to gladden the heart of man, oil to make his face shine and bread to strengthen man's heart.

           

          During these three verses the Psalmist changes the audience to whom he is speaking and addresses God directly. The Psalmist had honed the reader, or singer, in from a broad and sweeping view of the sustaining works of God to a point that is intensely personal, the psalmist sings of how the Lord is sustaining the life of man. The wild donkey is not the only one who is able to find sustenance in the wilderness; the birds of the air are not the only ones who are able to sing with joy. The Lord also sustains mankind and provides for him, giving him the abilities to cultivate the ground and the knowledge he needs to induce it to bring forth food. 

           

          But this provision is more than merely hard bread crusts and water. It is wine to make the heart glad after a hard day cultivating the land, oil to make his face shine. In our culture, the thought of oil being poured over one’s head makes one shudder, the oil and grease seeping into the pores of ones face is almost always a recipe for disaster, but in the arid middle east, moisture was scarce and oil was constantly used for cleansing and refreshing the body, the nourishing qualities of the oil is a picture of life and plenty which the Lord provides to the humans He has created.

            And the Lord also provides bread to sustain us. Wine gladdens the heart in times of celebration, a provision for the soul, oil cleanses the body and makes it full of life, even though it is not a sustainer of life it brings comfort and ease to the mind, a provision for the spirit. And finally God gives food to maintain the stomach of man, because the physical body cannot be overlooked and is in need of care just as much as the soul and spirit.                        

¹⁶ The trees of the LORD are watered abundantly, the cedars of Lebanon that He planted. 

¹⁷ In them the birds build their nests; the stork has her home in the fir trees. 

¹⁸ The high mountains are for the wild goats; the rocks are a refuge for the rock badgers. 

¹⁹ He made the moon to mark the seasons; the sun knows its time for setting. 

           

          The tall trees are a picture of God’s hand. But even more so is His work seen in the noble cedars of Lebanon which for their loftiness, their height and their sheer majesty bear an even stronger imprint of the hand that planted them. Massive though they are, they are merely small seedlings in the hands of the Creator God. Once more the image of a bird nesting in peace is used to conjure up the image of God’s providence. A nesting bird is vulnerable, but the Lord provides tall cedars in which she may next so that she may wait in safety. Even the inanimate and wild things that for man may be inaccessible, such as the very tops of towering trees, or the sheer rocky cliffs are made for creation and each fulfills a purpose. The high mountains are for the mountain goats, both mountain and agile goat were created with the other in mind, their particularities fit together in such a way that each is the perfect counterpart to the other.

           

          Furthermore, even in the bodies of the heavens is man provided for. The moon marks the seasons, the times for planting, the times for harvesting, the time for rest and a time for work. And the sun knows when it is time to set each day. The setting of the sun is an often overlooked providence of God which is one that affects every human in every culture in every part of the world. God did not make the work day perpetual, He ordered the world in such a way that man is given rest each night. Mankind does not need to endlessly toil, but the day will end and the night will come when man may put down his tools of labor and enjoy sweet rest in the graciousness of God.  

²⁰ You make darkness, and it is night, when all the beasts of the forest creep about. 

²¹ The young lions roar for their prey, seeking their food from God. 

²² When the sun rises, they steal away and lie down in their dens. 

²³ Man goes out to his work and to his labor until the evening.

           

          The separation of night and day is not only a benefit for man. The day of the wild and roaming creatures is during the darkness of night, just as mankind toils throughout the day lit by the sun, the animals arise and hunt for their food in the hours of the night. Each of God’s creatures provided with their own days on which to work. Also, the potentially harmful animals, such as the lion, are given the night to wander, while the humans they may hurt have driven in their cattle and have settled themselves into their houses, safe from the hungry jaws of the beasts. And when the sun rises, when man goes out once again to labor, the animals steal away back to their own houses.

           

          This giving of the day to humans and the night to animals is amazing when thought about. The humans hunt the animals for food and shelter, and so to preserve the creatures, during the day when man are active, most beasts are asleep in their little dens, their own houses, so preserving the species but yet still providing for the needs of man. On the flip side, when ravenous and potentially dangerous creatures are on the prowl, human beings are asleep in their homes, preserving their lives and giving them rest. This night and day relationship is like how the mountain was made for the mountain goat. As they shared a mutual relationship of providing for one another so does night and day provide for both man and beast.       

           

          These verses may seem very set apart from our modern culture. We either have little value for nature, or what is valued is esteemed to the point of becoming an idol to many people. However, I think a lot can be learned from the lessons of nature, and much can be learned about the caring temperament of God through studying the provisions He has made for all of His creation, man, beast and all plants.

While Reading, Singing or Praying this Psalm:

• See the beauty of God proclaimed through the wonders of creation.
• Be thankful for the beauty of creation. It did not need to be created as beautiful as it was.
• Examine yourself for traces of callousness towards the earth and the other humans who share it with you. Creation is a gift and it is not to be wasted.   
• Thank God that He reveals Himself to all humanity through the works of His hands.

Ask Yourself:

• Am I taking for granted the beauty God has placed around me in the form of nature?
• Do I realize I am responsible, in part, for the care of creation as I was placed here as part of it?
• Do I delight in the beauty God has given me?
• Have I fallen prey to the temptation to raise creation to the level of a god?
• Do I brush off such language as is seen in the 104^th psalm as silly and irrelevant to the 21^st century?