Judicial Abandonment

 from: Romans 1:22-32

The Scriptures reveal that even the “wisest” people on earth become “fools”--that is, they repress, or push out of sight, the truths they know about God, and they build their lives on a sinful lie. Even though they realize God’s true nature is glorious and incorruptible, they refuse to honor this true God and worship man-made substitutes instead! As we discovered last time, the Lord responded to this sinful exchange by “giving them up to uncleanness.”

When God judges rebellious humanity, He doesn’t just blast them into oblivion… rather, He lets them experience the bitter consequences of their rebellion. When we begin desiring corruptible, created things more than our Creator, these desires--or “lusts”--open us up to deeper and darker sins against each other, against God, and even against nature! God judges us by letting these evil desires run their course without His gracious divine restraint.

For people who love their sin--and that includes all of us--being given up to worse sin may not seem like a punishment...but it is! For a perfectly holy God will one day perfectly judge His creatures for each and every sin they commit. And even the smallest sin is treason of infinite offense against our Maker. Even those who escape misery for their sinful choices in this life, will have to experience endless misery for all their sins in hell, unless they turn to Jesus Christ.

This divine “giving up” is called by theologians: JUDICIAL ABANDONMENT. In a way, giving mankind up to their evil lusts is like releasing them into the slave market of sin. Sin is like an addictive drug--the more you engage in it, the more you come to enjoy it and hunger after it. Eventually it enslaves the sinner so he can’t escape. God knows that unless a sinner comes to know the bitterness of sin’s slavery, he will never be ready to repent and accept God’s grace.

When we taste something that makes us gag or wish to spit it out, we call it “vile.” God’s Old Testament word for that is “abomination.” Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13 describe same-sex sexual activity in those terms. Paul uses homosexual acts as the primary example of how perverted worship (exchanging Creator for creature) leads to perverted human relationships (exchanging God-given marriage for same-sex unions). It is “against nature” as well as against God!

Once God has unleashed the lusts of our hearts to lead where they will, we end up planting seeds for more and more deadly harvests. And the calamities, crimes and diseases that spring up are only the just results of what we’ve planted. They are our due, according to Paul. Of course, our consciences will scream at us that we are wrong to do sinful things, but sinners hate the voice of conscience because it reminds us that there is a righteous Judge who is watching.

Even in this country where the sound of the Word of God can be heard almost everywhere, people do all they can to avoid it and chase all thoughts of the true God out of their thinking. Again, God judged us by “giving us over” to “debased minds”--that is, minds full of impure, lustful, hateful thoughts. Please notice that the human mind is never truly empty. And it takes on the character of all the godly or ungodly ideas we dwell upon.

The theological term “Total Depravity” means that every part of the human being, both body and spirit--including mind, heart, will, emotions--is infected by sin. In verse 28 and following, Paul gives a list of examples of sinful actions and attitudes that emerge from the human mind when it is “filled with all unrighteousness.” They are “not fitting,” in the sense that they are far from the image-bearing of our Creator that men and women were intended for originally.

There may be several reasons that Paul begins his list with “sexual immorality.” Perhaps it is because the relationship of MARRIAGE is that which so completely reflects the eternal love of God within the Trinity, as well as His original intention for mankind as the Bride of Christ. Marriage and its delightful sexual bond is a precious, lovely, holy gift of God to His image-bearers. And the way sexual immorality has corrupted this gift is a supreme offense to Him!

The first four synonyms listed for “wicked” are black, dark, evil, & immoral. “Wickedness and covetousness” go hand-in-hand in Paul’s list, implying how darkly immoral it is for us to be dissatisfied with how God has blessed us, rather wanting what someone else has that we don’t. When we covet other people’s things or qualities, we are accusing God of being unfair to us!

“Maliciousness” often follows after covetousness, when we resent one who’s better off and wish him harm. This attitude leads on to worse things such as “envy, murder, strife, deceit, etc.” Nobody enjoys being whispered about behind his back or being the victim of a “backbiter.” But this kind of behavior is hated so much because it is so common to us all!

“Haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things...” might remind us of the early chapters in Genesis that describe the fallen family line of Cain. After God banished Cain and caused him to wander the earth, Cain gave birth to a line of people who became increasingly violent, proud and boastful, even inventing new and creative ways to sin.

Paul ends his list by mentioning negative traits that reflect our inability to get along with others. “Disobedient to parents” can become the basis for all kinds of maladjustment in society. People who lack discernment (common sense), cannot be trusted, avoid loving or forgiving others and are too mean to be merciful, show plainly that God is far from their thinking.

Along with the innate knowledge of God that all humans possess, comes the instinctive awareness that breaking God’s laws invites the sentence of death. Every time we sin, we are defying His right to rule over us and direct our behavior. We are saying “God, you have no right to tell me what to do...I’ll think and speak and live any way I please!”

When we approve of the evil things that other people practice--things worthy of death--we have rejected God’s law and right to rule, and are attempting to set up a system of rules we believe are superior to His! Again, this is part of God’s judgment upon us, because that kind of system will only lead to injustice, tyranny and misery. 

God’s laws are given for our good because they reflect His perfect goodness. And that goodness was perfectly expressed by only one man in all of history: our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who paid the price of our disobedience when He was forsaken on the cross.

A Psalm, a Hymn, a Spiritual Song

A psalm, a hymn, a spiritual song

In praise of Christ, to whom we belong,

Unites all our hearts in His name,

All voices confessing His fame!

A lively tune expressing our love

To God whose praise is never enough

Will waken and strengthen our joy

That sorrow and sin can't destroy.

A psalm, a hymn, a spiritual song

Will stir the soul and render it strong,

Encouraging us in the fight

And make of God's word our delight.

Each doctrine grand, each attribute blest,

In music finds a marvelous zest;

With melodies olden and new

We treasure a Faith that is true!

A psalm, a hymn, a spiritual song

Invites the lost to enter our throng,

To throw off the rags of their past---

Find grace and forgiveness at last!

The gospel promise open to all

Will lift the souls of any who call

On Jesus whose greatness we sing:

Creator and Savior and King!

MNA

June 9, 2025

Set Apart for the Gospel of God

(Romans 1:1-7)

1 Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God

The life and ministry of the Apostle Paul are featured in the book of Acts. Paul wrote this epistle to the Christians in Rome before he ever came to that city.  He names himself as the author of the epistle at the very beginning, then goes on to identify himself--to describe who he sees himself to be. Because God Himself inspired the words of Romans, it becomes God’s description of Paul as well.

The English word “servant” or “bondservant” translates the Greek word “doulos” which means “slave.”  So, when Paul calls himself a “doulos” of Jesus Christ, he is referring to the fact that Jesus is not only his Master, but his owner. Paul used this relationship of slave/slaveholder often in his writings, telling his readers that they were once slaves to sin, but were “bought at a price” (1 Cor. 6:19), which was the blood of Christ (Acts 20:28).

An “apostle,” as Paul calls himself, was not a mere disciple of Jesus. The Lord originally chose twelve of his disciples (followers, pupils, students) to be apostles (sent ones, representatives, ambassadors). Apostles were specially chosen to be Jesus’ agents of revelation, in a similar way as the Old Testament prophets who spoke and wrote God’s words to His people. Paul’s special call by Jesus to be an apostle is recorded three times in the book of Acts.

Paul gets specific as he says he’s been “set apart” or “separated” for the gospel of God. In other words, Paul was specially chosen for a sacred purpose: to deliver a message of good news that comes from God, is about God, and belongs to God. The “gospel of God” is the treasured possession of our Creator, and He has chosen and set apart special messengers like Paul to communicate and share it with others.

2 which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, 

This precious good news God allows Paul to proclaim is not totally new.  Rather, it is promised, pictured and predicted throughout the Old Testament. Paul rests his authority not only on his own subjective call by Jesus Christ, but also on the authority of the Holy Scriptures. When God cursed the serpent in Genesis 3, He made the promise that the “seed” of the woman would crush the serpent’s head. This was the first proclamation that the Messiah would come.

 3 concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, 

The Greek word “Christos” translates the Hebrew “Messiah” which means in English “Anointed One.” Jesus the Anointed One, God’s own Son, is the promised Savior the Old Testament spoke about.  To the Jews in Paul’s audience, it was important that he include “born of the seed of David.” Jesus’ earthly, physical nature came from the royal line of King David, who had received the divine promise that an eternal King would rule on his throne.

4 and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.

Paul contrasts the two natures of Christ by telling us He was “born… according to the flesh,” but also “declared to be the Son of God” by the awesome power of the resurrection. The good news that is God’s glorious possession, is the message about His Son--the divine second person of the Godhead, who took on a second nature, a human nature, descended from David. This gospel concerns not only Jesus’ birth, but also His death and resurrection. God Himself declared His Son’s divine nature by raising Him from the dead (Acts 17:30-31).

5 Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name, 

6 among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ;

This great declaration from God--the birth, death and resurrection of His own Son--moved Him to issue His divine call, not only to Paul and the other apostles as His messengers, but all the people of the earth. God’s call is for all people to listen to the good news, accept it, believe it and obey it. The truth of the gospel shouldn’t be seen as one option among many, but as the Lord’s mandate that all people are commanded to believe and commit to.

7 To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints:

The apostles of the New Testament, and preachers of the present day, send out God’s general call to believe the good news. But God Himself calls to the hearts of those He has chosen to save when His gospel is proclaimed. Those are the ones who truly believe--those who are “called to be saints” because they are specially “beloved of God.” A saint is a “sanctified one” or one who is “set apart” by the Holy Spirit. A saint hears God’s inward call...and obeys.

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul ends his greeting by wishing the Roman believers “grace” and “peace.” Both are terms rich with deep meaning for those who have met Jesus Christ and trusted Him as Lord and Savior. “Grace” is the Lord’s unmerited favor, the rich, loving outflow of His heart toward sinners. Only those who know how needy they are--how lost they are in sin--can truly receive God’s grace. “Peace” is the ultimate well-being of mind and soul that comes when a person is fully resting in the arms of his faithful Creator and Redeemer. 

As the popular phrase says it: NO JESUS, NO PEACE...KNOW JESUS, KNOW PEACE.

Many preachers and evangelists are known to give what they call an “invitation” to their hearers, to come forward or raise their hands to “receive Christ as their Savior.” But according to the Bible, the Gospel that comes from our Creator isn’t so much an invitation as it is a COMMAND. In Acts 17:30, Paul explains to the Greeks in Athens that, although God seemingly overlooked their sins of the past, “Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent.” 

This is not God’s way of being a bully, insisting on “My way or the highway.” Rather, it is the only hope you and I have of escaping the power and penalty of our sin—sin that keeps us from pleasing God, sin that will keep us out of heaven, sin that separates us from eternal life, sin that makes eternal punishment necessary and inescapable any other way!

In Paul’s letter to the Roman Christians, he assures them that his message is one of divine LOVE, entrusted to the Apostles, to be shared with the world. It is a treasured possession of God because it concerns His one and only Son, whom He gave as a sacrifice for guilty sinners. Therefore, you and I are called to treasure His gift of grace and respond with the OBEDIENCE of FAITH.

A Star, a Book, a Mission

 Matthew 2:1-3

“Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, 2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. 3 When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.”

These mysterious travelers from the eastern lands knew something about the Jewish nation that, apparently, most of the Jews of that time were unaware of. Coming from a Gentile country, they may have been Persian astrologers and astronomers who had access to the Hebrew scriptures through the prophet Daniel, who rose to prominence during the days of Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylon. We really don’t know exactly who these Magi, or “wise men” were, or how many they were.

But we do know that they were convinced a new King had recently been born. And they called the thing that convinced them, “his star,” a word that can also be called “his radiance.” And they also knew that this newborn King was one worthy to be “worshiped.” They had left their homes on a mission: to bring their blessing, their treasures, their submission, to an ultimate, heavenly, divine King. “King of the Jews.”

In the Old Testament, we read of other Jewish Kings, David and Solomon, who reigned over Israel in its golden age, when kings from other nations honored and paid tribute to them as monarchs who had been specially blessed by their God Yahweh, the Lord God Almighty. And the Hebrew prophets from Isaiah to Malachi had spoken and written of a coming Messiah or Christ who would even surpass the power and splendor of David and Solomon.

Did the Magi know about these prophecies, or about the prophecy of Balaam son of Beor during the time of Moses in the wilderness beyond the Jordan, that “a star will arise out of Jacob”? Perhaps. But however they learned about the newborn, divine Ruler in Judea, King Herod recognized right away that the One they were seeking was the long-awaited Christ. He consulted the priests and scribes frantically to discover exactly where that child would be born, not so he could join the wise men to worship Him, but to put the new king to death as soon as he could!

So, how did the wise men find out about the new King? God Himself obviously revealed it to them, whether by the Hebrew writings of Daniel, or by their own superstitious search of the heavens, they’d been given this special knowledge to recognize the “star” or “radiance” pointing them to the land of Judea. And King Herod made the assumption that the star had appeared at the exact time of the Christ child’s birth in Bethlehem, making his evil plans accordingly.

In Hebrews chapter 1, we read that God spoke to people long ago, “at many times and in many ways.” He revealed in some way to the Magi that His anointed King had been born and gave them a visible, radiant sign to point them to Him so they could find Him, travel to Him and worship Him. They recognized this revelation as coming from God and they responded by coming all the way to where the young Child was. Whatever this “radiance” was that God provided to them, they saw its divine importance and sought to follow where it led.

Apparently, the wise men from the east believed that the Creator had ways to communicate with His creatures—ways that made His will clear to them and required them to respond with obedience and reverent worship. Today, two thousand years later, our Creator still speaks to people. Not by way of the stars in the heavens, or horoscopes, or Ouija boards, or miraculous prophecies. Rather, He has given us a book. He’s given us His Word.

The Bible is not a book of magic. But, with God as its ultimate Author, the Bible is a revelation that clearly communicates God’s will and requires men and women and boys and girls to believe and obey Him. The message of the “star” was to seek for Jesus, the newborn King. The message of the Bible is that this Jesus came to seek for us, to make us newborn children of His heavenly Father! The gentile wise men came to the Jews looking for their new Ruler. Jesus, King of the Jews, died on the cross for sinful people, both Jews and gentiles, to include all nations in His new kingdom.

The Magi brought their precious treasures to lay before the Christ child. They sacrificed things they highly prized to honor Him and show their love and devotion. But God the Father gave us His own most precious treasure, His only begotten Son, to show us His love and to provide us salvation from the punishment our sins deserved. And Jesus Himself willingly went to that cross of death out of love for us sinners and obedience to His Father.

After He rose from the tomb and ascended to Heaven, Jesus and His Father sent the Holy Spirit to bring dead-hearted sinners like you and I to new life, once we hear the Bible’s message of salvation through Christ. And once we believe in Jesus and seek to obey Him, He tells us how he plans to carry out His plan to reach all nations with this good news of salvation. He says in Mark 16:15, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” That’s the mission every follower of Jesus Christ has been given.

The mysterious Magi journeyed a long way to bring their gifts to the heavenly King… Are you and I willing to journey across the street or across the living room to carry out the King’s mission of love and forgiveness? Lost sinners in our own country, town, neighborhood, and even our families, must hear the good news of Jesus to be saved from their sins, and from the eternal punishment they deserve. That mission, the Book tells us, is the “star” we are all called to follow.

Themes from the Psalm of Psalms

(Loving the God of Psalm 119)

Stanza Twenty-two

TAU: Relying on God to hear my prayer, give understanding, be my helper, and seek me when I stray.

169 Let my cry come before You, O Lord; / Give me understanding according to Your word.

170 Let my supplication come before You; / Deliver me according to Your word.

171 My lips shall utter praise, / For You teach me Your statutes.

172 My tongue shall speak of Your word, / For all Your commandments are righteousness.

173 Let Your hand become my help, / For I have chosen Your precepts.

174 I long for Your salvation, O Lord, / And Your law is my delight.

175 Let my soul live, and it shall praise You; / And let Your judgments help me.

176 I have gone astray like a lost sheep; / Seek Your servant, / For I do not forget Your commandments.

In many ways, King David is a perfect picture of a faithful Old Testament saint, a man who looked forward in a secure hope for the ultimate salvation of the Lord his God. And this closing prayer of his greatest of Psalms displays that hope and David’s humble dependence on Yahweh. He depends on God to “hear” him, “give [him] understanding,” be his “help,’’ and “seek” him when he strays.

It is interesting that the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet, Aleph and Tau (“tav”) combine to form the word ET. It’s a word that is not directly translatable into English, but is used in Hebrew to show which word is the direct object of a sentence. In a sense, it makes the other words in the sentence understandable. It makes the words around it make sense!

Often in the Bible, God Himself is referred to as the “First and the Last,” or the “Alpha and Omega.” Paul speaks of God being glorious because “from Him and through Him and to Him are all things.” John speaks of Christ as the Word, or in Greek, the “Logos,” who was with God, and equal to God, “in the beginning.” And that nothing was made apart from Him. Like that Hebrew word “ET,” nothing in our universe makes sense without the eternal Son of God—the Beginning and the End.

This twenty-second stanza of Psalm 119, all the verses beginning with TAU, summarizes the various themes of the entire 176-verse psalm of praise for the Word of Yahweh. The stanza is a highly personal prayer, mentioning God and his word eighteen times! There are eight requests or supplications here, as well as several expressions of praise, delight, confession and resolution. There is a spirit of humility here, calling on the Lord to teach him, deliver him, revive him, and retrieve him!

The first two verses echo one another: “Let my cry come before You, O Lord; / Give me understanding according to Your word. Let my supplication come before You; / Deliver me according to Your word.” The psalmist humbly asks that his petitions might enter the presence, and the ears, of his great God.

This humble tone emphasizes the majesty and holiness of God’s character and His person. He is perfectly holy, but you and I are sinful and polluted, having no business entering God’s presence by our own qualifications. On what possible basis could we think our cries and our supplications might be heard by this great King of the universe? Only on the basis of the spoken and written word of God Himself! Only “according to Your word,” David writes, can he cry out for understanding, or ask for deliverance. His prayer is a PLEA. Not a DEMAND. We can only hope for the Lord to hear and answer us if it PLEASES Him to do so.

How often do we brazenly and unthinkingly charge into the Lord’s presence in prayer, not even mindful of how awesome and holy He is, or how lowly, weak and sinful we are? Yes, the Bible tells us that God loves His children dearly and is eager to hear their prayers like a Father does. But even the Lord Jesus spoke to the Heavenly Father with respect and reverence, saying, “If it please You, Father, take this cup from Me,” and “Nevertheless, not My will, but Yours be done.” 

“According to Your word.” Those words also remind us that God’s willingness to grant our requests is always limited to what He has decreed and what He has promised. The Apostle James warns his readers that it is possible to “ask amiss,” that is, to pray with wrong motives. God does delight to grant His children’s valid requests, given in Jesus’ name. But praying with selfish or foolish motives, to spend what God gives on our own desires, is to ask in an unworthy manner, not in accordance to God’s will.

David asks Yahweh for “understanding” and for deliverance. These are two things the Lord delights to give. Solomon was given what amounted to a “blank check” when God told him in a dream, “Ask what I shall give you” (1 Kings 3). The young king asked for wisdom and understanding so that he would be a good leader for God’s people Israel. This request pleased the Lord so much that He not only gave Solomon what he asked for, but gave him wealth and victory and peace besides in great measure! He also allowed King Solomon to erect a great temple for the name of Yahweh in Jerusalem.

Verses 171 and 172 also parallel each other: “My lips shall utter praise, / For You teach me Your statutes. My tongue shall speak of Your word, / For all Your commandments are righteousness.” When the Lord graciously hears our prayers, or answers our requests, it is surely appropriate that our mouths will utter words of praise and thanksgiving. That such a wonderful, powerful King would listen to us and respond to creatures as small and unimportant as we are, is a fantastic privilege and a matter for great joy and celebration!

David is uttering praise to Yahweh…why? Because he’s been instructed in the King’s rules and His righteous commandments. King David wants above all to be a righteous king over God’s people. God’s own commands and decrees are to be on the king’s tongue continually, not just his own fallible human ideals and notions. God’s words are not merely righteous; they are righteousness ITSELF! The words from God’s mouth are the words we are called to live by ourselves, and to proclaim to all around us. Especially to those who are looking to us for truth and guidance.

The episode in David’s life that is certainly the most famous is his face-off against the giant, Goliath of Gath, the Philistine champion who challenged the armies of Israel to “choose a man that we may fight together!” When the young David volunteered before King Saul to answer that challenge, the king tried to dissuade him (1 Samuel 17): “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a youth, and he has been a warrior from his youth.” 

David’s bravehearted answer: “Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.” And we all know the end of that story. Perhaps that “rescue” the hand of the Lord provided was still on David’s mind when he penned the next two verses of Psalm 119:

“Let Your hand become my help, / For I have chosen Your precepts. I long for Your salvation, O Lord, / And Your law is my delight.” Little David’s answer to the threats and boasts of big Goliath revealed the source of his confidence at that time, and throughout his entire military career: “All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.” Truly, anybody who has “chosen [God’s] precepts” and made His law their delight can depend on the Lord’s “hand” to “become [their] help” in their time of need!

The word translated “salvation” is from the Hebrew word “yeshua”…the very name the angel Gabriel spoke to Joseph when he announced that his wife would be the mother of the Christ child. “She will bear a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins.” Being saved from enemies like the Philistines was not the ultimate “yeshua” David was longing for. He was well aware of the promises Yahweh had given his people: promises of a “Seed of the woman” who would someday “crush [the serpent’s] head” and bring an everlasting peace between God and man.

“Let my soul live, and it shall praise You; / And let Your judgments help me.” Clearly, King David was looking beyond this life when he reached the close of his Psalm of Psalms. He, along with other prophetic writers in the Old Testament, trusted that death of our physical bodies is not the end of life. He had a solid faith that our souls survive the grave and will face an ultimate, final judgment in the presence of our Creator. Even though he saw the coming Messiah of Israel with a lesser clarity than we do today, David trusted in the “tender mercies” of Yahweh that would not count his sins against him and “let [his] soul live” so that he would go on praising the Lord forever!

“And let Your judgments help me,” he writes. The perfect, truthful judgments of God cannot overlook our sin; they are righteous, fair and just pronouncements that can’t be overturned. And when Yeshua/ Jesus hung on a Roman cross 2,000 years ago, bearing the sins of all His people, God the Father judged His Son with perfect justice, unleashing the hellish punishment each of us deserved. Like the prairie farmers of old who would burn out an area of land when the brushfire was approaching, you and I can safely stand inside that burned out area beneath the cross of Jesus, where God’s fiery justice fell with holy fury. For a God of perfect justice will never punish our sins twice. Jesus paid it all!

Never forgetting the lowliness of his own past, King David brings Psalm 119 to an end with a verse of three lines, hearkening back to his life as a keeper of sheep for his father Jesse:

“I have gone astray like a lost sheep; / Seek Your servant, / For I do not forget Your commandments.”

You and I should not live in the past, but neither ought we ever forget where and what we were saved from. Even as redeemed people who trust in Jesus Christ, David would remind us that we are still likely to stray into paths of sin unless we are careful to follow our Good Shepherd. 

Let us always keep in mind that “there is no one who seeks after God” (Romans 3:10). It is God Himself who does the seeking. He not only gives us His commandments…He is always IN command. Isaiah admits that “we all, like sheep, have gone astray,” and are likely to stray again. And it is the Lord’s pleasure to watch over, pray for, and rescue His own children when they fail to trust Him. We can be assured that He will always seek His own and bring them safely home, because “the Lord has laid on Him (Jesus the Lamb of God) the iniquities of us all.”

As believers in Jesus our faithful Good Shepherd, we are called to follow David’s example and be resolved never to “forget [God’s] commandments.” As we remain in His fold, growing in His grace, going where He leads us, hearing and believing His word, we trust Him never to leave or forsake us.

Amen

 Themes from the Psalm of Psalms

(Loving the God of Psalm 119)

Stanza Twenty

RESH: Pleading for redemption from the God of truth…and tender mercies

153 Consider my affliction and deliver me, / For I do not forget Your law.

154 Plead my cause and redeem me; / Revive me according to Your word.

155 Salvation is far from the wicked, / For they do not seek Your statutes.

156 Great are Your tender mercies, O Lord; / Revive me according to Your judgments.

157 Many are my persecutors and my enemies, / Yet I do not turn from Your testimonies.

158 I see the treacherous, and am disgusted, / Because they do not keep Your word.

159 Consider how I love Your precepts; / Revive me, O Lord, according to Your lovingkindness.

160 The entirety of Your word is truth, / And every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever.

King David could look back on many episodes of his life when treacherous, wicked persecutors and enemies tried to pursue, oppose, or even destroy him. And surely there were times when he was tempted to take revenge on these evil people.

Take the time when David and his band of outlaws protected the fields and flocks of Nabal the Calebite, then requested that Nabal furnish them with some fresh supplies in return. Nabal, whose very name means “a fool,” ridiculed David and his men and sent them away scornfully. In a rage, David told his men to strap on their swords and they went to take revenge on Nabal’s entire household. God used Nabal’s wise wife Abigail to plead with the future king NOT to take vengeance into his own hands, and David agreed. Later, God punished Nabal, who died from fright, and Abigail became David’s wife.

In this 20th stanza of the Psalm of Psalms, we encounter another situation where King David is beset with enemies. In the 19th stanza, he spoke of those who “draw near who follow after wickedness.” But he also wrote of his God, Yahweh, drawing near: “You near, O LORD, and all Your commandments are truth.” Well, in this stanza, everyone, it seems, has arrived and is standing there with David, both his loving God… and his bitter foes who mean to judge him guilty and afflict him and persecute him.

In the previous 8 verses, he CRIED OUT to the Lord as if He were far off and needed to be awakened. He was awake through the night watches hoping for God to respond. Now, in the 8 verses that each begin with the Hebrew letter RESH, David speaks to the Lord who is nearby, standing next to him like a defense attorney, the only one in the King’s corner, the only hope David has of deliverance!

This stanza is clearly broken into two-verse couplets, both verses following a similar theme. The first couplet, verses 153 & 154, echo one another as the plea of the one being wrongfully accused by the prosecution: “Consider my affliction and deliver me, / For I do not forget Your law. / Plead my cause and redeem me; / Revive me according to Your word.”

The case of the accused believer is to be based on the law…the word…of Yahweh. Some might suggest that an admitted sinner such as David should not plead the righteous law of God as his own defense. But even though the King sees himself as a law-breaker—far from perfect in his obedience, he also sees himself as living by the merciful love and the rock-solid promises of the Lord. King David was a believer in salvation by grace ALONE. “Blessed is the man to whom sin is not imputed,” Psalm 32:2. He knew that the promise of the coming Messiah was his assurance that the guilt of his own sin would be forgiven, for those sins would be imputed to another—One who would obey God perfectly!

“Deliver me…Redeem me…Revive me,” are David’s requests. He realizes that his cries have proved successful. His trust is in a trustworthy Advocate who is never deaf to those cries, One who always is considering our afflictions. Yahweh assured the deliverer Moses: “I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows” (Exodus 3:7). One who pleads the cause of those he loves, against the devil and his followers who preach lies and discouragement and seek to rob Christians of their hope in God’s promises.

Trusting in God to balance the scales of justice when evil folks are seeking to harm us: this is not always easy. David was encouraged by his men to take revenge on King Saul when they were hiding in the wilderness and Saul was hunting the future king to kill him. Twice it was that Saul was at David’s mercy, once in the cave relieving himself, and once asleep in his camp. Both times, David left the scales of justice in God’s hands. 1 Samuel 24:12— “Let the LORD judge between you and me, and let the LORD avenge me on you. But my hand shall not be against you.”

“Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, says the Lord” (Romans 12:19). We are commanded by our Master to pray for those who harm us, and do good to those who sin against us, in the hopes of our enemies one day turning to Christ. At one time, the Apostle Paul was a bitter enemy of the church, seeking to destroy it and approving when Jesus’ followers were executed. But even the murderous Saul of Tarsus was not beyond hope—beyond the saving power of the risen Christ and the Holy Spirit of God.

The second couplet, verses 155 & 156, tell two truths about God’s salvation that are linked together: “Salvation is far from the wicked, / For they do not seek Your statutes. / Great are Your tender mercies, O Lord; / Revive me according to Your judgments.” People who neglect the established rules of God are flirting with eternal destruction. God is “angry with the wicked every day” (Psalm 7:11). Divine wrath hangs over their heads like Damocles’ mythical sword. But this is true for even the most “righteous” of sinners, unless they come to trust in the “tender mercies” of the Lord. Salvation is far from all of us, until and unless God judges us graciously and extends His merciful hand.

The Hebrew word for “revive” is simply the word for LIFE. “LIFE me according to Your judgments” David is saying, and again, God’s salvation/new life is only available to you and me because His justice fell upon the person of His only begotten Son who died in our place, bearing the guilt of our sins. We think of “wickedness” as a trait of only the most extreme sinners. But the reason Jesus became a human being was that “salvation is far from” everyone descended from Adam, who wickedly disobeyed the Creator. Yet, now that Christ has come, salvation is close and available to all who “call upon the name of the Lord” (Romans 10:13).

Verses 157 & 158 go together, describing both the number and the character of David’s opponents. Like this ancient king, you and I face “many…persecutors and…enemies.” Paul told the Ephesian believers that our struggle is not against flesh and blood people, at least, not mainly. Yes, there have been people in government, in our jobs and schools, even in our churches and families, who have ridiculed and opposed our faith in Jesus Christ. But the power and influence behind those people is a spiritual force of wickedness: Satan and his host of demons with their evil ideas and their lies.

David shares the Lord’s own attitude toward the “treacherous” ones such as Judas Iscariot who perhaps have heard God’s word from the lips of Jesus…even seen the wonders he performs, and yet they “do not keep [His] word.” It is repugnant, disgusting, to the Lord for people to treat Him and His testimonies like they mean nothing! David refused to align himself with this majority. Rather, he determined not to “turn from Your testimonies.” No matter how many lined up in opposition to the truth of Yahweh, they couldn’t turn him from taking his stand for the One who IS the Truth.

“I see the treacherous,” he tells the Lord. God has given him the eyes required to discern the false from the true. How many people around us lack that kind of insight and are led astray by the deceptive ideas of this present world! Liberal churches that deny the deity and miracles of Christ…government and corporate movements that support evolution and trans-genderism…business people and relatives who are relying on their good works to make up for their sins and get them into heaven… All such people have been blinded, Paul writes, “by the god of this age”---Satan (2 Corinthians 4:4).

David ends this powerful stanza, this plea for redemption, by extolling the Source of light that allows him to see clearly and discern rightly.

“Consider how I love Your precepts; / Revive me, O Lord, according to Your lovingkindness. / The entirety of Your word is truth, / And every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever.”

Love, truth and righteousness. They all come together perfectly in the written and living Word of God. David’s plea in the courtroom of Yahweh, when faced with a multitude of treacherous accusers, is a request for the Judge to “consider” the psalmist’s LOVE of God’s precepts. David has heard them taught. He has read, memorized, perhaps even written down the instructions and revelations of God. They are his food and drink, they are his waking thoughts and they fill his mind in the watches of the night. They have come to characterize his daily walk. They are his means of defense against Satan.

But even these qualities in David are not what qualify him for LIFE. It is God’s “lovingkindness,” His unfailing love and covenant mercy, the psalmist depends on for renewal, revival, redemption. Salvation is of the Lord, not the result of even our finest and best acts of obedience. Our love for God and His precepts only become realities “because [God] first loved us” (1 John 4:19). Chosen from the foundation of the world, believers were beloved of God before creation even began. 

Both His truth and His righteous judgments are eternal, meaning that they have always been in the Father’s mind even before time began. We little creatures mean so much to this great God…and who can tell WHY that is? Our sins against this God of love are worthy of eternal torments—punishment beyond measure. And His perfect justice will be carried out to the letter of His law. His warnings and His curses are just as binding as His promises…

And yet, also before time began, the eternal Son of God was determined to pay the price for the sins of those the Father set His love upon. Mercy for a multitude of rebellious creatures entered into the plans of God in the form of a Roman cross and an empty tomb, with a triumphant Savior rising again, having paid the total price of our redemption.

Are you and I living by “the entirety of [God’s] word [which] is truth”? Have we been judged NOT GUILTY in the courtroom of heaven, because we have trusted in Jesus, the Way, the Truth, and the Life? If so, that righteous judgment can never be overturned by any higher court. For, “every one of [God’s] righteous judgments endures FOREVER!

Amen

Psalm 119 - QOPH

 

Themes from the Psalm of Psalms

(Loving the God of Psalm 119)

Stanza 19

 

QOPH: Crying out for God’s salvation, waking to dwell on His eternal truth

 

145  I cry out with my whole heart; / Hear me, O Lord! I will keep Your statutes.

146  I cry out to You; / Save me, and I will keep Your testimonies.

147  I rise before the dawning of the morning, / And cry for help; / I hope in Your word.

148  My eyes are awake through the night watches, / That I may meditate on Your word.

149  Hear my voice according to Your lovingkindness; / O Lord, revive me according to Your justice.

150  They draw near who follow after wickedness; / They are far from Your law.

151  You are near, O Lord, / And all Your commandments are truth.

152  Concerning Your testimonies, / I have known of old that You have founded them forever.

 

The emotional honesty of those God used to compose the Scriptures is always striking to me. If we truly know the Lord, part of that knowledge will be that we cannot hide even our inmost thoughts and desires from Him, nor does He want us to!

David, who most likely is the author of this Psalm of Psalms, expressed his delight and his praise in the perfect righteousness of God, as well as the perfect God of righteousness, in the previous stanza. He testified that, even when trouble and anguish overtook him, he took comfort and found delight in the commandments of Yahweh. Yet, in this next stanza, number 19, he finds himself in a situation where, as he’s done before, he is desperate for the Lord’s intervention–His salvation.

The Hebrew letter QOPH is the consonant “K” that begins each verse of stanza 19. It is the first sound in the Jewish word for “cry” and that is the exact mood of these eight verses. It is a cry from the heart of a righteous person for the salvation of God. The “trouble and anguish” David mentioned in stanza 18 are obviously still plaguing his mind, actually robbing the king of sleep! He asked the Lord, “Give me understanding, and I will live.” But in these lines, he seems desperate for his God to hear his voice. Yahweh, it seems to him, is far away and must be awakened in order to bring the psalmist help.

“I cry out with my whole heart; / Hear me, O Lord! I will keep Your statutes.” Many people come to doubt or deny the existence of God because they have met with anguish and tragedy in their lives. “If there were really a God,” they say, “he would not allow terrible things to happen in His world!” But these people forget that God created mankind for a purpose: to glorify their Creator and enjoy Him forever. Because we have rebelled against the Lord and against his righteous laws, our loving God has allowed pain and tragedy to show mankind what life would be like without God’s blessing!

David’s wholehearted cry is not simply a cry of pain and anguish; it is a call to the LORD his God. It is also coupled with a pledge to “keep Your statutes.” God hears our cry when we are desperate for Him, but is doubly eager to hear us when we are eager to OBEY His word. David isn’t trying to bargain with the Lord here saying, “If you’ll get me out of this mess, I’ll pay you back with my obedience.” Rather, he’s admitting that many of his troubles can be traced back to his own wrong choices. He’s confessing that he is fallible and not always careful to keep the rules God has firmly established.

Verse 146 almost mirrors the same thoughts as the previous verse: “I cry out to You; / Save me, and I will keep Your testimonies.” The heart cry of the king is repeated, and notice that his plea is for the Lord not only to HEAR him, but to SAVE him. And his promised response to God’s salvation is to keep—that is, to hold to, to treasure—His testimonies. We’ve mentioned before that our proper view of Scripture is to see ALL of it, every single word, as the Lord’s revelation of Himself to us. Only through the words of God given in the Bible can men and women be saved, freed from sin and death and hell.

So, what is to be our attitude when we “cry out” to the Lord? First, we must cry out humbly, not in an arrogant, demanding way that assumes we are worthy of His help and He is obligated to come to our aid. We should acknowledge that WE are part of our problem, and are willing to be instructed and changed. Second, we must cry out trustingly, understanding that true salvation is enjoyed only by those who cling faithfully to “every word that proceeds from the mouth of God,” as Jesus quoted to Satan when tempted in the wilderness. When God saves a person, He goes on to sanctify him through the truth of His word.

“I rise before the dawning of the morning, / And cry for help; / I hope in Your word.” The trouble and anguish the psalmist deals with is such a trial in his heart and mind, that he is unable to remain asleep. It is “help” he requires, not only for God to “hear” him and “save” him, but also to “help” him. Again, David writes a verse that parallels and mirrors the same thought in the following: “My eyes are awake through the night watches, / That I may meditate on Your word.” Let’s see the connection here between hoping in God’s word…and meditating on His word. When someone is in desperate need, we think of him or her as “beyond hope.” But the promises of God in His word are a never-ending source of hope.

One such hope-filled passage is Isaiah 41, a chapter filled with God’s reassurance to Israel that they would be delivered from the idolatrous nations that would take them captive. “Fear not,” the Lord tells them, “for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” “For I, the LORD your God, will hold your right hand, Saying to you, ‘Fear not, I will help you.’ “‘Fear not, you worm Jacob, You men of Israel! I will help you,’ says the LORD And your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.” Like a family’s faithful protector, God strengthens and helps His own, those who “hope in” and “meditate on” His word.

“Hear my voice according to Your lovingkindness; / O Lord, revive me according to Your justice,” David continues. The word translated “lovingkindness” is the Hebrew word “chesed,” which is also rendered “covenant love” or “mercy” or “unfailing love.” This word speaks of the loyalty of Israel’s divine Ruler, the One who called them out of paganism and made them a special nation. 

God referred to Israel as “My firstborn son” to Pharaoh when He demanded him to “Let My people go!” He then brought them out of the misery of their Egyptian slavery, judging their enemies with His perfect justice when He did so. When God called Moses from the burning bush He assured him, “I have HEARD their cries because of their taskmasters.” God overruled the plans of Pharaoh and the Egyptians and delivered the children of Israel from bondage. And David is assured in his heart that the same loyal love of God is still his (and ours!) to trust in when we are facing injustice from the wicked.

“They draw near who follow after wickedness; / They are far from Your law,” reads verse 150. We see in this verse a clever contrast of DISTANCE, both distance from danger and distance from God’s law. The wicked of this world, as well as the wicked in the spiritual world, are never content just to move away from God’s commands themselves; they are always trying to attack the ones who seek to please the Lord. They approach those who follow Christ, not to encourage or learn from them, but to oppose and do battle against them. Christ’s disciples are not just learners; they are also called to be soldiers, prepared to stand up against the forces of wickedness in the heavenly places, in the power of the Lord.

But, we can praise Him that the evil ones aren’t the only ones who are drawing near, who are “on the move” in this spiritual battle. “You are near, O Lord, / And all Your commandments are truth” is the hope of David, and all those who trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. The Hebrew doesn’t literally say that the Lord IS near. It actually reads, “You near, O LORD.” God, David testifies, is on the move, He is coming, He is approaching, bringing all the help David needs to put his enemies to flight. When the demons saw Jesus coming close to them, their response was to cry out in terror! With Him on our side, our faith can be a shield to “quench all the fiery darts of the evil one.”

Let’s take a minute to examine the second line of that verse: “And all Your commandments are truth.” Jesus prayed that the Father would “sanctify them by Thy truth; Thy word is truth” in His high-priestly prayer (John 17). Truth is the “belt” in the Christian soldier’s armor, girding our loins so that our limbs are ready for the fight. Jesus, our Master and Commander, has no intention of leaving us vulnerable for the “roaring lion”---Satan—to pick us off like little lost lambs! His truth, His word, truth that lasts forever, include His Ten Commandments, teaching us what pleases Him and receives His favor and blessing. It is also our “sword,” Paul tells us in Ephesians 6, the weapon with which we fight back and conquer the lies and deceptions of the enemy that seeks to drag lost sinners to hell with him!

Verse 152 concludes this 19th stanza: “Concerning Your testimonies, / I have known of old that You have founded them forever.” David was not a perfect man, nor a perfect king. Again and again we read in his psalms that he had to repent and confess his sins, finding grace from the Lord to revive him and cleanse him. He depended on the Lord to “search me and know my heart.” And his trust was based on a knowledge that Yahweh his God was the true, eternal God, who ordained all that came to pass even from the beginning. 

Who else can we fully trust, but the One God who founded the heavens and the earth? “In the beginning,” John wrote in his gospel, “was the Word.” Jesus Himself was, and is, the fullest expression of the Word of God—His testimonies that will never fail us. And this eternal God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, will never fail to hear his children when they cry out to Him!  

Amen.