When I Am Afflicted - Psalm 102:1-14,24-28

The author of this psalm is unknown. The central theme of this psalm is considered to be a prayer of the afflicted. In order to grow his confidence the writer is assured that even though heaven and earth perish, the Lord who created them shall endure forever. His afflictions may be a hindrance along life’s pathway; however because of the enduring power of God there is always hope for the future.

In our inflictions of this day we have found from our experience and from the teachings of this writer that there is only one source of dependable relief and that source is located and enlisted through our prayers. Any person with afflictions must believe in prayer and know that God hears and answers prayers offered according to His plan. We must understand that a profitable prayer is not an assortment of words arranged as a request made to God. Rather, the prayer of the afflicted is an attitude of mind and soul that is totally dependent upon the will of Almighty God. It is an interment conversation with a higher power that has the ability to answer legitimate request.

This prayer requires ultimate faith and belief that God hears and will answer the prayer of an afflicted person. Note the intimate, direct approach this writer uses to address God. He said, “Lord, hear me.” You “hear my prayer.” “Let my plea come before you.” This writer was related to the Lord on a personal basis.

The personal and individual use of the name of God—Yahweh—was not ordinarily or commonly used on a daily basis with the common Jewish people. However you can see that this writer was related to the Lord on a personal basis. He prayed believing that mercy and help came directly from Yahweh to the distressed. The distressed and God were related on a personal basis.

The Jewish people depended upon the priest to go to God for them. They were usually not on a first-name-basis with God individually. However, we see here a new direct connection between the distressed and God. The devout could go directly to Yahweh through prayer. Oh, how important this is to the modern day Christian. We do not have to depend upon another person…a member of the priesthood…to intercede for us. We can call upon God to look at our problem, see our condition, and know our needs from first hand communication with us.

The problems faced by the author were heart afflicted, painful problems that were classified as physical, mental, and emotional and gave the example of the broad scope of needs that Christians have even in our world today.

It helps us to know more about this situation when we understand that this psalm was written during a low ebb tide in Jewish history. It was the period while they were under Babylonian captivity. The writer’s hope shines through that day’s darkest clouds and the psalmist depends upon God to intervene and deliver him during these dark and difficult times. We can relate to this because it appears that God was ignoring the writer’s call for help. God’s silence caused him to cry louder in his cries out to God for help in his days of affliction.

The writing of this lesson by your teacher comes during some of the most difficult days of my Christian walk and for this reason the lesson is more relevant to me than many that I try to teach. My greatest difficulties come as health problems that are interfering with a normal daily life. I am becoming more unable to do the things that I wanted to do in my declining years. I have been fortunate to receive help from the medical profession because it has been available to me; however I have been unfortunate in that I have found their ability to help has continued to fail in my declining years and time of physical trouble.

I have been able to see through this study an unwavering hope. Thomas Brooks said that “Hope can see heaven through the thickest clouds.” Believing this, my only hope remains for God to hear my prayers when I pray for God to look in my face, see my condition, and bless me according to my deeds only if I am willing to use improved conditions for the benefit of God’s kingdom work.

Even in the midst of my darkest hours, I still have a steadfast hope in God. I think that one of the main ideas of this lesson was to teach us that the psalmist depends upon God to intervene and deliver him in the midst of dark and difficult days. When I personalize this lesson it makes me realize that I have reached the place in my troubled life that I must now depend upon God to intervene in any improvements that are to be realized. My hope no longer lies in neither the ability of surgeons to remove obstructions; nor neurosurgeons to block the pain pathways through my body, nor the ability of any medical knowledge available through specialized training. The only hope I have left is that God will see fit to use his supernatural power to make life worth living. The least that I can do is to promise Him that I will use any new or extended ability afforded to grow his kingdom and praise and honor Him. Thank God I can relate with this writer of old.

In 102-3, we it is easy for us to see that this crises had brought a heavy physical toll upon the writer’s body. He was loosing the years of his life under this stress. His physical life was wasting away. His days left on earth were vanishing like smoke before him. His bones were burning like glowing embers, as if fire were burning his body.

Please, I do not wish to make you feel sorry for me, but at my age and in my physical condition, I have some of the same feelings described by this writer. I do want you to understand that a time like this may be your experience soon and you need to know the importance of prayer in your personal life. The day may soon come when prayer is the only source left that can provide any relief.

Am I the only one that feels that I am living in a day much like that of the ancient psalmist? If you will be honest, I doubt that I am the only one, and you may also agree. God’s glory is being obscured, his Word is surely neglected, and far too often and in too many places his house is abandoned and religious work is stalled. Go to the church and see that exposition is being replaced with entertainment—Theology is giving way to theatrics and the Word is caving into the world. The rich hymns of doctrine that once focused on the cross have give way to crossover contemporary music that barely mentions Christ and the cross.

We are not sure what all of the psalmist problems were, but he had not been well. Have you ever been sick or disabled for an extended period of time? How did that experience affect your fellowship with God? Why do you think God let the psalmist suffer affliction? Did his suffering push him from or draw him closer to the Lord? What is happening in your life? Are you allowing physical pain and emotional suffering to draw you closer to God? Or do you blame God for your problems and let them drive you further away?

The title of the lesson today is WHEN I AM AFFLICTED. Maybe I should have made it a question that asked; WHEN I AM AFFLICTED WHAT SHOUD I DO? I like this. The Psalmist answered the question…hear him please. He said, God, I am hurting, hear me please. Listen to me. No matter what my problem is, you are the only source of comfort. I hurt. I pray. You listen. You hear. You answer. You promised me that you would be ready to serve my need. You are the only answer whatever the need.

When I Have Doubts - Psalm 73:1-5,12-20,25-28

Now that some of us are older and can look back across years of experience I am made to wonder if anything has ever been more devastating to the Christian life than the doubts and fears that we have allowed to weaken our confidence in our fellow man and the God we serve. When we first believe and place our lives in the care of Jesus Christ there is usually a surge of confidence that wells up in us and drowns out the fears that life has taught. This contented state of mind comes to us through our faith and by the grace of God.

The mental and emotional process of fear and doubt begins in our early childhood and a strong confidence has to be relearned. During our first three to five years we are loved, protected and made secure by the love and care of our parents. We have no reason to fear because we trust our parents to always do right and furnish our protection. Usually by the age of four or five our sin nature causes us to start doing things that are unacceptable and loving and caring parents are forced to enact restrictions, and teach personal accountability. As we grow into the age of accountability we enjoy our own way less often and soon begin to fear the results that our actions may bring. Doubt and fear enters our lives and we become less comfortable individually and more dependent on god as our spiritual leader.

This process repeats itself through the early years of our Christian life. We must accept Christ as a child and believe that He will cause all things to work together for our good, Romans 8. Then, as our Christian life grows, we learn that we are not always spiritually obedient and that God will hold us to our commitment even if it requires Him to punish us for our sins. Soon, even as a dedicated Christian, doubts and fears reenter our thought patterns and cause us to worry about our position in God’s sight. This is a dreaded position that should not bother any man who has a great and abiding faith.

As we grow older, it is not uncommon for us to incur problems with our eyesight; two of the most common problems are far and near sightedness. When our distance vision is impaired it is know as myopia and may require correction in order to see things that are afar off. What is even worse is spiritual myopia that occurs causing us to be able to see those problems which are temporal, physical and earthly. One with spiritual myopia can only see the things in the here and now.

This psalm addresses one of life’s most difficult “life seeing problems?” Christian people just can not discern the answer to this problem. “How is it that the wicked often prosper while the godly suffer so much? This is a specific problem to all of us who have myopic faith. We must always remember that it is not possible for a person to see and trust in the eternal things of life while his focus is on the temporal things of life.

Asaph was the musician that wrote this psalm. He remembers a time in his life when he envied the prosperity of the wicked and fell into doubt about the goodness of God toward the righteous. He did not understand why God’s people suffered while the ungodly seemed to prosper at the same time.

Look at and read the first verse carefully. Asaph could look back through the ages and remember the many times when God had been especially good to the country of Israel. I am sure that one of the greatest memories the Israelites had—was their ability to look back to the six thousand years of slavery in Egypt—and to remember that God used Moses in a very great way to bring them out of Egyptian bondage and to care for them all the way to the Promised Land. Asaph said. “Surely God is good to Israel.” {Even with full knowledge of this great love, he still had doubts.} In verse 2 he said, “But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold.

Be sure to note why he had slipped away. He said it was because “I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.” He says the wicked can be carefree and still always increase in wealth. In verse 13 he continues—“Surely in vain have I kept my hart pure; in vain have I washed my hands in innocence. I am still plagued, in fact punished every morning.”

Let me beg you to be honest with God, yourself, and me. Have you ever had some of these feelings that Asaph is expressing? Have you doubted God? Have you feared that you would not receive your rightful blessings because of the way God was reacting to you differently from others? In verse 12, do you feel with him that the wicked can remain always carefree and still increase in wealth? Do you vainly keep your heart pure and feel that all you gain is punishment ever morning and each day you live? The psalmist had a problem. Today, we Christians still have the same problem. Complaining Christians think they see what is happening and believe it to be wrong. They sometimes believe that sinners are prospering more than Christians. What many have forgotten is that there will be a judgment day…some day; and when the scales are balanced there will be some on both sides who are very surprised.

The thing that bothers me more than anything else in this day and time is that those who want to eliminate the name of God from literature, and especially in a government function, seem to be gaining power and control. I know that in this world where the wicked seem to prosper more than the righteous—the believer’s eye must be fixed on God and his goodness. Only God can give the true believer a proper outlook on life and eternity. This perspective will dominate the believer’s life only when he constantly focuses on God, trusting in him alone. Your father and mother, or your best friend may let you down but God will never fail you. Do you believe this?

Does this lesson fit your situation? Have you ever encountered an ungodly person who had better things in life or a better situation in life than you have had? Why do you think God allowed this to happen? Why do you believe God allowed someone else to prosper more than you prospered? Is it very important to you that God allowed this difference to exist? To some people, why is close fellowship with God more important than fame and fortune? Is it more important to you? Why do you not examine very carefully and find that the one who seems to have more of this worlds goods than you have…who seems to have prospered the most…just may be the one that has the greatest need for a close fellowship with Christ on a daily basis? Here is a good question for you: would you like to trade places with your rivalry? I know my answer would be NO. I can live with my doubts and fears regarding my daily prosperity and be much more content than if I am required to live on a daily basis with out the love, compassion, and protection of God Almighty. WHEN I HAVE DOUBTS I CAN ALWAYS GO TO MY LORD FOR COMFORT AND SECURITY.

When I Have Sinned - Psalm 51:1-13

Is there a man in the crowd today that likes to admit that he is on the wrong road headed in the wrong direction? It is sometimes difficult to pick up the map and try to locate where you are and how to get back on the freeway and headed in the right direction. There is no argument about this matter—embarrassing as it may be—it is the right thing to do. It is hard to admit to your wife that you have made a wrong turn at the last intersection. Sometimes as a Christian, you will find it even more difficult to admit to God that you have committed a grievous sin and it is taking you in the wrong spiritual direction. Spiritual driving on the wrong road can often lead you into a ghetto where crime and destruction hazardously awaits your next turn.

Today we will study the Psalm that David used to give an example of his hazardous driving on his spiritual road home. He had committed some major sins—not minor offenses. He had reached the area in his life that was life threatening and was still man enough to repent, get his road map out and find his way back into fellowship with God.

The superscription that heads the 51st Psalm says that this is a psalm of David written for the director of music following the time when Nathan went to visit David and warned him that he had knowingly and willingly committed adultery with the wife of one of his prize soldiers. No doubt that Bathsheba had played apart in this affair, but we must treat her fairly and acknowledge that she was dealing with her King, and even though she knew that she was sinning, it would have been difficult for her to refuse him in his position of power. The act of adultery was a sin in depth but David realized that he had taken advantage of this woman and his sorrow and regret must have been great. His attempt to cover his sin included murder, lying and forceful involvement of others honest people that did not want to be involved.

If you will go now and read the story of how David was alone at his palace and knew the setting, and the habit of this woman bathing on her roof top in view of one wing of the King’s palace. He, no doubt had observed her before, and knew who she was—even though he inquired as to her identity. David premeditated this evil act and went against his own conscientious, not only carrying out his own lustful desire but actually forcing her to be a part in it; and involving other innocent bystanders. He fully intended to commit this sin—but just did not expect to get caught and surely did not realize how far he would go to try to cover his actions. It is easy for us to see how deeply involved he is in this matter, and how he now has only one way out. He has to confront all of his people and the God of his life with the one tool left; which is repentance before God and a plea for his forgiveness.

Look inside at the enter being of the greatest of all earthly kings and try to imagine what you see in his action and reaction; place yourself in his place and feel the enter pangs of sorrow for you sin. Internalize this moment; place yourself in his shoes and face God alone with no self defense other than to admit that you were conceived in sin and have now succumbed to sin’s power over you.

Remember now that there are no little or big sins; therefore you must realize that your sin and mine are all grave in God’s sight. [For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.] We, like David, have also sinned against God. What can we do? What can we say? We must repeat his words and plead—Have mercy on me, Oh God. Be gracious to me, God, according to your faithful love; according to your abundant compassion, blot out my rebellion—transgression. Did God forgive him? Yes. Will he forgive us? Yes. How? According to his compassion and love; and greater love has no man than to be willing to die for him. Christ died for David and John, me, and you.

David prayed, “Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.” Had that already happened? No. Did it happen? Yes, it did when Christ spilled his blood on the cross and washed away his sin…and ours also.

If you have not read this chapter…do so now…and you can boast of reading one of the most sincere prayers ever prayed by a sinful man. You will learn that there is more to a prayer of forgiveness than just forgiven sin.

The total process must also create within us a clean heart. That is past sins are forgiven first and then our hearts must have the inclination to remain free from future sins. A clean heart can not sin. A forgiven person desires the presence of the Holy Spirit and realizes that so long as the Spirit lives within us, sin can not exist in the same territory.

The most difficult request made in this prayer is that the memory of committed sin will vanish and torment David no more. Only when we forgive ourselves can we reach the place where God can restore unto us the joy of our salvation. The joy of salvation can not exist in the hart of one who is continuing in sin. We can only enjoy God’s presence through the visitation of the Holly Spirit when we are free from sin.

Then David made God a promise. He said now God, do to me and for me as I have prayed and “I will teach transgressors your ways and sinners will turn back to you.”

The largest and most complicated Super highway interchange in the world is located in Houston, Texas. I would not dare exit on to this interchange without having a map in my car and everyone knowing that I am willing to follow it. The sinful road to spiritual destruction is just as complicated as the Houston interchange and I will not attempt to drive on it without instructions as how to exit on to the straight and narrow road that leads to heaven.

The title of this lesson today is WHEN I HAVE SINNED. The best question about the title is WHAT MUST I DO? And the ONLY answer to this question is DO AS DIAVID DID—REPENT OF YOUR SIN AND SEEK FORGIVINESS FROM THE LORD WHO LOVES YOU. The results will be THE RETURN OF THE JOY OF YOUR SALVATION HERE AND LIFE EVERLASTING.

When I Need Comfort - Psalm 23

There are only six verses in the 23 chapter of Psalm, so as usual; I decided to read the entire chapter before I started writing. Then I found four different versions that aroused my attention, and I have copied all four versions below. Note: I tried to copy verbatim, and this is very hard to do on a personal computer. The computer refuses to copy small case letters where capitols are required. It will not allow partial sentences, and so you may find that my attempt is not PERFECT…BUT it is close enough for you to see the many differences in the way this chapter is written.

One fact makes these differences great in my sight. Though very different…THERE ARE NO CONTRADICTIONS. God’s word is truth! Many different writers stood on different viewing stands and wrote about the same incident. They all used their own language, their own understanding, but were all inspired by the same Holy Spirit that brought the whole truth out of every story we read. God is great and without error and he did not allow the writers of his Word to error.

NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION

1 The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. [I shall not want. Or,
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, I shall not be in the
He leads me beside quiet waters, state of want.] [We
3 he restores my soul. could want but not
He guides me in paths of righteousness have a need]
For his namesake.
4Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

5You prepare a table before me
In the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6Surely goodness and love will follow me [Some say mercy and love will
all the days of my life, follow]
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.

PSALM 23…AUTHORIZED KING JAMES VERSION

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil: my cup runneth over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.



PSAM 23…NEW KING JAMES VERSION

The Lord is my shepherd: I shall not want.
2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
3He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake.

4Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
for you are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

5You prepare a table
before me in the
presence of my
enemies;
You anoint my head with
oil;
My cup runs over.
6Surely goodness and
mercy shall follow me
All the days of life;
And I will dwell in the
house of the Lord
Forever.

PSALMS 23…NEW AMERICAN STANDARD VERSION

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside quiet waters.

3 He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness
For his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk
through the valley of
the shadow of death,
I fear no evil; for thou
art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff,
they comfort me.

5 Thou dost prepare a table
Before me in the presence of my enemies;
Thou hast anointed my head with oil;
My cup overflows.

6 surely goodness and loving kindness will follow me all the days
of my life,
And I will dwell in the
house of the Lord forever.


PSALM 23…TODAY’S ENGLISH VERSION By Nelson

The Lord is my shepherd; [This version removes the possibility of wanting
I have everything I a person may not need.]
Need.
2He lets me rest in fields of [He can rest while sitting, strolling, or
Green grass standing. Rest is over mind and not
and leads me to quiet pools position of body.]
of fresh water.

3He gives me new strength. [God keeps his promise.]
He guides me in the right
Paths,
as he has promised.
4Even if I go through the
Deepest darkness, [To David, deepest darkness may not be death.]
I will not be afraid, Lord,
for you are with me.
Your shepherd’s rod and staff
protect me.
5You prepare a banquet for
me,
where all my enemies can [My enemies may not just be present, but they
see me; actually see me while you welcome me.]
you welcome me as an
honored guest
and fill my cup to the brim.
6 I know that your goodness
and love will be with me
all my life;
and your house will be my
home as long as I live.

If you were writing a Psalm to God this morning, what would you use as the back-drop or bases for your thinking? How would you make your petition to God seem realistic enough that God would know your deepest worries, sorrows, needs and desires? David had been a shepherd and understood what he had meant to his sheep. He used this metaphor to explain to God that he placed the same dependency in his shepherd—God almighty; as did the sheep experienced under his, David’s watch.

There are many examples in the Word where we are known as the sheep; and where God is the Good Shepherd. No animal is more dependent upon total leadership from an earthly shepherd. And man is the only animal that is spiritually dependent upon the Heavenly Shepherd. The New Testament tells us that He is our great Shepherd…the good Shepherd, and as he is our Shepherd so we are his sheep. One circumstance makes our position even greater; we are not passive or frightened animals but wise and obedient followers. This passage does not deal with the animal like qualities of the sheep, but it deals with the qualities of disciples of God as followers of his shepherding.

David is pictured here as one most dependent upon his God and he gives him complete credit for all good that is his to enjoy. David, as a mortal man had some desires that were undesirable to God, but if in His will, he never was left suffer a need unfilled. When his mind was on God he never had a need for food [green pastures] or water, always quiet and pure.

When David’s sinful nature bothered him…God restored his soul and he was soon guided back into the pathway of righteousness. This was not for David, but for His name’s sake…so that he can be honored for His greatness.

David was a great man of God, but not so great that he did not have fear when evil approached him. The giant stood in his way; he could have feared the death of an approaching spear…it was a shadow of death to him—but his faith was so great that he knew that all was well so long as God was with him and that they were on the same side. As he approached the giant, he was able to visualize God as a great shepherd, standing in the gap with his rod and staff in hand, ready to intercede for him in a moment of need.

The 23 Psalm is only six verses long; however no passage long or shout, has more proof of complete confidence of any other man in his God. God exhibits complete concern in his sheep all the way from the food they eat, water they drink, through all of their life and then that time that comes when we pass through the shadows of death to a bright and shinning tomorrow. Our heart is our cup, and it should be constantly filled to overflowing. If you were finishing your Psalm to God right now, what other grounds would you use to prove your complete dependency upon your GREAT SHEPHERD? Pray for me! Oh! You have. You do. And you will…then I thank you.

God is Great - Psalm 135:1-18

From fifty to one hundred years ago the lesson title represented the first three words to this nation’s most common prayer. Practically every child in a Christian home was taught this simple prayer. “God is great, God is good and we thank him for this food.” Since we were reminded of this truth three times a day [at each meal time] the repetition caused the truth to sink in and leave no doubt that God was great. Since we know that we serve an unchangeable God we know that he was great even in the day of the tribe of Levi who were probably responsible for the writing of this Song of Psalm; He has continued to be of the same greatness and will forever be as great to all who follow our way.

One of the very first ways that God has always proclaimed his greatness is found in this Psalm. God, our creator, our breath and our life, has made us to be compared to the angels and placed us in charge of the universe at the time of creation. In return for all that He has done for us including the gift of life itself—here in the first verse of chapter 135, the author lets us know that God simply request that we acknowledge him as the Great Redeemer of mankind. “Hallelujah! Praise the name of the LORD, Give praise, you servants of the LORD.”

According to the Holman Christian Standard Bible’s this first word “Hallelujah” translates into a two-word Hebrew sentence that simply demands that we “Praise Yah.” This expression is also translated as “Praise ye the Lord.” The word Yah is a shortened form of one of the names of God known as Yahweh. Note that in these few words in this sentence, the writer tells us three times to PRAISE GOD. First, the word Hallelujah says praise God. Second, the writer then repeats “Praise the name of the Lord.” The emphasis comes down the third time when the writer says, “Give praise, you servants of the Lord.”

Then read verse two. It is the verse which identifies who must praise God over and over…three times in this one simple verse…which is the very simple and little thing that God demands of us in exchange for his greatness shown toward us. Who are identified as those who must praise, serve, honor and proclaim His name? Who are to praise Him? “Those that stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God.” This simply refers to all of us that attend his worship services; those who frequent the buildings of praise and honor and carry out the work expected of all who are called Christ like.

The main idea found here is that the psalmist is inviting all of God’s people to worship and praise the God over all creation and the history or story that we know about it. There is no doubt but that the writer includes all who are involved with the service to and worship of God. There is even a greater likelihood that he is including all who are worship leaders of any kind such as teachers, counselors and pastors.

There is another main reason for worship and praise. The psalmist uses words of praise and worthy expression regarding who God is. He is Great. He is Good. He is Worthy. He is Faithful. He is Loving and Kind. He Knows All. And is All Powerful, and always Present, forever With Us. This call for praise not only includes all of these things that God is but also all of the things that he has done and will do for us.

In verse four today the writer speaks of the fact that God chose his people for a special reason. He says here that “The Lord has chosen Jacob to be his own, Israel to be his treasured possession.” This refers to the word from Deuteronomy 7: 1-9. He calls Israel Jacob…they are the same. He chose Jacob, not because they were many but they were his elect. We Christians are a part of that elect group today. We were not chosen because we were strong but because He had made the promise to our forefathers. Our part of the inheritance comes down through the line of David to Mary and Joseph, and our Lord was born a virgin into this family. In this lesson today we find one of the greatest gifts to all mankind. We are the elect. He made us his elect by his choice and not our deserving position.

In 1 Peter 2:9 the new church is told that “You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praise of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light.”

How can we ever live one moment in the presence of God, with all He has provided us without praising Him? To our God is all the glory. We willingly and in all humbleness praise the almighty name of our living God.

God Is Faithful - Psalm 105:7-11; 106:6-7,19-21,40-45

No human being, young or old, married or single, parent or child, can obtain and maintain a characteristic that is more important to them and their piers as their faithfulness to God, and each other. I will start this chain of thought with the relationship at the time of marriage. Two young people give themselves to each other with no reservations, expecting true faithfulness without having to watch and wonder each day if fidelity is always present. Then one slips and the other finds out and from that day forever there is always a shade of doubt in their minds. A beautiful relationship is damaged, never to be completely restored to the perfection it once had.

The couple has one or more children that are brought up in the nature and admonition of the Lord. The day comes when acquisitions are made against them by a fellow student or a teacher that just seem to be impossible. They must have been falsely accused…and there is no way you can accept it as being true. This hurts—and the pain is great. And then you find through your own knowledge, the undisputable fact that your child will actually commit the wrong for which they were accused; and that they very probably did already commit the wrong as they were accused. Your child has continually denied the accusation. Now you find that they have been unfaithful to you as parents; untruthful and untrustworthy for the future.

Life is loaded with examples like this that will result in the total destruction of you joy and happiness caused by the betrayal of a loved one. Sadly these loved ones range all the way from close friends to parents, and none…no not one…except God is Faithful. I regret that I must give one more example because it compares man to a dog. We know assuredly that God is Faithful! It appears at times that a man’s dog is more faithful to the man than man is to his God.

The writer of this Psalm has a good knowledge of the destruction caused when there is unfaithfulness present. It might be well for all of you who are Christians and reading and studying the results of being unfaithful would stop for a moment and remember your past. Have you fully trusted a person in your life to an extent that when you found there was some unfaithfulness involved in your relationship, you were totally devastated? Be thankful if you have not had this experience. If you have experienced the results of unfaithfulness in a love one, use that experience to help you develop a total acceptance of God’s Faithfulness to you in every phase of his dealings with you throughout your life. There is no relationship that can possibly be more important to man than to know that his one and only Savior is without fault and will forever be faithful to a sinful man saved by Jesus Christ.

When you read 105:7 and realize that He is the Lord our God; ant that His judgments are in charge of the whole earth…it chills ones heart to even think for on moment that He could be Unfaithful for even one moment about one tinny thing. You can not remove the divine providence of God and still retain the total perfection that is absolutely necessary for God’s system to work. In verse eight we are reminded that his covenant that he keeps faithfully is one that he ordained for a thousand generations—and this is just a way of saying for all eternity.

The scripture used today names several of the men of God like Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to which God made decrees regarding their inheritance…the things he would and would not do for them. In verse eleven he gave the land of Canaan to them as their inherited portion. Would you just stop for a moment and try to realize what these men and their followers could have done if God had not been FAITHFUL in keeping his promises to them.

How well do you keep your commitments? What do you consider to be some of the most important commitments that you have ever made? I think we will have to consider at least three or four categories of commitments that w are involved in, and there may be others as important as these. First, we were born into a family to which we must have been committed. Secondly, we are married into a family that demands our faithfulness. Third, we are converted [born again] into the family of God and fourth, we are by nature created into the family of human nature that we continually remain a part of as long as we live.

All of the above commitments are important, but surely you need to think about prioritizing the right commitment at the appropriate time. What do you consider to be the most important commitment you have made to date? Have you ever made an important commitment that came to you without some sacrifice on your part? What are some of the prices you have paid in order to hold on to your commitments?

When we recall any sacrifice that has ever been ours to bear or make, we surely do not bring them to mind in any way to compare with the greatest ones made by our Father God. It is to recall the importance of sacrificial living. One thing that it does quickly is remind us that in comparison to what God has done for us we are inferior, tinny, and owe our all to Him who is the greatest of all.

Remember that the writers of the Psalms were continually singing songs of praise and writing poetry that expressed the heart of God to his people. It will always be time consuming to fully explore all the writings to see what each is referring to. However, there is one example I can mention at this time. If you will study all of the 105th Psalm and compare it verse to verse to the 106th Psalm, you will find that the 105th book explains the total faithfulness of God to man. And then chapter 106 reminds us of our unfaithfulness toward God. There is a comparison made here that actually shows that there is no comparison. We should study with a broken heart the comparison of the way God treats us and the way we repay Him.

God Is Just - Psalm 9:1-16

No statement ever made was more important to man kind than the one embodied in the title of our lesson for today! No other statement was ever as spellbinding to the soul of man: to the lost he is made to realize that he will receive his just award; and in the heart of the Christian he understands that he will be held accountable for any injustice for which he is guilty.

The messages provided through the Psalms are provided in songs of praise and prayers of thanksgiving. David constantly talked to us about the problems he faced and he prayed unceasingly to the almighty for the blessings that he constantly needed. David reminded God over and over about his troubles and let us know that he was constantly talking to God about the problems. Sometimes I think that I complain too much about my problems; but I don’t think I am any worse than David was. David also let us know how often and completely that God took care of his troubles. So, this may be the place where we fall short…maybe we do not thank God for his care and comfort as often as we should.

Last Sunday we discussed the fact that men and women have differences in their prayer and worship lives. It is more difficult for some men in particular, than for women, to show forth a heart of care and concern for other people. David was a man of great concern for others, and is probably the greatest bible character known to worship with depth of heart; and to praise with great sincerity.

There are times in the lives of some men when they are disturbed inwardly; they are even moved to tears which they try hard to subdue because they do not want to appear as a week character. David lived a life alone in harm’s way as the protector of his sheep and often realized that he was forced to believe in the protection that had to come from God. He tells us that he learned about God—and who God really was and how he was forced to depend on God.

I do not know why men hate to admit that they have fears just as women do, but I know it is so. Can you imagine being alone, and asleep at midnight guarding a flock of sheep that are wonderful and easy to secure food for a pack of wild dogs or wolves—even a heard of lions? David had been there. David admitted that he suffered great fear. Probably even harder for David was the fact that he had to admit that he depended on God for his very life. Oh, how I wish that I could be so honest in my admission of my dependency upon God. Later in the life of David when he had men as enemies—he remembered the wild animals in his youth as a shepherd and turned to God for his protection.

In verse one of chapter number six we have an example of the way that David was able to express his dependence on God and even admit it to both friends and foe. He openly praised God and told us of His wonderful works. Then in verse 2 he told God that he rejoiced and would continue to boast about God, and sing about his name admitting to everyone that God was the most high. Tell me…why is hard for men to openly worship and praise God in the presence of his friends…especially his lady friends.

Now, let me ask you to try just now to openly admit to some one else in your presence that you love God. Stop for a moment and intentionally sing about God’s name as being the Most High.

The most of us have enemies today. We are fortunate at times and our enemies retreat and for some reason stop bothering us. Do you ever think about the relief you feel being possible because that your enemies actually stumble before God. David was one of the greatest warriors of bible history, but he never forgot from whence his power came. It was not his sword or his power and he realized that. It was God’s power that he allowed to flow freely through him.

We are living during a period of time when far too many men do not believe in an existing Almighty God. Now add this to the fact that even greater numbers of men do not believe that the God which we proclaim is a Just God. Some actually blame God for their problems and refuse to admit that it is the failings of man that causes problems—they even believe and will proclaim that God is unjust. Claims such as this will usually come from those who believe they are ill and do not deserve it. They have lost love ones for no reason of their concern but only that God is not fair to all.

You will see in verse 15 that nations even in David’s day had fallen into their own trap. We need to compare this thought in that time with the facts that exist today. The desire of nations to overpower the rest of the world has led to the destruction of nation after nation down through the ages. Egypt lost to the Israelites who in turn lost to Rome. Even later in history, Hitler and Germany set out to rule the world…and Italy, Russia, Japan, followed. Today we see Islamic nations desiring the destruction of the Christian world.
In every one of these cases the cruel despots are falling into their own traps. They are caught up in the net that they have concealed. Nations must realize that God is just and will only allow his justice to win out in the end.

Some of God’s foes use men like David, Paul, and other outstanding bible characters as examples of the unjust treatment allowed and even encouraged by God. God’s word explains the wicked ways of David and then applauds him for his strong trust and dependence in God. With adultery and murder in his past, he was applauded as a man after God’s own heart.

Paul admitted to being the most wicked of all men but has to be one of the greatest of all disciples…the greatest of men who ever lived and taught. These are only two examples of men who emerged in greatness because of their submergence in their true belief in God Almighty.

Just remember that it is not the sins you commit that will doom you to hell. Think now…It is not your sins of commission that will cause your final destruction…but it is your one sin of omission. The one thing that you fail to do that becomes final and unforgivable happens during your life time of failing to accept Christ as your Savior…Salvation is in him, AND HIM ONLY.