Milo

APRIL 30

Reading 120

WORSHIP THEMES

Psalms 99–106 “Praise the Lord! Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever” (Ps. 106:1).

Themes developed in worship psalms tend to focus on who God is, on what He has done, and on the wonder of His love for His people.

Overview

Israel worshiped the Lord as enthroned (Ps. 99), as God (Ps. 100), and as a God of love and justice (Ps. 101). One psalm foreshadows the Messiah’s days and endless years (Ps. 102), while others celebrate God’s great love (Ps. 103), His self-revelation in nature (Ps. 104), and particularly in history (Ps. 105) as a covenant-keeping God (Ps. 106).

Understanding the Text

Psalm 99: God Enthroned. God’s absolute sovereignty is demonstrated in His gracious choice of Israel. “The Lord reigns” Ps. 99:1–9. God has exercised His sovereignty in choosing Israel (vv. 1–3). That choice was just, as well as sovereign (vv. 4–5), for God’s own keep His statutes (vv. 6–7). His justice is also displayed both in punishing Israel’s misdeeds and in His forgiveness (vv. 8–9). How important to remember that God does not use His power capriciously. He keeps His commitments, and does right. Psalm 100: The Lord Is God. The one true God has revealed Himself in His personal name, Yahweh, “the Lord.” “Know that the Lord is God” Ps. 100:1–5. The personal name Yahweh was revealed to Moses. That name, which means “The One Who Is Always Present,” was to be “My name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation” (Ex. 3:15). This psalm exults that it is Yahweh who is God. “He who made us, and we are His,” is God. The Lord, who is good, and whose love endures forever, is ruler of the universe. What a cause for thanksgiving. Because the Lord is God, we are safe and secure forever. For “His faithfulness continues through all generations.” Psalm 101: Love and Justice. David found a reason to praise, and a motive for godly living, in the love and the justice of God. “I will be careful to lead a blameless life” Ps. 101:1–8. The psalm expresses David’s commitment to the God whose love and justice he praised. That commitment was expressed in the psalmist’s determination to live in a way that pleased God. But note the motivation. David intended to lead a blameless life in view of the love and the justice of God. Because God loves us, we want to please Him. Because God is a God of justice, we can trust Him fully to reward those who do right, and to punish the wicked. Our motivation too, when pure, is response to the love God has showered on us, and trust that His justice will guard and protect us as we live for Him. Psalm 102: Messiah’s Days and Years. Even in Old Testament times this psalm was known as messianic. It is a psalm which sensitizes us to the sufferings of the Saviour, and a future shaped by His ultimate exaltation. “I am in distress” Ps. 102:1–11. In familiar terms this psalm evokes images of frailty and pain, rejection and despair. It was because of God’s wrath against our sin, not the sufferer’s, that the Father has “taken [Messiah] up and thrown Me aside.” “You will arise and have compassion” Ps. 102:12–17. In the Messiah, God’s appointed time had come, and He Himself acted to have compassion on His people. Through that act “the Lord will rebuild Zion” when He appears “in His glory.” “Written for a future generation” Ps. 102:18–22. The benefits of the Messiah’s act are not immediately visible. But they will be known in the future, when God declares His name openly and “the peoples and the kingdoms assemble to worship the Lord.” “Your years will never end” Ps. 102:23–28. Though death would cut short Messiah’s days, His years will “go on through all generations.” He is the One who laid the foundation of the earth. The universe will perish, but not Him, for “You remain the same, and Your years will never end.” And, because of Messiah, “the children of Your servants will live in Your presence.” When we read such psalms and many of the prophets we realize how often God turned the eyes of His Old Testament people ahead, and how clearly He portrayed the coming Saviour. Most importantly, however, we ourselves are led to sense the wonder of a God who would enter our world and suffer here as a human being, in order to redeem a people who have no benefit to return to Him but our worship and our praise. Psalm 103: God’s Great Love. David chronicled evidence of God’s love in a psalm that is sure to move us to praise. (See DEVOTIONAL.) The Old Testament compares God’s love to that of a father for his own children (Ps. 103:13). Only in the New Testament do we discover that God is a Father to individual believers. It is Father-love that has motivated God to do for us those wonderful things which Psalm 103 records. Psalm 104. God in Nature. God’s greatness is displayed in all the wonderful things which He has made. We are to meditate on creation’s evidence of His glory, and praise the Lord. “When You send Your Spirit, they are created” Ps. 104:1–35. This psalm parallels the Genesis Creation account. It is well to read it as a commentary on Genesis 1, not to explain how God created, but to celebrate the wonder of His works. The parallels between this psalm and Genesis 1 are:

Day 1	Gen. 1:3–5	light	Ps. 104:2a
Day 2	Gen. 1:6–8	firmament	Ps. 104:2b-4
Day 3	Gen. 1:9–13	land, water	Ps. 104:5–13
		veg., trees	Ps. 104:14–18
Day 4	Gen. 1:14–19	hvnly. bodies	Ps. 104:19–24
Day 5	Gen. 1:20–23	sea creat.	Ps. 104:25–26
Day 6	Gen. 1:24–28	anmls., man	Ps. 104:21–24
	Gen. 1:29–31	food for all	Ps. 104:27–30

Psalm 105: God in History. God is known by what He has done in history for His people Israel. This psalm praises the Lord for His “wonderful acts.” The miracles and judgments of the Lord seen through the history of His dealings with Israel reveal Him as a covenant-keeping God, who keeps His promises and works miracles on behalf of His own. Psalm 106: Covenant Love. In this dark counterpart to Psalm 105, the psalmist reviewed history’s evidence of human failure. Against that background the wonder of God’s covenant-keeping love shines bright and clear.

DEVOTIONAL

Let Me Count the Ways (Ps. 103)

Elizabeth Barrett Browning wrote one of the English language’s most powerful love poems. It begins: How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I love thee to the depth and breadth and height My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight . . . and it ends With my lost saints—I love thee with the breath, Smiles, tears, of all my life!-and, if God choose, I shall but love thee better after death. Browning’s powerful poem wasn’t the first to count love’s ways. The first was David, who a thousand years before Christ set down a list in Psalm 103 of ways in which God loves you and me. And his list is far more specific, far more extensive, and far more wonderful than Browning’s. How does God love us? He forgives our sins and heals our diseases (v. 3). He preserves our life and crowns us with love and compassion (v. 4). He satisfies our desires with good things (v. 5). He works justice for the oppressed (v. 6). He made known His ways to Moses and revealed Himself in history’s mighty acts (v. 7). And the list goes on. He is compassionate and slow to anger (v. 8). He does not treat us as our sins deserve (v. 10). And still there is more. Far too much to record in this brief meditation. But if life ever seems hard and the future so bleak that you can see nothing but darkness ahead, turn in your Bible to this psalm that celebrates God’s love. As you count with David the ways that God loves you, the darkness will break. And, with David, you will be lifted up to sing God’s praise.

Personal Application

Jot down the number of this psalm on the inside back cover of your Bible, so you can find it at times when you feel down.

Quotable

“I believe that each individual is precious to God, and that a divine undefeatable purpose is being worked out in every life; a life that goes on after death. A thousand things happen to us which are not ’the will of God,’ but nothing can happen to us which can defeat His purposes at last.”— Leslie D. Weatherhead

APRIL 29

Reading 119

OBSERVING RESTORATION Psalms 90–98

“You make me glad by Your deeds, O Lord; I sing for joy at the works of Your hands” (Ps. 92:4).Book IV suggests a collection date near Judah’s return from Exile. The first psalms remind us that every experience of God’s blessing teaches us more about the character of our Lord, and deepens our appreciation of His great love.

Overview

A prayer of Moses for restoration (Ps. 90) is followed by psalms celebrating the joys of dwelling in God and proclaiming His love (Pss. 91–92). The following psalms hold God up as Ruler (Ps. 93) and Judge (Ps. 94). God is also celebrated for His voice (Ps. 95), His imminent coming (Ps. 96), His righteousness (Ps. 97) and His salvation (Ps. 98).

Understanding the Text

Psalm 90: A Prayer for Restoration. Moses reflected on the fragility of life, and appealed to God to “make us glad for as many days as You have afflicted us.” “From everlasting to everlasting” Ps. 90:1–6. God’s eternal nature stands in awesome contrast to the brevity and fragility of human life. He is the only stable element in reality, beside whom the universe itself is young. “Teach us to number our days” Ps. 90:7–15. The Exodus generation knew God’s anger as their sins were exposed. Moses yearned for his people to learn the lesson taught by God’s wrath, that the people might experience His compassion and be made “glad” for as many years as they had seen trouble. How those who returned to their ruined homeland after decades of exile in Babylon must have identified with this psalm! How appropriate that it launches this book of psalms, which most view as liturgy used in public worship by the postexilic community. Psalm 91: Dwelling in God. This psalm is the Old Testament’s corollary to Jesus’ call to the believer to “abide in Me.” “Rest in the shadow of the Almighty” Ps. 91:1–2. Safety is found in closeness to the Lord, represented here as “dwelling in the shadow of the Almighty.” “Surely He will save you” Ps. 91:3–13. Christ is the example of One who dwells in God’s very shadow. When tempted, Jesus had no need to prove God’s loving care by leaping from the temple’s highest point. He knew, without any need to test God, that the Lord had commanded “His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways” (v. 11). “I will rescue him” Ps. 91:14–16. These last, magnificent verses define what it means to dwell in God’s shadow. It means to love Him, and to acknowledge His name. When you and I do love the Lord, and acknowledge Him in our daily lives, we can claim this promise: “He will call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him and show him My salvation.” Psalm 92: Proclaiming God’s Love. We too can exalt God, and sing for joy as we contemplate God’s works and His thoughts. “The righteous will flourish” Ps. 92:1–15. This too is a psalm with a promise. The “senseless man” cannot know God. But we who praise Him are filled with joy as we consider what He has done. With that joy comes assurance for the future. We have God’s promise. Planted in the house of the Lord we will flourish forever, ever proclaiming and praising the Lord. Psalm 93: God Reigns. God’s throne was established in eternity. He is the one and only stable element in the universe. Psalm 94: God Is Judge. God is moral Judge of His universe. The anxious person can find comfort in the love of a righteous God. “O God who avenges, shine forth” Ps. 94:1–7. The oppressed believer cries out for God to judge, while the wicked man laughs at the notion God sees or cares. “Take heed . . . you fools” Ps. 94:8–11. How senseless to suppose that a God who designed the ear cannot hear, and the eye cannot see! God does know—and will punish the wicked. “Blessed is the man You discipline” Ps. 94:12–15. As Judge, God has given man His Law, in order to teach us His ways. The upright in heart follow it and are blessed. “Your love, O Lord, supported me” Ps. 94:16–19. As Judge, God helps His own against the wicked, supporting them with love when they become anxious. “He will repay” Ps. 94:20–23. As Judge, the God who is our present refuge will one day destroy the wicked and repay them for their sins. If you or I become victims of the wicked, we too can celebrate God as Judge. He does see. He guides us with His Word, supports us with His love, and in the future God will repay. Psalm 95: God’s Voice. God is our King. We are to hear, and respond to His voice. “Today, if you hear His voice” Ps. 95:1–11. The writer of Hebrews returns to this psalm two times, quoting or alluding to it in 3:7–11, 15, and 4:3, 5–11. The psalm recalls Israel’s refusal during the Exodus to obey God and enter the Promised Land. That failure to obey led to 40 years of wandering in a wilderness until an entire generation died. This psalm celebrates God as the great King. We acknowledge His lordship by responding when we hear His voice. Only by showing respect to God as King and Lord, and obeying His voice, can we find rest. Psalm 96: God Approaches. This psalm is vibrant with shouts of joy as God approaches to “judge the world in righteousness.” (See DEVOTIONAL.) Psalm 97: God’s Righteousness. The foundation of God’s rule is justice and righteousness. “Let those who love the Lord hate evil” Ps. 97:1–12. This psalm too is vibrant with a sense of awe at God’s greatness. That greatness is displayed in a righteousness which establishes justice, punishes the wicked, and delivers the upright who hate evil. If you and I live a righteous life, we are promised both light to guide us and joy to accompany us (vv. 11–12). Psalm 98: God’s Salvation. The whole universe joins the believer in singing praise to God for His salvation. “Sing to the Lord” Ps. 98:1–3. The song of salvation celebrates the marvel of God’s love, faithfulness, and righteousness, which bond together to win glory for “the ends of the earth.” “Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth” Ps. 98:4–9. The phrase “all the earth” generally means all people of earth. But here it seems to have a different focus. The chorus is joined by the sea and all in it, the world and all living things in it, the rivers and mountains as well. The psalm reminds us that nature too is warped from its original shape by Adam’s sin (Gen. 3:17). Paul pictures the creation as “subjected to frustration” and waiting to be “liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God” (Rom. 8:20–21). When God’s salvation appears, you and I, and creation itself, will at last be set free.

DEVOTIONAL

Line the Streets(Ps. 96)

What would you do if you were walking through a dark alley, and suddenly met God? This seems like a strange question. Yet it seemed the best way to express something I found some years ago when I did research on a class of children in a Christian school. I wanted to find out how eighth-graders in our local Christian school really felt about God, and how those feelings related to what they knew about Him. Briefly, a number of the boys and girls had a sense of warm, close, personal relationship with the Lord. But several felt uncertain, strained, and even distant. The immediate reaction of the first group, if they met God in a dark alley, would have been to run to Him with arms open, shouting out for joy. But the reaction of the second group would have been to draw back, and very possibly to slink away. Remembering that research, I’m tempted to title Psalm 96 the Psalm of the Joyous Children. It is a shout of joy. It is a portrait of God’s children lining the streets, with arms open, jumping up and down in excitement as the Lord approaches. If our own relationship with the Lord is warm and close, this psalm will excite us too. The Lord is near! And we are lining the street, eager to meet Him and filled with a great joy.

Personal Application

Think of Christ’s coming, and let the prospect fill your heart with joy.

Quotable

Let me hold lightly Things of this earth; Transient treasures, What are they worth? Moths can corrupt them, Rust can decay; All their bright beauty Fades in a day. Let me hold lightly Temporal things, I, who am deathless, I, who wear wings! -Martha Snell Nicholson

APRIL 28

Reading 118

GOD’S FAITHFUL LOVE

Psalms 85–89“Great is Your love toward me; You have delivered my soul from the depths of the grave” (Ps. 86:13).Confidence that God loves us undergirds our faith. We trust Him, not only because He is able to help, but because He truly cares.

Overview

We experience God’s love through a forgiveness (Ps. 85) that awakens commitment to Him (Ps. 86). God loves Zion (Ps. 87). And though we may experience despair (Ps. 88), we remain objects of His love and faithfulness forever (Ps. 89).

Understanding the Text

Psalm 85:

You Forgave.

In forgiveness God’s love, faithfulness, righteousness, and peace all meet. “You forgave the iniquity of Your people” Ps. 85:1–3. “Iniquity” is willful, rebellious sin. Even this God forgave, and covered His people’s sins. “Restore us” Ps. 85:4–7. As a forgiven people, God’s own can expect renewed blessing as the Lord shows His unfailing love. God’s promise of peace to the forgiven is contingent. Peace comes only to those who fear God and turn from “folly” (moral evil). “Love and faithfulness meet” Ps. 85:10–13. How can we understand forgiveness? By seeing it as a place where God’s love, faithfulness, and righteousness unite to bring peace. Because God loves us, He forgives. Because He is faithful to His covenant promises, He forgives. Because God is righteous, He pays the price in Christ that forgiveness requires. Where these three qualities unite in forgiveness, man is restored to that state of peace (well-being) which Adam and Eve first knew. Viewing forgiveness as an expression of God’s character and attitude toward man, we can be sure that “the Lord will indeed give what is good.” Psalm 86: The Undivided Heart. The forgiven man responds to God with gratitude, commitment, and trust. “I am poor and needy” Ps. 86:1–4. The forgiven man acknowledges his need for mercy, and looks only to God for salvation and for joy. “You are kind and forgiving” Ps. 86:5–10. The forgiven man recognizes the source of his blessing in God’s character. Having experienced God’s love, he prays freely to the One who alone can do marvelous deeds. “Teach me Your way, O Lord” Ps. 86:11–13. The forgiven man focuses completely on God. With an undivided heart he seeks to learn and to walk in God’s way. The forgiven man responds to God’s great love with a wholehearted effort to glorify the Lord. “You, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God” Ps. 86:14–17. Under attack by the arrogant, the forgiven man appeals to God for mercy, and confidently expects the Lord to provide signs of His goodness. When you and I realize that we truly are forgiven, we too respond to the Lord with an undivided heart. Psalm 87: Zion. The city of God reflects His glory. “Zion” Ps. 87:1–7. The Zion of the Bible is first Jerusalem, the city God chose as the focal point of Old Testament worship; the location of His ultimate revelation of love in Christ Jesus. God chose Zion simply because of His love for this place from which His grace shines out on all men. This psalm emphasizes the fact that Zion is not only a place, but also a people. To be born in Zion is to be one with the people of God, who gather round His revelation and rejoice in the Lord. The stunning emphasis of this psalm is that those who have been Israel’s historic enemies, Rahab (Egypt), Babylon, and Philistia too, will one day know the Lord. It will be said of them as well as of Israel, “This one was born in Zion.” What an amazing reminder of God’s grace, nestled here among psalms that celebrate forgiveness. And how we need to remember that those who seem God’s most implacable enemies remain the objects of His forgiving love. Psalm 88: In Distress. Those who know God well may still experience unremitting pain and grief. “Day and night I cry out” Ps. 88:1–18. Most psalms which express despair or distress lead us from the depths to the heights. We share the psalmist’s pain. But then our hearts are lifted as the psalmist turns his thoughts to the Lord. In affirming God’s greatness or love the psalmist shows us where we can find peace. This psalm is different. It speaks of an unrelenting darkness. Heman, its author, found himself “in the lowest pit, in the darkest depths.” Though he called out to God “every day,” there was no answer, and the psalmist felt rejected by the God on whom he depended. And this had been his lot “from my youth”! He had been afflicted, in terrors and despair, as long as he could remember. What is the value of a psalm like this one? It reminds us that faith promises no 30-minute resolution of our problems, nor 30-second spiritual highs! There well may be days, weeks, or even years when all seems dark, and God remains silent. While faith frequently offers us inner peace in outward turmoil, some men and women with a true faith will find themselves living in unexpected, and unexplained, dark. When that happens, we need not blame ourselves, as if the darkness were evidence of some personal spiritual lack. Psalm 88 reminds us that for some, who honestly trust and cry out to God, the answer is withheld and the darkness remains. When this happens, and we cannot say why, then we must believe that even the darkness is a gift, intended by God to be our “closest friend.”

DEVOTIONAL

Falling Out of Love(Ps. 89)

We read about it all the time. Sometimes we even experience it. “I’ve just fallen out of love with my husband,” the young wife writes to Ann Landers or complains to a counselor of “Can This Marriage Be Saved?” in the Ladies Home Journal. Or, perhaps the glow fades in our own marriage, and your spouse says, “I just don’t love you anymore.” I suspect that many married couples in this land of ours, where divorce seems destined to strike 51 percent of those who marry for the first time, live with a conscious uncertainty about love. They aren’t sure whether they are loved. Or even whether they really love their partner! What reassurance we find in Psalm 89 that our relationship with God is different. There is no uncertainty here. God does love us. In fact, His love “stands firm forever.” He is by nature a faithful Person: He will not take His love from us, and promises, “Nor will I ever betray My faithfulness.” We can be comfortable in our relationship with God because He loves us with an unconditional, unchangeable love. Psalm 89 is a long psalm. But it celebrates something basic in the nature of God, and vital to our relationship with Him. Because God’s love stands firm forever, because faithfulness surrounds Him, we who walk in His presence are assured of blessing, of strength, and of a ready answer to our prayers. In the Old Testament the throne is a symbol of not only human but divine rule. In the psalmist’s exalted vision of God, His throne and the throne of the coming Messiah, “will endure before Me like the sun; and it will be established forever” (Ps. 89:36–37).

Personal Application

Read the psalm thoughtfully. What evidence does it give that God is faithful forever? What does the fact of God’s faithfulness mean to you?

Quotable

There is no place where earth’s sorrows Are more felt than up in heaven; There is no place where earth’s failings Have such kindly judgment given. For the love of God is broader Than the measures of man’s mind; And the heart of the Eternal Is most wonderfully kind. . . . Pining souls! come nearer Jesus, And O come, not doubting thus, And with faith that trusts more bravely His huge tenderness for us. If our love were but more simple, We should take Him at His word; And our lives would all be sunshine, In the sweetness of our Lord.-F.W. Faber

APRIL 27

Reading 117

PRAYER FOR RENEWAL Psalms 79–84

“Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked” (Ps. 82:4).The anguish felt in Captivity and even after the return is expressed in psalms begging for renewal. They capture the emotions of oppressed believers throughout the ages who yearn for renewed evidence of God’s favor.

Definition of Key Terms

The nations.

In the Old Testament “nations” most often indicates pagan peoples. In the Psalms and Prophets “the nations” commonly represent peoples who are hostile to and who unjustly oppress God’s chosen people.

Overview

Poems expressing captive Judah’s anguish call for judgment on oppressors (Ps. 79), picture Judah as an uprooted vine (Ps. 80), and trace the national disaster to Israel’s stubborn hearts (Ps. 81) and injustice (Ps. 82). Asaph begged God to judge pagan nations (Ps. 83), but Korah celebrated the blessing believers have even now through trust in God (Ps. 84).

Understanding the Text

Psalm 79:

Against the Nations. Asaph reminded God of the violence done to Jerusalem by pagan nations and called on Him to pay them back. “The nations have invaded” Ps. 79:1–4. The description of the ruin of Jerusalem best fits conditions of the Babylonian invasion. “Pour out Your wrath” Ps. 79:5–8. Asaph begged God to judge the nations “that do not acknowledge You” and save his own desperate people. Asaph agreed that the disaster came because of the “sins of the fathers.” But a new generation had arisen now, that appealed for mercy. “For the glory of Your name” Ps. 79:9–11. Asaph argued that God should forgive His people and restore the nation for His own glory. Ancient peoples measured the greatness of a deity by the power of the people who worshiped him. Judah’s state held God up to ridicule. “The reproach they have hurled at You” Ps. 79:12–13. Asaph called on God to pay back the nations, for in crushing Judah they had insulted the Lord. This brief psalm has greater depth than at first appears. God should judge the nations because the land they invaded was His, the people destroyed were His, the glory tarnished by Judah’s defeat was His, and the reproach was His. By punishing the nations God could display His forgiving grace and His mercy, reestablish His glory, mete out just punishment, and win the everlasting praise of His people. Far more is involved in our own sin and discipline than we imagine. In a very real sense the loss involved is God’s, not just our own! Yet this means that we can seek restoration confidently, knowing that God forgives and blesses not simply for love of us, but also for His own glory. Psalm 80. The Uprooted Vine. Asaph developed a common Old Testament image. Israel was a vine God had planted in Canaan, that now stood in desperate need of His care. Three powerful images and three repeated appeals for restoration shape this psalm. “O Shepherd of Israel” Ps. 80:1–3. God is able to save the people who are His sheep. Thus the psalmist appealed to God, “Make Your face shine upon us [i.e., look on us with favor], that we may be saved.” “O Lord God Almighty” Ps. 80:4–7. The Hebrew title means “God of Armies,” and pictures a Sovereign Lord. God used His power to judge Israel; now the psalmist appealed to Him to use that same power to “restore us, O God Almighty; make Your face shine upon us, that we may be saved.” “O God Almighty!” Ps. 80:8–19 The Lord exercised His power in bringing His people out of Egypt and planting them in the soil of Canaan. He used it to break down the walls protecting His vineyard and expose it to destructive beasts. Asaph appealed to God to once again use His power to watch over His vine: to “restore us, O Lord God Almighty; make Your face shine upon us, that we may be saved.” Psalm 81: Stubborn Hearts. History reveals both God’s grace and Israel’s stubborn, unresponsive heart. Asaph had cried out to God for restoration. Yet in this psalm he explicitly recognized the fact that God is always willing to deliver and to bless. It was Israel’s own failure to listen to the Lord and submit to Him that led to disaster. God, speaking through the psalmist, said, “If My people would but listen to Me, if Israel would follow My ways, how quickly would I subdue their enemies and turn My hand against their foes” (vv. 13–14). We too can cry out to God when we are in distress. But we need to examine our lives, and see if our own unwillingness to obey is keeping God from giving us the blessing we so desperately desire. Psalm 82: Rise Up, O God. Asaph expressed his confidence that God would surely rise up and judge the nations. The key to understanding this psalm lies in the meaning of the word “gods” in verses 1 and 6. The best interpretation views them as Israel’s leaders, called “gods” because the Lord has delegated to them the responsibility of judging (cf. Ex. 21:6; 22:8, 28). These “sons of the Most High” were appointed to this high position to “defend the cause of the weak and fatherless”; and “maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed” (Ps. 82:3). Privilege carries responsibility. The higher the privilege, the greater the responsibility. While God has given us great privileges, His is the ultimate responsibility. Thus Asaph was sure that God who holds men responsible will “rise up” and “judge the earth.” Psalm 83: May They Perish. The psalm is an impassioned appeal to God to crush the nations that conspired against and attacked Israel. Asaph felt justified in calling on God to punish the peoples who had wickedly attacked Isarel. The last verses pick up the emotion found in all the imprecatory psalms, and express one of the theological bases on which such appeals rest. “May they ever be ashamed and dismayed; may they perish in disgrace. Let them know that You, whose name is the Lord—that You alone are the Most High over all the earth” (vv. 17–18).

DEVOTIONAL

Hidden Blessings(Ps. 84)

Imagine yourself walking across a burning desert. You struggle through the soft sand, barely able to lift your feet on the shifting surface. The sun beats down on your head, burns through your shirt, drains your body of moisture so that your mouth feels like cotton and your tongue swells. In a way, Psalms 78–83 describe Asaph’s journey through a desert. God’s people were weak and struggling. They were victims of enemies that had drained them and their land of every resource, and left them destitute and dying. It’s no wonder that Asaph cried out again and again, appealing to God to restore the blessings once enjoyed by his people. Now, suddenly, with Psalm 84, another psalmist reminds us that no matter how desperate our situation, any desert God’s people may find themselves in has an oasis. In Old Testament times, God’s people directed their feet upward. Approaching Jerusalem, buoyed up by the thought that they would soon appear before God in Zion, His people went “from strength to strength.” For you and me, the oasis is even more available. We need only to close our eyes to find ourselves in the very presence of the Lord. When our soul yearns for God, we can simply turn our thoughts to Him, and we are there, with Him. Our days may be filled with troubles, and our hearts may ache, yet we can know the blessedness of those “whose strength is in You, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.” As pressures mount we can visit the Lord in our hearts, and be reminded that “no good thing does He withhold from those whose walk is blameless.” The peace, the quiet confidence, the strength we need, are all there, available in our desert places. As we draw on them we cry with the psalmist, “O Lord Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in You.”

Personal Application

The more difficult our days, the more we need to draw strength from God, and experience the blessing that is ours now through trust.

Quotable

“When I think upon my God, my heart is so full of joy that the notes dance and leap from my pen; and since God has given me a cheerful heart it will be pardoned me that I serve Him with a cheerful spirit.”—Franz Josef Haydn

APRIL 26

Reading 116

LESSONS FOR LIVING Psalms 73–78

“I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember Your miracles of long ago. I will meditate on all Your works and consider all Your mighty deeds” (Ps. 77:11–12).Book III of the Psalms, a collection formalized at the time of the Exile, features the teaching psalms (maskil) of Asaph, a Levite who led a choir that praised God.

Overview

Asaph shared lessons for living in psalms which explore jealousy of prosperous wicked (Ps. 73), and puzzlement over the silence of God (Ps. 74). He proclaimed God as near (Ps. 75) and as known through His people (Ps. 76). And Asaph celebrated the Lord as a God of miracles (Ps. 77), of whom we learn through Israel’s history (Ps. 78).

Understanding the Text

Psalm 73: Benefits of Faith. Asaph was overtaken by jealousy at the prosperity of the wicked. Only a change of perspective enabled him to grasp the benefits of faith. (See DEVOTIONAL.) Psalm 74: The Silence of God. When disasters come God’s people can only cry out to a God who has been silent. “Why have You rejected us forever?” Ps. 74:1–2. The psalm posed a question that each of us is driven to ask at times. Why is God silent? Why hasn’t He acted? Why does He seem to reject His people? “Your foes” Ps. 74:3–8. In powerful images the poet described the ruin of the sanctuary in Jerusalem in 587B.C The defeat of Judah seemed to the psalmist to have been an attack on God Himself. “We are given no miraculous signs” Ps. 74:9–11. Why, then, did God permit the enemy to mock Him? Why did God hold back, and not destroy them? Asaph questioned, but had no answer to offer. The silence of God was beyond explanation. What are we to do when we too feel crushed, puzzled, and anguished because God permits us to suffer? Asaph had one suggestion only. “But You, O God, are my King” Ps. 74:12–23. That suggestion is to affirm God as Sovereign, to remember His mighty acts in history, and to call on Him to defend His people and His cause. We can never explain a present silence of God. But we can always remember that God has spoken in the past, and will speak again. Then, reassured by a fresh vision of how great our God is, we can continue—to wait. Psalm 75: God Is Near. God, who will act in His own time to judge the earth, is near. “Your Name is near” Ps. 75:1–10. God’s name, standing here for His self-revelation, is “near” in two senses. (1) God is near now, for God upholds the moral pillars of the universe by raising some men up and bringing others down. His sovereignty is displayed in the fact that He chooses “the appointed time” for such judgments. (2) God is also near eschatologically, for a day is approaching when God will “cut off the horns [power] of all the wicked.” Psalm 76: Where God Is Known. The Lord is to be feared by those who see His works among His own people. “His name is great in Israel” Ps. 76:1–3. The people of Israel knew the true God, and exalted Him. “You are” Ps. 76:4–10. The God Judah knew was characterized by majesty, power, and a righteousness expressed in His judgment of sinful men. “Make vows . . . and fulfill them” Ps. 76:11–12. Asaph called on the people around Judah to submit and bring tribute (not “gifts”) to God, who is to be feared. This brief psalm reminds us that the God we know reveals Himself to others through us. Psalm 77: God of Miracles. When we are in distress, we too can remember that our God performs miracles. “When I was in distress” Ps. 77:1–9. Asaph spoke of fervent, anguished, and continual prayer (vv. 1–3), which brought him no comfort at all (vv. 4–6). Sometimes prayer, the means by which we cast our burdens on God, actually increases the pressure we feel. When an answer to prayer is delayed we begin to wonder if God will ever show us favor again (vv. 7–9). The theme fits the experience of the Jews who were taken captive to Babylon (cf. Ps. 74). The national disaster forced God’s people to reevaluate their relationship with the Lord, and question the basis of their hope in Him. Distress may force you and me to reexamine the foundations of our faith too. When this happens, our faith ultimately will be strengthened. “To this I will appeal” Ps. 77:10–15. Asaph chose to remember “the deeds of the Lord,” His “miracles of long ago.” The key here is not simply that God is all-powerful, but that God has in the past used His power to redeem His people. It is the same for us. When distress drives you and me to doubt, we are to recall what God has done for us in Christ. Jesus’ resurrection demonstrates God’s power. But it is the fact that the Son of God died and was raised, for us, that seals our confidence and hope. “The waters saw You, O God” Ps. 77:16–20. In powerful images Asaph revisited the redemption of Israel through the waters of the Red Sea. We too can find our comfort and our hope in images, but images of Jesus on the cross, suffering for us, crying out to God to forgive His persecutors, promising paradise to the thief who believed in Him. Psalm 78: Memories. The message of God to Israel was engraved in the history of that people. Each act of God revealed more of the Lord; each event was a sermon directed to the people of today. This psalm is a sermon intended to help Israel trust in God and forsake the stubborn ways of her forefathers (vv. 1–8). In the wilderness, God’s people were judged when they willfully put the Lord to the test (vv. 9–31). Despite the fact that later generations forgot His miracles and were disloyal to His covenant, God was merciful to them (vv. 32–39). Despite the love displayed in the Exodus and Conquest (vv. 40–55), Israel continued to rebel against the Lord, and was justly punished (vv. 56–64). Then, despite Israel’s faults, God chose David to shepherd His people (vv. 65–72). The lesson of the psalm is clear. In David, Israel was granted a fresh start. God’s people had to learn from their past, and follow David’s example of faithfulness to the Lord if they hoped to avoid future disaster.

DEVOTIONAL

What Good Is Faith, Anyway?(Ps. 73)

Probably you can understand Asaph’s feelings. He’d tried all his life to be a good person. He’d tried to serve God. But all he’d gotten in return was sickness, hardships, and more troubles than he cared to name. Of course, what really bothered Asaph was that he knew people with no faith at all who were healthy and strong, rich and carefree! No wonder Asaph was discouraged, and had begun to feel that “in vain have I kept my heart pure.” What good is a faith that doesn’t work in this world? What good is a faith that seems to bring more plagues and punishments on the believer than the world’s wicked have to endure? The psalm tells us that Asaph struggled with these thoughts in silence. And then, suddenly, one day in God’s sanctuary, Asaph found his answer! Asaph realized that the troubles he experienced were gifts from God, and that the easy life granted the wicked was actually “slippery ground”! What Asaph gained was a perspective that you and I need to keep constantly in mind. The easy life of the wicked is no reward, for it leads them away from any dependence on God! Why turn their thoughts to the Lord when they feel no need of His help? Yet, one day soon, they will be “swept away by terrors,” for they will awaken to realize that this world is the dream, and eternity the reality. And Asaph? Asaph, now ashamed of his earlier jealousy of the wicked, realized that the very trials he had hated had led him again and again to God in prayer. Only through his troubles had Asaph discovered God as “the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

Personal Application

The very difficulties that drive us to God are overwhelming evidence of His love.

Quotable

They took away what should have been my eyes, (But I remembered Milton’s Paradise). They took away what should have been my ears, (Beethoven came and wiped away my tears). They took away what should have been my tongue, (But I had walked with God when I was young). He would not let them take away my soul— Possessing that, I still possess the whole.—Helen Keller