Psalm 120

Today’s Psalm is the first of 15 consecutive Psalms called Songs of Ascents. These were read, one each, on the 15 steps leading from the Court of the Women to the Nicanor (Beautiful) Gate into the Court of the Israelites.  But being Psalms of David these were written and organized before temple was built.  So we would say they are more fundamentally written to encourage pilgrims as they ascended to Jerusalem to the place where David had brought the Ark of the Covenant.  

For Christians these are encouragement in our daily walk, our pilgrimage (1 Pt. 2:11) in this life which is not only a journey to heaven (the heavenly temple) but a journey into a deeper knowledge of God.  Psalms 120-122 help us in beginning the journey; 123-131 speak of God’s help in the dangers and difficulties of the journey; and 132-134 describe the joys of arriving at our destination.

How does one begin his pilgrimage?  You might say, “He should pack his bags.”  Or “he should look at a map and make his route selections.”  The Scriptures disagree.  The first step in the pilgrimage is the decision that we can no longer stay where we are.  It begins with a conviction that to stay where I am in life now simply cannot happen; we must go somewhere else.

This might seem a bit obvious and perhaps “not that big a deal.”  But actually, the pilgrimage we are speaking of is fraught with extreme danger and a very hard road.  This is true of the trip to Jerusalem from anywhere in Israel.  This is true of the spiritual pilgrimage of anyone who wants to grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ.  We must be absolutely committed to the journey and can have no second thoughts about staying in what is now our home.

David (who may or may not have written all these Psalms; only a few have his name attached; but we use his name to refer to the writer, whoever it is) is in deep distress.  He has come to the end of his rope in terms of the language, the lies and the attacks from those in his neighborhood.  There is no decision made in this Psalm other than the one that says “I can no longer live here.”

For Christians, many have begun their pilgrimage without a real thought that they have no other choice.  There may be a thought of hanging on to the old way of live while travelling on a new path.  There may be a failure to count the cost of discipleship, of following Christ.  That is why God sends His Holy Spirit to convince us that we are sinners and that Christ is the only answer to our problem (John 16:8-11).  But that is not all.  That is also why God graciously brings us into times of trouble so that we will actually stop and think about where we are in life.  Unless we conclude that we have no choice in this, then the future dangers will cause us to turn around and go home, a situation that will likely prevent us from ever again setting out on this journey.  

Meditate on this.  Ask God for this conviction about making pilgrimage.

Haggai 2:10-23

Two months later (than the previous message) Haggai again spoke the word of the Lord to His people in two messages.  Again, we find special encouragement in the work of ministry to which we are called today (Eph. 4:12).  

The third message (2:10-19) confirms God’s promises to Israel under the Mosaic Covenant.  The Law said if Israel obeyed they and their land would be blessed; if they disobeyed they and their land would be cursed (Deut. 28).  Haggai had pointed out how the disobedience of Israel had resulted in drought (1:3-15).  Now, as the people walked in obedience, he tells them God will keep His word and the land will be blessed.  The illustration in 2:11-14 bears this out.  Our unholiness permeates everything we touch.  But holiness is a matter of the heart; it is not caught from the outside.  Thus we can say that the encouragement in this message is to continue in obedience; that is the place of true blessing.

Later that day Haggai preached his fourth message (2:20-23).  It is the shortest but it is another powerful prophecy.  It is addressed to governor Zerubbabel.  It is put in a similar historical context as the Messianic prophecy in the second message, that future time of the shaking of creation.  

What is significant is that Zerubbabel is singled out by God as being like a signet ring.  This ring was worn by deputies who represented a king.  Mordechai wore one under Ahasuerus (Esther 8:8-17).  God had taken His signet ring from Coniah (Jer. 22:24) bringing an end to the Davidic line through Solomon.  Instead He now gave it to Zerubbabel, who was in the Davidic line.  Thus God maintains His faithfulness to David.  In the New Testament Zerubbabel’s name is in both genealogies of the Lord Jesus (Matt. 1:12 and Luke 3:27).  

What an encouragement to Zerubbabel and to us.  God’s power/authority is invested in those who serve Him faithfully.  His authority rested in the risen Christ who then commanded us to go and make disciples of all nations (Matt. 28:16-20).  This is the command that tells us about the spiritual temple Jesus is building and the ministry that we have today.  Let us serve faithfully!

Paul's Press Release. Read 2 Corinthians 6:1-10

A few days ago we considered letters of commendation from 2 Cor. 3.  If Christ lives in me, as Paul said in Gal. 2:20, then my letter will commend Christ to those who see me.  In today’s passage Paul commends himself to the Corinthian believers and to us.  He is God’s servant/minister so like ours, so Paul’s letter will show the effect of Christ in Him.  What is fascinating is that Paul tells us what is in his letter.  I say fascinating because it is not like the letters of recommendation you might read of heads of many ministries in our day.

When is the last time you heard a guest preacher?  Before ascending to the pulpit someone introduced them, telling why you want to hear what they have to say.  What do you typically hear?  I don’t think I am out of line to say that the emphasis would be placed on how big, how many and how fast it is growing.  It may be how many degrees, how many best sellers, how large the church and so on.  Another way to think about this is: how many books have you read that were written by the pastor of a church of 50 in rural America?  I am guessing, not any.

All I am saying is, that’s the way it is in our world.  But I would also say that what I am describing are those books and speakers that are popular and whose ideas may not be important five years from now.  So if I ask you how many books you have read by people who are already dead, what would you say that recommends this persons writings to you?  It is possible that your reasons might sound like those of Paul in today’s passage.

So meditate on Paul’s letter.  He commended himself, not by how many churches he started or baptisms he recorded last year or anything like that.  He spoke of how many struggles he had.  In much patience, in tribulations, in needs, in distresses (v4).  And this is a Reader’s Digest version of 2 Cor. 10-12 where he goes into much more detail.  

So again, think on this.  It is a letter of Christ.  When Jesus called the Twelve to follow Him the next thing He told them was where they were going: TO THE CROSS (Luke 9:23).  Paul was simply a follower of Christ; he took up his cross daily.  Can you say that about the famous servant of God who is your latest spiritual guru?  If not, you might be simply getting your ears tickled (2 Tim. 4:3).