Psalm 111

 

Here is a great Hymn with an important message that might not come through clearly until the final verse.  The writer is full of praise and a desire to share it with all the saints (v1).  The causes of his praise are the works of the LORD (v2). He refers to God’s work or works five times (v2, 3, 4, 6, 7). 

Notice v2: God’s works are studied by all who have pleasure in them.  God’s works are carefully sought out or enquired about, so studied is a great word.  They are important, worth studying in school or as a continuing interest in life.

What works is he talking about?  Several areas are specified.  In v5 God has given food to those who fear Him.  In v9 He has sent redemption to His people.  In both cases the hymnist adds a comment about God’s faithfulness to His covenant.  In addition the Psalmist also references the inheritance God has given to His people, that of the nations (v6) as well as His true and just precepts (7).  All these are major themes and involve the work of God.

You can see why the writer is full of praise.  Truly God’s works are honorable and glorious (v3) and wonderful (v4).  God is properly praised as righteous (v3), gracious and full of compassion (v4), powerful (v6), holy and awesome (v9). 

What the writer has done is recognize God in all areas of life: creation, history and the salvation of His people.  To see the works of God all around is to have the fear of the LORD (v10) and the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.  That final verse says that those who have a good understanding, that is who have studied the works of God, and who order their lives according to what God is doing (they do His commandments), these are the ones who are truly wise.

These words in v10 might sound familiar, and they should for they are fundamental to the book of Proverbs, which is the classic book of Wisdom in the Bible (Prov. 1:7; 9:10).  The Proverbs express truths, the works of God, which are observed in life.  But at the same time, they are His precepts on how we are to live our lives.  These treasures of wisdom and knowledge are bound up in Christ (Col. 2:3; Prov. 8:22-31).  When, in our study, we have discovered this we are truly wise. 

No one can understand truth, about the world around him, about the course of history, about spiritual realities and the life to come, who does not fear the Lord.  No one!  Are you a student of the works of the LORD?

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Additional thoughts on Psalm 111

January 5, 2020.

A fresh reading this morning brought such renewed joy, perhaps related to the new year.  Here are some reflections.

“It is true, Father.  Your works are …

1.       v2: great, worthy to be studied, meaning to seek out, enquire about.

2.       v3: perfect in character.  They are honorable (majestic), glorious, righteous.

3.       v4: wonderful, worthy to be remembered, memorized, retold.  They are reflections of Your name (gracious, full of compassion comes from the name of God in Exodus 34:6-7). 

4.       v5: the fulfillment of your word.  You made a covenant; You keep that covenant through your great works.

5.       v6: powerful.  Again, it’s not just words or promises of power; Your works demonstrate or show or reveal and fulfill Your power.

6.       v7: true (verity, Heb. “emeth”, the term used many times with “checed”, Your faithfulness and lovingkindness).  In other words, in all ways they are according to Your own laws.  They are true to the need.  They are NEVER mythological. 

7.       v8a: enduring.  What your works say and do has lasting/eternal value.  To this day even!  And into eternity.

8.       v8b: all done with a proper motivation.  You were never conflicted about sending Your Son.  You never needed to ask Him for forgiveness (as one man once said in a Bible study where the man told us things God told him; he clearly did not get them from the Bible).  You were never mean and cruel to Your Son, the terrible father beating his son (as we actually heard someone preach).  Your motivations were true (again, “emeth”) and upright all across the infinite breadth of who You are. 

9.       v9ab: the source of redemption (ransom; used in Ex. 8:23, You treated Israel in Egypt differently; Ps. 130:7: with You is abundant redemption; Isa. 50:2, Your hand is never too short to redeem, even me).  Amen and amen!!!

10.    v9c: what separate You from all other so-called “god.”  There is none like You!  You are holy and awesome!

My response is first a sense of shame.  Oh, my Father, why have I not and why do I not fear You?  May it be different from this moment.  May I produce works, through Your Spirit and Your grace, that contribute to You great works. 

Then I also see the blessing of confidence in You, Lord.  My confidence in You means I have understanding, in so far as I study and remember Your works and DO Your will.  Jesus said this, more than once, that His disciples are those who do the Father's will (Matt. 12:50; Jn. 15:14).  By Your Spirit and by Your grace!

In my additional reading today, I also came to Psalm 143 where David, in his distress (v4), remembered Your works (v5-6).  I trust in You (v7-8).  Lead me today (v9-10).  Revive me (v11); be my life, make me alive with the life of Christ.

Eph. 1:3-14, God’s “Bread of Presentation”

Here is a good word for us to consider, the Greek prothesis.  Now think about that.  You know what a “thesis” is: it’s an idea or perhaps a scholarly presentation of that idea.  And “pro” is a prefix meaning “forward.”  Prothesis refers to a setting forth or presentation of a something, especially a plan or purpose.

·       Mt. 12:4 (Mk. 2:26; Lk. 6:4): For starters, the “showbread” in the tabernacle is this word.  Makes sense.  It was set out, not to eat but to make a statement.

·       Ac. 11:23: Barnabas encouraged the new believers at Antioch with purpose of heart to cling to the Lord.  Was this Barnabas’ heart or the Antiochans?  Either way it tells us that clinging to the Lord is an important issue and it is central to the born-again persons’ new nature and life.

·       Ac. 27:13: The ship captain thought they had achieved their purpose when the south wind blew and so left port.  His purpose was to get to Rome of course.

·       Rom. 8:28: All things work for good to those called according to God’s purpose.  Yes, God has set forth a purpose for those He has called, and it is set forth in the following verses: to be conformed to the image of His Son!

·       Rom. 9:11: God’s purpose in election, the choosing of Israel, at the time of Isaac and Rebekah, was that “the elder (Esau) would serve the younger (Jacob).” The purpose has to do with salvation, the coming of the redeemer. 

·       Eph. 1:11: Again, in a context of predestination, what God did in eternity past was according to His purpose, the One who works all things after the council of His will.  Are you seeing this?  There are some mundane purposes (getting to Rome) and then there is the purpose, the reason, why God does all that He does.

·       Eph. 3:11: The Church, Body of Christ, the Bride of His Son, was intended by God’s purpose to display His glory for ages to come.  It was God’s purpose involving His Son, that He (the Father) would give Him (the Son) a people of His own.  That is why we exist!

·       2 Tim. 1:9: Here it is again, profoundly! God saved us, called us according to His purpose and grace, not according to our works.

·       2 Tim. 3:10: Paul had a life-purpose from God, and Timothy knew all about Paul’s calling.  Thus they worked well together, like father and son.

·       Heb. 9:2: And here we are again, back to the “loaves of presentation.  What if we translated that “loaves of purpose?”  What would that purpose be?  Those loaves are tied into God’s eternal purpose in Christ, the “Bread come down from Heaven.”  The menorah stood opposite the bread, facing the bread, so the light shown brightly on God’s presentation (Num. 8:1-4)!  Makes sense to me.

Psalm 124, The Snares of the Fowler

Today’s reading is from the Pilgrim Psalms.  But the study is definitely New Testament.  In Psalm 124 the “snare” refers to a trap for birds.  The hunters are therefore “fowlers,” those who hunt fowl.  Figuratively it came to represent Satan, and the NT shows us why.  As usual, there is a verb pagideuō (“to set a snare, entrap,” only use is the first in the list below) and a noun pagis (“a trap, snare”).

·       Matt. 22:15: The Pharisees laid plans to trap Jesus in His words.  We mentioned this in a previous post but it bears repeating: leadership in the Body of Christ must, along with all the character requirements, be skilled with the word of God (Titus 1:9; 1 Tim. 3:2; 4:16).  Christian maturity is characterized by doctrinal stability that comes from having a good grip on Scripture (Eph. 4:14).

·       Lk. 21:35: The future day of the Lord will close in like a trap on those who are not watching but are living a life with earthly and selfish focus. 

·       Rom. 11:9: Israel’s problem in her current situation of “partial blindness” (11:25) was predicted in Ps. 69:22-23, quoted here.  Let their table become a snare and a trap.  The “table” refers to the Covenant of Law between God and Israel; covenants were finalized with a meal.  Israel stumbled over God’s plan of salvation and the Savior, thinking they could be righteous by keeping the law and not realizing righteousness could only be their by faith in the Christ of the gospel (9:30-33).  The law was good, and that was the bait for the snare.  The word “trap” is Greek thèron, used in hunting wild animals.  This is the only use of the noun, and the verb form is in Lk. 11:54 where it refers to the Jewish leadership seeks to entrap Jesus.

·       1 Tim. 3:7: The overseer (elder, church leader) needs to have a good reputation with outsiders so he won’t fall into the devil’s trap. Peter spoke of this, that it is good to suffer for righteousness but not for doing wrong.  A leader might think he is really godly because the people around hate him.  He might consider this persecution.  But actually that kind of suffering becomes a hindrance for the gospel as it is preached in the world/community.

·       1 Tim. 6:9: Here’s a very American one: those who desire to be rich, meaning this is their aim in life, fall into temptation and a trap.  Apply this to the “health and wealth” crowd who consider wealth a sign of God’s blessing.  Apply it to almost anyone in the world, because greed is not just a Western issue.  Our early days in Ukraine (’96) showed that the recently liberated Ukrainians had a strong desire to be like Americans, i.e. rich.

·       2 Tim. 2:26: This snare of the devil has to do with foolish arguments between Christians.  Paul told Timothy to gently, patiently and firmly teach the truth so that his “opponents” will come to their senses, having been taken captive by him (the devil) to do his will.

Acts 13:26-41, Issues with Decay

This world is subject to rot, spoil and decay because it is a “fallen” world.  This eating away of life is part of human existence also.  We should also understand that our souls are subject to this corruption.  What do we mean?  Let’s take one of the NT terms that speaks of this, beginning with the verb diaphtheirō.

·       Lk. 12:33: We should lay up treasure in heaven where moths do not destroy.  Matthew (6:19-20) uses a term that means to vanish away, disappear.  What a moth does has that effect.  Matthew term highlights the end result while Luke’s speaks of the process.  Bottom line is, what do I treasure in life?  Is it something eternal or something subject to corruption?

·       2 Cor. 4:16: Our outer man is decaying while the inner man is being renewed.  Keep this in mind for later.

·       1 Tim. 6:5: In the Body of Christ people who cause controversy or disputes and constant friction are men of depraved minds who are, thus, destitute of the truth.  Interesting.  Minds that have decayed.  This is why church leaders must “hold fast the faithful word (Titus 1:9).

·       Rev. 8:9: 1/3 of the ships are destroyed.  They disintegrate but this term indicates a process.

·       Rev. 11:18ab: The time will come to destroy those who destroy the earth.

Now consider the noun, used several times but all in the same book and context.

·       Acts 2:27,31; 13:34-37: Peter in Acts 2 and Paul in Acts 13 quote and build on Psalm 16:8-11 in tying the resurrection of Christ to OT prophecy.  The Psalmist said that God would not allow His Holy One to see corruption or decay.  Paul had noted that in this life our outer man is decaying but the inner man was being renewed day by day.  Now we see that the resurrection of Christ has overcome the decay of the fallen race. 

Let us also look at the root verb, phtheirō which means to corrupt or destroy.

·       1 Cor. 3:17: if anyone defiles the temple of God (the Body of Christ) God will destroy him.  That is NKJV, two English words but the same Greek term.

·       1 Cor. 15:33: Evil company corrupts good habits.

·       2 Cor. 7:2: Paul affirms he had wronged/corrupted/cheated no one.

·       2 Cor. 11:3: As the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, Paul was concerned their minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

·       Eph. 4:22: We need to put off the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts.

·       Jude 1:10: False teachers are corrupted by their evil speaking (cf. 1 Tim. 6:5.)

·       Rev. 19:2: The great harlot who corrupted earth with her fornication is judged.

May I encourage review.  What causes corruption?  What is subject to corruption and what is not subject to corruption?  What is the role of Christ in all this?

2 Peter 1:16-21, God’s Loved Ones

Let’s consider “agapètos,” the word translated “beloved.”

·       Matt. 3:17: The first thing about God’s loved ones is that His Son is His Beloved (cf. also 12:18; 17:5; Mk. 1:11; 9:7; 12:6; Lk. 3:22; 9:35; 20:13; 2 Pt. 1:17).  There were, of course, 3X the Father spoke from heaven of His Beloved Son.

·       Acts 15:25: Many times believers are referred to as “beloved” (in this case Paul and Barnabas were “beloved” by the church at large).  (Cf. also Rom. 16:9,12; 1 Cor. 4:14; 10:14; 15:58; 2 Cor. 7:1; 12:19; Eph. 6:21; Phil. 2:12; 4:1; Col. 4:7,9,14; Phlm. 1:1,16; Hb. 6:9; Jas. 1:16,19; 2:5; 1 Pt. 2:11; 2 Pt. 3:1,8,14,17; 1 Jn. 3:2,21; 4:1,7,11; 3 Jn. 1:2,5,11; Jude 1:3,17,20).  Don’t just glide over these.  To call someone “beloved” recognizes that they are not only loved by us but by our Father as well.  Remember: “we love because He first loved us” (1 Jn. 4:19).

·       Rom. 1:7: Paul called “saints” (i.e. believers, set apart by God) as “beloved.”

·       Rom. 11:28: The Jews are “loved” on account of the patriarchs.

·       Rom. 12:19: Paul encourages the Roman Christians as “friends” (i.e. beloved) to not take revenge on their enemies.

·       Rom. 16:8: Paul sometimes spoke by name of those he “loved” in the Lord (Ampliatus here; see also Timothy, 1 Cor. 4:17; calling Timothy beloved was an encouragement to the Corinthians to also love Timothy, sent in Paul’s place. He also called Timothy “beloved” in the personal letter written towards the end of his life, 2 Tim. 1:2: “my dear/beloved son.”  Those relationships among fellow-Christian is so strengthening.  In Col. 1:7 he spoke of Epaphras as a “dear” or “beloved” fellow servant.)

·       Eph. 5:1: Imitate God as dearly beloved children.  Highlighted because it says our likeness to Christ comes out of a recognition of God’s love for us!

·       Phil. 4:1: Paul spoke affectionately of the Philippian believers as those I “love” in the Lord and long for, my joy and crown.  Look at all the things (longing, joy, honor) that express a relationship with people who are loved.

·       1 Th. 2:8: Paul delighted to share his life with the Thessalonians he “loved.”

·       1 Tim. 6:2: If you have a boss (master) who is a fellow-believer you should strive even more in your service for him because he is “beloved.”  When we have come to Christ we see people differently, and that is the case here!

·       2 Pt. 3:15: Peter called Paul his “dear brother,” even after Paul reproved him.

From Vine’s word studies: 1) Love can only be known from actions it prompts.  2) Love had it’s perfect expression among men in Christ.  3) Christian love has God as it’s primary object, and expresses itself first of all in implicit obedience to his commands.  Conc: Christian love is not an impulse from the feelings, it does not always run with natural inclinations, nor does it spend itself only on those for whom some affinity is discovered.

2 Peter 1:5-11, Righteous “Increase”

It is our plan to return for awhile to studies and devotional thoughts on some Bible words.  We want to start with “pleonazō.”  In our previous word studies we included “pleonektès” which is the word for one who is greedy or covetous.  This latter word combines the Greek “pleiōn” (greater) with “exō” (to have).  The greedy person wants to have more stuff.  This term and it’s related terms are always sin.  In 2 Peter 2:3,14 it is characteristic of false teachers.  Our word today is the verb form of the adjective “pleiōn.”  In other words, it means “to increase” or “become abundant.”  It is not a sin, and is, as we will see, opposed to sin. Consider:

·       2 Cor. 4:15(13-15): God, who raised Christ, will also raise us up.  This is all part of God’s grace to believers so that in the end greater thanksgiving will abound to the glory of God.  Increased afflictions provide opportunity for God to raise us up so that He is more and more glorified.

·       2 Cor. 8:15: In terms of worldly matters, the sharing of material things with those in need resulted in the one who gives not having increase while the one receiving had no lack.  This describes the opposite of covetousness.  In Christ we learn a contentment so that we can give our “increase” away to those in need.

·       Phil. 4:17: Paul wanted the Philippian church to have an increase in their spiritual account in heaven (Mt. 6:19-21).  This would happen as they generously gave to the Lord’s work through Paul.

·       1 Thess. 3:12: Paul prays their love will increase and overflow for each other.

·       2 Thess. 1:3: Later, Paul gives thanks that their faith is growing and their love is increasing.  Answered prayer!

·       2 Peter 1:8: Finally, Peter describes the 8 ascending qualities of the holy life, and says that these qualities should be increasing so that they will bear fruit.

As you see, this term concerns “having more” (in a sense) of what demonstrates the glory of God and the life of Christ.  With that foundation, here are two other passages with this term.  The first sets up the question asked in the second.

·       Rom. 5:20ab: The law was given so that sin might increase.  Yes, sin becomes much more obvious when the law is in place.  But where sin increased grace “super-increased” (having an abundance beyond imagination; used here and in 2 Cor. 7:4 of Paul’s super-abundant joy in affliction as he sees God’s work in the Corinthians).

·       Rom. 6:1: Thus the question, shall we sin so grace will increase.  No!  That is silly.   It is not up to us to push the limits of grace.  We just need to know that whatever the situation, God’s grace is abundantly sufficient for us. AMEN!

Rom. 8:5-11, 12:1-2; 2 Jn. 1-4, The Things of the Spirit

The Apostle Paul makes it clear that the life of Christ cannot be unleashed in our lives without a continual “renewing of the mind.”  My understanding of “meditation” is that it is the means by which the objective truth of Scripture becomes subjective truth in my heart and life.  Whatever your definition of these terms, understand that this is how I speak of these things.  The truth of God’s word is objectively true in that it is true whether I live by it or not.  But what I am called to do is to have my own mind renewed.  The sinful “truths” that permeate my mind and which have been my personal guide are not true at all.  I have called them “true,” but either I have been deluded or I am trying to delude you.

Having said that, the question is how does this renewal take place.  I subscribe to the simple idea that it is necessary first for me to set my mind on the things of the Spirit.  Read, study, memorize, immerse myself in the Bible, the word of God that is all true.  Okay.  So, learn the art of “inductive Bible study.”  That’s what I have thought and practiced for a long time.  But we also understand from Scripture that we have not truly learned truth until we are living it out.  John, in his second epistle, is so good with this.  All those “who have known the truth” love the elect lady.  They know it.  It is in their minds.  Then he rejoices because “I have found some of your children walking in truth.”  Yes! These people have a deep knowledge of the truth, as seen in the fact that they walk in it. 

Ah, but for John there is something else, between knowing the truth and walking in the truth.  The truth “abides in us.”  It remain there.  It is not just objective, in the mind, sound doctrine, but it has become subjective.  I walk in the truth because it has found a home in my heart of hearts.  This takes time.  Maturity by definition takes time.  It also affliction.  As was said of Jesus, we learn obedience by the things we suffer.  But here is a key to the “abiding” of the word of God.  It takes MEDITATION.  I’m not talking yoga. Or empty headed approaches that give a beachhead to the evil one to plant his “lie.” 

Consider these thoughts on meditation.  First, what is meditation in Scripture?

·       Chewing the cud, spiritually speaking. Having  taken God’s word into our minds we bring it up again and again to allow the Spirit to change our hearts.

·       meditation 1. Quiet time spent in contemplating the Word of God and in fumigating the mind of the toxic thoughts and ideas that infiltrate it every day. 2. Private devotion or spiritual exercise focused on a religious theme. 3. Spoken or written contemplative discourse delving into spiritual things.

Meditation depends on some level of memorization.  There has to be something in the “brain” to bring up for repeated chewing.  As we come to the end of a day we may have a great memory of events of the day, and some may be discouraging.  There must be thoughts, remembrances of the “things of the Spirit” from early in our day to use to “fumigate the mind of the toxic thoughts.”  I love that line!

Here is the secret from George Mueller.

… so the choicest of our time and strength, the best parts of our day, should be especially given to the Lord in worship and communion. George Muller … determined, even at the risk of damage to bodily heath, that he would no longer spend his best hours in bed. Henceforth he allowed himself but seven hours’ sleep and gave up his after-dinner rest. This resumption of early rising secured long seasons of uninterrupted interviews with God, in prayer and meditation on the Scriptures, before breakfast and the various inevitable interruptions that followed. He found himself not worse but better, physically, and became convinced that to have lain longer in bed as before would have kept his nerves weak and, as to spiritual life, such new vitality and vigour accrued from thus waiting upon God while others slept, that it continued to be the habit of his afterlife.