Savoring the Scripture

If the Lord Had Not Been on Our Side Psalm 124 We have experienced seasons in which the combined forces of earth and hell must have made an end of us had not omnipotent grace interfered for our rescue. Charles Spurgeon “If it had not been the Lord who was on our side…then the flood would have swept us away, the torrent would have gone over us” (Psalm 124:2,4). In this Psalm, David looks back over the years of war and troubles that he faced and lifts his voice in gratitude, recognizing the Lord as the One who has been the great Warrior of Israel. As one of the psalms of ascent, the Israelites would have remembered numerous times in their history that the Lord’s presence and His aid were the decisive factor in the victory over their enemies. It gives me a thrill when I read the Old Testament and I see the Lord fight for His people. Odds against them or filled with fear, outnumbered or surrounded by the enemy, whatever terror they faced, when the Lord fought for them, they were victorious...

  When You’ve Had Enough Psalm 123 Other things can bruise, but this [contempt] is cold steel. It goes deeper into the spirit than any other form of rejection. Derek Kidner  Enough is enough. We’ve probably all said or thought this at some point. Fed up with a situation and tired of the same results from the same behaviors, we’ve said, “Enough!” We refuse to continue to just accept things as they are and we long for change. Throughout the psalms, there have been quite a few times the psalmist has communicated to the Lord that enough is enough. The suffering, affliction, or injustice that he is enduring have gone on long enough.  In Psalm 123, the psalmist cries to the Lord for mercy “for we have had far more than enough of contempt” (123:3). Contempt is an attitude of disrespect and scorn. It is the act of despising and showing a lack of respect or reverence. If you’ve ever been an object of contempt you know the look of disdain, the mockery, the lying, and the disregard ...

Secure in the Everlasting Arms of God  Psalm 122 What have I to dread, what have I to fear, Leaning on the everlasting arms? I have blessed peace with my Lord so near, Leaning on the everlasting arms. Psalm 122 continues the Psalms of Ascent. Written by David, this psalm focuses on the beloved city of Jerusalem. The singers have arrived in the city, the place where people from the twelve tribes would gather as one 3 times a year. It was the political and spiritual centre, and the place where justice was administered and upheld. The king resided there as well as God’s temple. In these verses, David calls the people to pray for the peace, security, and prosperity of Jerusalem. “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem! ‘May they be secure who love you! Peace be within your walls and security within your towers!’” (Psalm 122:6-7) Peace and security may seem like an illusion in such an uncertain world. In the days of the Israelites, surrounded by nations larger and mightier than they, what peac...

Will He Keep Me? Psalm 121 His protection is “as refreshing as it is complete. It avails against the known and the unknown; perils of day and night; the most overpowering of forces and the most insidious.” Derek Kidner Have you ever wondered if you will fail the test of faith? Ever wondered if the wilderness road will prove too dry, too harsh, too difficult? If the intense suffering will prove that your faith was no faith at all? That maybe you don’t have what it takes to persevere, to endure with joy, to set your hope in eternal glory? The beginning stanzas of “He Will Hold Me Fast” have been very comforting to me when these kinds of questions arise in my own mind: When I fear my faith will fail Christ will hold me fast When the tempter would prevail He will hold me fast  I could never keep my hold Through life’s fearful pass For my love is often cold He must hold me fast. It is Christ’s grip on me that will keep me. Psalm 121 offers us the same hope.  The psalmist says, “I l...

Deliverance from Lying Lips and a Deceitful Tongue Psalm 120 As the wicked have spoken deceptively, the psalmist, calling on God to judge them, prays that God will bring on them the fulfillment of their own words. VanGemeren Psalm 120 begins the Psalms of Ascent, psalms sung on the journey toward Jerusalem usually for one of the feasts held by the Jewish people. Running through the Psalms of Ascent, Psalms 120-134, is the theme of faith in the Lord (Futato). These psalms, found in the fifth book of the psalms, were compiled for the Jewish people to sing to strengthen their faith in God’s promises and His rule and reign despite the fact that they no longer had their own king and many were living in distant places. These emphasize living in obedience to the King. This first psalm, in the Psalms of Ascent, expresses the distress the psalmist experiences in the land in which he lives, a land where he lives among those with lying lips, deceitful tongues, and haters of peace. He calls for Go...

A Desperate Cry Psalm 119:169-176 The eucatastrophe in a story is a good catastrophe; it is the surprise twist or turn you never see coming or least expect. Samuel P. Schuldheisz (quoted by Chad Bird) We have reached the final stanza of Psalm 119. Twenty-two stanzas with eight verses in each stanza. The longest chapter in the Bible. The psalmist has sung for a long time, crying for deliverance and setting his hope in God and His Word. It almost feels symbolic of the desperate cries of the suffering, how trials and tribulations not only feel long, but indeed they can last for a very long time, perhaps even a lifetime. It’s the picture of continued steadfastness in the face of adversity. Persevering prayer demonstrated for us. No answer yet? No idea yet what God is doing? No dawn breaking on the horizon? No miraculous answer? Don’t stop praying. Maybe the Lord is building into our lives a psalm-119 kind of perseverance. What are we desperate for this morning? While recognizing the Lord w...

Prayer for Peace Psalm 119:161-168 Peace . In this world, peace can seem pretty elusive. So many things threaten peace within our countries, communities, families, and within ourselves. It seems a day cannot go by without the peace we desire being injured or even seemingly destroyed. In the beginning, when God first created the world, there was peace. God made the world and it functioned in perfect harmony. Adam and Eve tended the garden in unity, each one fulfilling their role and design in perfect capacity. God Himself came and walked with them and talked with them. They experienced peace with God, between themselves, and there was nothing that could disrupt their inner tranquility. All was as it should be. Until the Fall.    When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, suddenly the peace they had known and never lived without was broken. They no longer enjoyed the intimacy of God's presence. Instead, they hid in fear. They no longer selflessly loved one another, but instead cast blame,...