Treasure God-given Wisdom!

Proverbs 2:1-22 

1 My son, if you receive my words,
And treasure my commands within you,
2 So that you incline your ear to wisdom,
And apply your heart to understanding;

3 Yes, if you cry out for discernment,
And lift up your voice for understanding,
4 If you seek her as silver,
And search for her as for hidden treasures;

5 Then you will understand the fear of the LORD,
And find the knowledge of God.
6 For the LORD gives wisdom;
From His mouth come knowledge and understanding;

7 He stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
He is a shield to those who walk uprightly;
8 He guards the paths of justice,
And preserves the way of His saints.

9 Then you will understand righteousness and justice,
Equity and every good path.
10 When wisdom enters your heart,
And knowledge is pleasant to your soul,

11 Discretion will preserve you;
Understanding will keep you,
12 To deliver you from the way of evil,
From the man who speaks perverse things,

13 From those who leave the paths of uprightness
To walk in the ways of darkness;
14 Who rejoice in doing evil,
And delight in the perversity of the wicked;
15 Whose ways are crooked,
And who are devious in their paths;

16 To deliver you from the immoral woman,
From the seductress who flatters with her words,
17 Who forsakes the companion of her youth,
And forgets the covenant of her God.

18 For her house leads down to death,
And her paths to the dead;
19 None who go to her return,
Nor do they regain the paths of life—

20 So you may walk in the way of goodness,
And keep to the paths of righteousness.

21 For the upright will dwell in the land,
And the blameless will remain in it;
22 But the wicked will be cut off from the earth,
And the unfaithful will be uprooted from it.

The value of God-given wisdom is beyond our comprehension; it is to be treasured more than fine gold (Psalm 19:10, 119:127), beyond material wealth and possessions.  This wisdom comes through the knowledge gained from God’s word by His instruction to us as we walk with Him through life.  By hearing the words of God through the scriptures and from others who walk with Him, we learn to lean our ears to hear more and incline the affections of our hearts to beat in time with the understanding He provides.  As Solomon gave us the example, we should be yearning for discernment enough to cry out for more understanding in order to put it into our feet from our minds and hearts.  This wisdom should be the goal of knowing and following our Lord, desiring and valuing it more than any material riches which only fade away and are left behind when we sleep.  This attitude of the heart and direction of the life brings us understanding of the fear of the LORD, more than mere awe, and helps us to truly know Him.  He gives us the wisdom and understanding from the words of His mouth, and since He rarely speaks audibly to us, we listen through His word written down for us.  Yes, He also has written these words on our hearts to testify of the truth of the written and preached words, which gives assurance of the truth as we are taught by God in these ways (Jeremiah 31:33-34, Romans 2:15, John 6:45, 1 John 2:27).  When we then walk accordingly, He shields us from the wicked one and preserves our way as His saints made holy in the righteousness of Christ and His work.  Yes, this wisdom gives understanding of righteousness and justice which belong to God alone, and builds our reliance on Him instead of our efforts to justify ourselves.  Not only that, but the entrance of such wisdom in our hearts makes us desire the knowledge of God even more, treasuring it above all else.  From this we learn discretion from understanding providence in the sovereign work of God who has all situations well in hand which keeps us from doing evil ourselves.  As an example , it is not for us to force governments or leaders to bend to our sense of right, for it is God alone who turns the hearts like rivers (Proverbs 21:1).  He keeps His chosen ones from eternal harm and often from the worst that those opposed to righteousness can wield against us, those leaving righteous ways to live in darkness and rejoice in doing evil and perverse acts of crooked and devious designs, much as we see currently in forcing homosexuality and violence as things we should accept instead of stand against firmly in righteous opposition.  Wisdom also keeps us from the lesser evils of immortality than extreme perversion, such as the seductive allure and entrapment of women seeking to draw down God’s saints into debase behavior.  That way leads to death, while the wisdom of God’s commands brings life.  Instead of going along the road of no return, we choose wisdom to walk in the ways God calls good and not as the world would have us believe and accept by both violent and subtle persuasion.  The ones who remain in the land of the Lord are the upright and blameless; the wicked apart from God’s grace in Christ will only continue to pursue unrighteous paths to destruction as they are unfaithful to His words of understanding and wisdom.  May we not fall in with them even briefly, but treasure God-given wisdom to follow the right ways.   

Hear and Heed Wisdom’s Call

Proverbs 1:20-33

20 Wisdom calls aloud outside;
She raises her voice in the open squares.
21 She cries out in the chief concourses,
At the openings of the gates in the city
She speaks her words:

22 "How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity?
For scorners delight in their scorning,
And fools hate knowledge.

23 Turn at my rebuke;
Surely I will pour out my spirit on you;
I will make my words known to you.

24 Because I have called and you refused,
I have stretched out my hand and no one regarded,
25 Because you disdained all my counsel,
And would have none of my rebuke,

26 I also will laugh at your calamity;
I will mock when your terror comes,
27 When your terror comes like a storm,
And your destruction comes like a whirlwind,
When distress and anguish come upon you.

28 "Then they will call on me, but I will not answer;
They will seek me diligently, but they will not find me.
29 Because they hated knowledge
And did not choose the fear of the LORD,

30 They would have none of my counsel
And despised my every rebuke.

31 Therefore they shall eat the fruit of their own way,
And be filled to the full with their own fancies.
32 For the turning away of the simple will slay them,
And the complacency of fools will destroy them;

33 But whoever listens to me will dwell safely,
And will be secure, without fear of evil."

The call of wisdom out of knowledge is to be heard and heeded by those with ears to hear,  those who fear the LORD.  We hear wisdom from God crying out from His servants, out of His word, and from the creation stamped with His divine fingerprints all around us.  Even a quick forensic analysis of the creation and our sin of the fall’s crime scene tells us we need a deeper understanding of His knowledge to gain wisdom.  Wisdom asks the scorner skeptics and God hating foolish ones to pay attention to her cries instead of hating the knowledge of the Holy One (Proverbs 9:10).  When wisdom rebukes, we should turn (repent) and He will pour out His Spirit on we who do not know Christ, the wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:24).  How this simple passage on wisdom points us to the gospel!  Yes, God makes His words known to those who heed His Word of wisdom, for apart from God’s Spirit (John 14:26), we are unable to fully grasp what the knowledge offered us, let alone gain this wisdom from above (1 Corinthians 2:10, 12, 16).  But for those hearing the call of God, refusing and rejecting this knowledge of wisdom, because they sneer at His good counsel and refuse repentance, they will taste the judgment we all deserve apart from the grace which has opened the eyes and ears to Him who have had ears and eyes opened by God to faith and repentance.  Those who mock and reject Him will feel the terror, distress, and anguish of their souls instead of life-giving wisdom and bliss in the joyful knowledge of God.  These will call out to God when troubles come, but will not hear an answer because they refuse to hear Him.  All their seeking will be fruitless in their rejection of the word’s knowledge and wisdom in the fear of the LORD.  When men reject God’s counsel and despise His correction of their error, they partake of what they sow (Hosea 8:7, 10:12) instead of the goodness of God.  Those who do not follow God’s ways of wisdom but choose their own way over His find only the unsatisfying illusions of fruitfulness of their own imagined fancies which do not last nor truly satisfy.  This is fatal.  But those called and heed in the fear of the LORD find eternal security without fear of the eternal torment of judgment for refusing God’s knowledge and wisdom of the good news (1 John 4:17-18).  We who have been given this knowledge and wisdom have this understanding and peace with God.  We who have heard and heeded fear no evil therefore because His fingerprints have been impressed us to demonstrate we are forever His (Ephesians 1:13-14). 

Avoid Ungodly Counsel

Proverbs 1:8-19

8 My son, hear the instruction of your father,
And do not forsake the law of your mother;
9 For they will be a graceful ornament on your head,
And chains about your neck.

10 My son, if sinners entice you,
Do not consent.

11 If they say, "Come with us,
Let us lie in wait to shed blood;
Let us lurk secretly for the innocent without cause;
12 Let us swallow them alive like Sheol,
And whole, like those who go down to the Pit;

13 We shall find all kinds of precious possessions,
We shall fill our houses with spoil;
14 Cast in your lot among us,
Let us all have one purse"—

15 My son, do not walk in the way with them,
Keep your foot from their path;
16 For their feet run to evil,
And they make haste to shed blood.

17 Surely, in vain the net is spread
In the sight of any bird;
18 But they lie in wait for their own blood,
They lurk secretly for their own lives.

19 So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain;
It takes away the life of its owners.

The ungodly, the ones we now call worldly, reject the counsel of God according to His word and lead others astray from Him who are not set in His ways.  We are to take this sagely advice of Solomon the wise who obtained his wisdom from God Himself (2 Chronicles 1:10-12, 1 Kings 3:12), yet we now follow one far wiser than that wisest among men, Jesus Christ (Matthew 12:42).  Nonetheless, these words of wisdom were given by God through Solomon to gain understanding to build wisdom into the hearers of His word.  We are taught by our parents,and if they are godly, we can learn from them; if not, then we are discipled by His word through teachers and ministers of the gospel who know Him and His word.  These scriptural principles and commands we learn are godly counsel which adorn us with His grace and beauty according to His image.  We will often be tempted and led astray by the enticement of sinful people, men and women alike, but are not to yield to them and their temptations which appeal to our fallen and sinful nature (James 1:12, 14-15).  We are told here not to consent to that ungodly counsel, not to go along with it so even give a nod of assent if we are not planning to follow that bad advice.  The world tempts the young especially to attack others, fighting for the sake of fighting or proving something which does not exist, seen especially in gangs or even in small groups of seeming friends who love for dragging others down into the mid with them.  They urge robbery for personal gain to get rich instead of working for it (2 Thessalonians 3:10), a rebellion against the curse on all Adam’s children (Genesis 3:19).  Yes, the ungodly would lead young people into robbery of all king pas in an attempt to defy the curse instead of listening to godly counsel and love accordingly.  This is one of the main reasons for all the wisdom throughout the book of Proverbs, to learn to walk with God as His word tells us, and not according to the old nature.  Because the ungodly run to do evil and to harm others, we avoid their intimate company (1 Corinthians 15:33) that we do not absorb their ways, knowing that they may be caught in this life, but surely will be held accountable in eternity.  They even are out to take out each other as verse 18 tells us!  The lesson includes the recompense for greed to gain riches, that it drains the seekers of their very lives.  That is the end of ungodly counsel.  In 1 Timothy 6:6 we find the right way to live, in contentment with all God gives with godliness instead, which comes from the godly counsel of His word.  Amen. 

Wisdom Begins with Knowledge

Proverbs 1:1-7

1 The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel:

2 To know wisdom and instruction,
To perceive the words of understanding,

3 To receive the instruction of wisdom,
Justice, judgment, and equity;

4 To give prudence to the simple,
To the young man knowledge and discretion—

5 A wise man will hear and increase learning,
And a man of understanding will attain wise counsel,

6 To understand a proverb and an enigma,
The words of the wise and their riddles.

7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge,
But fools despise wisdom and instruction.

The proverbs of Solomon talk of wisdom as “the ability to live life skillfully” a godly life in an ungodly world.  This wisdom has its foundation on knowledge of the LORD God and His word.  This book of wisdom uses a combination of poetry, parables, pithy questions, short stories, and wise sayings to teach us how to live wisely to please and honor God by these examples and principles. The opening section initiates the book by reminding us that spiritual and daily wisdom begins with knowledge of God and His word to live by.  The first few verses lay out essentials to know wisdom through God’s teaching throughout the book, but which apply to the entire Bible as well.  We first see the goal is to gain real understanding as we are instructed that we may grow wise in applying God’s word to our daily lives.  This is not an exercise in becoming an intellectual theologian, but a humbly equipped lover of God’s knowledge put into practice, which is wisdom defined.  To receive such wisdom from His word, we must receive it, willing to learn and walk it out in following God as He instructs  how to live.  In addition to wisdom we are to also receive understanding of justice, fairness, and sound judgment of situations and in dealing with others.  God’s wisdom provides us with prudence to consider our steps in actions and reactions, something we as simple people need from outside ourselves because sin has utterly corrupted our good sense since taking the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the beginning instead of learning from God’s teaching of His word (Genesis 2:17, 3:1, 5-6, Hebrews 5:14).  Yes, His teaching guides and corrects us along the way (2 Timothy 3:16-17) to teach discretion through that acquired spiritual knowledge.  If we are wise, we will listen to heed and learn the lessons of wisdom through that knowledge, increasing more and more (Philippians 3:10, Colossians 1:9-10, 2 Peter:5-9) in life changing knowledge as a foundation to conformity to Christ.  This includes wise godly counsel along the way, for God gives varying gifts to each to build us up (1 Corinthians 12:4, 6-7, Ephesians 4:12-13) into lasting wisdom for living in light of eternity.  His Spirit now living in us gives real and lasting understanding for true wisdom which makes it easier in some ways to understand these difficult enigmatic proverbs like the parables which Jesus told to His disciples.  God’s wise riddles hidden in this book of proverbs point to higher understanding and wisdom for living in light of the New Testament of God’s revealed word to us.  Above all, verse 7 in the end of this first section of chapter one gives us the framework for knowledge leading to spiritual wisdom, which is the fear of God as its foundation.  Only fools despise God’s teaching and the wisdom it produces.  May we not follow their path, but godly examples and patterns as our solid foundation.  Shifting sands of doubt, disobedience, and disbelief are things we should avoid at all cost, choosing instead to live obediently according to His word by faith.  That is the fearful awe and reverence of God, wisdom in living out our faith.  It begins with trusting God’s word as true knowledge, and ends in the wisdom of changed lives of our ongoing sanctification.  To be wise, I must seek to learn by listening, both to God's word and to those who teach it. Then He can sharpen me to do deeper into things not so clear.  But all learning must be founded on the fear of The Lord, knowing that living what I learn must be to please Him, not for my own "bettering."  Only fools hate to learn and to grow wiser.

Let Everything that Breathes Praise the LORD

Psalms 150:1-6 

1 Praise the LORD!
Praise God in His sanctuary;
Praise Him in His mighty firmament!

2 Praise Him for His mighty acts;
Praise Him according to His excellent greatness!

3 Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet;
Praise Him with the lute and harp!

4 Praise Him with the timbrel and dance;
Praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes!

5 Praise Him with loud cymbals;
Praise Him with clashing cymbals!

6 Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.
Praise the LORD!

The final psalm summaries all the rest by directing our hearts and minds to sing God’s praise along with all of creation!  Yes, everything that has breath, which has been given life by its Creator, owes the LORD all honor and praise with thanksgiving for their existence and His sustaining grace with the lovingkindness of the Sovereign Almighty.  We praise Him therefore in the assembly of the saints at hand and in His heavenly realm far above us.  We praise and laud Him for all the mighty acts of His grace and providence of righteousness.  Yes, we exalt God above because He is great and greatly to be praised in His excellence of character and love especially towards we who have been crafted in His image within.  We sound off with loud instruments to celebrate Him in worship music of all kinds, and dance before Him as undignified in humble adoration as King David did in worship of exuberant praise.  The clashing of cymbals in crescendo lift our hearts to cry out in praise of thankful hearts to Him.  Yes, let everyone and everything in heaven and earth praise and worship the One who alone is worthy!  As 1 Timothy 1:17 says, “Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.”  Let us then who know Him forever (1 Chronicles 29:11-13) praise the Lord!  Amen and hallelujah to the King of kings and Lord of lords! 

Praise God’s Salvation and Judgment

Psalms 149:1-9 

1 Praise the LORD!
Sing to the LORD a new song,
And His praise in the assembly of saints.

2 Let Israel rejoice in their Maker;
Let the children of Zion be joyful in their King.

3 Let them praise His name with the dance;
Let them sing praises to Him with the timbrel and harp.

4 For the LORD takes pleasure in His people;
He will beautify the humble with salvation.

5 Let the saints be joyful in glory;
Let them sing aloud on their beds.

6 Let the high praises of God be in their mouth,
And a two-edged sword in their hand,

7 To execute vengeance on the nations,
And punishments on the peoples;

8 To bind their kings with chains,
And their nobles with fetters of iron;

9 To execute on them the written judgment—
This honor have all His saints.

Praise the LORD!

We should sing this song of praise for God’s judgment and salvation.  This new song looks to His grace to save us, not by the works of doing to earn life (Romans 10:5-6, 9-10, 13, Galatians 3:10-11), but by trusting and relying wholly on God’s work of merciful goodness and grace by true faith.  This new song is realized in the New Covenant which is in and through the blood of Christ’s atoning sacrifice which opens the way through the veil to the presence of God in the holy of holies (Hebrews 10:19-21), where we live in His righteousness and holiness.  We praise Him together in the assembly of saints made perfect in Christ (John 17:23, Hebrews 12:23-24).  Yes, because of these works of God, we join in with Israel with giving and experiencing joy in our Maker and King, the sovereign potentate who rules our souls.  Praise can be found and expressed through dance, song, and joyfully played instruments, no matter the foibles of the culture, just as king David danced with joyful praise before God and yet was despised (2 Samuel 6:14, 16, 21-22) in His humble and undignified worship in the eyes of one set against the Lord and His chosen one.  Yes, the LORD does find pleasure in His people and makes us beautiful by adorning the humble and meek (Psalm 37:11, Matthew 5:5) with His salvation, because we trust in Him and His work in Christ alone by faith alone to the glory of God alone.  In this glory we enter into, we are joyful and sometimes sing even as we lie down to sleep at the day’s ending.  His high praise fills our words as we wield the two-edged sword of His word to bring this good and praiseworthy news to others  (Hebrews 4:12), which cuts the heart to show man’s sinful state apart from the righteousness in Christ alone (Philippians 3:9-10, Galatians 2:21) and His work alone which we have trust in as the work of salvation (John 6:28-29).  This word either convicts to change, or condemns the unrepentant who reject Him and that word which we wield as a sword to separate wheat and chaff.  God’s just vengeance is the other side of the sword of unmerited grace.  The saints called out in Christ into the assembly of the called and chosen have the honor of bearing witness to God’s words and work of judgment and salvation.  We therefore praise our Lord for the grace that has saved us from judgment through faith and not our works to earn this standing (Ephesians 2:8-9).  Amen! 

Praise to the LORD from All Creation

Psalms 148:1-14 

1 Praise the LORD!
Praise the LORD from the heavens;
Praise Him in the heights!

2 Praise Him, all His angels;
Praise Him, all His hosts!
3 Praise Him, sun and moon;
Praise Him, all you stars of light!
4 Praise Him, you heavens of heavens,
And you waters above the heavens!

5 Let them praise the name of the LORD,
For He commanded and they were created.
6 He also established them forever and ever;
He made a decree which shall not pass away.

7 Praise the LORD from the earth,
You great sea creatures and all the depths;
8 Fire and hail, snow and clouds;
Stormy wind, fulfilling His word;
9 Mountains and all hills;
Fruitful trees and all cedars;
10 Beasts and all cattle;
Creeping things and flying fowl;

11 Kings of the earth and all peoples;
Princes and all judges of the earth;
12 Both young men and maidens;
Old men and children.

13 Let them praise the name of the LORD,
For His name alone is exalted;
His glory is above the earth and heaven.

14 And He has exalted the horn of His people,
The praise of all His saints—
Of the children of Israel,
A people near to Him.

Praise the LORD!

O, creation, praise the LORD of all creation, of water, earth, and sky!  Praise Him from the heavens and the heaven of heavens above and beyond there (1 Kings 8:27, Nehemiah 9:6), for all He has made owes Him honor and praise.  He is seated above all the universe which He has created, and it is His due to be worshiped with awe and thanksgiving for all and from all His handiwork.  Yes, praise is due from the angelic beings around His throne, from the sun and moon and stars giving us light, from the waters which fall on the earth and even from the heavens themselves.  Praise is due from His creation in all forms, for He has formed us all by the word from His mouth uttered to bring into being that which He imagined and planned to be in existence.  He also commanded that what He made should endure eternally, that it goes on until or unless He commands otherwise; this is an assurance of eternity of life for us, and an certain hope that all the sun, moon, and stars will remain until He rolls them up (Isaiah 34:4, 2 Peter 3:10, Revelation 6:14).  We do not have to fear doomsday stories that depart from God’s plan found in His word, for they only put praise on man’s ability to control what he has not made and cannot alter.  We trust God’s working and word instead.  His word as decreed cannot be altered nor abrogated; what God has willed and made exist for Him and to Him, therefore all praise is His alone.  Praise comes from all of the natural world to honor God for their existence and sustenance (Matthew 6:26), as well as the elements themselves such as the rains and storms which move at His command to do all His good pleasure.  Yes, and these examples should drive rulers to honor God with praise as well, politicians, judges and citizens alike.  Young and old, men and women, we all owe the Lord of lords and sovereign King of kings our praise and worship of obedience with thankful hearts, minds, and lives.  Yes, may we all join in with praises to His name for making and sustaining us, exalting His name with honor and holiness in response.  Since He has raised up a chosen people (Deuteronomy 7:6, 1 Peter 2:4, 9) whom have been called out from His creation to serve Him, we as the saints called holy in Christ’s righteousness, who have been called near to Him, we should as that people praise Him as Israel and Gentile to His glory.  Let we all who know Him, Praise the LORD! 

Praise God for His Word and Works!

Psalms 147:1-20 

1 Praise the LORD!
For it is good to sing praises to our God;
For it is pleasant, and praise is beautiful.

2 The LORD builds up Jerusalem;
He gathers together the outcasts of Israel.
3 He heals the brokenhearted
And binds up their wounds.

4 He counts the number of the stars;
He calls them all by name.
5 Great is our Lord, and mighty in power;
His understanding is infinite.
6 The LORD lifts up the humble;
He casts the wicked down to the ground.

7 Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving;
Sing praises on the harp to our God,
8 Who covers the heavens with clouds,
Who prepares rain for the earth,
Who makes grass to grow on the mountains.
9 He gives to the beast its food,
And to the young ravens that cry.

10 He does not delight in the strength of the horse;
He takes no pleasure in the legs of a man.
11 The LORD takes pleasure in those who fear Him,
In those who hope in His mercy.

12 Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem!
Praise your God, O Zion!
13 For He has strengthened the bars of your gates;
He has blessed your children within you.
14 He makes peace in your borders,
And fills you with the finest wheat.

15 He sends out His command to the earth;
His word runs very swiftly.

16 He gives snow like wool;
He scatters the frost like ashes;
17 He casts out His hail like morsels;
Who can stand before His cold?
18 He sends out His word and melts them;
He causes His wind to blow, and the waters flow.

19 He declares His word to Jacob,
His statutes and His judgments to Israel.
20 He has not dealt thus with any nation;
And as for His judgments, they have not known them.

Praise the LORD!

Praise the Lord God for His word and works; His word gives deliverance and hope, and His works make a providential way for His people according to His word.  Such beautiful praise honors Him and is sweetly agreeable to Him and for us, an acceptable sacrifice from the words of our lips and lives to Him (Romans 12:1, Hebrews 13:15).  He gathers the outcasts even now as with Israel, healing the broken-hearted from their sin and suffering (Luke 4:18) as He bandages the inherited wounds and sorrows of our rebellion against Him from out of Eden’s garden.  This is by the mighty God who names and numbers the infinite stars above, who has infinite understanding of all things which He has created and which He sustains in that mighty power of His word to create and hold fast in His hand.  This power and wisdom allows God to put down those rejecting Him and His words, and to lift up those trusting His word and humbling themselves before His wisdom and power (1 Peter 5:6-7).  We are to be like the psalmist, singing praises of thanksgiving with understanding of who He is and all He does, looking to the wondrous world of His works and standing small in awe of His greatness.  This leads us to His word which shows that it is not by our might or power or wisdom (Zechariah 4:6) to run this race of life, but in fearful awe and faith in Him and His might and wisdom with hope alone in His mercy towards us, not in our power to make us acceptable to Him (Ephesians 1:6).  Yes, as His people we should praise our God through Christ the Anointed one who delivers us from the wrath to come which we all have earned (1 Thessalonians 1:10).  He alone gives true peace between Himself and us (Romans 5:1) and provides our daily bread to sustain each of us.  His word runs swiftly (Psalm 107:20) to do all His will, and brings seasons of suffering and pleasure to life, always with the hope of working good for us in His glory (Romans 8:28).  While no earthly nation was ever blessed like Israel, as His people together with them in Christ we have His word and judgments of hope which have been made known to us all now (Galatians 3:28, Ephesians 1:9-10) as one nation spread throughout all earthly nations until His return.  Praise our Lord for His word and works!  

Praise and Trust in God Alone

Psalms 146:1-10 

1 Praise the LORD!
Praise the LORD, O my soul!
2 While I live I will praise the LORD;
I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.

3 Do not put your trust in princes,
Nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help.
4 His spirit departs, he returns to his earth;
In that very day his plans perish.

5 Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help,
Whose hope is in the LORD his God,

6 Who made heaven and earth,
The sea, and all that is in them;
Who keeps truth forever,

7 Who executes justice for the oppressed,
Who gives food to the hungry.
The LORD gives freedom to the prisoners.

8 The LORD opens the eyes of the blind;
The LORD raises those who are bowed down;
The LORD loves the righteous.

9 The LORD watches over the strangers;
He relieves the fatherless and widow;
But the way of the wicked He turns upside down.

10 The LORD shall reign forever—
Your God, O Zion, to all generations.

Praise the LORD!

Oh, our trust and praises belong to God alone!  We do not rely on mere politicians, kings, or government parties for things which matter for life and godliness.  They all fail.  All of them.  Without exception.  Why then make them the center of our living and the impetus for our reasoning and passion of argument?  The psalmist knew that trust in God meant that he and we should be relying on the LORD and His word and works for lasting help.  Our praise should be to the King of all kings who is Lord of all, who sets leaders and lands in places for the times He has given them to exist and rule at His discretion and for only as long as they serve Him as He appointed them to do. They are all, without exception, under His authority.  The psalmist reminds us our praise is due to God alone, for as long as we draw breath in this life.  We do not bow to other idols nor serve them, but we obey our leaders whom God has appointed for our good (Romans 13:1-2, 5), not slandering or exalting them (Titus 3:1-2).  God has called us to peace and love for all, especially our leaders whom God has actually elected to their positions, not us.  We are to submit to authorities and not compromise the gospel nor any other command or example of scripture.  Every politician is a human with a limited time to serve as well as to live; all their plans and promises are only as certain as God’s sovereign providence behind them all.  Our lasting help and hope then is in God alone.  He created the universe we live in and the earth we dwell on, and He keeps truth in it all which we read and bear witness to.  It is God who alone executes true justice such as cannot be found in this life, and He feeds the starving through our hands of obedience to His guidance.  He sets prisoners free from the only eternal prison which matters (Isaiah 61:1) and opens blind eyes both literally (Luke 7:22, John 9:32-33) and spiritually (John 9:39).  He raises up the humble and humiliated and watches over those seeking righteousness among the many opposed to God’s word (John 3:19-21).  He is the Father to the orphan and friend to the stranger (Proverbs 18:24, John 15:14-15), hit for those opposed to His righteous gospel of forgiveness and reconciliation, He turns their ways upon their own heads, for God rules absolutely over us all.  Yes, because He reigns forever, we praise our Father the LORD through the Lord Jesus Christ by the understanding and power of the Spirit of the Living God.  We praise and trust in Him alone.  Amen. 

A Song of God's Majesty and Love

Psalms 145:1-21 

A Praise of David.

1 I will extol You, my God, O King;
And I will bless Your name forever and ever.
2 Every day I will bless You,
And I will praise Your name forever and ever.

3 Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised;
And His greatness is unsearchable.

4 One generation shall praise Your works to another,
And shall declare Your mighty acts.
5 I will meditate on the glorious splendor of Your majesty,
And on Your wondrous works.

6 Men shall speak of the might of Your awesome acts,
And I will declare Your greatness.
7 They shall utter the memory of Your great goodness,
And shall sing of Your righteousness.

8 The LORD is gracious and full of compassion,
Slow to anger and great in mercy.
9 The LORD is good to all,
And His tender mercies are over all His works.

10 All Your works shall praise You, O LORD,
And Your saints shall bless You.
11 They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom,
And talk of Your power,
12 To make known to the sons of men His mighty acts,
And the glorious majesty of His kingdom.

13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
And Your dominion endures throughout all generations.

14 The LORD upholds all who fall,
And raises up all who are bowed down.

15 The eyes of all look expectantly to You,
And You give them their food in due season.
16 You open Your hand
And satisfy the desire of every living thing.

17 The LORD is righteous in all His ways,
Gracious in all His works.

18 The LORD is near to all who call upon Him,
To all who call upon Him in truth.
19 He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him;
He also will hear their cry and save them.

20 The LORD preserves all who love Him,
But all the wicked He will destroy.

21 My mouth shall speak the praise of the LORD,
And all flesh shall bless His holy name
Forever and ever.

Such a song of God’s magnificent majesty and grace-filled love for His people!  The psalmist David had relied on the LORD as he succeeded and as he stumbled to fall, yet kept his heart after God’s own, as demonstrated in this psalm of honor and praise.  He started this prayer set to music by magnifying God’s name, daily blessing and praising Him for who He is and all He had done, a great and solid pattern for our own daily praise in prayer with honor to glorify Him.  That is man’s chief end, is it not?  Because His greatness is beyond our complete understanding, we confess that greatness deserves our acknowledgment in praise and thanksgiving.  Yes, we praise all He has done as well in His faithfulness of covenant promise and grace of merciful loving care.  These things must be told to our children and theirs as well, passing on the testimonies of His working and of His character in action for us.  We cannot afford to forget these things, for learning them over again is dishonoring to Him when we have the means from His word and our lives as resounding witnesses to His love and majesty.  We should also take time to meditate on His works and “the glorious splendor” of His majesty!  It is not enough to read or hear of these things and just move on, for that is a forgetful hearer (James 1:23-24).  No, we must think about who God is and His working which we read about and observe around us to fully understand such majesty and love in the work of redemption and reconciliation of men to Himself, then tell others so they may enjoy Him forever as well.  Declaring His greatness and goodness to others leads us to sing of the righteousness of God finally revealed in Christ in whom we stand as if righteous ourselves.  His wrath is required as due on the disobedience of our sin, yet the grace and compassionate love of God makes Him truly great in mercy and slow to pour out that deserved anger on sinners.  He cares for all the works of His hands!  We praise God as His works, blessing Him and honoring His name as we “speak of the glory of Your Kingdom,” of our Lord.  We tell others of His mighty hand of power over all in His sovereign rule as King of kings, and portray the glory of that kingdom, His mighty acts, and His majesty to those who will hear.  These are all elements which are the foundation of the gospel of reconciling and atoning grace.  Yes, His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and His rule is eternally through all generations (Daniel 4:3, Psalm 66:7, 1 Timothy 1:17)!  Let us never forget to consider all that entails.  He picks us up (Psalm 113:7) from the dust of humiliation and defeat of our sin and nature and from our enemies, and He meets our daily needs (Matthew 6:25, 31) as we look by faith expectantly to His provision and providence.  Yes, God is entirely gracious as He is righteous.  He hears our calls for help since He is always near us, as long as we truthfully and sincerely call out to Him.  This psalm reminds us of these things.  If we fear Him and trust Him, God hears and answers with what we need, and He preserves us because we are precious to Him and hold Him precious to us.  The wicked who deny God face quite the opposite.  What the is the lesson from all this?  That we speak His praises and bless His holy name forever, teaching others who will hear to do the same.  Amen!

Praise to the LORD Who Preserves and Prospers

Psalms 144:1-15 

A Psalm of David.

1 Blessed be the LORD my Rock,
Who trains my hands for war,
And my fingers for battle—

2 My lovingkindness and my fortress,
My high tower and my deliverer,
My shield and the One in whom I take refuge,
Who subdues my people under me.

3 LORD, what is man, that You take knowledge of him?
Or the son of man, that You are mindful of him?
4 Man is like a breath;
His days are like a passing shadow.

5 Bow down Your heavens, O LORD, and come down;
Touch the mountains, and they shall smoke.
6 Flash forth lightning and scatter them;
Shoot out Your arrows and destroy them.

7 Stretch out Your hand from above;
Rescue me and deliver me out of great waters,
From the hand of foreigners,
8 Whose mouth speaks lying words,
And whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.

9 I will sing a new song to You, O God;
On a harp of ten strings I will sing praises to You,
10 The One who gives salvation to kings,
Who delivers David His servant
From the deadly sword.

11 Rescue me and deliver me from the hand of foreigners,
Whose mouth speaks lying words,
And whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood—

12 That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth;
That our daughters may be as pillars,
Sculptured in palace style;

13 That our barns may be full,
Supplying all kinds of produce;
That our sheep may bring forth thousands
And ten thousands in our fields;

14 That our oxen may be well laden;
That there be no breaking in or going out;
That there be no outcry in our streets.

15 Happy are the people who are in such a state;
Happy are the people whose God is the LORD!

Such a song of praise to the LORD who prospers and preserves His people!  David the beloved psalmist and anointed of the LORD knew these things very well, and he put them to music for His people to sing along and be encouraged as he was by God’s words of promise and comfort.  God is our solid Rock on which we are founded and stand upon, who trains us to fight the good fight (1 Timothy 6:12, 2 Timothy 4:7), just as David fought physical battles.  He is our fortress of our soul’s protection, stones having been founded on solid rock (Matthew 7:24, 16:18, 1 Peter 2:5), our high tower to keep watch over our souls as the enemy advances on our position to deliver us, and our shield whose living word gives us refuge and victory (Jeremiah 16:19, 1 Corinthians 15:57, Hebrews 6:18-19).  As repeated from Psalm 8:4-5, here the psalmist reminds us that there is nothing in what we do which makes us significant or acceptable to the Lord, but God’s love and care in grace which causes Him to be for instead of against us.  Our lives fly ever so swiftly past from cradle to grave, and appear as a fleeting shadow like a mist blowing by, yet He cares for His creations because we are made in His image as precious jewels (1 Peter 2:5) to build upon.  God demonstrates His sovereign power to us in the nature in His hands, bringing lightning, thunder, and even smoking volcanoes which dwarf our own imagined strength and control of this world.  These things put us in awe of Him!  By this power He delivers His people from our enemies and their slanderous lying against us.  Like the psalmist, we therefore also sing a new song (Psalm 40:3, Revelation 5:9) to our Lord God Almighty, with praises for saving and sustaining us, rescuing from lies and deceit from that first time in Eden’s paradise (Genesis 3:1, 4-5) to this present day through those children whose father of lies is the devil (John 8:44).  Yes, God delivers us as He did David, that we might be fruitful and multiply as is our mandate from the beginning, but has narrowed the focus from bodies filling the earth to souls filling the heavenly New Jerusalem!  May our barns be full of disciples from our spiritual prosperity.  Happiness is eternal for such people whose God is the LORD (John 15:11) and in His salvation to prosper (Psalm 126:5-6).  Amen!  It is so.

Faithful Righteousness, Judgment, and Loving Mercy

Psalms 143:1-12
A Psalm of David.

1 Hear my prayer, O LORD,
Give ear to my supplications!
In Your faithfulness answer me,
And in Your righteousness.

2 Do not enter into judgment with Your servant,
For in Your sight no one living is righteous.

3 For the enemy has persecuted my soul;
He has crushed my life to the ground;
He has made me dwell in darkness,
Like those who have long been dead.

4 Therefore my spirit is overwhelmed within me;
My heart within me is distressed.

5 I remember the days of old;
I meditate on all Your works;
I muse on the work of Your hands.

6 I spread out my hands to You;
My soul longs for You like a thirsty land.

Selah

7 Answer me speedily, O LORD;
My spirit fails!

Do not hide Your face from me,
Lest I be like those who go down into the pit.

8 Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning,
For in You do I trust;
Cause me to know the way in which I should walk,
For I lift up my soul to You.

9 Deliver me, O LORD, from my enemies;
In You I take shelter.

10 Teach me to do Your will,
For You are my God;
Your Spirit is good.
Lead me in the land of uprightness.

11 Revive me, O LORD, for Your name's sake!
For Your righteousness' sake bring my soul out of trouble.

12 In Your mercy cut off my enemies,
And destroy all those who afflict my soul;
For I am Your servant.

This is a song about God’s faithful righteousness, our due judgment, and His loving kindness of merciful grace.  It is about the leading of God and our following in trust.  It sings out about the Lord’s deliverance to glorify His name, not ours.  Yes, it is also about defeating our enemies because we serve Him.  The psalm opens with a cry for God to hear us as David pleaded for us.  The answering could only be according to His faithfulness to keep the promises and covenants He initiated with His chosen and called people, and in His own righteousness which we all lack in ourselves.  This is God’s holy reliable character and promises recorded in His word in which such prayers rely, for both the psalmist’s and us as God’s chosen people in Christ.  It is the basis for all our prayers.  Like the king, we also acknowledge in our confessions that there is none righteous, not even one single person ever (Romans 3:10), and plead with His mercy to not be judged (Romans 3:23-24, 26).  We are also overwhelmed by our enemies at times as King David often was, sometimes in such a state they it seems we are enveloped in the darkness of hopelessness.  That is when we follow the scripture’s example here in recalling God’s faithfulness and deliverance found in the pages of His word written to us, as well as all He has done in creation and the sustaining of all things, the works of His mighty hands.  This brings us hope and strength as we pray and long for Him as a desert desires rain to bring relief to our parched souls.  Selah.  Dwell on these things.  The second half of the psalm then asks for relief from God in the answers to prayer because we are so frail and fail in trusting as we should.  We do not want to feel as those who have no hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13), whose destination is destruction; we need to know his face shines grace and help on us in times of need, a reminder of that truth from His word.  Therefore, we pray verse eight especially, asking each day to hear His loving kindness of grace and discover where He desires us to walk out our lives along the way.  Why and how?  We lift up our lives to Him!  We entrust all as living sacrifices by dying with His Anointed and living with Him by following in a willing obedience, one which yearns to be conformed to Christ as we are changed each day (2 Corinthians 3:18).  We ask also to be delivered from the evil one and those engaged with him as our enemies, and take our shelter in our Lord and Savior.  Yes, we beg to be taught by God (Hebrews 5:14, John 6:45) that we might better do His will in place of our own corrupted one, for He alone is good (Mark 10:18) and God.  We therefore ask in prayer to be led by God, to be revived when we fail, and to be delivered out of trouble for His glory.  This means praying for the defeat of our enemies as well, for they do not serve our Lord; we are His servants whom He watches over and sustains for His name’s sake.  This is his faithfulness, righteousness, judgment, and loving mercy of His great grace in which we stand (Romans 5:2).  Amen.

A Verbal Plea when Overwhelmed

Psalms 142:1-7
A Contemplation of David. A Prayer when he was in the cave.

1 I cry out to the LORD with my voice;
With my voice to the LORD I make my supplication.

2 I pour out my complaint before Him;
I declare before Him my trouble.

3 When my spirit was overwhelmed within me,
Then You knew my path.
In the way in which I walk
They have secretly set a snare for me.

4 Look on my right hand and see,
For there is no one who acknowledges me;
Refuge has failed me;
No one cares for my soul.

5 I cried out to You, O LORD:
I said, "You are my refuge,
My portion in the land of the living.

6 Attend to my cry,
For I am brought very low;
Deliver me from my persecutors,
For they are stronger than I.

7 Bring my soul out of prison,
That I may praise Your name;
The righteous shall surround me,
For You shall deal bountifully with me."

This cry for help is prayed out loud to God, not feebly in thought alone.  It was prayed and sung out by King David when he was hiding from Saul in a cave, where a loud sound might give his away his position and bring death as a result.  He prayed anyway.  He prayed with his voice and not thoughts of inner communion only, for it was important that he expressed himself to be heard and without fear in trust for his Deliverer.  We can learn quite a bit about vocalizing our cries to God from this example.  He poured out the problems and fears, the concerns and complaints, to His LORD when he was spiritually and emotionally overwhelmed inside.  Yet he prayed in confidence and expectant hope, knowing his life was in God’s omniscient and omnipotent hands all along.  God had mapped out the way for David, and he trusted the providence of God to bring him through the difficult times as well as the good ones.  Though enemies set clandestine traps to catch him, and the situation seemed hopeless as all abandoned him, yet he trusted in the One who truly cares for him to preserve his life.  Therefore, the psalmist cried out to the LORD with hope.  He knew the only refuge of protection was not deep in the cave in which he sheltered, but in the fortress who was his God (2 Samuel 22:2, Psalm 18:2, 144:2) and all he required for life to partake of as long as he lived on this earth.  When he was downtrodden and the situation grim with overpowering adversaries, the king looked to the King of kings and Lord of lords for deliverance.  The power was not in or of himself, but sourced from the Lord.  He then prayed for freedom from imprisonment so that he could praise God for the saving grace.  He wanted to be in the assembly of men made righteous (Romans 5:19) to exalt God for His bountiful mercy and goodness in His watchcare over him.  We can likewise pray in difficult times, when the waves wash over us (Psalm 42:7) and all seems hopeless.  Cry out loud then without doubt and fear as if cowering quietly in a cave, raising holy hands (1 Timothy 2:8, Psalm 134:2-3) in thankful praise of worship when overwhelmed by circumstances and adversaries. 

A Prayer to Keep us from Evil

Psalms 141:1-10
A Psalm of David.

1 LORD, I cry out to You;
Make haste to me!
Give ear to my voice when I cry out to You.

2 Let my prayer be set before You as incense,
The lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.

3 Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth;
Keep watch over the door of my lips.

4 Do not incline my heart to any evil thing,
To practice wicked works
With men who work iniquity;
And do not let me eat of their delicacies.

5 Let the righteous strike me;
It shall be a kindness.
And let him rebuke me;
It shall be as excellent oil;
Let my head not refuse it.
For still my prayer is against the deeds of the wicked.

6 Their judges are overthrown by the sides of the cliff,
And they hear my words, for they are sweet.

7 Our bones are scattered at the mouth of the grave,
As when one plows and breaks up the earth.

8 But my eyes are upon You, O GOD the Lord;
In You I take refuge;
Do not leave my soul destitute.

9 Keep me from the snares they have laid for me,
And from the traps of the workers of iniquity.
10 Let the wicked fall into their own nets,
While I escape safely.

Pray that the Lord keeps us from evil, both within and without.  Cry out to God for help in both temptation and in adversity of evil assaults.  This psalm begs God to hear such prayers as incense burned as an offering to appease and worship, with hands raised in supplications and praise of worship, for we are living sacrifices lived for Him as true worship (Romans 12:1).  Therefore, we should follow David’s example and pray that He would guard our lips, that we would yield our evil words to His watchcare and speak according to His word by the power of His Spirit living in us.  May we choose not to speak the evil in syncopation with the world nor in return for wicked words aimed at us.  No, we should be pleading with God for help to speak right and true instead.  That means the thoughts and intents of our hearts (Matthew 15:18-19) must be reigned in by willing effort while relying on grace to do so.  We pray as the psalmist that God would keep us from evil company corrupting good habits (1 Corinthians 15:33) by inviting us to partake of tempting things which of themselves may not be evil.  Beware the snare of worldliness; it is better to suffer a slap of rebuke from a brother when needed than to continue down a path to ruin.  It is not wise to refuse correction, but a reminder to do good while praying against evil and evildoers, for their salvation or judgment, according to God’s will and calling.  But pray we must!  Though we are tempted by the world’s temporal offerings, it is wise to know that they are out for evil intent at any cost, just as David prayed here concerning the disrespectful actions willed by the enemy who would scatter his bones in desecration as in a shallow grave in a farmer’s field.  Yet as 2 Corinthians 1:9 reminds us, we trust in God who raises the dead and not in the schemes and evil intended against ourselves.  We take refuge in the Lord God because He will never leave or forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:6, Hebrews 13:5); we constantly are to look to Him, not the circumstance.  He will keep us from snares which trap us in iniquity if we do these things and keep praying always, without ceasing.  Yes, the evil will fall into their own traps, whether in this life or the hereafter.  We escape the penalty and ultimate judgment of sin who are found in Christ’s righteousness.  This then is our prayer to keep from evil within and without.  Amen! 

Prayer for Deliverance from Evil

Psalms 140:1-13
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

1 Deliver me, O LORD, from evil men;
Preserve me from violent men,
2 Who plan evil things in their hearts;
They continually gather together for war.

3 They sharpen their tongues like a serpent;
The poison of asps is under their lips.

Selah

4 Keep me, O LORD, from the hands of the wicked;
Preserve me from violent men,
Who have purposed to make my steps stumble.

5 The proud have hidden a snare for me, and cords;
They have spread a net by the wayside;
They have set traps for me.

Selah

6 I said to the LORD: "You are my God;
Hear the voice of my supplications, O LORD.

7 O GOD the Lord, the strength of my salvation,
You have covered my head in the day of battle.

8 Do not grant, O LORD, the desires of the wicked;
Do not further his wicked scheme,
Lest they be exalted.

Selah

9 "As for the head of those who surround me,
Let the evil of their lips cover them;

10 Let burning coals fall upon them;
Let them be cast into the fire,
Into deep pits, that they rise not up again.

11 Let not a slanderer be established in the earth;
Let evil hunt the violent man to overthrow him."

12 I know that the LORD will maintain
The cause of the afflicted,
And justice for the poor.

13 Surely the righteous shall give thanks to Your name;
The upright shall dwell in Your presence.

Such was the prayer of king David, God’s chosen and anointed man after His own heart, against doers of evil intent against him.  This imprecatory pleas was that the Lord would keep God’s people from the evil ones and their evil intent and acts, as Jesus prayed for our deliverance and we to Him for deliverance from them (John 17:15, Matthew 6:13).  There are violent and evil people who scheme to kill and destroy as their father the devil, who make plans both simple and elaborate to war against God’s chosen ones, so we do well to imitate that part of this prayer-song.  Yes, there are sharp poisonous tongues wagging against us because we have the testimony of Jesus Christ (Revelation 12:17).  Selah.  Stop and dwell on these things.  We pray as the psalmist in verse 6, that God hears our supplications, our entreaties for His favor, and for His protective shelter in the spiritual battles around and against us (Ephesians 6:12) according to His word and by His Spirit’s enabling power.  He alone is our strength and protection in these skirmishes and battles, for without Him we can do nothing to wage the good fight for the gospel (1 Timothy 6:12).  There is victory in Christ (1 Corinthians 15:57)!  Therefore, we pray against the schemes of those set on evil against the Lord and we who are in Him, that He would frustrate their plans and burst the gourds of their unrighteous intents which they constantly scheme, that they would be humbled before Him.  Selah.  Dwell on these things in our prayers and reliance in the Lord.  Finally, the prayer sung here asks God to bring the schemes of the wicked down on their own heads instead of their victims.  Like burning coals poured on their heads, the prayer of David asked the Lord to take vengeance for divine justice against the workers of iniquity (Proverbs 10:29).  He prayed that the Lord would also stop the slanderous ones and that the violent would find evil hunting them down in return, which will happen at the final judgment, if not sooner, as God dispenses justice in His ways and according to His time.  The prayer on the other side asks for the poor and afflicted to find justice as He advocates for them, that the righteous in Him would give their due thanks and live before Him in peace and safety.  Such things we can pray for as well, for we know more than David knew at that time before Christ was revealed on the earth and the Mew Testament explained it to us, things longed to be seen so clearly before, which even angels yearned to know (1 Peter 1:12, Ephesians 3:9-10).  Therefore, in our own prayers for deliverance from evil we have strong confidence and a certain hope in Christ our Lord to deliver us from evil and the evil one.   

God's Perfect Knowledge and Care

Psalms 139:1-24
For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

1 O LORD, You have searched me and known me.

2 You know my sitting down and my rising up;
You understand my thought afar off.
3 You comprehend my path and my lying down,
And are acquainted with all my ways.

4 For there is not a word on my tongue,
But behold, O LORD, You know it altogether.
5 You have hedged me behind and before,
And laid Your hand upon me.

6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
It is high, I cannot attain it.

7 Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
8 If I ascend into heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.

9 If I take the wings of the morning,
And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
10 Even there Your hand shall lead me,
And Your right hand shall hold me.

11 If I say, "Surely the darkness shall fall on me,"
Even the night shall be light about me;
12 Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You,
But the night shines as the day;
The darkness and the light are both alike to You.

13 For You formed my inward parts;
You covered me in my mother's womb.
14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Marvelous are Your works,
And that my soul knows very well.

15 My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.

16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.
And in Your book they all were written,
The days fashioned for me,
When as yet there were none of them.

17 How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!
How great is the sum of them!
18 If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand;
When I awake, I am still with You.

19 Oh, that You would slay the wicked, O God!
Depart from me, therefore, you bloodthirsty men.
20 For they speak against You wickedly;
Your enemies take Your name in vain.

21 Do I not hate them, O LORD, who hate You?
And do I not loathe those who rise up against You?
22 I hate them with perfect hatred;
I count them my enemies.

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me, and know my anxieties;
24 And see if there is any wicked way in me,
And lead me in the way everlasting.

This song of David captures the perfect knowledge and care of God for His people who have been crafted in His image by the word of His power and love.  The first half in verses 1-12 speaks of god knowing our every thought and deed in this life under His sun; the second half from verses 13-24 reveals our wonderful beginnings from conception in the womb, and even before that, when we were preordained to be created, born, and to live in that watchcare.  He begins by reminding us that God knows each of us as individuals, looking into the hearts He made and which we are accountable for to Him.  He knows absolutely everything about us.  The devil, by the way, cannot read our thoughts; that is God’s purview and ability alone.  Yes, He does not have to be up close to see our every word and action; God alone comprehends the way we go in living and even where and when and why we rest.  He knows all our ways, so why act sometimes as if we are hidden from His sight in doing wrong?  Oh, how lofty and unobtainable is the knowledge of God concerning each of us!  He is no Santa who knows everything we think and do, good and bad, and instead of earning grace and salvation, we do good in response to His love in Christ and not to earn that which is unobtainable of ourselves.  Yes, we cannot escape His Spirit watching over us all, for God’s presence extends from heaven through this world and into death and he’ll itself.  He truly is omnipresent and omniscient!  No matter where we go, He is there to lead us by the hand and hold us in His protection of willful providence.  Even darkness cannot overwhelm us, for He created darkness with the light to shine through and out of it.  These are considerations of His perfect knowledge and care.  The second half begins with the familiar description of His knowledge of our conception in our mother’s womb; it details our bodily fashioning from each created baby and the wonder and marvel of that work of every fetus before we are born to walk this earth in His ongoing care.  If we understand Him and His word, we praise Him for how and why God fashioned us and watches over us in His predetermined will and plans!  Even before we were begun to form, He had written us down in His Book (Psalm 56:8, Revelation 20:12), yes, before we were conceived or born, God had us in mind.  That is why we are so precious to Him as His intimate expressions of creation in His image, and why He thinks so much about us all; it is also why our sin grieves and angers Him so!  His thoughts of us are more than the number of grains of sand in the world, an incalculable sum.  That is why those who reject their Creator and His thoughts for us are wicked and deserving of His just wrath.  But our enemies are not to be hated by us as the psalmist says, but by the merciful grace in Christ we are to pray for them and not give up telling them about our mighty and marvelous God, the Creator and Sustainer of those called out of darkness into His marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9, Acts 26:18, 2 Corinthians 4:6).  Our attitude and prayer should therefore be as the closing two verses, that Gods would show us what He has searched out in our hearts, that we may be tested and refined by what we find in that revelation to us.  Our worries and sinful ways need to come to light (John 3:20-21, Ephesians 5:13-14), that we may follow His lead in the everlasting life given us, as worthy of His name (2 Thessalonians 1:5) and calling.  Yes, Lord, lead us in the way everlasting as we consider all Your manifold works of wisdom, love, grace, and mercy in our creation and redemption.  This is Your perfect knowledge and care for Your creation!

Praise The LORD's Goodness and Grace!

Psalms 138:1-8

A Psalm of David.

1 I will praise You with my whole heart;
Before the gods I will sing praises to You.

2 I will worship toward Your holy temple,
And praise Your name
For Your lovingkindness and Your truth;
For You have magnified Your word above all Your name.

3 In the day when I cried out, You answered me,
And made me bold with strength in my soul.

4 All the kings of the earth shall praise You, O LORD,
When they hear the words of Your mouth.

5 Yes, they shall sing of the ways of the LORD,
For great is the glory of the LORD.

6 Though the LORD is on high,
Yet He regards the lowly;
But the proud He knows from afar.

7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me;
You will stretch out Your hand
Against the wrath of my enemies,
And Your right hand will save me.

8 The LORD will perfect that which concerns me;
Your mercy, O LORD, endures forever;
Do not forsake the works of Your hands.

This psalm of king David calls us to join with him in praise and thanksgiving to the LORD for His goodness to we the people of the true Potentate, the Ling of kings.  Praise should be wholehearted and in plain view of the false gods and their followers who are as the swine running off the cliff from the demoniac as the Lord’s command (Matthew 8:32) as a testimony against them, and as a witness of Who alone is God and worthy of praise.  We should worship, not to a particular temple in one city, Jerusalem, as was the case when that was the meeting place with God, but in every place towards Him, and together in our assemblies.  His name is to be lauded with praise for His truth and for His loving kindness of mercy and grace.  Yes, God has exalted His very word above all His name in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ (John 1:1, 14, Ephesians 1:21, Philippians 2:9, 1 John 1:1-2)!  And when we were convicted of our sin and poor standing before Him, we cried out and were answered with salvation, just as we can be delivered from the situations and sin surrounding us even now and find boldness to stand for the truth afterwards, with strength in our souls.  Yes, this testimony from the Word to God’s power in grace will lead some kings and leaders to give God the credit in the form of praise, even though many will not heed it.  Even if there is but one who hears and needs is worth speaking out these words of life which point to the living Word of God (Hebrews 4:12).  Great is God’s glory, and ways worthy of praise, worth singing about by as many who hear.  Yes, God inhabits heaven on high, far above us, yet He does hear and care for the humble in spirit and state, while keeping far from the proud who deny His word and ways.  This is why David and we all who know the Lord can walk through the midst of troubling circumstances without growing weary, for He will revive us again (Psalm 85:6).  He is the one whose mighty hand reaches down to save us from our enemies (which are His enemies) as we humble ourselves before Him (1 Peter 5:5-6, James 4:10).  Finally, we have the certain hope (Hebrews 11:1) of agog finishing His work in us (Philippians 1:6).  He will perfect that which concerns me!  This is due to His great and everlasting mercy in grace, for we know by promise of His word that He will never leave or forsake (Hebrews 13:15) His children who are the work of His mighty hands!  Praise the Lord’s goodness and grace.  Yes, and amen.