September 2nd
Psalm 143
A Psalm of David
Hear
my prayer
1:
Hear my prayer, O LORD, give ear to my supplications: in thy
faithfulness answer me, and in thy righteousness. 2: And enter not
into judgment with thy servant: for in thy sight shall no man living
be justified. 3: For the enemy hath persecuted my soul; he hath
smitten my life down to the ground; he hath made me to dwell in
darkness, as those that have been long dead. 4: Therefore is my
spirit overwhelmed within me; my heart within me is desolate. 5: I
remember the days of old; I meditate on all thy works; I muse on the
work of thy hands. 6: I stretch forth my hands unto thee: my soul
thirsteth after thee, as a thirsty land. Selah. 7: Hear me speedily,
O LORD: my spirit faileth: hide not thy face from me, lest I be like
unto them that go down into the pit. 8: Cause me to hear thy
lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to
know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee.
9: Deliver me, O LORD, from mine enemies: I flee unto thee to hide
me. 10: Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is
good; lead me into the land of uprightness. 11: Quicken me, O LORD,
for thy name's sake: for thy righteousness' sake bring my soul out of
trouble. 12: And of thy mercy cut off mine enemies, and destroy all
them that afflict my soul: for I am thy servant.
Psalm 144
A Psalm of David
Thankyou
Lord
1:
Blessed be the LORD my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, and
my fingers to fight: 2: My goodness, and my fortress; my high tower,
and my deliverer; my shield, and he in whom I trust; who subdueth my
people under me. 3: LORD, what is man, that thou takest knowledge of
him! or the son of man, that thou makest account of him! 4: Man is
like to vanity: his days are as a shadow that passeth away. 5: Bow
thy heavens, O LORD, and come down: touch the mountains, and they
shall smoke. 6: Cast forth lightning, and scatter them: shoot out
thine arrows, and destroy them. 7: Send thine hand from above; rid
me, and deliver me out of great waters, from the hand of strange
children; 8: Whose mouth speaketh vanity, and their right hand is a
right hand of falsehood. 9: I will sing a new song unto thee, O God:
upon a psaltery and an instrument of ten strings will I sing praises
unto thee. 10: It is he that giveth salvation unto kings: who
delivereth David his servant from the hurtful sword. 11: Rid me, and
deliver me from the hand of strange children, whose mouth speaketh
vanity, and their 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 corner stones, polished after the similitude of a palace:
13: That our garners may be full, affording all manner of store: that
our sheep may bring forth thousands and ten thousands in our streets:
14: That our oxen may be strong to labour; that there be no breaking
in, nor going out; that there be no complaining in our streets. 15:
Happy is that people, that is in such a case: yea, happy is that
people, whose God is the LORD.
Today
we are reading Psalm 143 & 144. Psalm 143 is a Psalm of David a
hymn/prayer in the middle of trouble. David begins with prayer in the
context of enemy action against him and ends with prayer in the
presence of the judgment of God on his enemies. In between these
concepts David remembers Gods providence of old and he stretches out
his hands to God for his future. He begins saying, Hear my prayer O
LORD. This opening statement reveals the simplicity, directness and
frankness of his prayer. He says O LORD, listen to me and in your
faithfulness answer me and do the right thing – i.e. deliver me.
David asks the Lord not to judge him – to show him mercy, because
he says, if you acted only in righteousness, then no man who ever
know justification. Then David gets to the heart of his prayer, he
says, because – my enemy has persecuted my life. He has struck me
down to the ground. He had made me to live in the darkness, like
those who have long been buried. This is why I am depressed and my
mind is like a desert. But I remember the days of old when I spent
time thinking about all the things that God had done. I lifted up my
hands to you and my soul was thirsty for you, like a desert is
thirsty for water. Think about that. Listen to me - quickly O LORD,
because my spirit is failing – do not hide your face from me at
this time, because if you do then I will be like a dead person being
buried. Make me to hear your lovingkindness in the morning, because I
am trusting in you and make me to know the path I should walk,
because I offer myself to you. Save me from my enemies O LORD I am
running to hide myself in you. Teach me how to do your will, says
David, because you are my God. Your spirit is good so lead me into
the land of uprightness. David’s life was focused on law keeping as
a means of obtaining the blessing of God and in this context the
blessing of God was the continuation of his mortal life. David is at
the very brink of death, so he says, bring me back to life for your
names sake. For the reputation of your righteousness, save my life
out of trouble. And in mercy to me kill my enemies and destroy those
who afflict my physical life because I am your servant. David pleads
for his life because he has dedicated himself to the service of God.
In a coming day men will plead for their lives based on their
service. They will say we have preached in your name etc but the Lord
will say I never knew you and why will he not know them? Because they
do not live righteously according to law. He will say depart from me
you that do wickedness. Psalm 144 is another song of David, a hymn
of praise and thanksgiving. The song has two verses again both
beginning with praise and worship and both repeating the words of
foreigners which are vain and false. Then he ends with a beatitude
that declares that the truly blessed people (Israel) are those whose
God is the LORD Jehovah. In v1-7 David says that the Lord is blessed
because he strengthens him in the battle. And the LORD teaches his
hands and fingers how to fight. Then he continues to describe the
LORD, he says he is my goodness, my fortress, my high tower, my
rescuer, my shield and I am trusting in him who will quietens all
those who are under me the king. He says, what is man that you take
any notice of him or me, the son of man, that you take hold me
responsible. Man’s life is pointless and his days fade away like a
shadow when the sun sets. Then David calls on the Lord to come down
from the heavens and touch the mountains so that they will burn. He
says throw lightening at my enemies and scatters them. Bring down
lighting bolts on them to destroy them. David says rid me of them and
deliver me from the flood of men, from strangers who speak empty
threats. They are full of trickery. Lord, says David, I will sing a
new song of praises to you on the harp of ten strings. You are the
one who delivers kings and delivers me your servant from the painful
sword of his enemy. Rid me of them, so that our sons will be like
plants growing up and that our daughters will be like corner stones –
polished like a palace, so that our storehouses are full of
everything. May our flocks give birth to ten thousand lambs and that
our oxen will be strong to work the fields. And that there will be
peace in the streets. Happy Israel will be because the LORD is their
God. David has amply described the life of Israel under law. Peace
from enemies, children, security, crops, flocks, cattle and all
because Israel faithfully keeps the law. How very different from
christians who are not under the law of Moses. They receive troubles
and persecution but in it all forgiveness and grace abounding to the
chief of sinners.
- What is it that David asks for in the first Psalm?
- What does he ask the Lord to teach him?
- How does David describe the Lord in the second Psalm?
No comments:
Post a Comment