Wine Is A Mocker
Today’s Passage – Proverbs 19 – 21 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text from the Blue Letter Bible website)
(Second Milers also read – Mark 13 – 14; Psalms 101 – 105; Proverbs 21)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Isaiah 40:31
Read the “0721 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
“Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.” – (Proverbs 20:1)
“He that loveth pleasure shall be a poor man: he that loveth wine and oil shall not be rich.” – (Proverbs 21:17)
“Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes? They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine. Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright. At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder. Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things. Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast. They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not: when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.” – (Proverbs 23:29-35)
“It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink: … Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts.” – (Proverbs 31:4, 6)
“And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;” – (Ephesians 5:18)
The Bible is full of warnings against the consumption of alcohol. Above, I have listed some of the verses from the Book of Proverbs that deal with drinking, as well as a New Testament reminder. God did not completely outlaw the use of intoxicating beverages in all cases in the Bible, but He certainly taught that consuming alcohol was the cause of a great many problems for His people. The first mention of fermented wine in the Bible was in Genesis 9 referring to Noah who drank of the wine and then lay naked in his tent, causing his son Ham to sin by looking upon his father’s naked body. Shortly thereafter in the Book of Genesis we read about Lot who drank wine and then slept with both of his daughters. Alcohol will certainly cause you to do some pretty dumb and damaging things. Today it is no different. In America, 38% of all traffic fatalities occur because of alcohol consumption (nearly 65 people a day). Statistics reveal that there are over 14 million people in the U.S. that are addicted to alcohol; and alcoholics are four times more likely to be hospitalized than non-drinkers. When will we learn?
In the New Testament there is an added warning to the child of God regarding the consumption of alcohol. The verse mentioned above from the Book of Ephesians tells us that alcohol is a controlling force that will hinder the Christian from being filled with the Spirit. That is why they call being drunk “under the influence”. To the degree that you are “influenced” by alcohol, you are not being influenced by the Holy Spirit of God. Plus, God warns us that we should be careful about being a stumbling block to another Christian. You may be able to handle an occasional drink, but by your indulgence you may just be encouraging a future alcoholic. If you are a child of God, filled with His Spirit, you have no business consuming alcohol. God is the only influence you and I need in our lives. We don’t need alcohol to enjoy the abundant life that God has given us while serving Him on this earth.
Posted in Thoughts from Proverbs by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.
Oh Be Careful Little Mouth What You Say
Today’s Passage – Proverbs 16 – 18 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text from the Blue Letter Bible website)
(Second Milers also read – Mark 11 – 12; Psalms 96 – 100; Proverbs 20)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Proverbs 27:15
Read the “0720 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
“A man hath joy by the answer of his mouth: and awordspoken in due season, how goodis it!” (Proverbs 15:23)
“Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.” (Proverbs 16:24)
“Excellent speech becometh not a fool: much less do lying lips a prince.” (Proverbs 17:7)
“He that covereth a transgression seeketh love; but he that repeateth a matter separateth very friends.” (Proverbs 17:9)
“Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding.” (Proverbs 17:28)
“A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.” – (Proverbs 25:11)
Isn’t it amazing how much the Bible has to say regarding our tongues. The verses listed above are just a few of the references from today’s passage that deal with the words that we say. God is very concerned about the things that we allow to escape our lips. A good passage to read that also teaches along this line is found in James 3. In it, God gives a scathing rebuke to the tongue that is used to destroy. As God’s people we must strive to allow the Holy Spirit of God to control our words. As God’s ambassadors we have no right saying the things that we want to say, but rather we must speak the things that will glorify God and edify others. One of the reasons that I sometimes prefer to write (text, e-mail) to people rather than talk to them is because I can carefully choose the words that I use. I find myself re-writing, looking for just the right thing to say. Often when conversing with someone face to face I find myself being quick to speak, when God wants me to be slow to speak.
I think that I could be much more affective as a minister of God if I would employ the following principles in my life regarding my speech:
1 I should pray before I speak. David prayed,
“Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.” (Psalm 19:14)
2 I should pause before I speak. The Bible says a lot about refraining from speaking. Will what I am going to say edify the listener? Will it glorify God? Will it tear down somebody else? These are all thing to consider.
3 I should pastor (minister, edify, teach) with my speech.
It would certainly be a quieter world, if we would all put these principles into practice; but it would also be a lot more peaceful.
“O be careful little mouth what you say
O be careful little mouth what you say
There’s a Father up above
And He’s looking down in love
So, be careful little mouth what you say”
Posted in Thoughts from Proverbs by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.
Clean the Crib But Keep The Oxen!
Today’s Passage – Proverbs 13 – 15 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text from the Blue Letter Bible website)
(Second Milers also read – Mark 9 – 10; Psalms 91 – 95; Proverbs 19)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Proverbs 3:5 & 6
Read the “0719 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
Read a previos post from today’s passage in Proverbs – “O Be Careful, Little Mouth, What You Say“
“Where no oxen are, the crib is clean: but much increase is by the strength of the ox.” – (Proverbs 14:4)
Every Sunday afternoon, immediately following the morning service, we clean the auditorium and bathrooms of our church to make it ready for the evening service. I am often amazed at how dirty our building can get, especially considering that it was only in use for a few hours. There are bulletins lying all over and the hymnbooks are everywhere except where they should be. We find candy wrappers and water bottles in various places. Sometimes, I even find chewed gum stuck to a chair or on the floor. Yuk! The place is a mess. But I thank God for the mess, because the mess indicates that people were using the building. There are times when I get a little tired of cleaning it, but if I didn’t have to clean it, it could only be because nobody was coming to our services. As I am writing this blog post our church is in the middle of Vacation Bible School, a four night program of fun, fellowship, food, and instruction from the Bible for the kids. Every night, there are nearly two hundred kids all over our church property, inside and outside, and they can be very messy. Like us adults, there lives can get pretty messy as well. Our job is to help God clean them up.
I have determined that I will never get the mindset that the building that God has given us is to be some sort of museum for the Saints of God to observe and admire. I want our building to be functional and practical; and I want it to be used by our people as much as possible, and as often as possible. And if it is being used, it is going to get dirty, and at times things are going to need to be repaired. I have been spending a great deal of time this summer painting and upgrading parts of our building. The rooms that were finished last month already have some marks on the walls. Praise God! That means that people: men, women, children; souls are coming to the House of God, and are getting the help that they need. I will keep cleaning the crib, but I think I am going to keep the oxen as well.
Brother Hyles tells a story about a man in his church that was complaining about the oily messes made in the parking lot by all the busses that were used to bring boys and girls to church. Bro. Hyles reminded the man that D.L. Moody brought in a lot of children, too, in his day, and the horses used to pull the wagons were a whole lot messier.
Posted in Thoughts from Proverbs by Phil Erickson with 2 comments.
Are You Happy?
Today’s Reading – Psalms 140 – 145 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Matthew 25 – 26; Psalms 61 – 65; Proverbs 13)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 61:1 – 3
Read the “0713 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
“Happy is that people, that is in such a case: yea, happy is that people, whose God is the LORD.” (Psalm 144:15)
Years ago, I was researching some ideas for a new gospel tract for the church. I came across one that really caught my attention. On the front cover it had a picture of a smily face with the question, “Are You Happy?” I thought that this tract would be a great attention getter for others as well; but I wondered, is it biblical? I’m not talking about the contents of the tract, which is doctrinally sound. I am talking about the concept of happiness. What does the Bible really say about happiness? I had always been taught that God’s people can be joyful, but joy is deeper that happiness. In other words, you can be joyful even when you’re not happy. I suppose that may be true at times, but I did a little more research and discovered that the Bible very clearly teaches that God’s children should be a happy people. Don’t misunderstand, I am not saying that there will be times in our lives when we are sad; and to some degree I think feeling sad is good for us and part of our complete emotional makeup. But, for the most part, we who are saved ought to be the happiest people on the planet. Why? Because we have an awful lot to be happy about.
Consider what the Word of God says about happiness:
“Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty:”(Job 5:17)
“Blessed is every one that feareth the LORD; that walketh in his ways. For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee.” (Psalm 128:1&2)
“Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God:” (Psalm 146:5)
“Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.” (Psalm 3:13)
“He that despiseth his neighbour sinneth: but he that hath mercy on the poor, happy is he.” (Proverbs 14:21)
“Happy is the man that feareth alway: but he that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischief.” (Proverbs 28:14)
I could list some more verses, but I think you get the idea. Why then are so many Christians miserable, discontented people? Why are we always so negative? It’s no wonder, we are failing terribly at reaching the world with the gospel. Why should the lost world want what we claim to have with our doctrine, but fail to demonstrate in a happy, contented life. I don’t think happiness is all that elusive. I think it can be found in a right relationship with God. By that I mean that you are saved and yielded to the Spirit of God, surrendered to His will. If you are saved and still doing things your way, you are not going to be happy, because you will have an inner turmoil going on inside of you as God the Holy Spirit works to bring you into submission.
By the way, we ordered the tract, and it was a great eye catcher. We even had a special series of messages surrounding the theme “Are You Happy?”.
Posted in Devotions by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.
Happy To Be In Church
Today’s Reading – Psalms 120 – 132 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Matthew 21 – 22; Psalms 51 – 55; Proverbs 11)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 51
Read the “0711 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon
“I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD.” – (Psalm 122:1)
“Except the LORD build the house they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.” – (Psalm 127:1)
“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” – (Psalm 133:1)
I remember when when my grandson Jaxon was just a young boy, Kindergarten age or so, you could put a smile on his face just by telling him that you were taking him to church. He loved to go to church and still does. When he was just a toddler, he loved to put on his little tie. He loved to ride in the church bus on soul winning night. He loved (and still loves) everything about the church, and he is glad every time he goes.
For my devotion this morning I have listed a couple of verses from our reading today (and one from tomorrow’s reading) that I believe can certainly be considered together. Though, I may be taking a little bit of liberty regarding the proper interpretations of these Scriptures in their original contexts, I do not believe my thoughts violate basic Biblical truth. The first verse (Psalm 122:1) talks about the joy of being in the house of God. I also love to be in the house of God with God’s people, but there have been times in my life when I did not appreciate going to church. Before I was saved, the last thing I wanted to do was to go to church; and even after my salvation there have been times when I dreaded church. Thinking back at these times I now realize that the reason for my apprehension was either because my own heart was not right, or that there was something not right going on in the church.
I remember years ago my wife and I were at a church business meeting. The pastor of the church had fired the youth pastor. The problem was that a good portion of the church really liked the youth pastor and did not want to see him go. The result was a church split, with a lot of arguing, gossiping, and bitterness that certainly was not pleasing to the Lord. The lack of unity (Psalm 133:1) among the brethren caused the church to become an unpleasant place to go.
The bottom line is, however, that a church where the people are striving together, submissive to the will of God, is a place that is a downright joyful place for the Christian to go; unless, of course, his heart is at odds with the will of God. If the church is healthy, and the Christian is healthy spiritually, there ought to be a joyful anticipation of going to the House of God. I am very thankful for the church where I serve. Though we are not a large church, we enjoy serving and worshipping together. It is my prayer that our church will grow together, both spiritually and numerically. However, the house must be built by the Lord. It must be done His way, otherwise, we are just wasting our time.
Do you look forward to going to church, or to you you dread it? If the thought of going is unpleasant to you, you need to ask yourself, why? It may be that there is a major problem within the congregation; but more often than not, the problem lies within your own spiritual condition. If you are out of the will of God, being in God’s house, and around God’s people will certainly be a difficult experience. If that is your situation, please don’t blame the church for your misery, and don’t run from the church either. If you do, you may experience a temporary relief from your feelings, but it will ultimately lead to more sorrow. The best thing that you can do is get back inside the will of God. Inside of God’s will, the local church is a place of happiness.
Posted in Devotions by Phil Erickson with 3 comments.
So Great Is His Mercy
Today’s Reading – Psalms 103 – 105 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Matthew 11 – 12; Psalms 26 – 30; Proverbs 6)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 25
Read the “0706 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon
“He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.” – (Psalm 103:10-12)
I have a good friend who is an evangelist, and every time I ask him how he is doing, he always says, “Better than I deserve”. He’s right. He doesn’t deserve to be doing as good as he is doing, but God has been very good to him; and good to me as well. Today’s passage teaches this truth, which is perhaps the most wonderful truth in the entire Bible: that God is merciful to sinners. Of course, I must be clear to point out that this truth only applies to sinners who have received the gift of salvation through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
There is a principle in the Bible called sowing and reaping, which basically teaches that we will reap in judgment what we sow in sin. But for the Christian, this principle does not completely apply. Those of us who are the children of God will never reap in judgment what we sowed in sin. The judgment of our sin was reaped by the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary. He suffered for what I sowed. Now, to be sure, there will always be corrective consequences for sin in this life, and perhaps loss of reward in eternity for the disobedient Christian, but we will never get what we truly deserve for our rebellion against God. God is merciful. He has removed our sins. He truly has made them white as snow. (Isaiah 1:18) All of our past sins are gone completely, and He will not “impute” any new sins to our account. (Romans 4:8) What a wonderful God we serve! Have you taken time today to thank the Lord for His mercy? Have you told the Lord how much that you appreciate what He did for you on the Cross? Think about it: if you and I received what we deserved we would be burning in the Lake of Fire right now, but our God is merciful to those who come to Him in repentance and faith. Praise His Name!!
Posted in Thoughts from Psalms by Phil Erickson with 3 comments.
David’s Prayer in a Seemingly Hopeless Situation
Today’s Reading – Psalms 69 – 72 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Revelation 13 – 16; Psalms 141 – 145; Proverbs 29)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – 1 John 3:1
Read the “0629 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon
Read a another post from this morning’s reading passage – “Who Are You Magnifying?”
Psalm 69
“Save me, O God; for the waters are come in unto [my] soul. 2 I sink in deep mire, where [there is] no standing: I am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me. 3 I am weary of my crying: my throat is dried: mine eyes fail while I wait for my God.” (Psalm 69:1 – 3)
This psalm is quoted more in the New Testament than any other save Psalm 22 and Psalm 119.
Notice in the introductory material that this psalm is a psalm of David, and it is upon Shoshannim. We have seen this word once before in the introduction to Psalm 45. The word means “Lily”. It is translated “Lily” in 13 other places in the Old Testament, 8 of which are in the Song of Solomon:
“I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys.” (Song of Songs 2:1)
This psalm is messianic in that it speaks of Christ (vs. 4, 21), and it is imprecatory, in that it calls for judgment upon David’s enemies.
I David’s Problem (vs. 1 – 12)
The historical context of this psalm is not revealed.
In v. 1, David cries out to God to save him.
David uses the metaphor of a drowning man, which he has done before in Psalm 18:4 – 6, and in other places:
“The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid. The sorrows of hell compassed me about: the snares of death prevented me. In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears.” (Psalms 18:4-6)
Sometimes the problems of life overwhelm us and suffocate us. The language used here vividly describes David’s hopelessness as well as his despair (v. 3).
Notice in v. 4 that David was hated “without a cause”, but in vs. 7 & 9 David reveals that their hatred of him was due to his love for God.
People that hate God will hate God’s children:
“Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” (2 Timothy 3:12 KJV)
David’s problems lead him to pray.
II David’s Petition (v. 6; vs. 13 – 28)
David prays for his own deliverance. (vs. 13 – 21)
David prays for his enemies’ demise. (vs. 22 – 28)
Our Lord told us to love our enemies; to pray for our enemies; and to even do good to them:
“Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” (Matthew 5:43-48)
Our petition should lead us to praise.
III David’s Praise (vs. 29 – 36)
This is a familiar pattern in the Psalms. David praises God before the deliverance came, because he knew that deliverance would come. He trusted that God would ultimately deliver him, no matter how bad the situation looked.
Posted in Devotions by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.
Blessed
Today’s Reading – Psalms 32 – 35 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – 2 Peter 1 – 3; Psalms 106 – 110; Proverbs 22)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Micah 6:8
Read the “0622 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon
Read a previous post from this passage – “Forgiven”
“1 A Psalm of David, Maschil. Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. 2 Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile. 3 When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long. 4 For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer. Selah. 5 I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah. 6 For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him. 7 Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah. 8 I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye. 9 Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee. 10 Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the LORD, mercy shall compass him about. 11 Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.” (Psalm 32:1-11)
This is the first psalm that has been designated as a “Maschil”. There are a dozen more psalms that will have this designation. It is defined as a poem or song of contemplation. It comes from a root word that means to ponder or consider. Some have said that these Psalms are particularly intended to give instruction, which makes sense when you consider verse eight:
“I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.”(Psalms 32:8)
This is second of six penitential psalms. The first was Psalm 6, and the most famous is Psalm 51. The penitential psalms are psalms of confession. In them David confesses and expresses his remorse over his sin with Bathsheba and the murder of Uriah the Hittite (See 2 Samuel 11 – 12).
Vs. 1 – 2 from this psalm were quoted by the Apostle Paul in Romans 4:7 & 8, and are used in that context to teach that salvation is by grace through faith alone apart from any human works.
I The Blessing of Repentance (vs. 1 – 2)
“Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.” (Psalms 32:1-2 KJV)
This psalm is the second psalm containing a beatitude. The first is Psalm 1:
“Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.” (Psalms 1:1)
There are six more “blessed is the man” phrases in the Psalms. Perhaps the most famous beatitudes are found in Matthew 5:1 – 12.
Notice the word, “covered.” David, like Adam, tried to cover his sins to no avail, but when God covers sins, they are gone forever.
“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” (1 John 1:7-10)
“And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” (Jeremiah 31:34)
“I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.” (Isaiah 43:25)
Now notice the word, “impute.” It is actually a business term, which means to count or to calculate, or to apply to one’s account
The word, “guile,” means deceit. David at one time had guile or deceit in his heart. You may recall that David did not come clean with God initially. God had to confront him. You have to be completely open and honest with God.
II The Foolishness of Resistance (vs. 3 – 4)
“When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long. For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer. Selah.” (Psalms 32:3-4)
Notice the agony that David experienced in his soul, as well as physically, as long as he was trying to hide from God. According to Jay Adams, un-confessed sin can manifest itself in both physical and mental illness symptoms.
David experienced the chastening hand of God while he was hiding.
“Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.” (Psalms 51:8)
“For thine arrows stick fast in me, and thy hand presseth me sore.” (Psalms 38:2)
“Remove thy stroke away from me: I am consumed by the blow of thine hand.” (Psalms 39:10)
Charles Spurgeon said, “God does not permit His children to sin successfully.” John Donne wrote, “Sin is a serpent, and he that covers sin does but keep it warm, that it may sting the more fiercely, and disperse the venom and malignity thereof the more effectually.”[1]
III The Promise of Deliverance (vs. 5 – 7)
“I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah. For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him. Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah.” (Psalms 32:5-7)
Notice the phrase, “when thou mayest be found” – Don’t wait until its too late. See Proverbs 1:24 – 33.
David waited until God confronted him and he suffered the whole time that he delayed, but once he confessed, he was forgiven.
This doesn’t mean that David didn’t suffer because of the consequences of his sins. God in His grace forgives us, but God in His government He says, “You shall reap what you have sown.” Bathsheba conceived and gave birth to a son but the baby died. David’s son Amnon raped his half-sister Tamar (2 Samuel 13) and was slain by David’s son Absalom. Then Absalom tried to seize the throne and was slain by Joab (2 Samuel 14–18). While David was dying his son Adonijah tried to take the scepter from Solomon (1 Kings 1), and Adonijah was slain. However, David faced these calamities with God’s help and lived to assemble what was needed for the temple so that Solomon (Bathsheba’s second son) could build it.[2]
IV The Joy Received from Obedience (vs. 8 – 11)
“I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye. Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee. Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the LORD, mercy shall compass him about. Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.” (Psalms 32:8-11)
Verses 8 – 9 record what God said to David.
Verses 10 – 11 are David’s encouragement to God’s people. He is speaking from experience, when he tells the people to trust God and confess their sin to Him. He is merciful, and that is something that we can rejoice about.
“He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.” (Proverbs 28:13)
David was a man who was greatly blessed of God. He certainly was not perfect and he sinned like everyone else on the planet does. But he was trusting God both with his eternal salvation and his deliverance from the temporal consequences of his sins. David did experience some of the pain and suffering that comes as a result of his own rebellion, as well as the rebellion of others. But, David kept coming back to God; he kept trusting in God, and when He blew it and God chastised him, he confessed and repented and resubmitted himself to the will of the Lord. In the end, David could look back on his life and see the blessing of God everywhere.
[1] Wiersbe, W. W. (2004). Be worshipful. “Be” Commentary Series (1st ed., p. 124). Colorado Springs, CO: Cook Communications Ministries.
[2] Ibid, p. 126.
Posted in Devotions by Phil Erickson with 3 comments.
Gird Up Thy Loins Like A Man
Today’s Reading – Job 36 – 38 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers Read – 2 Timothy 1 – 4; Psalms 71 – 75; Proverbs 15)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 119:105
Read the “0615 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon
“Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me.” – (Job 38:3)
It is now God’s turn to speak. God hasn’t said anything in this book since His earlier conversation with Satan; and the humans in the story were not privy to that conversation. All of this talk that has been going on since chapter 2 has been by people who really had no idea of the true circumstances regarding the calamity that Job was facing. They were clueless. Job’s friends were accusing Job, and Job was defending himself. They were all speaking on behalf of God; yet much of what they said was not true. However, now we will hear from the Source. God is speaking, and we know that everything that God says is true. By the way, you get the idea from the tone of this passage that God is not very happy about all that has been said. It kind of reminds me of a time when I was much younger and I was rebuked by an authority figure in my life. He had some things to say to me, and I was going to listen. God will take 4 chapters to basically remind Job and his friends that He is God, and they are merely humans.
As we read chapters 39 – 42 together tomorrow, pay close attention to God describing Himself, and His magnificent, omnipotent power. Between now and then, however, think a little bit of how much we are like Job and His friends. We are just little humans, trying to understand an infinite God. Let’s start thinking of ourselves as we really are. We are not much. We are pretty small and insignificant in the big scheme of things. And while we are at it, let us also start trusting God’s wisdom in allowing the things that have happened to us in our lives.
Posted in Thoughts from Job by Phil Erickson with 2 comments.
We Will Trust in Him
Today’s Reading – Job 12 – 14 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers Read – Ephesians 4 – 6; Psalms 36 – 40; Proverbs 8)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 48:1 & 2
Read the “0608 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon
Read another post from this passage – “Wisdom“
“Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him.” (Job 13:15)
In this statement we see Job’s declaration of faith in God. Though Job certainly has not figured out why God has allowed all of this tragedy to come into his life, he plainly declares here that no matter what God does to him (or allows to be done to him), he will continue to trust Him. When you and I read this book of the Bible it is easy for us from the perspective of history to identify with what Job has stated here. But think for a minute with me. If it were you or me going through what Job went through, how would we be feeling about God? If God were to allow us to lose everything all at once, and then to have excruciating physical pain placed on top of it, how would we react? Could we say, truthfully, “yet will I trust in Him”?
A few years back, I watched a movie / documentary called “Amish Grace” about the Nickel Mines tragedy in Lancaster, PA. The movie recounts the true story of a troubled man who went into an Amish school house, shooting 10 little girls and killing 5 of them. The amazing thing is that the Amish people chose to trust God’s wisdom in allowing what happened. Though it was very painful and though it took a little time for all of them to come to this decision, they chose to forgive the man that shot their children. This was certainly a modern day picture of what Job went through. These Amish folks did not understand why God had allowed it to happened, yet they continued to keep their trust in the Lord.
Most of the time I feel that my faith is so weak, I doubt whether it could stand up to such intense suffering. I guess it will have to be the grace of God that will sustain me through the dark days that seem to find their way into every believer’s life at one point or another. I know that difficult days lie ahead for me as well. I want to be prepared for them by getting so close to God that it will be easier to trust Him when it doesn’t seem like He is even there.
I also wanted to make a comment about the second half of verse 15. Job says that he will maintain [his] ways before him (God). I believe what Job was saying here is that though he was being severely tested by the Lord, he was still going to continue to do what he had always done. In other words, he wasn’t going to quit. He was going to keep on living for the Lord through the difficult trial. I know that when we are going through trials in life it can be very difficult to “maintain” your walk with the Lord, but it is especially important to stay close to God during the tough times. Don’t quit.
Posted in Thoughts from Job by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.