Monday, March 31, 2014

Psalm 23:1-6


... in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.  Amen.  Through the prayers of our holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us.  Amen.  Glory to You, our God, Glory to You.

O Heavenly King, the Comforter, the Spirit of truth, You are everywhere and fill all things, Treasury of blessings, and Giver of life: come and abide in us, and cleanse us from every impurity, and save our souls, O Good One.

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us (three times).

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, as it is now, was in the beginning, and ever shall be, world without end.  Amen.

Psalm 23:1-6[1]

A Psalm of David.

The Lord [is] My shepherd.  I shall not want.  He makes Me lie down in green pastures.  He leads Me beside the still waters.  He restores My soul.  He leads Me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.[2]

Yes, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for You [are] with Me.  Your rod and Your staff comfort Me.  You prepare a table before Me in the presence of My enemies.  You Christen My head with oil.  My cup runs over.  Surely goodness and mercy shall follow Me all the days of My life.  I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.[3]




[1] Everyone’s favorite Psalm opens with the remembrance of Yahweh’s great shepherding leadership.  All of life hangs on this marvelous providence, which supplies everything necessary for both the material (human body or flesh) and the immaterial (the human spirit) aspect of man.  Yahweh focuses great attention on keeping the image of God in man alive.
We are less surprised then, when we learn from David that this same attention for the image of God in man continues after bodily, physical death.  Death is that great specter which haunts us all.  We would do well to ask, “What will happen to our souls, when we can no longer cling to God in faith?”  Faith grows dim, hope fades.  We find the answer to the terrors of death in the death of Christ: for David is writing about Christ’s three day burial in the tomb.  Jesus fears no evil in “the valley of the shadow of death” because the same relationship with Father Yahweh that sustained Him in life, now sustains Him in death.  We are in Him, and in Him we are also led through the valley.  Our human frailty thinks too much of how tightly we cling to God.  Like little children we grasp our earthly father’s hand with such tenacity that we nearly wring his fingers off, yet we forget.  Yahweh’s great shepherding ministry is not dependent on our clinging to Him, although that is not a bad thing to do, but rather in His clinging to us.  We are children, we get distracted, we let go.  God never lets go; the Father’s Faithful shepherding in Jesus, the Good Shepherd, never fails, not even as we weaken in death.  After death, we have new life, and a new home.
[2] The first paragraph centers on the relationship of Yahweh, He with I or me.  The second paragraph changes the verbal focus from the third person to the more intimate second person; the relationship of Yahweh, You with me or I.  In neither case is my relationship with Yahweh ever in view; but always His relationship with me.
[3] If you have been blessed or helped by any of these meditations in Psalms, please repost or share any of them as you wish.

Saturday, March 29, 2014

Psalm 1 KJV Paraphrase


The Book of Psalms
Analysis

BOOK  I 


Section  1:  Saturday Vespers


Division  1:1 


... in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.  Amen.  Through the prayers of our holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us.  Amen.  Glory to You, our God, Glory to You.

O Heavenly King, the Comforter, the Spirit of truth, You are everywhere and fill all things, Treasury of blessings, and Giver of life: come and abide in us, and cleanse us from every impurity, and save our souls, O Good One.

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us (three times).

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, as it is now, was in the beginning, and ever shall be, world without end.  Amen.

All-holy Trinity, have mercy on us.  Lord, cleanse us from our sins.  Master, pardon our iniquities.  Holy One, visit us and heal our infirmities for Your Name’s sake.  Lord have mercy (three times).

Psalm 1 KJV Paraphrase

Blessed [is] the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful.  But, his delight [is] in the law of the Lord.  In His law, he meditates day and night.  He shall be like a tree planted by the streams of water, who brings forth his fruit in his season.  His leaf also shall not wither.  Whatever he does shall prosper.

The ungodly [are] not so: but [are] like the chaff, which the wind drives away.  Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.  For the Lord knows the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

Psalm 1 KJV

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.  But his delight [is] in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.  And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

The ungodly [are] not so: but [are] like the chaff which the wind driveth away.  Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.  For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.[1]

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%201&version=KJV




[1] If you have been blessed or helped by any of these meditations in Psalms, please repost or share any of them as you wish.

Friday, March 28, 2014

Psalm 148:1-14


... in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.  Amen.  Through the prayers of our holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us.  Amen.  Glory to You, our God, Glory to You.

O Heavenly King, the Comforter, the Spirit of truth, You are everywhere and fill all things, Treasury of blessings, and Giver of life: come and abide in us, and cleanse us from every impurity, and save our souls, O Good One.

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us (three times).

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, as it is now, was in the beginning, and ever shall be, world without end.  Amen.

Psalm 148:1-14[1]

Praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord from the heavens.  Praise Him in the heights.  Praise Him, all His angels.  Praise Him, all His hosts.  Praise Him, sun and moon.  Praise Him, all stars of light.  Praise Him, heavens of heavens, waters above the heavens.

Let them praise the name of the Lord: for He commanded, and they were created.  He has also established them forever and ever.  He has made a decree, which shall not pass.

Praise the Lord from the earth, dragons, and all deeps; fire and hail, snow and vapors, stormy wind fulfilling His word; mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars; beasts and all cattle, creeping things and flying fowl; kings of the earth and all people, princes and all judges of the earth; both young men and maidens, old men and children.

Let them praise the name of the Lord: for His name alone is excellent.  His Glory [is] above the earth and heaven.  He also exalts the horn of His people, the praise of all His saints, of the children of Israel, a people near Him.

Praise the Lord.[2]



[1] We must not miss the evangelistic fervor of this Psalm.  All of God’s works of creation and providence are of cosmic significance: there is nothing they do not touch.  Consequently, all of the heavenly creation, the Universe, without exception, all are invited to join in the praise.
The reasons for such universal praise are clear enough, “Let them praise the name of the Lord: for He commanded, and they were created.  He has also established them forever and ever.  He has made a decree, which shall not pass.”  Creation and providence are permanent.
Just in case we missed the point the first time, the psalmist continues with a fresh litany of earthly things which are also to praise God.  Many of these things are inanimate, but in the last days these will also find their voices, along with the living.  When writers like C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien write of talking, walking trees, they are not being farfetched, they are looking to a reality hidden in mysteries beyond our understanding.  The stones will cry out (Habakkuk 2:11; Luke 19:40).  This litany culminates in a focus on the human praise of Yahweh: all stations, ethnicities, sexes, and ages are to join in the chorus.
Again, the reasons are plain, “Let them praise the name of the Lord: for His name alone is excellent.  His Glory [is] above the earth and heaven.  He also exalts the horn of His people, the praise of all His saints, of the children of Israel, a people near Him.”  We must not overlook the term Glory which runs throughout the Psalms and all of Scripture.  The Glory, with Whom Moses spoke, the Glory is the visible Presence of our God, the Beatific Vision which we all gladly worship.  When we see Him, He will look a lot like Jesus.  “Praise the Lord.”
[2] If you have been blessed or helped by any of these meditations in Psalms, please repost or share any of them as you wish.

Thursday, March 27, 2014

Psalm 105:1-45


... in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.  Amen.  Through the prayers of our holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us.  Amen.  Glory to You, our God, Glory to You.

O Heavenly King, the Comforter, the Spirit of truth, You are everywhere and fill all things, Treasury of blessings, and Giver of life: come and abide in us, and cleanse us from every impurity, and save our souls, O Good One.

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us (three times).

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, as it is now, was in the beginning, and ever shall be, world without end.  Amen.[1]

Psalm 105:1-45[2]

Give thanks to the Lord.  Call on His name.  Make known His deeds among the people.  Sing to Him.  Sing psalms to Him.  Talk of all His wondrous works.  Glory in His holy name.  Let the heart of those who seek the Lord rejoice.  Seek the Lord, and His strength.  Seek His face evermore.  Remember His marvelous works, which He has done, His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth. 

O you seed of Abraham His servant, you children of Jacob His chosen.  He [is] the Lord our God.  His judgments [are] in all the earth.  He has remembered His covenant forever, the word He commanded to a thousand generations: that He made with Abraham, His oath to Isaac.  [He] confirmed the same to Jacob for a law, to Israel, an everlasting covenant: saying, “To you will I give the land of Canaan, the lot of your inheritance:”

When they were few men in number, yes, very few, and aliens in it.  When they went from one nation to another, from [one] kingdom to another people.  He suffered no man to do them wrong.  Yes, He reproved kings for their sakes, “Touch not My Christ.  Do My prophets no harm.”

Moreover, He called for a famine on the land.  He broke the whole staff of bread.  He sent a man before them.  Joseph was sold for a slave, whose feet they hurt with fetters.  He was laid in iron: until the time that his Word came.  The Word of the Lord tried him.  The king sent and released him.  The ruler of the people, and let him go free.  He made him lord of his house, ruler of all his substance: to bind his princes at his pleasure, and teach his senators wisdom.  Israel also came to Egypt.  Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham.

He increased His people greatly, and made them stronger than their enemies.  He turned their heart to hate His people, to deal subtly with His servants.  He sent Moses His servant, [and] Aaron whom He had chosen.  They showed His signs among them, wonders in the land of Ham.  He sent darkness, and made it dark.  They rebelled not against His word.  He turned their waters to blood, and slew their fish.  Their land brought forth frogs in abundance, in the chambers of their kings.  He spoke.  There came different kinds of flies, lice in all their coasts.  He gave them hail for rain, flaming fire in their land.  He struck their vines also, their fig trees, and broke the trees on their coasts.  He spoke.  The locusts came, and caterpillars, and these without number, and ate up all the herbs in their land, and devoured the fruit of their ground.  He struck also all the firstborn in their land, the chief of all their strength.

He brought them forth also with silver and gold.  [There was] not one feeble among their tribes.  Egypt was glad when they departed: for the fear of them fell on them.  He spread a cloud for a covering, and fire to give light in the night.  [They] asked.  He brought quails, and satisfied them with the bread of heaven.  He opened the rock, and the waters gushed out.  They ran in the dry places [like] a river: for He remembered His holy promise, [to] Abraham His servant.  He brought forth His people with joy, His chosen with gladness.  [He] gave them the lands of the heathen.  They inherited the labor of the people: so that they might observe His statutes, and keep His laws.

Praise the Lord.



[1] If you have been blessed or helped by any of these meditations in Psalms, please repost or share any of them as you wish.
[2] Psalm 105 is sung in obedience to the Great Shema.  Israelite children were to be taught their history among the Egyptians, their oppression, the plagues on the idols of Egypt, the Passover, the Exodus, the entry into Canaan, so that they would grow up loving Yahweh and longing to worship Him.  From earliest childhood they were taught to seek Him and His Face, so that when they went up to Jerusalem three times a year, they would know Who that Flaming Presence of His Glory was.
The children were to learn that Yahweh was faithful to them; He honored His covenant promises as they were made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  The children of Israel were to grow up knowing that were a specially chosen people.
When they were only a powerless handful of people, wandering the earth, God protected them from harm.
The famine that threatened Jacob and his family was brought by Yahweh’s purpose and will.  Joseph’s sale into slavery was also part of the Divine plan.  However, Joseph was sent to bear the Word of Yahweh, so he was promoted from prison to be the chief prince of Egypt, and provided a way to protect his father Israel in Egypt.
The Israelites came to Egypt in weakness, but left in Yahweh’s display of power and glory.  The affection that Joseph enjoyed, decayed into affliction and malice.  Then Yahweh raised up Moses and Aaron to be prophets to Pharaoh, and they destroyed the idols and idolatry of Egypt with great plagues: even the firstborn were all slain.
The Egyptians were so glad to be rid of them that they showered them with silver and gold.  The flaming pillar of Yahweh’s Glory gave them light at night, and formed a smoky sheltering cloud during the day.  Throughout the whole journey of the Exodus, Yahweh fed them with the miraculous bread of heaven and quenched their thirst with water from the rock.  He brought them into a new land so that they would honor His Law and strive to do it.

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Psalm 84:1-12


... in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.  Amen.  Through the prayers of our holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us.  Amen.  Glory to You, our God, Glory to You.

O Heavenly King, the Comforter, the Spirit of truth, You are everywhere and fill all things, Treasury of blessings, and Giver of life: come and abide in us, and cleanse us from every impurity, and save our souls, O Good One.

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us (three times).

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, as it is now, was in the beginning, and ever shall be, world without end.  Amen.[1]

Psalm 84:1-12[2]

To the chief Musician on Gittith, A Psalm for the sons of Korah.

How amiable [are] Your tabernacles, Lord of hosts!  My soul longs, yes, even faints for the courts of the Lord.  My heart and my flesh cries out for the living God.  Yes, the sparrow has found a house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young.  Your altars, Lord of hosts, my King, and my God.  Blessed [are] those who dwell in Your house.  They will be still praising You.  Consider.

Blessed [is] the man whose strength [is] in You.  In whose heart [are Your] ways.  [Who] passing through the valley of Weeping[3] make it a well.  The rain also fills the pools.  They go from strength to strength.  [They] appear before God in Zion.  Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer.  Give ear, O God of Jacob.  Consider.

Behold, O God our shield.  Look on the face of Your Christ.  For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand.  I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness: for the Lord God [is] a sun and shield.  The Lord will give grace and Glory.  No good will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.

Lord of hosts, blessed is the man who trusts in You.



[1] If you have been blessed or helped by any of these meditations in Psalms, please repost or share any of them as you wish.
[2] It appears that the sons of Korah survey the ruins of Jerusalem and Zion, not long before Ezra, Nehemiah, and Zerubbabel return to begin the reconstruction.  While they reminisce about Jerusalem the Golden, and the way she should be, they see a sparrow nested in a bit of altar ruins.  This reminds them of their chief joy, to live in Yahweh’s house, the City of God, forevermore; singing, praising, and seeing God eternally (they will still be praising).  “His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.”  (Martin, Civilla D., lyrics and Gabriel, Charles H., composer: Matthew 10:27-31).
The sons of Korah pray and sing about the coming change which changes weeping into a well, the blessing of God pictured in strength bringing rain.  Their joy is to come before God in Zion.
The sons of Korah pray for the coming of the Messiah, and rejoice in being allowed to serve Him: for all blessings come from the Christ’s face.
Blessed is the man of faith.
[3] Some associate Baca, weeping with the valley of mulberry trees, the valley of Ge-Hinnom, which was used for refuse, and later became an icon of the Lake of Fire.

The Story of the Jews


I caught a piece of Simon Schama, The Story of the Jews, last night.  Fascinating and very informative, I can’t wait to see the whole thing, might even have to purchase the DVD and the book.  A few things seemed remarkable.  As one who bears the stigmata of the Jews, these were very interesting.

According to Schama, the Sephardic Jew’s took excessive delight, even pride, overweening pride in their control over Christian hierarchs and monarchs through usurious lending.  Such lending is a slow form of murder that, snake like, gradually squeezes the life out of its victims.  This kind of murder, oppression, and slavery are clearly forbidden by Torah.

However, Schama also complains bitterly when Christians rose up against the Jews, slaughtering them, oppressing them, forcing them to move and leave their homes and beautiful synagogues behind.  This also is a form of murder, not so gradual; a form of murder, oppression, and slavery are equally condemned by Torah.

John 16:1-4 offers this terse analysis.  “I have spoken these things to you, so that you should not be offended.  They shall put you out of the synagogues: yes, the time comes, that whosoever kills you will think that he does God a favor.  They will do these things to you, because they have not known the Father, or me.  But I have told you these things, so that when the time comes, you may remember that I told you about them.  I did not tell you these things before, because I was with you.”

How ironic then, that both Christians and Jews should find themselves condemned by the same Torah.

Schama seems to object that God does nothing about such murders in violation of Torah, when he observes (perhaps from Nahmanides?) that the Christians look to a Divine Messiah, Who has come, without bringing the promised kingdom; while Jews look to a human Messiah, who has not yet come.  In either case, God does nothing about this evil in violation of Torah (2 Peter 3:1-14, another terse analysis of the reality).

Yet, both Christians and Jews have the same complaint: namely, that the other party is in gross violation of Torah, and God does nothing.  Be that as it is, here we are.  The Jews are persecuted, shunted all over Europe, driven into ghettos, and slaughtered like cattle as the just punishment for their sins, their cruel crimes against humanity.  On the other hand, the Christians are oppressed with one lethal plague, and war after war after war as the just punishment for their sins, their cruel crimes against humanity.  And we have the outrageous temerity to insist that God does nothing.  Have we never read in the Psalms, how God delights to return the sin of the sinner back upon his/her own head as the appropriate and just punishment for sin; and that punishment usually given in hope of repentance.

What can we possibly be thinking?

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Psalm 60:1-12


... in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.  Amen.  Through the prayers of our holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us.  Amen.  Glory to You, our God, Glory to You.

O Heavenly King, the Comforter, the Spirit of truth, You are everywhere and fill all things, Treasury of blessings, and Giver of life: come and abide in us, and cleanse us from every impurity, and save our souls, O Good One.

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us (three times).

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, as it is now, was in the beginning, and ever shall be, world without end.  Amen.

Psalm 60:1-12[1]

To the chief Musician on Shushan–eduth, Michtam of David, to teach; when he strove with Aram–naharaim, and with Aram–zobah, when Joab returned, and struck twelve-thousand Edomites in the valley of salt.

O God, You have cast us off.  You have scattered us.  You have been displeased.  Turn Yourself to us again.  You have made the earth tremble.  You have broken it.  Heal the breaches of it: for it shakes.  You have showed Your people hard things.  You have made us drink the wine of astonishment.  You have given a banner to those who fear You, that it may be displayed because of the truth.  Consider.  That Your beloved may be delivered.  Save [with] Your right hand, Hear me.

God has spoken in His holiness.  I will rejoice, I will divide Shechem, and measure out the valley of Succoth.  Gilead [is] Mine, Manasseh [is] Mine.  Ephraim also [is] the strength of My head.  Judah [is] My lawgiver.  Moab [is] My washbasin.  Over Edom I will cast out My shoe.  Philistia, you triumph because of Me.

Who will bring me [to] the strong city?  Who will lead me to Edom?  [Will] not You, O God, [Who] has cast us off?  [You], O God, [Who] went not out with our armies?  Give us help from trouble: for vain [is] the help of man.  Through God, we shall do valiantly: for He shall tread down our enemies.

__________________

If you have been blessed or helped by any of these meditations in Psalms, please repost or share any of them as you wish.



[1] The major difference between Psalm 60 and Psalm 108 is that Psalm 60 prays about the main defeat before the last Battle of Salt, while Psalm 108 sings praise after the last Battle of Salt.  This battle is not known in detail, but may be associated with the Battle of Rabbah, where Uriah the Hittite was slain (2 Samuel 11).  It may be that Joab was attacked from the rear by an Edomite uprising occasioned by David’s sin: however, this is not possible to establish.
In any case, God was displeased with Israel, and punished them.  Since Israel’s wars are not ordinary wars, but wars of Yahweh against demonism, it was a rare occurrence for Yahweh not to go out with the army (Joshua 7:4, 11, 18-26, Achan’s sin; 1 Samuel 4, sins of Eli’s sons), and always brought about by sin.  Since David did not go out in 2 Samuel 11, and terrible consequences followed we make a connection because we are unaware of any other.  David also sinned in ordering a census (2 Samuel 24), but the deaths on that occasion were due to pestilence.
This appears to be some sort of Israelite battle hymn derived from the promises of God.
Again, this is an attack against a fortified (strong) city, a city with a wall, and armed defenses, located near the Valley of Salt.
We have a humanly common way of getting ourselves into calamity.  “You [Lord] did not lead us into calamity” from the Lord’s Prayer.  No, we got into trouble (temptation) all by ourselves.  The usual reason is that we prayed after we acted, rather than before, or we did something else foolish in opposition to the Law of God.  Had we acted prayerfully in accordance with the Law of God, we would not be in trouble.  Our obedience to God’s Law is the gracious gift of God in Christ Jesus, but how frequently we forget who we are, and we neglect prayer.  In this case, David ends up praying after defeat; but God is gracious, so David has to repeat his prayer, giving thanks for victory.

Monday, March 24, 2014

Psalm 38:1-22


... in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.  Amen.  Through the prayers of our holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us.  Amen.  Glory to You, our God, Glory to You.

O Heavenly King, the Comforter, the Spirit of truth, You are everywhere and fill all things, Treasury of blessings, and Giver of life: come and abide in us, and cleanse us from every impurity, and save our souls, O Good One.

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us (three times).

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, as it is now, was in the beginning, and ever shall be, world without end.  Amen.

Psalm 38:1-22[1]

[A Psalm] of David, to bring to remembrance.

Lord, rebuke me not in Your fury; nor punish me in Your hot displeasure: for Your arrows stick fast in me, Your hand presses me sore.

 [There is] no soundness in my flesh,[2] because of Your anger.  Nor [is there any] rest in my bones, because of my sin: 4 for my iniquities are gone over my head; as a heavy burden they are too heavy for me.  5 My wounds stink [and] are corrupt, because of my foolishness.

I am troubled.  I am bowed down greatly.  I go mourning all the day: 7 for my loins are filled with a loathsome [disease].

[There is] no soundness in my flesh.2  I am feeble and sore broken.  I have roared by reason of the restlessness of my heart.

Lord, all my desire [is] before You.  My groaning is not hid from You.  My heart pants, My strength fails me.  As for the light of my eyes, it also is gone from me.  My lovers and my friends stand aloof from my sore.  My family stands at a distance.  They also that seek after my life lay snares [for me].  Those who seek my hurt speak mischievous things, and imagine deceits all the day: but I, as a deaf [man], heard not.  [I was] as a dumb man [that] opens not his mouth.  Thus I was as a man who hears not, and in whose mouth [are] no replies.

For[3] in You, Lord, I hope.  You will hear, O Lord my God.  For I said, “[Hear me], lest [otherwise] they should rejoice over me.  When my foot slips, they magnify [themselves] against me.”  For I [am] ready to stumble, My sorrow is continually before me.  For I will declare my iniquity.  I will be sorry for my sin.

But my enemies [are] lively, They are strong.  Those who hate me wrongfully are multiplied.  They also that render evil for good are my adversaries: because I follow good.

Forsake me not, Lord.  O my God, be not far from me.  Make haste to help me, O Lord my salvation.

__________________

If you have been blessed or helped by any of these meditations in Psalms, please repost or share any of them as you wish.




[1] The Psalm of Christ’s trials, and tortures, the Psalm of the Via Dolorosa.  We do not know what sufferings occasioned this Psalm of David.  Maybe it was occasioned by the death of Uzzah (2 Samuel 6:6-11).  Perhaps this was when David was nearly killed by the Philistines (2 Samuel 21:15-17).  Possibly it remembers the time when David ordered a census which was forbidden by the Law (2 Samuel 24).  David was very sensitive to his responsibilities as the prototypical Shepherd of Israel: and one of these failures could have made him violently ill.  Or it could be something else unknown to us: such as the pains of old age (1 Kings 1:1) which are like extreme sickness and death.
Extreme sickness brings back many memories of prior foolishness that may be the cause.  Since all of us have regrets in life, there is no shortage of suspected causes: many real, and some imaginary.  Sickness distorts reason.  Confessed and absolved sins return to haunt.  Regrets for the victims of ones sins are remembered, because one is uncertain that they have recovered, and forgive.
David is cast into a state of mourning, as if he anticipates his own death, or caused the death of another.
David remembers his absolute dependence on God, Who he addresses in humility, Adonai.  He prefigures the silence of the Crucifixion.  His groanings are public.  His eyes cease to see.  His friends and family have deserted Him.  The remaining witnesses are His enemies.  The Jews plot with Pilate to seal the tomb and hide the murder: if the seal fails, they plan to claim that the disciples stole the body (Matthew 27:62-66).  He can no longer hear or speak.  God has spoken His final answer.
David’s thoughts are only that Yahweh will Glorify Himself in victory.
Alas, the wicked are very strong, corrupt, and numerous.  In the end of days, how can it be possible to see victory?  Will there be “faith on the earth” (Luke 18:8)?
The only answer is, “Forsake me not, Lord.  O my God, be not far from me.  Make haste to help me, O Lord my salvation.”
[2] Two places, this is an important motif in understanding the Psalm.
[3] We ordinarily treat the word, for, as explanatory.  Here is repeats four times in a row, so we separated it in its own paragraph until further investigation can be made in Hebrew (Aramaic) and Greek.

Sunday, March 23, 2014

Mark 8:34-9:1


... in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.  Amen.  Through the prayers of our holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us.  Amen.  Glory to You, our God, Glory to You.

O Heavenly King, the Comforter, the Spirit of truth, You are everywhere and fill all things, Treasury of blessings, and Giver of life: come and abide in us, and cleanse us from every impurity, and save our souls, O Good One.

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us (three times).

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, as it is now, was in the beginning, and ever shall be, world without end.  Amen.

You choose.  The easy, popular way of happiness, health, and wealth or the desert.  You decide.

Mark 8:34-9:1[1]

And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them,

“Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me: for whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it: for what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?  Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?  Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

And he said to them,

“Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power.”



[1] If you don’t follow Him, who will?
If you don’t deny yourself, who will?
If you don’t take up your cross and face your own crucifixion, putting death to self, daily, who will?
If you don’t emulate Christ, who will?
If you don’t forfeit your life, who will?
If you don’t think your soul more valuable than the Universe, who does?
If you don’t stand up against wickedness, who will?
If you don’t clothe, feed, and shelter the poor; comfort the broken hearted; visit the sick; defend the oppressed and weak: who will?
If you don’t tell the world, who will?
If you are ashamed of Christ and what His Bible really says.  If you want to retranslate Scripture so it’s not so plain and harsh.  If you want to reinterpret the Word to take out the things you don’t like….
If you don’t refuse to be ashamed of Christ in your place, when the world insists that it’s bad manners to talk about God in public, when the world decrees that it’s not politically correct to mention the name of Jesus in society, when many are claiming that God is Dead: who will?
You chose.  You decide.  God has already made up His mind about how to figure out who His friends are.