SUNDAY PSALMS PART 30 OF 48 - PSALM 119:25-32

Post Road, Indianapolis, across from Fort Ben State Park

 25   My soul clings to the dust;
      Revive me according to Your word.
26   I have declared my ways, and You answered me;
      Teach me Your statutes.
27   Make me understand the way of Your precepts;
      So shall I meditate on Your wondrous works.
28   My soul melts from heaviness;
      Strengthen me according to Your word.
29   Remove from me the way of lying,
      And grant me Your law graciously.
30   I have chosen the way of truth;
      Your judgments I have laid before me.
31   I cling to Your testimonies;
      O Lord, do not put me to shame!
32   I will run the course of Your commandments,
      For You shall enlarge my heart.
                    Psalm 119:25-32, New King James Version

Three points I want to make with this section.

1. First, a confession that I relate to the Psalmist's mindset in verses 25 and 28. How about you?
2. I love verse 26, and I find it an invitation, a promise, and a challenge. An invitation to tell God what's on our minds and our plans. A promise that He'll answer us. A challenge to ask God to show us His statutes. Do you think that prayer will be answered?
3. I love the two sides of the coin verses 29 and 30 show. The first could be said to be the Calvinist verse, asking God to remove the path of lying and to grant us His law graciously. The second is the Arminian counterpart, stating that we chose the way of truth and that we willingly are setting God's judgments before us.

What does this Psalm segment say to you?

 

SUNDAY PSALMS PART 13 OF 48 - PSALM 60

St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church, Indianapolis

1    O God, You have cast us off;
     You have broken us down;
     You have been displeased;
     Oh, restore us again!
2   You have made the earth tremble;
     You have broken it;
     Heal its breaches, for it is shaking.
3   You have shown Your people hard things;
     You have made us drink the wine of confusion.
4   You have given a banner to those who fear You,
     That it may be displayed because of the truth.
                                                                    Selah

5   That Your beloved may be delivered,
     Save with Your right hand, and hear me.
6   God has spoken in His holiness:
     "I will rejoice;
     I will divide Shechem
     And measure out the Valley of Succoth.
7   Gilead is Mine, and Manasseh is Mine;
     Ephraim also is the helmet for My head;
     Judah is My lawgiver.
8   Moab is My washpot;
    Over Edom I will cast My shoe;
    Philistia, shout in triumph because of Me."

9   Who will bring me to the strong city?
     Who will lead me to Edom?
10  Is it not You, O God, who cast us off?
     And You, O God, who did not go out with our armies?
11  Give us help from trouble,
     For the help of man is useless.
12  Through God we will do valiantly,
     For it is He who shall tread down our enemies.
                    Psalm 60:1-12, New King James Version

One fascinating tidbit - Psalm 108 is a combination of part of Psalm 57 and the last seven verses of this Psalm. A second is that I remember a worship chorus based on the final verse.

This Psalm deals with the Psalmist feeling Israel has been cast off, which is obvious in the first three verses as well as verses nine and ten. There are times we feel that way as well.

What is the answer? The final two verses of this verse gives us two facts to remember.

1. Man's help is useless. Our help doesn't come from man's ideas or man's activities. Some of that human philosophy comes from people who want to help, and some comes from people who want to manipulate, but that is at best flawed and fallen and at worst in opposition to God's ways.
2. God/Christ needs to be our help when we're in trouble. He is willing and able to help, and anything we accomplish is from Him.