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Creating
a Renewed Trust
INTRODUCTION
Our
lesson today concerns the matter of honesty in the heart, thought, and
attitude of those who profess to be the people of God. It
also deals with the issue of faith; whether the true faith exists, the
strength of one’s faith, and how faith is demonstrated when the tests of
life face the believer. It
also addresses the matter of the Providence of God. How does God actually
deal with the issue of evil in the world? These
issues have troubled all believers. Believers
can hardly ever be dissuaded from the fixed idea, that since they are
children of God and that their heavenly Father so loves and cares for them
that they should be the ‘kings’ and ‘queens’ on earth. They firmly
believe they should be enjoying all the good things in life and that
definitely, the ungodly that they see around them should not be the ones
that enjoy life to the fullest, while they are depressed, frustrated, and
suffering. Many
Christians have difficulty dealing with this apparent inequity and as a
result, there is a strong temptation to envy the prosperity of wicked
people. Those
who believe in the Scriptures have always been told, time and time again,
that God rewards the righteous and punishes the wicked. Often
however, it appears that this assertion is contradicted by what happens in
practice. Barbarians and
dictators have often destroyed people better than themselves, and often
have long and prosperous rules. Nowadays
we see that many in the financial industries have accumulated tremendous
wealth, power, and influence by breaking all the rules, and leaving
unsophisticated as well as sophisticated investors, pensioners, employees,
and even tax collectors in the dust. Even
in the entertainment industry, in movies and on television the wicked, the
violent and the scheming very often win in the end.
It doesn't seem that honesty is the best policy
neither it appears, do the meek inherit the earth. The
righteous seems to suffer injustices, and are martyred for their faith,
while the wicked very often seemed to escape untouched. The
psalmist apparently has a bad problem.
Believers often have this same problem and we will see what the
Scriptures tell us about this issue. Though
we will not be looking at Psalm 74, it must be noted that there the roof
really falls in, for in that Psalm there is discussion about national
disaster, when God rejects his people, and terrible disaster occurs. This
is a psalm of Asaph, a seer and chief musician in the time of David and
Solomon. Ezra 2:41 describes him as founder of the Guild or School of
Temple singers and musicians. Someone
in this school of musicians founded by Asaph could actually have written
this undated psalm. The sentiments expressed are found in every period, and apply just as easily in the times of David and Solomon and in the subsequent history of Israel. THE
TEXT
Verse
1. The
rather abrupt or sudden beginning suggests that he has been thinking for
some time about a difficult problem, and that he must admit to himself
that despite the ramifications of the problem, it was undeniable that God
was good to the people of Israel. God had picked them out from all the
nations, established them as his own people, given them his laws and
commandments and had done all kinds of wonderful works on their behalf, to
demonstrate to them and the world, that they have been chosen and
redeemed. They had indeed
been blessed by God's presence and his power. It was
clear to him that God had done nothing but good for them.
They could not accuse God of unkindness toward them or not
displaying fatherly concern for them.
He was in every respect a good and loving father to them. We
should note that this is a basic truth, from which believers should never
be shaken, for any departure from this basic belief is most perilous for
believers. Believers
must learn to remain unshaken in the belief that God is good, incapable of
bad or harmful thoughts toward his people, for this is the fundamental
thing that will strengthen us against the temptations of Satan. If Eve and
Adam had remembered this, they would have immediately cut all conversation
with Satan and turned from associating or listening to him. Satan
is a liar and a deceiver and constantly tries to make us believe that God
is not good. If he succeeds
in making us believe this lie, he will have committed an act of murder.
We must therefore be warned that he has murdered many. Whatever
happens we must hold on tightly to the idea that God is good to all those
that have a clean heart. God
cannot violate this principle for it is a part of him.
That is his nature, and he cannot deny himself. The
psalmist described Israel here as not all of those descended from Jacob,
but restricts the definition of Israel, to those who were cleansed of
impurity and uncleanness from the inside and who therefore maintained
themselves in purity. Psalm
24:4 gives a description of these pure in heart. Obviously
there were people in Israel who would be considered carnal Israelites,
people who did not love or obey God.
Some of them are described in the succeeding verses. We today should be careful to recognize that if God has not cleansed our heart and renewed a right spirit within us, purged our conscience from the guilt of sin, we will die. We should examine ourselves, and not delude ourselves, retaining a filthy heart, yet thinking that we are acceptable to God with our unchanged heart. Verse
2. The
psalmist understands the importance of a clean heart and he now confesses
that he had almost stumbled, slipping out of the way of holiness and
almost ready to forsake the path of righteousness.
He had just about turned toward the other side, tempted away from
believing that God is truly good. For him this was a narrow escape, for he only barely escaped slipping. He was not however altogether gone. In light of the experiences of the people of God, one writer warns: “
The faith even of strong believers may sometimes be sorely shaken and
ready to fail them. There are storms that will try the firmest anchors.
Those that shall never be quite undone are sometimes very near it,
and, in their own apprehension, as good as gone. Many
a precious soul, that shall live for ever, had once a very narrow turn for
its life; almost and well nigh ruined, but a step between it and fatal
apostasy, and yet snatched as a brand out of the burning, which will for
ever magnify the riches of divine grace in the nations of those that are
saved.” It is most important for us to insist that our brethren cleanse their heart and maintain this purity and while doing so, being firm and unswerving in our determination, but loving and considerate. Verse
3. This
old and faithful servant tells us why his feet had almost slipped; when he
saw what he thought was a contradiction between what the Scriptures taught
and his life experiences. If
we're honest we will admit that many Christians, including us, have had
the same experience as this psalmist. Many
new Christians are often times frightened and discouraged when placed in a
situation similar to the psalmist and it must be stressed that this is
quite a serious problem. When
he saw the prosperity of people who were foolish, who chose to be
estranged from God, the wicked, criminals who violate God's laws, and
those who ruled by evil, he could not believe that God would allow such
behaviour. Obviously
the psalmist had been taught, or certainly he believed, that those who
were against God should never be prosperous. They should be suffering and
having a difficult time in life. A
righteous God should be striking them down for blasphemy, and punishing
them openly and severely. They
should immediately and visibly be made an example to deter other
evildoers. The ungodly should
never have things going well for them. Instead,
it should be the upright, the true followers of God who should be
prosperous, since clearly prosperity is a sign of favour from God. In
other words, according to the psalmist’s philosophy, sinners should
suffer and saints should have success.
But now, contrary to this, in the present situation he found saints
often suffer while sinners are successful. The
clash disturbed him severely, and created deep resentment and envy in his
heart. This affected his
faith so much so, that he almost suffered a complete loss of faith in God.
He was tempted to create his own rules for running the earth,
finding fault with how God did things. He thought he was wiser than God,
had more ability than God, could handle things better, and if only he had
the power, life would be so much better for the saints. One good thing too, he was not in denial of his true feelings. He was not like many of us, a hypocrite, who grinned and bore it, while secretly resenting God for what we saw as his misplaced partiality. Verses
4-11. The
psalmist now wants us to understand that he is complaining for good
reason, and he does not want God to think that he is complaining about
nothing. First
he observes that the wicked die easily and peacefully without trauma and
pain. They lie down in peace. They
do not have diseases that make them weak and bitter, but they are healthy,
robust and “fat”, a sure sign of blessing. Next,
the troubles that plagued other men do not seem to bother them.
They seem to have some special privilege, that makes them avoid or
be able to easily handle the difficulties of life. As a
result they are self-assured, are clearly proud of themselves, and show it
in their behaviour, wearing their success as an ornament, so that they
look great in the eyes of others. There
is no meekness or humility here, They
use violence openly and easily and oppress others in order to maintain
themselves. They naturally take what they want without considering
others. They increase
themselves by fraud and oppression, and use wicked methods to enrich
themselves. Everything about them is filled to overflowing, they clearly have more than their hearts could desire. Their luxury shows in their self-confidence
and their enjoyment of and lust for abundance
shows forth from their eyes. They
are corrupt, following the principles and practices of sin and their
speech, life and attitudes are examples of total corruption.
They speak of oppression and violence and boast about it They
justify oppression, and treat their fellow men as if they are nothing.
They are proud and speak arrogantly and with great words of vanity and
boasting. They
consider themselves immune from the dictates of God and while they fill
the earth with their lying and ostentatious displays, they even defy God
and his servants, declaring that neither God nor his servants in heaven
can affect them. Their
success and power make them think they can use their influence to do
anything they want, and in fact, people treat them with great respect and
allow them to do what they want. Those
that are around them share in their abundance and so they all profess the
same disbelief. The people of God on the other hand suffer abundantly, with
many tribulations and tears, because of the afflictions brought by these
evil men. Their tears seem to
run in abundance, like water running over a full cup. They
claim unbridled liberty and the ability to do mischief and make evil
wherever they wish. In pouring contempt even on God, they question whether
he even knows what they are doing, denying God's knowledge and his
omniscience. They
think that they are little gods even while acknowledging that there is a
Most High God and give affront to the true God of infinite knowledge. These are insolent words against God. These words really call into question the providence of God in the government of the world. They assault his very nature. Verse 12. The psalmist describes as ungodly, all those who have plenty of things, money and influence and who refuse to accept God and his Commandments. They do not have a proper knowledge of God, do not fear, love, or worship him; yet they prosper in all worldly things. They increase in the good things of this life, with nothing to give them trouble, distress or disturb them. They have no great concern about God, and do not take his will into account. Verse
13. What
kind of God allows such a thing to happen, allowing evil to continue
unabated and the unrighteous to reap such great benefits!
What kind of omniscient God could allow the ungodly to so
recklessly disrespect him and his creation but yet acquire such great
power! Yet
those who have considered their iniquity, owned up to it, lamented about
it, applied to God for cleansing, maintained a careful concern for living
a pure life and having a pure heart, are not rewarded and suffer nothing
but misfortune. The
psalmist protested that he had done the good work as required by God, with
purity of heart he had followed the way of life laid down by God, but all
this was done in vain, for the God of heaven seemed to play favourites
against his own people. Note
however, that with his limited understanding of what is really happening
in the world, the psalmist rashly and wrongly protested that he had
cleansed his heart in vain. First,
it was wrong for him to ascribe the cleansing to his activity, even though
he had strenuously followed the ways of God.
It is a mistake to think that we are preserved from the pollution
of the world by our own activity, for it is really the constant cleansing
of the blood of Christ applied by the sanctifying work of the Spirit that
purifies us. Second,
any judgment, which looks at the effects of following God only by worldly
and temporal possessions, is inherently flawed.
We must factor the reality of eternity into our judgments. He cannot therefore say that being a good Israelite was a waste of time. Why lament of your sins, he asks. We must remember that the pure heart is blessed, for they and they alone shall see God. Verses
14-15. The
psalmist looks at his own experience, telling us that God seems to have
afflicted him, chastening him every morning, despite his innocence. Some
believe that the psalmist was either under constant rebuke or correction
(the word used for chastened) and also had some illness or chronic
affliction (words ‘have been plagued’).
He is appears to be suffering but repentance and cleansing did not
stop the constant pressure on him. His doubts mounted, but he so respected the people of God and not wanting them to reject God, that he did not speak about his misgivings and his reasonings and temptations. He did not want to follow his musings and forsake the fellowship of the people of God. Verse
16.
If he followed his analysis of what he saw happening to the
wicked, he would betray God, so he rejected his line of reasoning and his
worldly observations. He
simply could not bring himself to sever his ties to the people of God. This was too painful a course of action. When
he considered the way God's providence worked, he could not reconcile the
prosperity of the wicked with the justice of God.
It was too painful to consider joining the ungodly, moving outside
the circle of the godly. Thinking about this riddle brought mental
turmoil, so he kept his mouth shut. Something was restraining him from
moving away from God. He
might have tried but he did not succeed in pursuing the way of his natural
thinking. He knew that God
was perfect, and wise, and loved the righteous and so his thoughts became
such a difficult work, that he could not continue for a long time. Note
that when we are firmly anchored in the right thoughts about God, the
difficulties we encounter will never pull us away from God and into the
path of heresies. When we
meditate on the word of God constantly, the false doctrines and attractive
reasonings of the world will sound odd and seem somehow not quite right,
even though we might not be able to put our finger precisely on the
problem. Sound knowledge of
God's word, will be used by the Holy Spirit to stop our drift into error. Remember that Jesus told us that his sheep know his voice and that they will not follow a false shepherd. They will feel very uncomfortable at the seductive and attractive call of the false Christs. Verse
17. This
turmoil continued in the heart of the psalmist and so he went into the
sanctuary of God for relief; to find a solution.
He now goes to see God and to hear the voice of God, for it is here
that the Word of God is read and explained, where sacrifices were made,
prayers are offered to God and where sweet intercourse was experienced
with the saints. It is
there that doubts about the world and about the important issues of life
are resolved. We had better learn that this is the only place where true
knowledge is found. The word of God is always profitable for instruction. One writer notes: “He
understood the wretched end of the wicked people, which he plainly foresaw
to be such that even in the height of their prosperity they were rather to
be pitied than envied, for they were ripening for ruin. Note,
there are many great things, and things needful to be known, which will be
known otherwise than by going into the sanctuary of God, by the word and
prayer. We
must judge of persons and things as they appear by the light of divine
revelation, and then we shall judge righteous judgment; particularly we
must judge by the end”. He understood the end of both the godly and the wicked. Verse
18. It
might seem that the wicked are alright but in the sanctuary the psalmist
realized that the wicked were in great danger and could never stand for
long, because the godless were in an unstable position in a place where
their feet had no solid foundation. They
might seem to be on good ground, but this was not so, for the higher they
got, receiving more and more honour, riches and success, the more
dangerous and slippery was the ground. Their foundation was very insecure,
for they were building on sand. Their climb higher and higher would make
their fall quick and fast. They would slip easily right down into
destruction, going from their high state into a low, contemptible place,
from which there was no recovery. Verse
19-20.
Their destruction would be sudden and swift.
They would be here today and gone tomorrow. Their destruction would be complete. Since they were under divine judgment, they would experience
terrors. They would not be allowed to escape without severe punishment.
God would as it were, wake up, and clear them out of the way. Their
destruction was certain and their ruin sure and inevitable.
Since they had turned away from God the only source of real favour,
they would be placed in everlasting contempt. Their existence would be like a dream, something imaginary, and something forgotten. The wicked are like a dream, like a phantom. Their existence is like a nightmare that is soon forgotten. The ungodly made a big splash for a short a time but they are soon forgotten, their memory wiped out. Verse 21. The psalmist is now humiliated, grieved and his heart pierced, because of his foolishness. He felt ashamed of the evil thoughts about God that had entered his mind, that had led him to accuse God. He stood condemned when he went into the sanctuary and learned the truth. Verse
22. He
realized that he had been foolish and ignorant. He had been behaving just like an animal that knows no
better. Note
that this psalmist honestly looked at himself and began to evaluate
himself and his problem, to see how he got into this foolish mess. He did
not simply accept the truth he had learned, but wanted to face up to what
had caused him to be foolish, so that he would never be foolish again.
He would now know how to avoid error and the sorrow, shame, and
self-abhorrence that it had brought. May we
learned to look at ourselves deeply, see what is wrong with us and the way
we think, the bent of our mind, even though this might be painful. Only
then will we be able to avoid the common and tragic experience of going
through the same problems over and over again. Note the three things that he learned about himself. First,
he realized that his doubt about the goodness of God was caused by the
fact that he was stupid. He had
got his emotions going, working himself into a tizzy, because he had
allowed his feelings to get a hold of him and lead him on.
The problem was in himself and it was not the outward circumstances
that had caused his distress. He
did not try to get the facts before getting excited.
When he did get the facts there was no problem. Let us
beware of making mountains out of a molehill. Do not
let trivial matters turn into big issues. Get
the facts from the word of God. Go
into the sanctuary and insist that the word of God be read and explained
carefully and thoroughly. That
is what the sanctuary is for. He
learned that he was ignorant and that there were things that he should
have known that he did not know. God
had to put him under pressure and trials to help him to make the move
necessary to learn. The
chastening was necessary, and was done because of the love of God.
He then realized his own need. Then he realized that his behaviour was like that of an animal, reacting instinctively. He was really resenting any kind of discipline that God had brought to him. Verse
23. Now
he learned that God had continually kept him under his wings, protecting
and caring for him, not allowing him to slip away totally, to walk in the
ways of the ungodly. The grace of God had kept him.
God had been kind to him all along. God had always been near to him
all through his perplexities. As a
parent God had taken him by the hand, and walked with him, teaching him
how he should step. God had never deserted him, but had always kept him safe.
He now realized his dependence on God. May we realize that too. Verse
24.
He learned that God would guide him by his divine council. This would lead to him receiving exaltation and been placed
in glory. Note
that God's council is always wise, suitable, sincere, freely given, and
perfect for a walk of holiness, peace, righteousness, and eventual glory. The
future might be dark but God knows all there is to know.
He will lead his children into blessedness and glory.
There is a city whose builder and maker is God, and it will
come. It will be a place of
the Father, the Son, the Spirit, the Angels and the glorified saints. There will be no night there.
The glory will never pass away, for it is an eternal glory. One writer says of the Father: “
After thou hast led and guided me by thy counsel through the wilderness of
this world; “ after” all the afflictions and temptations of this
present life are over; “ after” I have passed through the valley of
the shadow of death, or “ after” death itself, though wilt receive me
into everlasting joy and happiness.” What great assurance the Father had brought to the psalmist. He learned that the Father still loved him and would never cast him aside. Verse 25. So the psalmist broke out in worship and praise. The only object of worship and confidence is in the Father and no one else. Here we have the panting of a soul toward God. He
joined himself more closely to God, for this is his choice and his
delight. God is good and is
the chief good of men. Perfect
happiness is only found in fellowship with God. There might be many things on earth that seem desirable, but none can compare with God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. Verse
26.
This psalmist knows that God is his only hope and strength.
He thus desires constant and unbroken communion with God.
With God there is support, sustenance and strength.
With God man inherits a great portion, immense and unimaginably
great and satisfying. When one possesses the things of the world, and has no interest in God, he is most miserable. CONCLUSION
Though
our outward man perishes, God remains our firm refuge, and our eternal
possession, which cannot be taken away from us.
Those that believe in God will never die, but will live. We
find from this psalm several things. When
we let our emotions lead us, we will inevitably ignore the facts that God
has revealed. True
children of God will find forgiveness, for our restraining God will draw
us back and stop us from going over the brink. God always holds us with
his right hand. He
will put in our minds that we go into the sanctuary, and learn from him
there. This is the only thing
that will stop us and turn us around.
Neglect of the word of God will always have terrible consequences. The
word of God has been revealed to us to take away the illusions and
delusions of the world, show us reality, and show us the way through the
problems and traps of life. We are
certain that God will guide us for the rest of our lives. We are equally
certain that when life ends God will receive us to glory. We
know that the Holy Spirit indwells us, and we therefore have God as the
strength of our heart and our portion forever.
We need nothing else, for we have the indwelling power of God in
us. There is no question that
he cannot answer, no despair, loneliness, frustration, and disappointment,
sorrow that God cannot handle. We had better remember as one writer says: “ The mills of God grind slowly, but they grind exceeding fine. God does exactly what he says he will do. He is good to those who are upright and to those who have purity of heart in him. He keeps them. Those who are far from him shall perish; but those who draw nigh to God are established and kept. So his resolve is “
But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge,
that I may tell of all thy works.” We can be sure that the writer of James is
quite right in his advice:
“ Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you”. Let us therefore pray constantly, for that is the best means of drawing near to God. We must draw near to God if our prayers are to be answered. We must be real and desire to draw near to God. When
we delight in the goodness of God, we will see him on his throne, and
realize that he loves us. We
will never want to leave him, or to disagree with him. So
go to God, cleanse the heart, walk in the light with him, fall on our
knees constantly, and study His word and he will bless us.
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