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Psalm 139

6/5/2023

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PSALM 139: THE SEARCHER OF HEARTS
Search Me, Know Me, Lead Me

Philippe R. Sterling
 
Psalm 139 is one of the best-known psalms. One of its statements, “I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made,” is inscribed on T-shirts and social media memes.

The typical usage of the psalm can mask its major statements on the nature of God and His relationship to us. We will consider these statements, with special attention to three of the classical attributes of God: omniscience, omnipresence, omnipotence, and their relevance to us. We’ll ascertain that an all-knowing, ever-present, all-powerful God cares for us and we can pray for His righteous rule in the world and in our lives.

Psalm 139 is artistically structured. It has two parts and four stanzas. The first part has three stanzas that address three themes: God’s knowledge of us, God’s presence with us, and God’s making of us. The second part has one stanza that expresses a personal prayer for the removal of wickedness in one’s surrounding and in one’s self. Each of the four stanzas have two sections, one of four verses, and one of two verses. The first section focuses on a revelation about God and the second on a response to that revelation.

Two statements, “O Lord, You have searched me and known me” (v 1) and “Search me, O God, and know my heart” (v 23), enclose the psalm as bookends. They provide a key for understanding and applying the psalm.
 
GOD KNOWS US FULLY
 
Psalm 139:1-6
O Lord, You have searched me and known me.
2 You know my sitting down and my rising up;
You understand my thought afar off.
3 You comprehend my path and my lying down,
And are acquainted with all my ways.
4 For there is not a word on my tongue,
But behold, O Lord, You know it altogether.
 
5 You have hedged me behind and before,
And laid Your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
It is high, I cannot attain it.
 
God knows and evaluates every aspect of our lives.

Issue: Should we be concerned about how much is known about us? Social Media and Internet Companies know a great deal about their users. Some governments such as China track their citizens behavior and give them social credit scores which significantly impact their lives.

Verse 1: Summary Statement – Yahweh has searched us and known us.

The psalmist refers to Yahweh, “I AM,” the NAME by which God made Himself known to Moses and Israel (Ex 3:13, 14). It is also the NAME which Jesus implicitly used to describe Himself (John 6:35; 8:12, 58; 10:7, 11; 11:25; 14:6; 15:1; 18:4-5).

The psalmist states, “You have searched me and known me.” Yahweh has probed everything about him and knows him completely.  God knows us thoroughly.

Verses 2-4: Yahweh knows and scrutinizes every aspect of our lives.

Yahweh has full knowledge of our movements. He knows when I sit down and when I rise up.

Yahweh has full knowledge of our thoughts. He understands my thought from afar.

Yahweh has full knowledge of our activity and rest. He scrutinizes my path and my lying down.

Yahweh has full knowledge of all of our ways. He is intimately acquainted with all my ways.

Yahweh has full knowledge of our speech beforehand. Even before there’s a word on my tongue, God knows it.

Verses 5-6: Conclusion – God’s comprehensive knowledge of us can seem overwhelming, restrictive, and incomprehensible.

God’s pervasive knowledge can seem restrictive and overwhelming. The psalmist feels hedged in. God knows all of us thoroughly and comprehensively at all times. Are you distressed in being so completely known?

It’s not simply that God knows everything – God knows me.

God’s pervasive knowledge is incomprehensible. It is too wonderful for me. It is too high for me to attain.

GOD IS ALWAYS WITH US
 
Psalm 139:7-12
7 Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
8 If I ascend into heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.
9 If I take the wings of the morning,
And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
10 Even there Your hand shall lead me,
And Your right hand shall hold me.

11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall on me,”
Even the night shall be light about me;
12 Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You,
But the night shines as the day;
The darkness and the light are both alike to You.
 
God is present everywhere we go.
 
Verse 7: Summary Statement – We’re unable to escape God’s presence.

Verse 8-10: God is present everywhere in the universe.

God not only knows us but we cannot go anywhere from His presence. The psalmist shows the comprehensiveness of this in several exploratory paired statements.

God is in the height of heaven. If I ascend there, He is there.

God is in the depth of the netherworld. If I lie down in the realm of the dead, He is there.

God is at the far East. If I fly off to the East, He is there.

God is at the far West. If I travel to the remotest part of the Western Ocean, He is there.

Such a presence of God with us can have a consoling application. God can lead us and hold us wherever we go.

Verses 10-12: Conclusion – Nothing hinders the protective presence of God.

The psalmist fears being overwhelmed by darkness and unaided by light.

The psalmist acknowledges that God is impervious to darkness and His light overwhelms darkness.

It’s not simply that God is everywhere – He is everywhere with me.

GOD LOVINGLY MADE US
 
Psalm 139:13-18
13 For You formed my inward parts;
You covered me in my mother’s womb.
14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Marvelous are Your works,
And that my soul knows very well.
15 My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.
And in Your book they all were written,
The days fashioned for me,
When as yet there were none of them.
 
17 How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!
How great is the sum of them!
18 If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand;
When I awake, I am still with You.
 
God lovingly oversaw our development and planned out our lives from the womb.

Verse 13: Summary Statement – God formed us in the womb.

Verses 14-16: God oversaw our development in accordance with His plan for us.

God made us. Though David's knowledge of embryology was limited compared to ours today, he is awed by the fact that God fashioned him within his mother's womb (cf. Job 9:10-12). He is also awed by the fact that God has fashioned the days of his life.

The psalmist looks back to the past of his creation and looks forward to the future God has appointed for him. God has counted every day of his life and written them in His book.

Two Issues:  This portion of the psalm is relevant to the ethical issues of abortion and euthanasia.

Abortion – “For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb (v 13).

Euthanasia – “And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them” (v 16).

Verses 17-18: Conclusion – God’s loving intention for us are precious and innumerable.

After reflecting on God’s fashioning of his body and his future, the psalmist bursts into a doxology, an expression of confident praise to God. He values God’s thoughts towards him. He is overwhelmed by the vastness of them. He takes comfort in God’s abiding care.

It’s not simply that God created everything – He created me.

WE ARE LOYAL TO GOD
 
Psalm 139:19-24
19 Oh, that You would slay the wicked, O God!
Depart from me, therefore, you bloodthirsty men.
20 For they speak against You wickedly;
Your enemies take Your name in vain.
21 Do I not hate them, O Lord, who hate You?
And do I not loathe those who rise up against You?
22 I hate them with perfect hatred;
I count them my enemies.
 
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me, and know my anxieties;
24 And see if there is any wicked way in me,
And lead me in the way everlasting.
 
We will find comfort and security in God when we are loyal to Him.
 
The final stanza of the psalm seems out of place.  It is made up of an outcry (imprecation) against the wicked, an affirmation (commitment) of loyalty to God, and a request (petition) for the recognition and removal of wickedness from within oneself.

The psalmist states that he hates those who hate God. The word translated “hate” means “to reject.” This is opposed to the word for “love” which means “to choose.” The wicked first rejected God and made themselves God’s enemies.

The psalmist rejects those who reject God. If we are loyal to God, we cannot have fellowship or close friendships with God’s avowed enemies (2 Cor 6:14-18).

The words are those of someone who wants to see God honored in every way. Such a concern leads to a desire that all God's enemies are abolished, and that everything within us that is not honoring to God also be abolished. Ask God to deal with the evil of others and your own potential for evil.

The everlasting way is God’s way. It is the righteous way He has set out for His people. God calls believers to walk with Him in faith and righteousness (Gen 17:1; Eph 4:1; Heb 11:6).

Our walk with God is a walk in the light (1 John 1:5–2:2). The light reveals whatever is not right within us. We acknowledge the sins the light reveals. The blood of Jesus cleanses us. We maintain fellowship with God. God leads us in the everlasting way.
 
Conclusion

Psalm 139 is theological and practical. It speaks of the attributes of God in ways that impacted the psalmist and impacts us.

God’s attributes are beyond our full comprehension. God’s knowledge is too high for us to reach (v 6). God’s thoughts are too many to count (vv 17, 18).

Praise God for His knowledge of all our ways.

Praise God for His presence, wherever we are.

Praise God that He has marvelously made us and planned all of our days.

Pray for God’s kingdom to come and His will to be done on earth.

Pray for God to search you, know you, and lead you in righteousness.
 
O God, search me, know me, lead me.
 
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Psalm 29

5/2/2023

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THE PSALM OF THE THUNDERSTORM
What a Thunderstorm Teaches Us about God
Psalm 29
 
Beethoven Symphony No. 6 “Pastoral” fourth movement, in F Minor, depicts a violent thunderstorm with painstaking realism, building from just a few drops of rain to a great climax with thunder, lightning, high winds, and sheets of rain. The storm eventually passes, with an occasional peal of thunder still heard in the distance.
 
Psalm 29 deals with the power of God revealed in nature and available to His people, if they respond with faith. A thunderstorm reveals the power and majesty of Yahweh. He sits enthroned over all forces of nature. He gives power and peace to His people.
 
Scientists calculate that a typical thunderstorm (not even the kind of great or major storm described here by David) releases around 10,000,000 kilowatt-hours of energy – the equivalent of a 20-kiloton nuclear warhead. Storms still are examples of the massive power of God.
 
Seeing and hearing a violent storm is an awesome experience that quite naturally turns one’s thoughts to God.
 
Summary
 
Having witnessed the awesome manifestations of the LORD’s power in a terrifying thunderstorm over Lebanon and Syria, the psalmist calls on the angelic hosts to glorify Him who sovereignly rules over nature, displaying His ability to give power and peace to His people.
 
Exposition
 
Call to Praise: The psalmist calls upon the angelic hosts to glorify Yahweh in holy array (1-2). 

The first two verses of the psalm are a call to praise. It is a call to attribute glory to Yahweh which is befitting His character and reputation. The call is put in the form of climactic parallelism. Three lines are similar, but the fourth changes to make the important qualification: Ascribe to the LORD…, ascribe to the LORD…, ascribe to the LORD…, worship the LORD in holy array.”

The call is addressed to the “sons of the mighty.”  The expression probably means “sons of God.” In the Old Testament these would be angels (Job 2:1).
 
The call is to give God the praise that is fitting for His “name,” or, His nature. Everything about the nature of God deserves praise, especially His strength, His supernatural power. In this psalm that strength will be experienced in His sovereign control of nature.
  
The psalmist was calling to the hosts of heaven to praise the name of Yahweh. They were to worship Yahweh in “holy array.”
 
The language is descriptive of priests who were to array themselves for service in the sanctuary. The priests were to have on pure white linens to signify holiness and purity to Yahweh.
 
In the heavenly courts those worshipping Yahweh, both saints and angels, are describes as arrayed with priestly clothes for their unending service to Yahweh. The point is that while praise is appropriate for Yahweh, it has to be from those who are arrayed in the holiness that is necessary for the heavenly sanctuary.
 
God deserves to be praised by His servants for His majestic power.
 
Cause for Praise: The psalmist describes Yahweh’s all-powerful control of nature in a terrifying storm over Lebanon and Syria (3-9). 

The psalm now gives the reason for the call to praise: Yahweh’s all-powerful control of nature by His word.
 
The psalmist describes a tremendous thunderstorm that sweeps across the land. He traces its path and development, and each step of the way attributes it to the voice of Yahweh. The voice occurs seven times in the passage. It compares to Rev 10:3 with its seven thunders.
 
The section breaks down into three parts: the rise of the storm in its fury (3-4), the full force of the storm (5-7), and then the passing of the storm off into the desert (8-9).
 
He attributes the rise of the storm to the “voice of Yahweh” (3-4). 
 
This section of the psalm begins with the statement the “the voice of the LORD is upon the waters.” The voice was commanding the elements of nature, causing the storm by His word to develop and then die out. Yahweh spoke the thunderstorm into existence.
 
The path of the storm is from the waters inland to Lebanon and Syria. This means that “waters” is a reference to the Mediterranean Sea, the Great Sea.
  
Verse 4 affirms the might and majesty of the voice of Yahweh.
 
God brings up the storm by His majestic word.

He witnesses the “voice of Yahweh” in the height of the storm (5-7).
   
The voice of Yahweh now breaks the cedars in pieces. These are the pride of Lebanon, but the storm that Yahweh caused overpowers them, uprooting and breaking them with the fierce winds that drive the storm.
  
Verse 6 then describes an earthquake in poetic form: “He makes them skip” provides the comparison for the shifting ground. Lebanon and Sirion are two mountains or mountain regions north of Israel. Mt. Sirion refers to Mt. Hermon (Deut 3:9).
  
Verse 7 is a poetic description of forked lightning: “The voice of the LORD splits (hews out) flames of fire.
 
God’s powerful word causes the storm to rage.
 
He attributes the passing of the storm to the “voice of Yahweh” (8-9). 

Next, the storm passes over the mountains into the eastern wilderness where it dies out. The location is “the wilderness of Kadesh.” The name does not refer to Kadesh Barnea in the south. This is Kadesh on the Orontes River in the north.
  
The voice of Yahweh shakes the wilderness. “Wilderness” refers to the flora and fauna in the wilderness.
  
The last verse of this section of the psalm records the effects of the storm.
  
The first is that it causes the deer to give birth prematurely.
  
The second is that it strips the forests bare.
  
Third, the heavenly hosts praise God. Everything in His temple says, “Glory!” “Temple” here probably refers to the heavenly temple. To glorify God means to extend His reputation by praise. This means declaring that He alone is the sovereign, Lord of all nature.
 
God’s powerful word causes the storm to subside.
 
God is to be praised for His control of nature by His powerful word.
 
Conclusion: The psalmist declares that Yahweh rules over all nature and is able to share His strength and peace with His people (10-11).  
 
In addition to the description of Yahweh’s demonstrating His power and glory in Canaan, the psalmist recalls the greatest demonstration of it—the flood in Genesis (Gen 6—8).
  
The next colon expands the idea from the flood to all time: “Yes, the LORD sits (enthroned) as King forever.”
 
The psalmist envisions Yahweh’s sovereign control over all nature, then, in a universal event, and now in a localized storm.
 
God reigns over all nature.
 
Drawing upon the description of the movement of the storm, the psalmist now expresses the lesson for the people of God. Because Yahweh displays His strength by bringing up a fierce storm, He is to be praised for His strength, and He grants that strength to His people as well.
  
The power of God is available as a resource for the people of God to overcome the world.
  
And then, just as Yahweh can command the storm to die out in the wilderness, He can give peace to His people. There is no fury in life that He cannot calm.
 
God meets the needs of His people.
 
God is able to bless His people with power and with peace.
 
In the New Testament we read of Jesus calming the storm and walking on water. Jesus used such acts to authenticate His claim to be the promised Christ. To Him believers look for power and peace throughout their lives.
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Overcomers

4/5/2023

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OVERCOMERS

Philippe R. Sterling

Popular Christian culture refers to overcomers. Mandisa recorded a hit song called Overcomers. Priscilla Shirer, daughter of Tony Evans, has produced and starred in a series of commercially successful movies with the general title of Overcomers. Some churches use the word overcomer in their names.

Are you an overcomer? Who are the overcomers and what are the promises made to them?

Who Are the Overcomers?

The Apostle John refers to overcomers in 1 John and in Revelation.

John wrote of overcoming the world three times in 1 John 5:4-5, “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.”

This could be a positional kind of overcoming. When we believe in Christ, we overcome the world which was trying to keep us from believing in Him. This kind of overcoming would apply to all believers who are positionally in Christ.

It could also be an experiential kind of overcoming. The reference to faith would be to living by faith. When a believer lives by faith, he overcomes the world in his experience.

John wrote about overcomers eight times in Revelation. There are four primary views concerning these overcomers.

There is the all-believers view. All believers become overcomers when they believe in Christ. This position emphasizes faith in Jesus rather than faithfulness to Him. All believers receive the promises made to overcomers.

There is the loss of salvation view. Jesus exhorted believers to overcome so as not to lose eternal life and experience the second death which is the lake of fire.

There is the perseverance view. All genuine believers persevere and overcome by living godly and obedient lives. Overcoming proves the genuineness of believing.

There is the eternal reward view. The overcomer in Revelation is the believer who perseveres and remains faithful to Jesus until death or until His return. Jesus will reward the overcomer in addition to the free gift of eternal life.

Believers encounter conflicts and trials of many kinds and degrees. Jesus promises rewards to believers who overcome. The context of the overcomers in Revelation supports the eternal reward view.

Jesus specified specific instances of overcoming. To the church at Ephesus overcoming meant to return to their first love for Jesus. To the church at Smyrna overcoming meant to be faithful in persecution even to death. To the church at Pergamum overcoming meant to resist immorality and idolatry. To the church at Thyatira overcoming meant not to tolerate immorality and idolatry. To the church at Sardis overcoming meant to be watchful and hold fast to what they had received. To the church at Philadelphia overcoming meant to persevere in faithful obedience to the end. To the church at Laodicea overcoming meant to turn from spiritual apathy and fellowship with Christ.

What Are the Promises Made to Overcomers?

Letter to Ephesus

To the believer who listens and overcomes, Jesus promises that he will eat of the Tree of Life which is in the Paradise of God. Revelation 22:2 states that the tree of life will bear twelve kinds of fruit. Perhaps each fruit will impart a special quality of spiritual life to the eater. Access to the tree of life will be limited (22:14). For example, a believer who adds to or takes away from the words of the prophecy of Revelation will forfeit the right to eat of the fruit of the tree (22:19).

Letter to Smyrna

Jesus promised that the one who overcame would in no way be hurt by the second death. The second death is judgment at the Great White Throne, the lake of fire, separation from God forever (Rev 20:14). Jesus employed a figure of speech called litotes. Litotes is an assertion that understates the reality referenced. Jesus was saying that He would abundantly repay the faithful believer for the sacrifice he made.  His eternal experience would be as far beyond the reach of the second death as can be imagined.

The first death is not the end. There is another life to come. The glories of the life to come contrast sharply with the dark shadows of persecution and death.

Letter to Pergamum

To those who overcome, Jesus promised three things: 1) hidden manna, 2) a white stone, 3) a new name. 

Jesus does not want believers to be lured away from fellowship with Him. If we refuse to be drawn away by the enticements of false religions, Jesus promises “hidden manna,” special fellowship meals with Him.

Jesus will also give us a white stone inscribed with a new name. Such a white stone with one’s name on it was the basis for admission to special events. It was also a custom to reward victors at the games with such a token enabling them to gain admission to a special feast. The “hidden manna,” the other part of the reward, also suggests a reference to the Messianic feast. The white stone is, then, a personalized tessara, which would serve as a token of admission to this great future feast. The giving of the white stone to the believer indicates that he has been favored by Jesus. The new name might reflect the proven character of the overcoming believer.

Letter to Thyatira

The overcomer is the one who keeps the work of Jesus to the end. Jesus promised the overcomer the privilege of ruling with Him over the nations and sharing in His royal splendor.

Jesus is going to come and rule the nations. Some believers of the church age will rule with Him. Not all believers will have this opportunity. Only those who have earned that right by being faithful to the end of their lives or until His coming for them at the rapture. Jesus will reward the faithful by making them rulers with Him.

Jesus will give the overcoming believer the morning star. He says in Revelation 22:16 that He is “The Bright and Morning Star.” This may refer to His royal splendor. Thus He may be promising the overcomer a share in His royal splendor. All believers will be glorified, but not all will share the royal splendor of Jesus and the privilege of reigning with Him.

Letter to Sardis

Jesus promised the overcomer three things.

First, the overcomer will walk with Christ in white garments, the symbol of righteous acts (Rev 19:8). This is not the imputed righteousness of Christ given to all who believe in Him for everlasting life. This is an added reward reflected in royal clothing. The word “white” can have the meaning of “bright and shining.” Like a bright and shining diamond the garments will have many colors and hues reflecting the overcomer’s devotion and service to Christ in this life.

Second, Jesus will keep the overcomer’s name in the Book of Life. The overcomer in Revelation is the believer who is faithful until physical death or the Rapture. The “name” can refer to a person’s self or to a person’s reputation. The immediate context indicates the meaning. In Rev 13:8, 17:8, and 21:27 “name” refers to a person’s self. In this context, the removal of the “name” from the Book of Life may be the removal of a commendable reputation. The overcomer can gain a new name (2:17; 3:12), a commendable reputation or title which conforms to his faithfulness.

The program at my Dallas Theological Seminary’s graduation ceremony contained the names of all the graduates. Besides some of the names was one star, two stars, or three stars, representing graduating with honor, high honor, or highest honor.

In addition, Jesus may also have used the figure of speech litotes, an understatement in which an affirmative is expressed by the negative of its contrary, such as saying “you won’t be sorry” and meaning “you’ll be glad.” By saying that He would not remove the overcomer’s name from the Book of Life, Jesus meant that He would highlight the overcomer’s commendable reputation.

The third promise of Jesus clarified this, “I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.” Jesus will declare the overcomer’s commendable reputation before the Father and His angels. If we are faithful to the end, Jesus will tell the story of our faithfulness and it will reverberate mouth to mouth throughout all future ages.

The Letter to Philadelphia

Most of this letter is composed of promises. Jesus went on to promise several eternal rewards to the overcoming believer.

The overcoming believer will be “a pillar in the temple of My God.” We know from Rev 21:22 that in the New Jerusalem “the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.” This reward could involve a special nearness to God the Father and God the Son and a prominent supportive position in the administration of the New Jerusalem and of the new creation. The following phrase “he shall go out no more” could indicate the permanence of the position.

The symbolism would be meaningful to people who lived in constant danger of earthquakes. These pillars will never be shaken. There will never be a need to flee the city.

Ancient cities often honored great leaders by erecting pillars with their names inscribed on them. God’s pillars are not made of stone. His pillars are faithful people who bear His name.

Jesus will write three names upon the overcoming believer: the name of the Father, the name of the New Jerusalem, and His name. God’s name reveals facets of His person. There are facets of the person of the Father and of the Son which have not yet been made known, but which Jesus will make known to the overcomer. We may wonder why the overcomer would also carry the name of the New Jerusalem. Some are given the “key to a city” to honor their connection to that city. Having the name of the New Jerusalem would reflect the overcomer’s special connection to the city.

The Letter to Laodicea

Jesus promised the overcomer a seat with Him on His throne. Among the many believers of this age, only overcomers will be granted that honor.  Not everyone will have a crown and sit on a throne with Christ.

Every believer will have the righteousness of Christ.  We will all have a glorified body.  We will all be citizens of the kingdom. There might be a few other things which we will all have in common. But after that, for most of the things which we will have, there will be great differences in the measure of glory, and of capacity to serve, and of intimacy with the Lord.

Our relationship with the Lord will be different for each one of us.  There are some who will have a close physical proximity to the King of kings. They will have access to His immediate physical presence in a way that others will not. It will not be based on how famous we were in this age or how big our ministry was.  It will be based on our faithfulness and love for Him.

The overcomer rewards include the type of the dwelling place we will have in the New Jerusalem, the garments we will wear, the food we will enjoy, the intimacy we will experience with Christ, the status and authority we will have. These privileges will not be solely for our benefit. We have been created to glorify God by loving and serving others.  These privileges will enable overcomers to do just that in the millennial kingdom and in the new heaven and the new earth.

Revelation 21:7 – The Final Overcomer Promise

God makes a final promise to the overcomer, “He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son.” “My son” is singular, but it applies to all overcomers. God adopts overcomers as “sons.” All the rights and privileges of sonship come with this promise. The overcomer will rule with God over the new heaven and new earth as God’s son. All believers are children of God by faith alone, but only overcomers are sons of God appointed to rule over the new creation as a reward for their faithful service.

Jesus linked a believer’s overcoming with His overcoming in Rev 3:21. Jesus overcame by finishing the work the Father gave Him to do (John 4:34; 17:4). Let us follow His example and become overcomers by finishing the work God has given us to do.
 
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Psalm 90

3/3/2023

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PSALM 90: IT’S ABOUT TIME

Philippe R. Sterling
 
A man went in for his annual checkup and received a call from his doctor a couple days later. The doctor said, “I’m afraid I have bad news for you.” “What’s the news?” the man asked. “Well, you have only 48 hours to live.” That is bad news!” said the shocked patient. “I’m afraid there’s even worse news,” the doctor continued. “What could be worse than what you’ve already told me?” the man stammered. “I’ve been trying to call you since yesterday.”

That’s not news any of us would want to hear. But we do ourselves a disservice if we don’t keep in mind that our time here is limited. We all have a limited number of days to live. One of the wisest things we can do is to live in light of that reality. We find encouragement to do just that in Psalm 90.
 
A Prayer of Moses the Man of God

Psalm 90 is the oldest psalm in the Book of Psalms. Moses is the author. It is the only psalm attributed to him. He wrote it sometime during the 40 years that Israel wandered in the desert of Sinai as a result of God’s judgment for their disobedience. Two to three million people had left Egypt, and a whole generation died as they made that trek. There would have been constant deaths. You could have tracked the journey by the graves left behind. In the midst of this, Moses reflected on realities that are as true today as they were then.

Recall the last time you went to a funeral. Do you remember how the incidental stuff of life faded away and you focused on what was really important.

Moses tells us in the psalm what is important. He arranged the psalm in an inverted parallelism. He put at the center of the structure what is vital for us to do in light of the facts concerning God and our lives on this earth.

A The Eternal God and Our Security (1-2)
    B Our Physical Life under the Curse (3-6)
        C God’s Wrath and Our Wise Response (7-12)
    B’ Our Spiritual Life above the Curse (13-15)
A’ The Eternal God and Our Significance (16-17)
 
A The Eternal God and Our Security (1-2)

The first two verses provide a starting note of praise for the security that God provides for believers in this world and in the world to come. Our eternal God gives lasting security in all generations.

Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations.
Before the mountains were brought forth,
Or ever You had formed the earth and the world,
Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.
 
Moses wants us to consider our time on earth in light of God’s eternality. Before Egypt, before the mountains were brought forth, before the earth was formed, God was God. He is God from everlasting to everlasting, with no beginning and no end. He exists from eternity to eternity.

This past year has gone fast for many of us. We don’t know what this year will bring. For people living in tents in Moses’ day, or for people living in houses today, God can be a dwelling place.

Generations come and go, but God remains constant in His concern and care for us. The Lord is our refuge in all generations. Jesus is “the same yesterday, today and forever” (Heb 13:8). God provides the security that we need for life in this world and the world to come.

   B Our Physical Life under the Curse (3-6)

Verses 3 to 6 is a lament that describes our plight in this world. We live a short and hard life in a world under the curse.

You turn man to destruction,
And say, “Return, o children of men.”
For a thousand years in Your sight
Are like yesterday when it is past,
And like a watch in the night.
You carry them away like a flood;
They are like a sleep.
In the morning they are like grass which grows up:
In the morning it flourishes and grows up;
In the evening it is cut down and withers.
 
Moses invites us to consider our lives on this earth. In contrast to God who is eternal, he says that our lives are short and hard.

Adam’s sin brought hardship and death into the world. God’s judgment was “In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground, for out of it you were take; for dust you are and to dust you shall return” (Gen 3:19). Man is “dust in the wind.”

Enormous amounts of time are insignificant to God. In light of His eternality, a thousand years is like a day to Him. A thousand years ago to God is like yesterday to us. A thousand years ago, it was the Middle Ages in Europe. Skilled scribes labored for years to produce a single copy of the Scriptures. Gutenberg had not yet made a printing press.

A human life, even the longest of human lives, is short. It’s like a three-hour watch in the night, a flash flood, a fleeting night’s dream, or some grass that sprouts in the morning and dies at night. We’re here for a fleeting moment, and then we’re gone. Death is certain. We’re dust in the winds of time. That puts things in perspective, doesn’t it?

      C God’s Wrath and Our Wise Response (7-12)

Verses 7 to 9 elucidate that we live under God’s wrath in this world. Our lives are short and hard because of God’s wrath over sin.

For we have been consumed by Your anger,
And by your wrath we are terrified
You have set our iniquities before You,
Our secret sins in the light of Your countenance.
For all our days have passed away in Your wrath;
We finish our years like a sigh.
 
Our lives are hard, and they’re hard because of God’s anger. Remember why a whole generation of Israelites were dying in the wilderness. They had rebelled against God after the twelve spies had returned from Canaan, believing the majority report that the people of the land were too great for them to conquer. God said, “I the LORD have spoken this. I will surely do so to all this evil congregation who are gathered together against Me. In this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die” (Num 14:35).

The Israelites were living in tents and dying in the wilderness as the consequence of sin. We’re not living in tents and dying in the wilderness, but life is hard and short. We’re still dealing with the consequence of sin, and the mess it has made in this world. We’re still having to cope with God’s righteous anger over sin. God’s opposition to sin consumes us.

God sees and knows all our sin. The thoughts we harbor in the privacy of our minds and the things that we do in our personal lives are in the plain view of the light of God’s countenance.

Our days pass away quickly because of God’s judgment on sin. They come to an end like a “sigh.”

Reflect on the realities of the eternality of God and the brevity of our lives. Our human lives are short and hard. Respond rightly.

Verses 10-12 set out the right response. The proper response to God’s wrath is to implore God for wisdom in living out our fleeting days.

The days of our lives are seventy years;
And if by reason of strength they are eighty years,
Yet their boast is only labor and sorrow;
For it is soon cut off, and we fly away.
Who knows the power of Your anger?
For as the fear of You, so is Your wrath.
So teach us to number our days,
That we may gain a heart of wisdom.
 
Moses notes that a normal life can be measured to about 70 years, and an extended life about 80. They are full of toil and trouble. We soon fly away in death. How should we respond?

Respond by numbering your days.
  • If you’re 25 years old, you have 16,200 days left to live.
  • If you’re 35 years old, you have 12,775 days left to live.
  • If you’re 45 years old, you have 9,175 days left to live.
  • If you’re 65 years old, you have 1,925 days left to live.
  • If you’re 70 years old, you’re in grace time.

Respond by asking God for wisdom in living out your days. Ephesians 5:16-17 exhorts us to redeem the time. “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”

Treasure time as a valuable asset. Benjamin Franklin said, “Do not squander time, for it is the stuff life is made of.”

Invest time wisely for eternal purposes. You can’t save time, but you can invest so that it counts for eternity. Billy Graham encouraged the graduating students at a Wheaton College graduation commencement: “Time is the capital that God has given us to invest.”

Manage time well daily.

Enjoy the good gifts of God such as food, drink, and marriage all the days of your life and do good (Eccl 2:24; 3:12-13; 5:18-20; 9:9).
 
   B’ Our Spiritual Life above the Curse (13-15)

Verses 13 to 15 comprise a prayer for God’s mercy. We can pray that God would turn to us in compassion. We can pray that God would turn our sorrow into joy.

Return, O Lord!
How long?
And have compassion on Your servants.
Oh, satisfy us early with Your mercy,
That we may rejoice and be glad all our days!
Make us glad according to the days in which You have afflicted us
The years in which we have seen evil.
 
In light of the brevity and difficulty of life, Moses prays for several things.

First, he prays that God would relent in His anger. It’s a prayer that God’s anger would not be the final word. It’s a prayer that God would show us grace. It’s a prayer that has been answered in Christ who bore away our sin (John 1:29) and has given us grace upon grace (John 1:16). He has promised everlasting life to all who simply believe in Him for it (John 3:16; 5:24; 6:47).

Second, he prays that God would give gladness and joy. God’s goodness and mercy can accompany us all the days of our lives (Ps 23:6).

A’ The Eternal God and Our Significance (16-17)

Verses 16-17 constitute a prayer for God’s favor in life. Our eternal God gives lasting significance to our labors.
​
Let Your work appear to Your servants,
And Your glory to their children.
And let the beauty of the LORD our Gd be upon us,
And establish the work of our hands for us,
Yes, establish the work of our hands.
 
Finally, Moses prays that God’s favor would rest upon his life and work. Pray that God would show you His favor daily. Ask Him for His blessing on your life, that He would establish the work of your hands.

Our work in Christ is not in vain and will be rewarded in the life to come. Paul concluded his message on the resurrection with this exhortation, “Therefore my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Cor 15:58). Number your days and present to God a wise heart. It’s about time.

Psalm 90 inspired Isaac Watts to write O God, Our Help in Ages Past. His stanzas parallel its verses. His familiar first stanza is “O God, our help in ages past, our hope for years to come, our shelter from the stormy blast, and our eternal home.” The eternal God is our help and our hope.
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What Can Motivate Us If Eternal Life Is Assured?

2/1/2023

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WHAT CAN MOTIVATE US IF ETERNAL LIFE IS ASSURED?

Philippe R. Sterling
 
A motive is “that which moves or induces a person to act in a certain way” (Oxford English Dictionary). In the context of the Christian life, what motive(s) could move a believer to live in obedience to Christ if eternal life is assured?

Jesus guarantees eternal life to all who simply believe in Him for it (John 5:24; 6:47). When people hear that eternal life is a free gift that is not dependent on good works to get it, keep it, or prove that one has it, they sometimes wonder what would motivate a person to live a life pleasing to Christ once they are assured of eternal life. We can begin by first considering what might become a primary motivation for obedience if eternal life is not assured.
 
What May Motivate Us If Eternal Life Is Not Assured?

Fear of hell might become a primary motivation for obedience if eternal life is not assured. There can be the fear of the loss of justification in an Arminian system of theology. There can be the fear of being among the non-elect in a Reformed system of theology.

John Wesley believed that eternal life could be lost. He said, “It is incumbent on all that are justified to be zealous for good works. And these are so necessary, that if a man willingly neglects them…he cannot retain the grace he has received” (The Twenty-Five Articles of Religion).

Reformed writer R. C. Sproul cited a fear of not being saved:

A while back I had one of those moments of acute self-awareness that we have from time to time, and suddenly the question hit me: “R. C., what if you are not one of the redeemed? What if your destiny is not heaven after all, but hell?” Let me tell you that I was flooded in my body with a chill that went from my head to the bottom of my spine. I was terrified.

I tried to grab hold of myself. I thought, “Well, it’s a good sign that I’m worried about this. Only true Christians really care about salvation.” But then I began to take stock of my life, and I looked at my performance. My sins came pouring into my mind, and the more I looked at myself, the worse I felt. I thought, “Maybe it’s really true. Maybe I’m not saved after all (Tabletalk Magazine, Nov 7, 1989).
 
Jesus promised, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life” (John 6:47). We don’t look at our performance for our assurance of eternal life but at Christ’s promise. What can now motivate our perseverance and faithfulness if eternal life is assured?
 
What Can Motivate Us If Eternal Life Is Assured?

Believers can have a multifaceted motivation for dedication and faithfulness to Christ. We can organize these facets of our motivation under a focus to the past, present, and future aspects of our salvation.
 
Past-Focused Motivation

We can be motivated to obey and serve Christ when we reflect on the past aspects of our salvation. Our past-focused reflection on what Christ has done for us can stir up love and gratitude.

Gratitude can induce dedication and service. The Apostle Paul based his appeal for a believer’s dedication on the mercies of God, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God which is your reasonable service” (Rom 12:1). A believer can show appreciation for what has been freely provided him by dedicating himself to a life of service to Christ. We can serve out of thankfulness for what has been done for us.

Love for Christ can move a believer to live for Him. Jesus said “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word” (John 14:23).
 
Present-Focused Motivation

We can be motivated to obey and serve Christ when we reflect on the present aspects of our salvation. There are positive and negative aspects of a believer’s present-focused motivation.
 
Positive Consequences in the Present Life

God rewards faithfulness with present blessings. Faithful believers experience joy, peace, and confidence of God’s provision of their needs. Jesus exhorted his disciples to cease being anxious about what they would eat, drink or wear, for their heavenly Father knows that they need them all; but instead seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things would be added to them (Matt 6:31-33). This was not a guarantee of health and wealth, but a general promise of God’s daily provision for believers who put God’s priorities first in life. 

The Apostle Peter linked righteous living with present blessings by quoting from Psalm 32, “He who would love life and see good days, let him refrain is tongue from evil, and his lips from speaking deceit. Let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it” (1 Pet 3:10-11).

Believers who keep Jesus’ commandments experience an increased level of spiritual intimacy with Him and an increased level of joy. Jesus put it this way, “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.” (John 15:10-11).

Believers can be positively motivated by a familial fear of the Lord’s discipline (Heb 12:7-9). God’s family discipline can take various forms.

The first form of discipline can be simple reproof. The Word of God reproves and corrects us as we are exposed to it (2 Tim 3:16-17). God may use a fellow believer to restore us in a spirit of gentleness when we are caught up in a transgression (Gal 6:1).

God may discipline us by making us sick. James gave this advice to believers who may be sick due to the Lord’s discipline: “And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed” (Jas 5:15-16a).

God’s family discipline may be preventative, corrective, or instructive. All of God’s discipline is for our good, to conform us more and more into the likeness of Christ (Heb 12:10). Such discipline for the moment may seem painful rather than pleasant, but later yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those trained by it (Heb 12:11).  This is the grace of discipline.
 
Negative Consequences in the Present Life

Unfortunately, believers can fail to obtain the grace of God needed to benefit positively from the discipline of God (Heb 12:15). When in our difficulties and trials we obtain God’s grace, the results are positive. When in our difficulties and trials we fail to obtain God’s grace, the results are negative.

How do we obtain God’s grace? Hebrews 4:14-16 encourages us to come to the throne of grace that we might receive mercy and find grace to help in our time of need.

When we fail to obtain God’s grace in our time of need, we may become bitter and immoral (Heb 12:15b-16a). We might even become godless like Esau and develop ways to live life and fulfill needs apart from God (12:16b). Esau lost the birthright (inheritance of the firstborn) and blessing, and no matter how much he later regretted it, he could not change this fact (12:17). Believers can lose their inheritance. This is not the loss of eternal life but the loss of the inheritance of reigning with Christ in the life to come.

God may even prematurely take the physical life of a sinning believer. This was the case of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5:1-11 and some of the believers in Corinth (1 Cor 11:30).
 
Future-Focused Motivation
​
We can be motivated to obey and serve Christ when we reflect on the future aspects of our salvation. There are positive and negative aspects of a believer’s future-focused motivation.

Believers will appear before the judgment seat of Christ (Bema) to be recompensed for the deeds done in the present life, whether good or bad (2 Cor 5:10). The judgment at the Bema is not for the purpose of determining who has eternal life, but to test the quality of each believer’s work (1 Cor 3:13-15). A believer is secure in his possession of eternal life. The evaluation of how he spent his life can have positive or negative consequences in the life to come.
 
Positive Consequences in the Life to Come

There is the positive promise of rewards. Among the last recorded words of Jesus in the New Testament were “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work” (Rev 22:12). Jesus will reward faithful believers with praise, the special joy of having pleased him, and the privilege of ruling with Him (Luke 19:11-19; Matt 25:14-23). 

Is it selfish to be motivated by the promise of rewards? The fact that Jesus promises rewards for faithfulness makes it a good motivation. It is good to want what the Lord wants us to have. Jesus himself endured the cross “for the joy that was set before Him” (Heb 12:2). Every believer should desire to hear the Lord’s words, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord” (Matt 25:23).
 
Negative Consequences in the Life to Come

There is the possibility of shame when Christ comes. The Apostle John challenged believers to abide in Christ so as not to shrink back in shame at His coming (1 John 2:28).

There is the possible loss of rewards. Eternal life is free; rewards are earned.  Every believer should dread losing what could have been his reward (Rev 3:11). The Apostle Paul was motivated by his hope of gaining an imperishable crown and by his fear of disqualification (1 Cor 9:24-27).
 
Conclusion

Our reason for doing something is our motive. There are powerful motives related to the past, present, and future aspects of our salvation that can move us to faithful endurance in the Christian life. We do not need to fear the loss of eternal life, or having to prove we have eternal life by our works, to motivate us to live a life pleasing to Christ. We can be motivated by orienting our focus to the past and respond in gratitude and love for what He has freely provided for us. We can be motivated by orienting our focus to the present knowing that God blesses obedience in this life and disciplines disobedience in this life. We can be motivated by orienting our focus to the future and the rewards promised in the life to come for our faithfulness in this life. Run with endurance the race that is set before you (Heb 12:1).

One of the most demanding of all races is the annual bicycle race Le Tour de France. The race covers about 2,000 miles, including some of France’s most difficult mountain terrain. Cyclists eat and drink as they ride. A cyclist may ride his bicycle 22,000 miles in a year to train for the event. What prize makes the contestants endure so much hardship? A small number are motivated by the possibility of the special winner’s jersey. (Most really have no chance to win since their team selects one person to be the possible winner and all the rest support him.) What else motivates the contestants? One summed it up: “Why, to sweep through the Arc de Triomphe on the last day. To be able to say you finished the Tour de France.” Finishing the Tour is a matter of great joy. But these prizes fall far short of the prizes Christians strive to obtain (1 Cor 9:24-27).

Believers have so much more to motivate them. In addition to their past and present motivations, believers who fight the good fight, finish the race, and keep the faith, will receive an imperishable crown from the Lord (2 Tim 4:7-8).
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Spiritual Sacrifices

1/2/2023

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Our Spiritual Sacrifices

Philippe Sterling
 
Matt Redman composed the song “The Heart of Worship” in the late 1990s. His church was going through a period of apathy despite its contribution to the current praise and worship movement. “There was a dynamic missing, so the pastor did a pretty brave thing,” he recalls. “He decided to get rid of the sound system and band for a season, and we gathered with just our voices. His point was that we’d lost our way in worship, and the way to get back to the heart would be to strip everything away.”
 
Encouraging the church family to be producers in worship, not just consumers, the pastor asked, “When you come through the doors on a Sunday, what are you bringing as your offering to God?” Matt says the question initially led to some embarrassing silence, but eventually people broke into a cappella songs and heartfelt prayers. “Before long, we reintroduced the musicians and sound system, as we’d gained a new perspective that worship is all about Jesus, and He commands a response in the depths of our souls no matter what the circumstance and setting. ‘The Heart of Worship’ simply describes what occurred.”
 
When the music fades, all is stripped away, and I simply come / Longing just to bring something that’s of worth that will bless your heart… / I’m coming back to the heart of worship, and it’s all about You, Jesus
 
Jesus told the Samaritan woman that God seeks worshipers who would worship Him in spirit and in truth (John 4:23-24). How can believers today express such worship?
 
The essential expression of worship is sacrifice. In the Old Testament worshipers offered up animals for the restoration of fellowship with God when that fellowship was affected by sin, and also as an expression of gratitude for His benefits. Christ is the full and final sacrifice for sin, but believers today can offer up spiritual sacrifices of gratitude to God through Christ.
 
Christ offered up Himself to God as a sacrifice for us. 

The foundation of worship is the sacrifice of Christ. He gave His life so that believers might become worshipers in spirit and truth.
 
The Apostle Paul compared the sacrifice of Christ on the cross to the “sweet savor” sacrifices presented at the altar of the temple (Eph 5:1-2; Lev 1:9, 23, 17). The death of Christ satisfied the holiness of God and was acceptable and pleasing to the Father.
 
Jesus put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself once and for all (Heb 9:26). His offering was unlike those of Old Testament worship since it needed no repetition being eternally effective.
 
The foundation of worship is the sacrifice of Christ. Because of the sacrifice of Christ, we can freely worship God. His sacrifice inspires our spiritual sacrifices.
 
We can now offer up to God spiritual sacrifices through Christ. 

We have been redeemed so that we may worship God and offer up spiritual sacrifices. Peter affirmed this when he wrote, “And coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected by men, but choice and precious in the sight of God, you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Pet 2:4-5).
 
Through Christ, we have access to God as priests. A priest brings offerings to God. Our offerings are not animal sacrifices. They are spiritual sacrifices. What are some of the spiritual offerings that we can offer as priests?
 
We can offer the spiritual sacrifice of ourselves (Rom 12:1). 

The first spiritual sacrifice that we can offer is the sacrifice of ourselves. In light of all that God has done in redeeming us, we can now offer ourselves as sacrifices to Him. The sacrifice of ourselves involves the surrender of our bodies. We yield the members of our bodies as “instruments of righteousness” (Rom 6:13).
 
We can offer the spiritual sacrifice of our substance (Phil 4:18).
 
The second sacrifice that we can offer is the sacrifice of our substance. The Apostle Paul looked upon the financial gift of the Philippians as a spiritual sacrifice laid upon the altar to God (Phil 4:18-19). Paul did not look upon this gift as simply coming from them. He saw it as the provision of his need from God through them.
 
Paul went on to say that as a result of this meeting of his need through them, that God would also abundantly supply their need. This promise occurs in the context of the Philippians joint participation with Paul in the spread of the good news concerning Christ (1:3-7). It is God’s response to the sacrificial giving of believers for the spreading of the life message and the making of disciples.
 
A country preacher was once speaking pointedly to his congregation. He said, “Now let the church walk.” Brother Jones said, “Amen, let it walk.” The preacher continued, “Let the church run.” Brother Jones shouted, “Amen, Pastor, let it run.” “Let the church fly,” thundered the preacher. “Amen, let it fly,” hollered brother jones rising to his feet. Then the preacher calmly said, “Now it’s going to take money to let it fly, brother.” Brother Jones sat back down murmuring “Let it walk, Pastor, let it walk.” Our second spiritual sacrifice involves the giving of our substance for the spread of the life message and the growth of the church. Help it to fly.
 
We can offer the spiritual sacrifice of our service.
 
The third spiritual sacrifice we can offer is the sacrifice of our service. This sacrifice has a Godward aspect and a manward aspect.

We can offer a sacrifice of upward service – we praise God (Heb 13:15).
 
The Godward aspect of our service is the sacrifice of our praise. Why is praise called a sacrifice? The believer’s sacrifice of praise is offered continually. It is an offering in every circumstance. Such a sacrifice of praise irrespective of circumstance is costly and valuable to God.
 
We can offer a sacrifice of outward service.
 
The manward aspect of our service is the sacrifice of doing good works and declaring the good news.
 
We can do good works (Heb 13:16). 

Our sacrifices are not only words but also works. Life service should accompany lip service. The good works might include the hospitality mentioned in Heb 13:2.
 
We can share the message of life and make disciples (Rom 15:16). 
​
Paul looked upon himself as a priest at the altar offering up to God the Gentiles he had introduced to Christ. They were a spiritual sacrifice to God. His sharing of the life message and the making of disciples was a priestly duty. This insight into ministry adds dignity to our service.
 
One of the great truths of the Bible is that every believer is a priest who can offer up spiritual sacrifices to God. We are all to be in priestly service because we have come to experience the mercy of God in Christ. In light of the supreme sacrifice of our Savior, we should now offer up to God the spiritual sacrifices of ourselves, our substance, and our service. Our spiritual sacrifices will please God, enrich our lives, and strengthen the church. Because we have known the mercy of God in Christ, let us now bring spiritual sacrifices to God through Christ.
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Psalm 19 -- The Works and the Word of God

12/9/2022

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THE WORKS AND THE WORD OF GOD
Psalm 19
 
The careful contemplation of the revelation of the LORD in creation and scripture will inspire the greater adoration and renewed spiritual commitment of the believer.[1]
 
Psalm 19 is a classic presentation of divine revelation and its intended effects. The psalm falls into three distinct parts, the contemplation of divine revelation in nature, the reflection on the value and benefits of written revelation in the word of the LORD, and a prayer for cleansing and preservation from sin – the designed effect of all revelation.


Natural Revelation: The heavens under the dominating influence of the sun constantly reveal the glory of God (1-6).
 
All creation is a clear witness to the glory of God (1-4a). 

The first few verses of the psalm describe God’s wordless revelation in the universe: creation clearly reveals the glory of God. For many the observation of the sun, moon, stars and planets is a scientific study; for others it might serve the purposes of divination, but the believer will be filled with praise and adoration for such a God who created all things. In fact, the poetry of this psalm is so elegant and the theme so lofty that it has inspired some of the greatest musical praise in the history of the faith.
 
The first verse introduces the revelation with a summary statement: “The heavens are telling the glory of God, and the firmament declares the work of His hand.”
 
The verse begins with “the heavens,” which probably indicates everything in the heavens – primarily the sun, moon, clouds, stars, and planets. Parallel to this is the word “firmament,” the “expanse” of space beyond the immediate skies. In Genesis 1:8 the “firmament is called “heavens,” so the word can mean the same thing.
 
All the heavenly hosts “are telling” the glory of God. Here we have personifications to indicate that these parts of creation are actually revealing something about God. It is as if all the contents of the heavens are glorifying God in His heavenly sanctuary – just by their actual existence. Everything in the heavens reveals the work of God’s hand, i.e., that there is a creator who has made everything.
 
At the heart of the verse is the theological description of what the heavens declare – “the glory of God.” The title used for God (El) signifies the sovereignty and power of the creator and supreme being in the universe. The term “glory” speaks of God’s intrinsic value, what gives Him importance. Anyone looking at the universe and understanding that God created all by His powerful word could come to no other conclusion that that He is the most important person in existence – ever – no one else could even come close. Everything that exists in the heavens reveals the work of a Creator and all creation tells us that there is no one as important as He.
 
The personification continues in verse 2 with day and night continually making God known, pouring forth speech and proclaiming knowledge. The message goes out all the time. The evidence of the majesty and power of God pours out constantly. The vast expanse of the universe in all its complexities reveals God’s infinity and sovereignty. The perfect functioning of all aspects of creation reveals His wisdom. The beauty of all creation reveals the beauty of God.
 
Natural revelation may not communicate with specific words, but its message is clear nonetheless. Verse 3 makes the point that there is no speech, and there are no words to this revelation, and their voice is not heard. The heavenly witnesses may seem to be silent, but their testimony is heard continuously.
 
Verse 4 adds the extent of this revelation: it goes throughout the inhabited world. It is as if the heavenly revelation continues as a line of text throughout the whole earth, the “words” reaching to the end of the inhabited world. Wherever people live on this planet, natural revelation communicates the truth to them that there is a sovereign Creator.
 
The sun on its vigorous and powerful course dominates the heavenly proclamation (4b-6).
 
In the middle of verse 4 there is a change of focus from the whole creation to the dominating part of creation as we see it – the sun. During the day the sun is so bright it is impossible to see the stars and planets in the heavens; and the sun is so powerful that it changes the weather from night to day, warms the earth so people can live, and causes everything to grow on the earth for the benefit of mankind.
 
The poetry refers to the sun’s night-place in the heavens as a tent God made for it. The psalmist represents the sun as a vigorous bridegroom: at night he goes into his tent, and darkness falls; in the morning he comes out of his chamber filled with happiness and enthusiasm and runs his course for the day.
 
This course is from one end of the heavens where the sun rises to the other end where it sets. The language is written from our perspective on earth.
 
Under its dominant presence nothing is hidden from its light or heat. By observation anyone can see that the sun is the dominant part of our universe., but with further understanding we can observe how light, heat, and energy come from the sun, giving life to this planet. This too reveals the knowledge and understanding of the Creator, for He so ordered the universe that the sun and the earth are in the exact relationship for the right time to sustain life on earth.
 
There is more to this section than a poetic description of the appearance and importance of the sun in God’s creation. In the ancient world the pagans worshiped the sun god, called Shamash. The Babylonian god Shamash is even called “bridegroom,” in reference to the myth of the sun resting in the arms of his beloved sea at night. The psalmist was drawing on some of the expression from the pagan world to form a polemic. The sun may be compared to a mighty man rising in the morning from a bridal chamber; but contrary to pagan myth it is still the sun, and the language is poetic. The sun is just a part of God’s creation.
 
Moreover, the sun god in Mesopotamia was also considered to be the upholder of justice and righteousness. For example, on the stele that has Hammurabi’s law code, Shamash is portrayed as giving the law to the king and guiding him in writing it. The Psalmist counters this and attributes law to Yahweh instead.

The first two parts of the Psalm deliberately counter pagan ideas for the purpose of undermining them and replacing them with the truth. Creation is not to be worshiped. It is a witness to the Creator who is to be worshiped. Creation does not give the law or champion justice, but Yahweh, the God of creation does.
 
Specific Revelation: The word of the LORD is most desirable because it not only reveals God’s will but also transforms the lives of people (7-11). 

The word of the LORD reveals God’s will and transforms the lives of people (7-9). 

In verse 7 there is a abrupt change in language, style, and content. The attention shifts from the splendor of God’s creation to the value of the word of the LORD. Natural revelation declares a good deal about the power and majesty of God, but it cannot communicate the details specific revelation reveals. All the heavenly hosts and especially the sun have a great impact on life on this planet, but they cannot match the impact of specific revelation.
 
Lives are transformed and enriched as people follow the instructions and principles of the word of the LORD. The material in verses 7-11 comes close to wisdom or torah (“law”) literature with its emphasis on Scripture. The first part, verses 7-9, extols different aspects of the word of the LORD and describes the effect of each on the believer. The second part, verses 10-11, proclaims how desirable and beneficial the teaching of Scripture are for the believer.
 
The psalmist extols six aspects of the word of the LORD. The first is the general heading, “the law of the LORD.” The word translated “law” can refer to an individual teaching, the law given at Sinai, all the books of the law in general, or all of Scripture. Here it seems to refer to the law given at Sinai, but it can easily be applied to any biblical revelation.
 
With the shift to specific revelation the psalmist uses the covenant name “Yahweh” instead of “God.” Natural revelation can tell us about a sovereign, powerful God who created all things, specific revelation can tell us about the personal, covenant God Yahweh who revealed His will and His plans to His people.
 
This law, David says, is perfect. It is flawless. It is without error. There is no misleading or unnecessary instruction. It is sound, consistent, unimpaired, and genuine. In other words, the law of the LORD has divine integrity, and its effect on people is that it restores life. No matter what spiritual condition people might be in, or what physical location or event might have brought about their waywardness, the law of the LORD shows them how they may be restored to a right relation with God. Many people hear the word “law” and think only of rules with condemnations, but the law also included all the ritual of the sacrifices – God’s gracious provision for forgiveness and restoration.
 
The second topic listed (v. 7b) is “the testimony of the LORD.” It is a general reference to the laws and commandments that make up the covenant God made with Israel. This testimony is “sure.” This means that it is reliable or trustworthy, and the effect is that it makes wise the simple. The “simple” is the naïve person, often young, who has had no training and is therefore without knowledge or discipline, and who wanders into all kinds of danger. The simpleton desperately needs wisdom, which is the skill to live a life that is disciplined and productive, bringing honor to the community, the family, and to God. By entering into the covenant with the LORD and living according to its stipulations, the simple may become wise; but without Scripture, there can be no godly wisdom.
 
The third topic is “the statutes of the LORD.” The LORD’s statutes are like divine appointments to higher service with additional responsibilities and duties. They are “upright;” they are exactly right, appropriately clear and direct. The effect of these statutes, should one receive them and live on this level, is that they cause the heart to rejoice. Living out the plan of God revealed in the covenant will bring joy.
 
The fourth topic is “the commandment of the LORD.” Th singular use of “commandment” is a reference to the entire law with all its commandments and provisions. This covenant program is “pure,” without any imperfection or pollution. Because God’s command is pure, it “enlightens the eyes” – it gives people spiritual understanding and guides them in the right choices. Spiritual perception is essential for survival in a corrupt world.
 
The fifth topic does not seem to fit the pattern: “The fear of the LORD is clean.” Since all the other topics are terms for the law of God, the intended meaning here is the law as well. The psalmist has put the effect of the law, fear, for the law. The law properly understood and received will prompt reverential awe in the believer. The law, which prompts such fear is “clean,” a term that used in the Levitical ritual of the sanctuary. Its antonym “unclean,” described anything that was contaminated or corrupted through defilement in the world outside the sanctuary and was therefore not permitted in the presence of God. “Clean” in Psalm 19 describes the law that produced reverential awe as being acceptable in the presence of God because it was not polluted or perverted in any way; and the effect is that it lasts forever, it stands forever. God’s holy word will endure forever because it is truth. Heaven and earth will pass away, but not the word of the LORD (Matt 24:35).
 
Finally, we have the sixth topic, “the decisions of the LORD.” The word “decisions” refers to the rulings in the law that decided cases. In deciding a legal case, the purpose is to get to the truth. All God’s decision will do just that, and so the conclusion is that “they are righteous altogether.” Only in the decisions of God will anyone ever find true justice.
 
The word of the LORD is desirable and enjoyable because it enables people to be pleasing to the LORD (10-11). 

After the survey of the value and effect of the word of the LORD in the lives of people, the psalmist announces his delight in and benefit from the word of the LORD. For believers the laws of God were not a burden; they were desirable. The psalmist knew that the laws of the LORD were more to be desired than fine gold, and they were sweeter than honey from the honeycomb. God’s word is sweet in the enrichment and satisfaction of life that it brings to the faithful believer, and its sweetness increases its desirability day by day.
 
As David reflected on the enjoyment the word of the LORD gave him in life, he also reflected on its impact in his life (v. 11). First, he, God’s servant is warned by them. The law not only told people what they should not do, but also warned them of the consequences if they violated the law. On the other hand, by keeping the laws of God there was “reward,” good results.
 
The laws of God were sweet and desirable – they prevented people from ruining their lives and the lives of those around them, and they promised a good outcome for abiding by the law. Based on the first part of this psalm, we can conclude that this is so because the sovereign Creator knows what is best for His creation.
 
Response to Divine Revelation: The proper response to divine revelation is the confession of sin and the desire to be accepted by God (12-14). 

After rehearsing natural revelation, the revelation that all the heavenly host provides about the majesty and glory of God, and after delineating the different aspects of the word of the LORD, the specific revelation that transforms and enhances the lives of believers, David responds with an acknowledgement of his waywardness and a prayer for cleansing from sins and preservation from the sinfulness so that he might lead a life that is acceptable to God. All who believe in divine revelation can share this concluding prayer.
 
Believers should pray for cleansing from hidden faults (12). 

Verse 12 begins with the rhetorical question, “Errors – who can discern them?” The type of sins he is talking about are “sins of ignorance.” The term can describe waywardness in general, but in the cultic laws it describes sins that were unintentional, hidden or inadvertent. Leviticus prescribed the sin offering for these sins when the guilty found out about them or was made aware of them (4:28). The word could refer to any sin that was committed out of ignorance of the law, or any sin that was committed inadvertently, or any sin that was rationalized.
 
These were not premeditated violations of the Law; but even though may have been committed unwittingly, they were nevertheless sins. David knows he cannot detect them, and so he prays for God to clear him of secret or hidden sins. The verb “clear me” is from the verb “acquit; he wants to be declared innocent or free of any sins that are hidden to him at the moment. If he meditated on the Law, he would discover them; his prayer is that they be removed so that he would be free.
 
Believers should pray for preservation from presumptuous sins (13). 

David also prays for God to preserve him or hold him back from presumptuous sins. The reference is pre-meditated sins, sin of the high hand (Num 15:27-31). The one guilty of presumptuous sin was a willful sinner; the presumption came in the idea that he could sin knowingly and willfully against God. David’s prayer is that such arrogant sins not have dominion over him.
 
If the psalmist was cleared of secret sins and prevented from presumptuous sins then he would be blameless and innocent of great transgression. The word for “blameless” describes animals without blemish that could be brought into the sanctuary. In a similar sense David is saying that when he is free of sin, he will be blameless before God and therefore welcome to His presence. The other word “innocent” is the word “free, clear, acquitted” – he will be acquitted of great transgression. He wants to be free of any serious sin.
 
Thus it is the case with all the people of God, that when they are cleansed of secret sins, and protected from committing presumptuous sins, they are blameless and innocent in the eyes of God; but it takes a constant vigil to maintain such spiritual integrity.
 
Believers should always pray that their words and thoughts be acceptable to the LORD (14). 

The concluding prayer is one of the best-known prayers from the Psalter. The prayer is that the words and meditations be acceptable to the LORD. The psalmist has dwelt on the words of natural revelation that reflect the glory of God and the words of special revelation that come from God and guide and direct his life in obedience to God; now he prays that his words to God would also be acceptable to God. But the concern is not for words only, but meditations as well. The prayer is that everything he says and everything he thinks be acceptable to God.
 
The psalmist addresses God in this prayer as “my rock and my redeemer.” The figure of the rock represents God as the solid foundation of is life, his place of security and safety, and his strength. The epithet “my redeemer” on the human level refers to the kinsman redeemer who protects and provides for the family, as in paying off debs or marrying a widow; but on the divine level the word refers to God’s protection and deliverance of his covenant people. Calling God his redeemer means God is his loyal protector, the one who will make things right.
 
Message and Application
 
The careful contemplation of the revelation of the LORD in creation and scripture will inspire the greater adoration and renewed spiritual commitment of the believer.
 
The different strands of the psalm connect to the teachings of the New Testament. Natural revelation is the starting point for Paul’s letter to the church at Rome, and in the Book Paul cites Psalm 19:18 to make the point that Israel cannot say they never heard the word (Rom 10:18). The revelation of God has been constant: natural revelation displays His power and majesty, but the word of the LORD reveals His will. According to Paul the Law is holy, righteous and good (Rom 7:12); it reveals the will of God, but most importantly it reveals sin (Rom 7:13). Because it is God-breathed, Scripture is able to make people wise and is profitable for instruction in righteousness (2 Tim 3:15, 16). Divine revelation leads believers to praise God, to confess their sins, and to renew their commitment to obey.
 
Christians will also attest that with the coming of Christ revelation is complete. He is the Creator, and so the heavens declare the glory of Christ (John 1:1-10; Col 1:15-20); and He is the Word, the complete revelation of God, and so faith in Him brings life and joy and spiritual understanding (John 1:1-18; Heb 1:1-3). As we learn of Him through the Word, our secret sins and rebellious acts will be uncovered so that we might find forgiveness and gain the spiritual strength to resist great sin (1 John 1:7).

[1] Much of the material for this message is adapted from A commentary on the Psalms by Allen P. Ross.
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Revelation Chapter 5

11/1/2022

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WORTHY IS THE LAMB!
Revelation 5*

Philippe R. Sterling
 
Spontaneous celebrations of freedom erupted all across Eastern Europe in the late 1980s as atheistic and tyrannical governments suddenly disintegrated. One of the displays of liberty took place in Czechoslovakia on November 27, 1989. Although church bells had not been heard in that nation for 45 years, at noon that day every church bell in the country began to ring. The pigeons were as startled as the people. A sign placed in the lawn of a church in Prague summed up the joy of the moment. It read simply: “The Lamb Wins!”
 
That triumphant message evokes a picture of the meekness and power of the Lord Jesus Christ. Throughout the pages of Revelation, He is portrayed as the Lamb who has redeemed us. Yet despite the greatness represented by a Lamb, Jesus is also the mighty Lion who will defeat all who oppose Him. The reign of God’s Messiah will not come peacefully. The imagery of Revelation is full of God’s fierce power and judgment on those who are in rebellion against the Lamb’s rightful rule. The Lamb will win. Praise the Lamb!

The Eternal Father offers the title-deed of the earth to Jesus, the worthy redeemer (5:1-6).
 
The World’s Need for the Lamb (1-4)
 
The Seven-Sealed Scroll (1)
 
John saw a seven-sealed scroll written inside and out in the right hand of the One who sat on the throne (v. 1). 
 
In the chapters that follow, the breaking of the seals results in the outpouring of the judgments of God.  The breaking of the seals releases all the judgments necessary to defeat Satan’s kingdom, restore the kingdom of the earth under the visible authority of Christ, and reestablish mankind as God had originally intended before the fall.
 
The seven-sealed scroll contains the story of man losing lordship over the earth to Satan, the usurper, and its recovery through the God-Man Savior, the Lion who is also the Lamb. He alone is able to accomplish what no one else in the universe can, and He does so through the judgments of the seals.
 
The Jewish laws and customs concerning the reclamation of land and the role of the kinsman-redeemer shed light on this.  If a Jewish family was required to forfeit its land and possessions through some distress, the property could not be permanently taken from them.  The Old Testament law of jubilee and the kinsman-redeemer protected them against this.  Their losses were listed in a scroll and sealed seven times.  Then the conditions necessary to purchase back the land and their possessions were written on the outside of the scroll.  When a qualified redeemer could be found to meet the requirements of reclamation, a kinsman like Boaz in the story of Ruth, the one to whom the property had been forfeited was obligated to return the possessions to the original owner.  We find such a case in the book of Jeremiah (32:6-44).
 
Since the major part of the book of Revelation deals with the judgments associated with the removal of the seals of this scroll, it is important that we understand the significance of its content.  The scroll represents the forfeiture of mankind’s original inheritance from God.  When God created Adam and Eve, He gave them dominion over the earth and everything in it (Genesis 1:26-30; Hebrews 2:6-8).  When Adam and Eve succumbed to the temptation of Satan and disobeyed God, Satan usurped their authority to rule the world.  However, God did not want the earth and the human race to be permanently ruled by Satan and the fallen angels under his control (Hebrews 2:5, 8b, 14-15; Genesis 3:15).  Therefore, someone had to be found within humanity, a kinsman redeemer, one who is qualified to reclaim the lost inheritance, someone who was true humanity, yet free to redeem; not a sinful man, nor an angel (Hebrews 2:9, 14-17).
 
It is fitting here for us to correct a lack of understanding of all that is included in the conception of redemption.  When this word is used, we tend to think that it only has to do with the forgiveness of our sins through the payment of Christ’s death.  Viewed as a whole, redemption is a wider and more wondrous thing.  It involves the restoration of all creation to the rule of Christ and His fellow heirs (Romans 8:16-25).
 
The scroll was in the right hand of God the Father.  This is significant of His right to what the sealed instrument binds.  Taken from man, the inheritance reverted to the original Giver.  Satan’s possession is a mere usurpation, permitted for a time.  The true right still lies in the hand of God, until the proper kinsman-redeemer comes to redeem it, by paying the price, and ejecting the usurper and his followers.
 
The Silence of Creation (2-3)
 
Along with the sealed scroll appeared a mighty angel, asking with a great voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?”  The time had come, when, if a qualified redeemer was to be found, He should come forward and exercise His right. 
 
The result of the call was that “no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or look into it.”  Angels shrunk back from it as beyond their qualifications.  And yet, it would seem as if somewhere there had been efforts made to achieve it.
 
Lost people throughout human history have tried, in politics, in science, in all the arts of civilization, philosophy, and even religion, to work out this problem of the successful repossession of what was lost in Adam, to attain to that forfeited perfection and supreme good.  Satan has seductively worked to persuade us that we can make good the lying promise, “You shall be as God,” and in spite of the Almighty and without Him, realize the dream of a better destiny for the world and the human race.  It has also been within the plan of God to permit His rebellious creatures to carry out the experiment to its utmost and to give scope to the most conspicuous failure at the last. 
 
Though varied and complicated have been the attempts, they all have resulted in failure.  Egypt attempted to rule the world, and bowed to the worship of creatures, and went down in ruins.  Babylon tried it and became the great symbol of all that is blasphemous in power and impure in life.  Greece tried it, and only achieved her destruction in the union of the intellect with the vices of the flesh.  Rome tried it, and became the iron arm that covered the world in blood, and then dissolved in the pollution which itself had made.  Communism failed.  The spirit of democracy and human enlightenment is now trying, and will perpetuate its efforts to the most gigantic and bewitching level that the world has ever seen, but only to work out the most dreadful failure that has yet occurred.  The lost estate of man, by sinful men, or holy angels, or demonic spirits, can never be recovered.
 
The Sorrow of John (4)
 
It’s a sad and mournful thought. Heaven itself seems to grow silent and breathless under it. And the tender and loving heart of John breaks, “Then I began to weep greatly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or look into it.”
 
Seeing that no one was found worthy to open the scroll, John began to weep.  John knew what the sealed scroll meant.  He understood the office of the kinsman redeemer, and that if there was failure at this point, the reinstatement into what Adam lost – the recovery of all that sin took away – must fail.  Until that scroll is opened, and the seals broken, the people of God must remain in privation, sorrow, and tears.
 
Worthiness of the Lamb (5-6)
 
Lion of Judah and Root of David (5)
 
One of the elders said to John, “Stop weeping; behold the Lion from the tribe of Judah, the root of David, overcame so as to open the scroll and its seven seals.”  This is what the people of God have been hearing from her elders, and prophets, and apostles, and ministers, in all the ages.  It is the essence of the Gospel, which has been sounding ever since the promise in Eden, that the seed of the woman should bruise the serpent’s head.  It has been the comfort of God’s people in all these ages of their disinheritance. 
 
Jesus is the Lion of Judah.  Judah was one of the twelve sons of Jacob, the patriarch from whom the twelve tribes of Israel originated.  In Genesis 49:10 Jacob prophesied of Judah’s leadership, “The scepter [rulership] shall not depart from Judah . . . until Shiloh (the Messiah, to whom it belongs) comes.”    Judah was the tribe from which king David came.  God promised David a royal kingdom that would last forever.  He told David that one of his descendants would be called the Prince of Peace, and that this Prince would reign over an eternal kingdom of righteousness and justice (1 Chronicles 17:11-14). 

Jesus is the root of David – the foundation on which the Davidic hopes rest.  He overcame in the temptations in the wilderness, in the agonies of the garden, in death on a cross, and in the grave.  He ascended and led captivity captive.  He is Victor over sin and death.  He has paid the redemption price of the forfeited inheritance.  He is the true kinsman redeemer, who, having triumphed and been accepted, will also prove ready and worthy to complete His work, by taking the scroll and breaking its seals.
 
Lamb of God (6)
 
John saw between the throne and the elders a Lamb, standing, as if slain.  The Lamb is the same whom the elder had just described as a Lion.  The two titles seem to be contradictory.  But in reality they supplement each other. 
 
The opening of the seals is an act of strength, an exploit of war, a going forth in power to take possession of a kingdom.  As one after another is broken, out breaks a fierce assault on the enemies and usurpers who occupy the earth.  In the accomplishment of this, Christ is a Lion, clothed with power, and majesty, and terribleness.  But the character in which He overcame and became qualified for this work, and in which He presents Himself before the throne as a candidate worthy to do it, is that of the sacrificial Lamb that was slain.
 
The title of Lion is used of Jesus only once in Revelation.  The title of Lamb is used 28 times.  The point is that His kingly crown, rule, and power lie in His redemptive work as the Lamb of God who died in our place.  The biggest battle was on the cross.  He could not take his place as Ruler until He had become the kinsman redeemer by His sacrifice.  The Lamb is standing as if slain.  His mortal wounds were visible.  His wounds will remind us forever of the cost of our redemption.
 
John further describes this Lamb as having seven horns and seven eyes.  This suggests that something more than sacrifice is now to be His business.  The horn is a symbol of strength and aggressive power.  Seven is the number of completeness.  So that while Jesus appears here as the sacrificial lamb, He possesses at the same time the fullness of conquering strength.  As to the seven eyes which are the seven spirits of God, Isaiah prophesied that the Spirit of the Lord would rest on the Messiah (11:1-3).  And he listed seven aspects of the Spirit.  He is the spirit of the Lord, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and strength, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.  Seven emphasizes the completeness of his knowledge and insight.  None of His actions and decisions in His righteous judgment against the sin of mankind will be made on partial knowledge.
 
Jesus, the worthy Lamb, takes the title-deed to the earth (5:7). 

Finally Jesus, the Lamb, takes the seven-sealed scroll from the right hand of the One who sits on the throne.  This is the pivotal act of the book of Revelation.  It is the act by virtue of which the world is subdued, Babylon judged, the Beast destroyed, the dragon vanquished, death overthrown, the curse removed, the earth made new into the paradise of God.  It is the taking up of the title-deed of the forfeited inheritance, the legal act of repossession of all that was lost in Adam, and paid for by the blood of the Lamb.
 
The angels and the elders and all creation worship Jesus the rightful King of the earth and Judge of all (5:8-14). 
 
And when the Lamb took the scroll, there went a thrill through all those gathered before the throne.  The four Living Beings and the twenty-four Elders fall down before the Lamb in worship, for they realize that the events resulting in the liberation of creation are about to begin.
 
The elders are described as “each holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.”  It is now the time for the prayers of the saints to be answered and fulfilled: “Thy Kingdom come Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”  So have all believers prayed.  The prayers have been carefully treasured in golden bowls.  They are as sweet incense before God and the Lamb.  The holding up of the prayers and the harps together before the Lamb as He takes the scroll, is that He may now remember and fulfill what all the prophets had spoken and sung, as well as what all believers have prayed.
 
And the elders sang a new song. John hears the majestic hymn reverberating through heaven: Worthy are You to take the scroll and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign on the earth. Their song magnifies the worth of the Lamb for four reasons. He was slain. That death brought redemption. That redemption results in a position as a kingdom and priests. In the future the redeemed will reign upon the earth.
 
The elders are not alone in their adoration. John heard the loud voice of many angels saying: Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing. They give a sevenfold ascription of praise.
 
And the response of praise spread wider and wider. John heard every created thing in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea say, To Him who seats on the throne and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.
 
And the four living creatures kept saying, “Amen.” And the elders fell down and worshiped. They close this scene of universal homage to the Lamb. All of heaven’s praise comes because the Lamb takes the scroll from the Father’s hand. God’s great eternal plan will now be fulfilled. His kingdom will come and His will be done.

*Some of the material is adapted from J.A. Seiss, The Apocalypse.
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Revelation Chapter 4

10/5/2022

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THE THRONE
Come, Let Us Worship Him!
Revelation 4:1-11

Philippe R. Sterling
 
The Scriptures exhort us to worship God. Psalm 100 is one such passage.
 
Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth.
2 Serve the Lord with gladness;
Come before Him with joyful singing.
3 Know that the Lord Himself is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
 
4 Enter His gates with thanksgiving,
And His courtyards with praise.
Give thanks to Him, bless His name.
5 For the Lord is good;
His mercy is everlasting
And His faithfulness is to all generations.
 
Worship matters. Worship matters to God. Worship is celebrating who God is and what He has done. Our passage in the Book of Revelation today focuses on worship.
 
The Lord Jesus receives the title-deed to judge and reclaim the earth (4:1–5:14). 

John introduces the third major section of the book with the same words used in the temporal outline in 1:19, “After these things.” We are now about to see “the things which will take place.”  What things?  The things after the Church Age!  The things after the removal of the Church from the earth!  This will include the tribulation period, the return of Christ to the earth, the millennium, and the new heaven and new earth.
 
Chapters four and five form a prologue to the entire section. John is given a glimpse of the throne in heaven before he is shown the terrible judgments that will be poured out on the earth.
 
The Eternal Father sits on the throne in heaven and receives the adoration of the four living creatures and the enthroned elders (4:1-11). 

One of the popular shows on Netflix is The Crown. Though we live in a constitutional republic we are still fascinated with monarchy. God the Father rules over all creation and sits on a divine throne. Revelation chapter four ushers us into the throne room of God.
 
Summoned to the Throne: John saw a door open in heaven and heard the words “Come up here” (4:1).
 
John sees an open door in heaven. This is a special door opened to admit John to heaven. The voice of the one that had first spoken to him in chapter one, likely Christ, invites him to “Come up here.” The One speaking with John tells him that He will show him what must take place “after these things.”
 
The invitation to John is similar to that which the Church anticipates at the rapture.  The word “rapture” in English is a transliteration of the old Latin word “rapturo,” which means to “snatch away” or “catch up.”  The equivalent Greek word is “harpazo.”  This comes from the biblical description of the event in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. 
 
Someday, Jesus will come for the Church and say “Come up here.”  At the beginning of chapter 4 the Church is in heaven.  This is how Jesus intends to fulfill His promise to the church in 3:10.  Jesus in the Upper Room in John 14:3 just before His death and resurrection told the disciples that He would leave and “go prepare a place for you.”  He then promised to return “to receive you to myself that where I am, there you may be also.”  1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 paints a picture of the rapture for us.  Paul did not want the church at Thessalonica to be uninformed.  Jesus will come with “a shout.”  It will be a shout of welcome as He comes to gather us to Himself.  He will come with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God.  These three sounds will tell believers, both dead and living, that the day of their complete redemption is at hand.  According to 1 Corinthians 15:51-52, at the sound of the trumpet we will all be changed; in the twinkling of an eye, we will put on immortality.  Our present bodies will be changed into a glorious body.
 
The Person on the Throne: John saw a throne and One sitting on the throne (4:2-3). 

John is taken through the door and arrives in heaven “in the spirit.” He is in a spiritual state in connection with receiving the visions. He had returned to his normal senses after the first vision ended in 3:22 and now returns to the same state in which he had been so as to receive a second vision.
 
John first sees the throne standing in heaven and then the One sitting on the throne. Revelation is a throne book. The word is used forty-six times in the book and fourteen times in this chapter. Verse 8 identifies the One sitting on the throne as God. The word for sitting is a present participle indicating continuing occupancy. This is the throne of God the Father, since the Son approaches the throne in Revelation 5:6, and The Spirit is before the throne in Revelation 4:5. God is on His throne and in complete control (see Isa 14:24-27). See Exodus 24:9-11; Daniel 7:9-10; Isaiah 6:1-5; Ezekiel 1:26-28; Acts 7:55-56 for other throne descriptions.
 
John describes the One sitting on the throne in terms of two precious stones: the jasper and sardius. Rev 21:11 explains the jasper as clear as crystal, that is, the color of light, perhaps like a diamond radiating brilliant light. God is robed in light according to Psalm 104:2 and 1 Timothy 6:16. The sardius was blood red and named for the city of Sardis where it was found.
 
Around the throne was a rainbow the light green color of an emerald. The rainbow reminds us of God’s covenant with Noah, symbolic of His promise that He would never again destroy the earth with a flood. Judgment is about to fall, but the rainbow reminds us that God is merciful and gracious, even when He judges (see Gen. 9:11-17). Unlike the sights of rainbows on earth of which we see only a part, this heavenly rainbow completely encircles the throne of God. Usually, a rainbow appears after the storm; but here, we see it before the storm.
 
The Persons around the Throne: John saw 24 elders sitting on thrones clothed in white garments with golden crowns on their heads (4:4).  

Around the throne were 24 elders upon 24 thrones. The rainbow was around the throne vertically, while the elders were around the throne horizontally. They are the King’s court.
 
These 24 are representative of the church overcomers. This is supported by the parallel of the OT where the priesthood of Israel was represented by 24 orders of priests since the thousands of priests could not all minister at the same time (see 1 Chronicles 23:3-4; 24:4-5).  Each order was represented by one priest serving at one time (Luke 2:5-9).  The white garments represent their righteousness in Christ or perhaps their righteous acts (see 19:8). 
 
The crowns are their reward for service while on earth (see 3:11) – the crown of life for those who faithfully endure trial and temptation (James 1:12), the incorruptible crown for those who discipline their lives (1 Corinthians 9:25), the crown of rejoicing for those who lead people to Christ (1 Thessalonians 2:19), the crown of righteousness for those who live in anticipation of the coming of Christ (2 Timothy 4:8), and the crown of glory for those who faithfully care for God’s people (1 Peter 5:4).   
 
A crown represents the reality of authority and rule.  The faithful of the Church will be on thrones with crowns ruling and reigning with Christ (see 3:21).  The crowns will be given as rewards at the Judgment Seat of Christ (see Matthew 16:27; Romans 14:10-12; 1 Corinthians 3:8-15; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Revelation 22:12).  The 24 elders join the four living creatures in worshipping God (see Isaiah 6:1-3; Ezekiel 1:4-28; 10:1-22).  They fall down before the One on the throne, casting down their crowns before the throne.
 
The Praise to the Throne: Four living creatures and the twenty-four elders worship Him who sits on the throne (4:5-11).
 
From the throne came flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder. These are portents of judgments and come again in 8:5; 11:19 and 16:18. They are storm signals.
 
Before the throne were seven torches of fire. They are the seven spirits of God or the fullness of the Holy Spirit (as in 1:4; 3:1; 5:6). The torches emitted a blazing fire rather than a soft one. Fire in this book symbolizes judgment. Here is the divine preparedness for God’s wrath against sinful humanity.
 
Also before the throne was a sea of glasslike crystal. A pure crystal sea symbolizes God’s purity and holiness. The crystal “firmament” in Ezekiel’s vision also comes to mind (Ezek. 1:22). It was the foundation for God’s throne. It pictures the splendor and majesty of God on His throne that set Him apart from all creation, a separation stemming from His purity and holiness, which He shares with no one else.
 
In the center and around the throne were four living creatures. They resemble the cherubim that Ezekiel saw (see Ezekiel 10), but their praise reminds us of the Seraphim of Isaiah 6. Each one is different in appearance. The four likenesses represent each part of the animal creation. They encircle the throne, one on either side, one behind and one in front. In the context of Revelation, one of their functions is the administration of divine justice in the realm of animate creation (see 6:1, 3, 5, 7; 15:7).
 
Some interpreters see in the four faces described the picture of Christ given in the four Gospels. Matthew is the royal Gospel of the King, illustrated by the lion. Mark emphasizes the servant aspect of the Lord’s ministry, the calf. Luke present Christ as the Son of Man. John magnifies the deity of Christ, the Son of God; the eagle.
 
These living creatures signify the wisdom and omniscience of God – “full of eyes.” God has created them with such penetrative intelligence that they are fully aware of happenings pertaining to their judicial responsibility.
 
They ceaselessly praise God. They ascribe to God holiness, all power, eternality. They give Him glory and honor. They also offer thanks to God. Whenever the living creatures glorified God, the elders would fall before the throne and praise Him.
 
The elders seated on their thrones rise and fall on their faces before God and worship Him. As a further act of homage, they cast their crowns before God and praise Him in the words of verse 11. They address the One on the throne as the Lord and “our God.” They ascribe to Him glory, honor and power. They attribute to Him the creation of all things in accordance with His will.
 
The scene is one of the redeemed joining with the cherubim in magnifying the worth of the Creator-God. The Book of Revelation is filled with hymns of praise (Rev. 4:8, 11; 5:9-13; 7:12-17; 11:15-18; 12:10-12; 15:3-4; 16:5-7; 18:2-8; 19:2-6). The One seated on the throne created all things and to Him all glory is due. However, because God’s will and glory mean nothing to rebellious humanity, divine wrath must fall.
 
With the song of the 24 elders this initial scene in the throne room closes. John’s invitation to heaven, the heavenly throne, and activities around the throne make a deep impression. Here is the headquarters of the holy, omnipotent, and eternal God who requires His standards to be met by His creation. If they are not, His wrath must inflict penalties upon the rebellious.

Conclusion
 
Worship is perhaps one of the greatest endeavors in our churches and individual lives. We tend to emphasize witness for Christ and working for Christ, and perhaps there is not enough emphasis on worshipping Him. To worship means “to ascribe worth.” It means that we praise God with all of our being for all that He is and does.
 
One of the hymnals that I have is entitled The Worshiping Church. The first hymn is “Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty.” Some of the words are drawn from our passage. Let us sing this hymn of praise to our Lord God Almighty.
 
Holy, Holy, Holy
 
Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty!
Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee
Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty
God in three Persons, blessed Trinity!
 
Holy, holy, holy, all the saints adore Thee
Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea
Cherubim and seraphim falling down before Thee
Which wert, and art, and evermore shalt be
 
Holy, holy, holy, though the darkness hide Thee
Though the eye of sinful man Thy glory may not see
Only Thou art holy, there is none beside Thee
Perfect in power, in love, and purity!
 
Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty!
All Thy works shall praise Thy name in earth and sky and sea
Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty
God in three Persons, blessed Trinity!
 
Come, let us worship Him!
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Book of Esther

9/6/2022

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ESTHER – GOD’S PROVIDENTIAL PROTECTION OF HIS PEOPLE

Philippe R. Sterling
 
The Book of Esther was named after one of its main characters. The events took place in the Persian period after the captivity of the Jews when many of them had returned to the land of Israel. An unknown author used Mordecai’s record of the events and the Book of Chronicles of the Persians to tell the story (2:23; 6:1; 9:20, 32).

The Book of Esther is an historical and theological short story that follows the events, plots and plans in the Royal Palace of Susa which related to an attempt to exterminate the Jewish exiles remaining in Persia. It shows God working providentially to preserve the Jewish people even when they remained in exile and unfaithfulness. The story unfolds in three acts with a historical prologue and epilogue.

Historical Prologue (1:1-4)

In the 3rd year of his reign, Ahasuerus celebrated his greatness for 180 days by inviting the civil and military officials of his kingdom to his palace in Susa. Ahasuerus or Xerxes was the ruler of the Persian Empire which stretched from India to Ethiopia. He ascended to the throne in 486 BC, a hundred years after Nebuchadnezzar had destroyed the Temple in Jerusalem and taken the Jews into exile to Babylon. The Jewish people spread throughout the empire.  Xerxes wanted to go to war against Greece. His predecessor Darius had lost the battle of Marathon in his attempt to take Athens. In the 3rd year of his reign, Xerxes held a series of banquets for his nobles and army officers to show off his riches and majesty and garner support for a renewed war effort.

Act 1 – Palace Tensions (1:5−3:6)

The first act involves two interwoven story lines. The first concerns the conflict in the royal household prompted by the refusal of Queen Vashti to exhibit herself at Xerxes’ royal banquet and the eventual selection of a new queen. The second concerns the clash of two royal courtiers, Mordecai and Haman. The clash of Mordecai and Haman provides the primary tension of the story, but it is the appointment of the new queen that makes possible the eventual resolution of the crisis.

            Scene 1 – Conflict in the Royal Household (1:5−2:20)

·       Xerxes rejected Vashti for refusing to appear at his summons (1:5-22).

Xerxes and Vashti his Queen both gave a banquet. Xerxes decided to display the beauty of Vashti and ordered her appearance at his banquet. The text specifies that she was to wear her crown suggesting that she was to appear wearing only her crown.  Vashti refused to exhibit herself and arouses the fury of Xerxes. Xerxes asked his advisors for what was to be done with Vashti. They counseled that she should never appear before him again and that she be replaced by someone with a more compliant spirit.

·       Xerxes selected Esther as his new queen (2:1-20).

When Ahasuerus began to miss Vashti, his attendants suggested that beautiful virgins from all the provinces of his kingdom be brought to Susa that he might choose one of them to be his new queen. He may be the prototype for the Bachelor show, except instead of 28 women there were at least 127, and they all were taken into the fantasy suite. There’s nothing new under the sun. Esther was presented along with the other beautiful women and chosen as the new queen. The appointment of a new queen set the stage for the resolution of the upcoming crisis concerning the Jews.

Esther was an orphan brought up in the family of her cousin Mordecai. Mordecai was a Jew from the tribe of Benjamin and a descendant of King Saul. Esther followed Mordecai’s instructions; and did not reveal that she was a Jewess.

            Scene 2 – Clash of Two Royal Courtiers (2:21−3:6)

·       Mordecai saved the King (2:21-23).

Soon after Xerxes selected Esther as his new queen, Mordecai discovered a plot to assassinate the king. Mordecai was not rewarded for exposing the conspiracy, but his act was recorded in the Book of the Chronicles.

·       Mordecai clashed with Haman (3:1-6).

The king elevated Haman to authority over the princes. Haman was an Amalekite and descendant of Agag their king during Saul’s reign. Saul had failed to follow God’s instructions to completely destroy the Amalekites (1 Sam 15; Deut 25:17-19; Exod 17:8-16). The Book of Esther addressed that unfinished business.

Haman requested and received a decree from the king requiring everyone pay him homage. Mordecai refused and Haman was filled with rage.  The first act ends with Haman’s decision to exterminate the Jews as a way to avenge Mordecai’s refusal to bow before him.
 
Act 2 – Palace Intrigues

            Scene 1 – Haman versus Mordecai

·       Haman plotted to exterminate the Jews (3:7-15).

Haman persuaded Xerxes to issue a decree permitting the destruction of the Jews. He determined by the casting of the lot the best time for their destruction. After obtaining Xerxes’ approval, he sent proclamations throughout the empire for the extermination of the Jews and the seizure of their property on the 13th day of the 12th month Adar.

·       Mordecai counter-planned to save the Jews (4:1-17).

When Mordecai realized what had been decreed, he mourned, fasted, and sat in sackcloth and ashes. Esther heard about Mordecai and sent to find out what was wrong. Mordecai related the problem, sent a copy of the edict, and asked that Esther go to the king and implore his intervention. Esther sent back word that she might lose her life if she went to the king without having been summoned. Mordecai replied to Esther that she would none the less perish if she remained silent and that deliverance would arise from another place for the Jews, but she may have come to her position as queen “for such a time as this.” This is a slightly veiled reference to the providence of God.  Esther requested that all the Jews fast for her as she tried to intervene. She would risk her life – “If I perish, I perish.”

            Scene 2 – Esther’s 1st Intervention (5:1-14)

Esther presented herself to the king who received her. She requested that he and Haman come to a banquet. At this first banquet she requested that they attend a second banquet on the next day. 

Haman was pleased but was again angered when he saw Mordecai. He was pleased when his wife and friends suggested he make the gallows on which to hang Mordecai.

            Scene 3 – Providential Intervention (6:1-14)

The plot turns on the insomnia of the king, the reading of the Book of the Chronicles detailing the service of Mordecai to the king, and the resulting decree to honor Mordecai by having Haman parade him through the streets. Haman’s wife’s comment reinforces this as a pivotal moment, “If Mordecai, before whom you have begun to fall, is of Jewish origin, you will not overcome him, but will surely fall before him” (6:13).  Haman must then quickly go to Esther’s second banquet.

            Scene 4 – Esther’s Second Intervention (7:1-10)

Esther at the second banquet pleaded for her life and the life of her people.  Ahasuerus asked that Esther tell him who had planned such a plot. Esther revealed that Haman was the man. On the suggestion one of the eunuchs, Haman was hanged on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai.

Act 3 – Jewish Deliverance (8:1−9:19)

The final act resolved the crisis by Ahasuerus giving the Jews the right of self-defense against their enemies and elevating Mordecai to the royal position previously held by Haman. The Jews took action against their enemies and celebrated with a festival commemorating their victory.

            Scene 1 – Resolution of Crisis (8:1−9:17)

Esther disclosed to the king her relationship to Mordecai who then received the king’s signet ring. Esther set Mordecai over the house of Haman. Esther requested and received a decree to permit the defense of the Jews.
The Jews struck their enemies throughout the empire in the 12th month of Adar on the 13th day.  Esther requested and received from the king another day to complete the destruction of their enemies in Susa and hang the ten sons of Haman.

            Scene 2 – Celebration (9:18-32)

The Jews in the provinces celebrated their victory on the 14th day while the Jews in Susa celebrate on the 15th day. Mordecai recorded these events and commanded the Jews to celebrate the feast of Purim every year on the 14th and 15th day of Adar. Esther also wrote a letter to confirm and establish the celebration.

Historical Epilogue (10:1-3)

The accomplishments of both Ahasuerus and Mordecai were written in the Book of the Chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia. Mordecai was second in command to Ahasuerus and great among the Jews because he looked out for the welfare of his people.

Conclusion

God providentially preserved His unfaithful people who remained in the land of Persia. He directed the outcome of events from behind the scenes. Vashti’s refusal to attend the king’s banquet led to Esther’s selection as Queen. Haman’s casting of the lot (3:7) delayed his intended attempt at the eradication of the Jews. The king could not sleep and just happened to read the section in the Book of the Chronicles about Mordecai. At the very moment that Haman showed up to request the hanging of Mordecai, the king searched for a way to honor Mordecai. Even though God’s name does not appear in the Book of Esther, we see His “fingerprints.”

The story portrays the Jews in unfaithfulness. They were prosperous and remained in Persia. Esther, per Mordecai’s instructions, kept her Jewish identity secret. She was a willing concubine to the king. Mordecai and Esther used the religious ritual of fasting but didn’t combine it with prayer. Purim is a secular not religious festival. Though His people were unfaithful, God remained faithful (2 Tim 2:13).

Throughout their history in the Diaspora the Jews have been vulnerable. God has preserved the Jewish people down through the ages though at times with great suffering. The Book of Esther prepares God’s people for their precarious existence in every Diaspora. God preserves them. This includes Jews who are in unbelief and belief in any age and the Church scattered throughout the world in this age. Esther challenges us to consider how God has prepared us “for such a time as this” and what that “time” might be in each of our lives.

The Hebrew text never mentions God’s name. The Septuagint adds several texts that names God and describes His intervention, reports a dream of Mordecai and its interpretation, quotes prayers of Mordecai and Esther, and gives more details of the edicts. The Catholic Bible includes these later additions.

Esther was willing to give up her life to save her people (4:10-17). Jesus willingly gave up His life take away the sin of the world (Matt 26:36-46; John 1:29). The greatest reversal in human history was the reversal from death to life though the death and resurrection of Christ.

Book of Esther – “For Such a Time as This”
 
Historical Prologue (1:1-4)
 
Act 1 – Palace Tensions (1:5−3:6)
 
          Scene 1 – Conflict in the Royal Household
          Scene 2 – Clash of Two Royal Courtiers
 
Act 2 – Palace Intrigues (3:7−7:10)
 
          Scene 1 – Haman versus Mordecai
          Scene 2 – Esther’s 1st Intervention
          Scene 3 – Providential Intervention
          Scene 4 – Esther’s 2nd Intervention
 
Act 3 – Jewish Deliverance (8:1−9:19)
 
          Scene 1 – Resolution of Crisis
          Scene 2 – Celebration
 
Historical Epilogue (10:1-3)
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