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⁷ The law of the Lord is perfect,
    refreshing the soul.
The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy,
    making wise the simple.
⁸ The precepts of the Lord are right,
    giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are radiant,
    giving light to the eyes.
⁹ The fear of the Lord is pure,
    enduring for ever.
The decrees of the Lord are firm,
    and all of them are righteous.

¹⁰ They are more precious than gold,
    than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,
    than honey from the honeycomb.
¹¹ By them your servant is warned;
    in keeping them there is great reward. NIVUK

God’s reputation is twenty-four-carat gold, with a lifetime guarantee. The Message

Although there is this glorious revelation of God in the natural universe (1-6), His fullest revelation of Himself comes to us in His written Word (and ultimately in Jesus, the living Word, who we meet at the heart of the written Word). If David could say all these lovely things about the incomplete Bible in his hands, how much more can we say them of both testaments of Scripture which are now in our possession? Oh what ‘soul’ refreshment we find here! What wisdom, joy, light, sweetness in its pages! How it gives us a firm footing!

The word ”trustworthy” (7) stood out as I read this morning. In this ‘information age’ We are subjected to a barrage of sources: so many news outlets, comments, opinions – plus lots of conspiracy theories. I wonder whether, like me, you sometimes find yourself asking, ‘Can I really believe this? Is it true or am I being deceived, lied to? Is there another agenda at play here, bending the truth to fit with some powerful person’s ideology?’

It is such a relief to know, living in an unstable world such as ours, that there is a ”firm” place for our feet. The chorus I learned in Sunday School is true: ‘The best book to read is the Bible.’

Best by far!

John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, wrote many books, read many books, and often recommended books to others. But he said that he wanted to be a man of just one book, the Bible. This quote is from his ‘Preface to standard sermons:

‘To candid, reasonable men, I am not afraid to lay open what have been the inmost thoughts of my heart. I have thought, I am a creature of a day, passing through life as an arrow through the air. I am a spirit come from God, and returning to God: just hovering over the great gulf; till, a few moments hence, I am no more seen; I drop into an unchangeable eternity! I want to know one thing the way to heaven; how to land safe on that happy shore. God Himself has condescended to teach the way; for this very end He came from heaven. He hath written it down in a book. O give me that book! At any price, give me the book of God! I have it: here is knowledge enough for me. Let me be “homo unius libri.” ‘

 The heavens declare the glory of God;
    the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
² Day after day they pour forth speech;
    night after night they reveal knowledge.
³ They have no speech, they use no words;
    no sound is heard from them.
⁴ Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,
    their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.
⁵     It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,
    like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
⁶ It rises at one end of the heavens
    and makes its circuit to the other;
    nothing is deprived of its warmth. NIVUK

The ‘Rev Creation’ has been in his pulpit for the longest time, preaching the longest sermon ever, and everyone, everywhere can understand him. The paradox is that without the use of spoken words he speaks. Surely no one could be bored by this glorious preaching? Yet the sad fact is that not everyone heeds:

 ”The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, ¹⁹ since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. ²⁰ For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.

²¹ For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened” Romans 1:18-21 NIVUK.

As I write these words on a breathtakingly beautiful morning in Coverdale, I know that all nature is proclaiming the reality of God. I wonder how many are listening?

At the centre of the ‘preaching’ ”heavens” there lies ”the sun”. Many years ago, I had a book about the sun. When I read just a part of this volume, I thought back then (and I still do) that for someone to merely pause and think about the sun must lead them to a sense of awe and wonder.

But as wonderful as God’s revelation of Himself in nature is, we need the fullness of His unveiling in Christ to complete the picture.

‘The created order both tells and does not tell: it speaks to our intuitions, that there is a glorious God who created such marvels, but its message is limited – it cannot tell about him – and confusing, for the beauty of the hills tells one truth and the storm and volcano another.’ Alec Motyer

I love you, Lord, my strength.

² The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
    my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,
    my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

³ I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise,
    and I have been saved from my enemies.
⁴ The cords of death entangled me;
    the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.
⁵ The cords of the grave coiled around me;
    the snares of death confronted me.

⁶ In my distress I called to the Lord;
    I cried to my God for help.
From his temple he heard my voice;
    my cry came before him, into his ears.
⁷ The earth trembled and quaked,
    and the foundations of the mountains shook;
    they trembled because he was angry.
⁸ Smoke rose from his nostrils;
    consuming fire came from his mouth,
    burning coals blazed out of it.
⁹ He parted the heavens and came down;
    dark clouds were under his feet.
¹⁰ He mounted the cherubim and flew;
    he soared on the wings of the wind.
¹¹ He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him –
    the dark rain clouds of the sky.
¹² Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced,
    with hailstones and bolts of lightning.
¹³ The Lord thundered from heaven;
    the voice of the Most High resounded.^[d]
14 He shot his arrows and scattered the enemy,
    with great bolts of lightning he routed them.
¹⁵ The valleys of the sea were exposed
    and the foundations of the earth laid bare
at your rebuke, Lord,
    at the blast of breath from your nostrils.

¹⁶ He reached down from on high and took hold of me;
    he drew me out of deep waters.
¹⁷ He rescued me from my powerful enemy,
    from my foes, who were too strong for me.
¹⁸ They confronted me in the day of my disaster,
    but the Lord was my support.
¹⁹ He brought me out into a spacious place;
    he rescued me because he delighted in me.

²⁰ The Lord has dealt with me according to my righteousness;
    according to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me.
²¹ For I have kept the ways of the Lord;
    I am not guilty of turning from my God.
²² All his laws are before me;
    I have not turned away from his decrees.
²³ I have been blameless before him
    and have kept myself from sin.
²⁴ The Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
    according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.

²⁵ To the faithful you show yourself faithful,
    to the blameless you show yourself blameless,
²⁶ to the pure you show yourself pure,
    but to the devious you show yourself shrewd.
²⁷ You save the humble
    but bring low those whose eyes are haughty.
²⁸ You, Lord, keep my lamp burning;
    my God turns my darkness into light.
²⁹ With your help I can advance against a troop;
    with my God I can scale a wall.

³⁰ As for God, his way is perfect:
    the Lord’s word is flawless;
    he shields all who take refuge in him.
³¹ For who is God besides the Lord?
    And who is the Rock except our God?
³² It is God who arms me with strength
    and keeps my way secure.
³³ He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;
    he causes me to stand on the heights.
³⁴ He trains my hands for battle;
    my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
³⁵ You make your saving help my shield,
    and your right hand sustains me;
    your help has made me great.
³⁶ You provide a broad path for my feet,
    so that my ankles do not give way.

³⁷ I pursued my enemies and overtook them;
    I did not turn back till they were destroyed.
³⁸ I crushed them so that they could not rise;
    they fell beneath my feet.
³⁹ You armed me with strength for battle;
    you humbled my adversaries before me.
⁴⁰ You made my enemies turn their backs in flight,
    and I destroyed my foes.
⁴¹ They cried for help, but there was no one to save them –
    to the Lord, but he did not answer.
⁴² I beat them as fine as windblown dust;
    I trampled them like mud in the streets.
⁴³ You have delivered me from the attacks of the people;
    you have made me the head of nations.
People I did not know now serve me,
⁴⁴     foreigners cower before me;
    as soon as they hear of me, they obey me.
⁴⁵ They all lose heart;
    they come trembling from their strongholds.

⁴⁶ The Lord lives! Praise be to my Rock!
    Exalted be God my Saviour!
⁴⁷ He is the God who avenges me,
    who subdues nations under me,
⁴⁸     who saves me from my enemies.
You exalted me above my foes;
    from a violent man you rescued me.
⁴⁹ Therefore I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;
    I will sing the praises of your name.

⁵⁰ He gives his king great victories;
    he shows unfailing love to his anointed,
    to David and to his descendants for ever.

It seems to me that verse 29 encapsulates a central truth of this wonderful psalm: namely, that although David was fully engaged in the fight, he only achieved what he did by the grace of God. Psalm 18 is so God-focussed, so God-glorifying, that we are a long way into it before David starts to speak of his own involvement. We might say from the description at the top of the psalm, that this one was written at the height of David’s ‘success’. But it is not an exercise in self-promotion. David is saying, ‘To God be all the glory.’ This is the psalm’s heartbeat.

In 1 Cor.3:9 Paul writes, ”For we are God’s fellow workers”. Again, in 2 Cor.6:1 he says, ”As God’s fellow workers…” (ESV).

Someone said, ‘Without Him we cannot; without us He will not.’

Similarly it has been said, ‘Work as if it all depends on you, and pray as if it all depends on God.’

It most certainly does! David knew this well. Listen to his testimony in Psalm 18. Feel his spiritual pulse

‘David did not take credit for his victories; he gave all the glory to the Lord. Whatever David had, God gave it to him; whatever he was, God made him; whatever he did, God enabled him. Blessed be the name of the Lord!’ Warren W. Wiersbe

¹ Hear me, Lord, my plea is just;
    listen to my cry.
Hear my prayer –
    it does not rise from deceitful lips.
² Let my vindication come from you;
    may your eyes see what is right.

³ Though you probe my heart,
    though you examine me at night and test me,
you will find that I have planned no evil;
    my mouth has not transgressed.
⁴ Though people tried to bribe me,
    I have kept myself from the ways of the violent
    through what your lips have commanded.
⁵ My steps have held to your paths;
    my feet have not stumbled.

⁶ I call on you, my God, for you will answer me;
    turn your ear to me and hear my prayer.
⁷ Show me the wonders of your great love,
    you who save by your right hand
    those who take refuge in you from their foes.
⁸ Keep me as the apple of your eye;
    hide me in the shadow of your wings
⁹ from the wicked who are out to destroy me,
    from my mortal enemies who surround me.

¹⁰ They close up their callous hearts,
    and their mouths speak with arrogance.
¹¹ They have tracked me down, they now surround me,
    with eyes alert, to throw me to the ground.
¹² They are like a lion hungry for prey,
    like a fierce lion crouching in cover.

¹³ Rise up, Lord, confront them, bring them down;
    with your sword rescue me from the wicked.
¹⁴ By your hand save me from such people, Lord,
    from those of this world whose reward is in this life.
May what you have stored up for the wicked fill their bellies;
    may their children gorge themselves on it,
    and may there be leftovers for their little ones.

¹⁵ As for me, I shall be vindicated and shall see your face;
    when I awake, I shall be satisfied with seeing your likeness. NIVUK

‘The language of prayer is forged in the crucible of trouble…The human condition teeters on the edge of disaster. Human beings are in trouble most of the time. Those who don’t know they are in trouble are in the worst trouble. Prayer is the language of the people who are in trouble and know it, and who believe or hope that God can get them out.’ Eugene Peterson

This psalm opens and closes with the idea of ‘vindication’. At the outset David prays for his vindication, and at the end he is sure of it. He has the conviction that his prayer will be answered.

It seems that David was not only in danger, but was also being falsely accused at the time he wrote this psalm. However he was confident of his integrity – that he was not guilty as charged -because he was ‘Bible man’. God’s Word had kept him on the right path; prevented him from veering to the left or the right. He had followed God’s revealed way.

I’m not trying to get my way
    in the world’s way.
I’m trying to get your way,
    your Word’s way.
I’m staying on your trail;
    I’m putting one foot
In front of the other.
    I’m not giving up (vv.4,5 The Message)

The keeping power of Scripture is referenced elsewhere. For example, ps.119: 9,11:

”How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word…I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”

Someone observed, ‘This Book will keep you from sin, or sin will keep you from this Book,’

(Just after writing this piece, I read an article by James Mumford, about his experience in a ’12 step programme’. I thought these words were relevant to the above. See what you think: ‘This may not be true of all therapy, but the therapeutic intervention I experienced as a patient in a psychiatric hospital I found profoundly demoralizing. Being told by a psychologist that “values are subjective” made me feel worse, and left me more depressed. Why? Because in the grip of depression, the only things I knew to be true about the world were certain orienting convictions about right and wrong – that abuse is always wicked, and goodness not merely a matter of perspective. But these were convictions my psychologist was inadvertently contesting when he – with all the authority of his credentials – informed me that morality is merely “externally imposed by society.” He was taking a sledgehammer to my moral compass; I was left reeling, bereft of coordinates, consigned to the position of those the psalmist speaks about: “There be many that say, Who will shew us any good?” (Psalm 4:6).”)

¹ Keep me safe, my God,
    for in you I take refuge.

² I say to the Lord, ‘You are my Lord;
    apart from you I have no good thing.’
³ I say of the holy people who are in the land,
    ‘They are the noble ones in whom is all my delight.’
⁴ Those who run after other gods will suffer more and more.
    I will not pour out libations of blood to such gods
    or take up their names on my lips.

⁵ Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup;
    you make my lot secure.
⁶ The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
    surely I have a delightful inheritance.
⁷ I will praise the Lord, who counsels me;
    even at night my heart instructs me.
⁸ I keep my eyes always on the Lord.
    With him at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.

⁹ Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
    my body also will rest secure,
¹⁰ because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,
    nor will you let your faithful one see decay.
¹¹ You make known to me the path of life;
    you will fill me with joy in your presence,
    with eternal pleasures at your right hand. NIVUK

‘God gives wisdom if you will ask Him (James 1:5). God teaches you in the darkness as well as in the light.’ Warren W. Wiersbe.

If we want to be guided by God – to hear Him speaking to us in the day (and even the night) the set of the life is vital. It must be towards God:

”I keep my eyes always on the Lord.”

”Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. ² Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things” Col.3:1,2

When we do this we also, for example:

• find all our safety and satisfaction in God (1,2);
• treasure the fellowship of other believers (3);
• live joyfully (9);
• live hopefully, and expectantly, of the glorious future ahead of us (9-11)

It has been pointed out that, as with psalm 15, this one is ultimately fulfilled in Jesus, and in us through Him.

Lord, who may dwell in your sacred tent?
    Who may live on your holy mountain?

² The one whose way of life is blameless,
    who does what is righteous,
    who speaks the truth from their heart;
³ whose tongue utters no slander,
    who does no wrong to a neighbour,
    and casts no slur on others;
⁴ who despises a vile person
    but honours those who fear the Lord;
who keeps an oath even when it hurts,
    and does not change their mind;
⁵ who lends money to the poor without interest;
    who does not accept a bribe against the innocent.

Whoever does these things
    will never be shaken. NIVUK

The ‘Westminster Shorter Catechism declares: ‘Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.’

It is important to say that this psalm is not teaching salvation by good works. Nevertheless, it does underline the point that we are saved by a faith that works. Righteous living is expected of those who claim to know God through Jesus. Furthermore, our enjoyment of fellowship with God will be adversely affected by careless living. (The idea behind ”dwell’ in v.1 is ‘stay as a guest’). If we want to ‘enjoy’ God, we must carefully order our steps. (We know from the New Testament especially, that the Holy Spirit will enable us).

Maybe ‘The Message’ carries a sense of this:

”God, who gets invited
    to dinner at your place?
How do we get on your guest list?

² “Walk straight,
    act right,
        tell the truth.

^3-4 “Don’t hurt your friend,
    don’t blame your neighbour;
        despise the despicable.

⁵ “Keep your word even when it costs you,
    make an honest living,
        never take a bribe.

“You’ll never get
blacklisted
if you live like this.”

‘Here is the holiness without which no one sees God (Heb.12:14), covering conduct, conversation and relationships (2-3), values, integrity and financial contentment (4-5).’ Alec Motyer

All of life matters to God, and is to be offered to Him as worship.

It should be said that, ultimately, this psalm is fulfilled only by Jesus; but to the extent that it is fulfilled in us, it is because of Him.

¹ The fool says in his heart,
    ‘There is no God.’
They are corrupt, their deeds are vile;
    there is no one who does good.

² The Lord looks down from heaven
    on all mankind
to see if there are any who understand,
    any who seek God.
³ All have turned away, all have become corrupt;
    there is no one who does good,
    not even one.

⁴ Do all these evildoers know nothing?

They devour my people as though eating bread;
    they never call on the Lord.
⁵ But there they are, overwhelmed with dread,
    for God is present in the company of the righteous.
⁶ You evildoers frustrate the plans of the poor,
    but the Lord is their refuge.

⁷ Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!
    When the Lord restores his people,
    let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!

We should not be surprised when atheism fails to result in good lives. (A footnote on verse 1, in the NIV, says, ” The Hebrew words rendered fool in Psalms denote one who is morally deficient”). In one way or another, sin (2,3), which has infected us all, manifests itself in a form of atheism: not necessarily always disbelief in God, but nevertheless living without reference to Him – acting as if He’s irrelevant and unimportant; failing to seek Him, to consider Him, to honour Him, to give Him His rightful place. It is, as we have noted before, a practical atheism.

But this God, who is disbelieved, is, all the same, manifested among His people (5,6). He is active on behalf of His own, and He is to be reckoned with. Alec Motyer says the occasion which gave rise to this psalm was ‘some situation where atheism came face to face with the reality of the presence of God among his people.’ He goes on to say that the answer to practical atheists ‘…is not argument but the unmistakable reality of God’s presence among his people (5b) and their experience of finding him a sufficient refuge in every need (6b). The reply to unspirituality is true spirituality.’

”…God takes the side of victims.
Do you think you can mess
    with the dreams of the poor?
You can’t, for God
    makes their dreams come true.

 Is there anyone around to save Israel?
    Yes. God is around; God turns life around.
Turned-around Jacob skips rope,
    turned-around Israel sings laughter. The Message (vv.5-7)

How long, Lord? Will you forget me for ever?
    How long will you hide your face from me?
² How long must I wrestle with my thoughts
    and day after day have sorrow in my heart?
    How long will my enemy triumph over me?

³ Look on me and answer, Lord my God.
    Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death,
⁴ and my enemy will say, ‘I have overcome him,’
    and my foes will rejoice when I fall.

⁵ But I trust in your unfailing love;
    my heart rejoices in your salvation.
⁶ I will sing the Lord’s praise,
    for he has been good to me. NIVUK

There is a movement in this short psalm, from perplexity (1,2), through prayer (3,4), and into a place of peace (5,6). I guess it is a movement every believer experiences along the way. As we have ‘trials and temptations’, and face ‘trouble’, we ‘take it to the Lord in prayer’, and discover there really is no need for discouragement.

‘Agitation is brought into the place of intercession and emerges in exultation.’ Alec Motyer.

The perplexity with which this psalm opens is expressed like this in ‘The Message’:

”Long enough, God—
    you’ve ignored me long enough.
I’ve looked at the back of your head
    long enough. Long enough
I’ve carried this ton of trouble,
    lived with a stomach full of pain.
Long enough my arrogant enemies
    have looked down their noses at me.”

At times we may feel like David did. We sem to encounter the silence of heaven. But if we start there, we certainly do not have to stay there. As Warren Wiersbe observes: ‘Faith does not always give answers, but it does give encouragement.’

Help, Lord, for no one is faithful any more;
    those who are loyal have vanished from the human race.
² Everyone lies to their neighbour;
    they flatter with their lips
    but harbour deception in their hearts.

³ May the Lord silence all flattering lips
    and every boastful tongue –
⁴ those who say,
    ‘By our tongues we will prevail;
    our own lips will defend us – who is lord over us?’

⁵ ‘Because the poor are plundered and the needy groan,
    I will now arise,’ says the Lord.
    ‘I will protect them from those who malign them.’
⁶ And the words of the Lord are flawless,
    like silver purified in a crucible,
    like gold refined seven times.

⁷ You, Lord, will keep the needy safe
    and will protect us for ever from the wicked,
⁸ who freely strut about
    when what is vile is honoured by the human race. NIVUK

What a remarkable Book the Bible is! This ancient Book, and yet so relevant. Ever modern. Don’t you find that the last line of verse 8 resonates with you? When you think about much of the content of current television (and the media in general), it is a celebration of ”what is vile”. This is what entertains people. Back in the 1960’s, as a child growing up in a Christian home, I was aware of certain TV programmes which were regarded as ‘beyond the pale’ by believers. But it is a sad reflection on a decades-long decline in standards, that many of those programmes probably seem quite tame today. Who could have foreseen such a plummeting of taste over 60 or so years? Well, one person who did was a lady by the name of Mary Whitehouse. She had prescient foresight, and was generally mocked and reviled for it. But she saw, and warned of the moral avalanche to come.

At the core of this psalm there lies a contrast between the lying words of humans (especially those who seem to run the world), and the pure and perfect Word of God. His trustworthy Word.

Everyone talks in lie language;
Lies slide off their oily lips.
They doubletalk with forked tongues...

…I’m tired of hearing, “We can talk anyone into anything!
Our lips manage the world.” The Message

In spite of the power of those engaged in political deception and intrigue, God sees, and knows, and cares about those who are its victims. He says He will act, and His Word is His bond. He can be trusted.

Into the hovels of the poor,
Into the dark streets where the homeless groan, God speaks:
“I’ve had enough; I’m on my way
To heal the ache in the heart of the wretched.”

 God’s words are pure words,
Pure silver words refined seven times
In the fires of his word-kiln,
Pure on earth as well as in heaven.
God, keep us safe from their lies,
From the wicked who stalk us with lies,
From the wicked who collect honours
For their wonderful lies. The Message

‘This is the choice which always confronts the believer: to be distracted and disorientated by the word of man or to rest upon the word of God.’ Alec Motyer

‘God’s Word is pure, proved, and preserved, and you can depend on it. So much of what man says is cheap and temporary, but God’s Word is like pure silver that is valuable and lasting. Let your words be controlled by His Word and God will make your words valuable (Prov.10:20;25:11).’ Warren W. Wiersbe.

PRAYER: Thank you Lord for your wonderful Word. May it hold the place it should in my heart and life.