Home thoughts from abroad.wordpress.com

Come, my children, listen to me;

    I will teach you the fear of the Lord.

12 Whoever of you loves life

    and desires to see many good days,

13 keep your tongue from evil

    and your lips from telling lies.

14 Turn from evil and do good;

    seek peace and pursue it.

Blessed are the peacemakers,

    for they will be called children of God (Matthew 5:9);

Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness (James 3:18).

‘At the court of Achish David had wangled his freedom by falsehood and compromise, but a life of reverential fear of the Lord respects his truth and honours his values’ (Alec Motyer: ‘New Bible Commentary’, p.507).

It may surprise us to discover the ingredients of the good life, but we will be wise to reflect carefully on these words, and adjust our behaviour accordingly. I find them ironic, set against the backdrop of the Tory leadership contest. At the heart of this lovely paragraph there is a call to live in repentance. For a believer, repentance is not a one-off experience, it is a lifestyle. At the outset of the Christian life we walk through the doorway of repentance; but, in a sense, we then find ourselves living in a house that goes by the same name.

In his early days, David lived by the principles of these verses and urged them on others (e.g. v11, see 1 Sam.24:7; 26:9, 23), at least he did in his dealings with Saul. 1 Peter 3:10-12 quotes 12-16 in a similar context of provocation and persecution. (Also compare verse 13 with 1 Peter 2:1,22).

“Men cannot spit forth poison without feeling some of the venom burning their own flesh” C.H.Spurgeon. (See James 3:1-12).

“That religion promises best which creates watchfulness over the heart and over the tongue. It is not enough not to do hurt, we must study to be useful, and to live to some purpose; we must seek peace and pursue it; be willing to deny ourselves a great deal for peace’ sake.” Matthew Henry

Come, my children, listen to me;

    I will teach you the fear of the Lord.

‘When God does something special for you, tell somebody else. The next generation needs to know that God is alive.’ Warren W. Wiersbe: ‘With the Word’, p.330.

Derek Kidner gives verses 11-22 the title, Learn from me, (having entitled verses 1-10 Rejoice with me).

Alec Motyer points out that “I will teach” sets the tone for the remainder of the psalm, and over the next few days we will follow his helpful outline:

• ‘The secret of the good life’ (11-14);
• ‘The secret of facing trouble’ (15-18);
• ‘The secret of deliverance’ (19-22).

Having already spoken about the fear of  the Lord David now says he will teach it. Derek Kidner  points out that almost every word in the opening of this section is in the style of the wisdom instructor in Proverbs 1-9, with his fatherly tone and stress on “the fear of the LORD” as the beginning of wisdom (Prov.1:7).

The lesson from this part of the psalm is essentially that true good is to be found by living in harmony with God:

‘It is the answer to the hardest times (19f) and to the most ultimate questions (21f)’  Kidner, p.158.

The suspicion was raised by the serpent, in Eden, that human flourishing is to be experienced outside of the will of God. But not so. That is a flagrant lie. The brokenness of broken people in our broken world testifies to Satan’s dishonesty. ‘For best results follow the Maker’s Instructions.’ When we break God’s laws we find we break ourselves upon them.

Prayer: Thank you Lord Jesus that life to the full is found in you alone. May I never believe the lies that tell me to search elsewhere. I love you Lord. There is no-one like you. I have discovered for myself that you are “the life” (John 14:6).

Taste and see that the Lord is good;

    blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.

9 Fear the Lord, you his holy people,

    for those who fear him lack nothing.

10 The lions may grow weak and hungry,

    but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

In Isaiah 40:29-31, you find a similar contrast to the one drawn here:

“He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint.”

‘Fearing’ the Lord and ‘seeking’ the Lord belong. David invites others (he invites us!) to experience for themselves what he had known of the Lord’s goodness. These verses are the Old Testament equivalent of Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 6:33:

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

This is not ‘prosperity teaching.’ It is about the supplying of ‘needs’ rather than ‘greeds.’ But many believers can speak from personal experience about the Lord’s overflowing generosity to them. They have ‘tasted’ and ‘seen’ that “the Lord is good” – in numerous ways. Consider also Psalm 84:11:

“For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favour and honour; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.”

It’s been pointed out that defence and supplies were David’s pressing needs in 1 Samuel 21 (the background passage to this psalm. He turns from the first of these, in verse 7, to the second, in verses 8,9, showing the same faith as in Psalm 23:1:

“The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.”

I think of Paul’s words in Romans 8:32:

“He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all – how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?”

Prayer: Lord God, we revel in your abundant goodness. You are generous to us beyond any deserving on our part. Thank you, in Jesus’ Name.

Taste and see that the Lord is good;

    blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.

From verse 8 we enter what I’m calling the ‘Preaching’ (or ‘Teaching’) section of this psalm. Here are lessons he wants to communicate.

In this verse we hear a call to personal experience: to know God for oneself and to trust Him personally: “…blessed is the one…”

‘Faith is the soul’s taste…’ C.H.Spurgeon.

When Jilly and I were planning our wedding, we visited a caterer’s, somewhere in the York area, to try out certain of their offerings. As I recall, we didn’t finally opt for this particular caterer, but we did sample their food. However, that was all we did. We didn’t have a feast; we just tried out examples of their food.

Both Hebrews 6:4,5 and 1 Peter 2:3 use this verse to describe initial faith ‘…and to urge that the tasting should be more than a casual sampling’ (Derek Kidner).

‘Those who seek the Lord discover that He not only saves and keeps but that He also satisfies (v.8). “Taste” doesn’t suggest a sip or a nibble; it implies feeding on the Lord through His Word and experiencing all He has for us (1 Peter 2:3; see Heb.2:9; 6:3). It means knowing Him better and enjoying Him more. It was a great blessing for David to be delivered from Gath, and it was a greater blessing for him to be protected by the Lord after he fled, but the greatest blessing was drawing near to God and enjoying His presence, not just His gifts. David found God’s Word sweet (119:103), and he rejoiced in the goodness of the Lord. “Good” is an important word in this psalm (vv.8,10,12,14).’ Warren W. Wiersbe: ‘OT commentary’, p.915.

The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him,

    and he delivers them.

(“GOD’s angel sets up a circle of protection around us while we pray” The Message).

There is much more to reality than what we can see!

In Genesis 32: 1,2 we read: “Jacob also went on his way, and the angels of God met him. When Jacob saw them, he said, “This is the camp of God!” So he named that place Mahanaim.” ‘Mahanaim’ means ‘two camps.’ Jacob saw that angels were camped where he was camped.

‘…the holy angels do us more good offices every day than we are aware of’ (Matthew Henry).

“The angel of the Lord”  is a term regularly used in the Old Testament for God Himself, come down to earth. For example, look at Genesis 16:11 and 13, where, appearing to Hagar, the Angel of the Lord spoke to her about the Lord and yet was the Lord. In Bible College we were taught that these ‘Theophanies’ may well have been pre-incarnational appearances of Jesus. There are Old Testament intimations of diversity within the unity of the Godhead.

Perhaps, because we see this angel as “commander of the army of the LORD” in Joshua 5:14, we are to regard him as surrounding God’s people with angelic legions who are under his leadership. Kidner makes the lovely comment that “Elisha may have based his certainty that ‘those who are with us are more than those who are with them’, on this promise itself, when he asked that his servant might have visual proof of it.” (See 2 Kings 6:15ff). (He is, of course, referring to Ps.34:7).

‘We little know how many providential deliverances we owe to those unseen hands which are charged to bear us up lest we dash our foot against a stone.’ C.H.Spurgeon, ‘Treasury of David’.

“Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?” (Hebrews 1:14).

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, we are truly grateful for all the ways you protect us and minister to our needs. Thank you that reality is so much bigger than anything we can observe. But you see it all, and rule over all. We are content to be in your Hands.

This poor man called, and the Lord heard him;

    he saved him out of all his troubles

‘One person’s testimony is only valuable to others if it rests on changeless truth about God’ (Alec Motyer, ‘New Bible Commentary’, pp.506/507). David’s testimony here is, in effect, ‘God rescued me; you too are safe in his hands’ (Derek Kidner: ‘Kidner Classic Commentaries: Psalms 1-72’, p.157).

This is the testimony of a spiritual bankrupt, so it is the testimony of everyone “saved” by Jesus. The Lord said, in the first beatitude, ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). The “poor in spirit” are those who are spiritually bankrupt, and who know it and confess it. If, as we saw, the “afflicted” (2) are those ‘at the bottom of life’s heap’ (Motyer), then David admitted he had also found himself there. (Someone observed that it is possible for a person to get so low that the only way they can look is up).

Kidner says, ‘To get the force of David’s words one only has to recall his peril and his abject clowning to save his life.’

“When I was desperate, I called out, and GOD got me out of a tight spot”  (v.6 ‘The Message’).

God did get him out of a tight corner, that’s for sure, and there is help and comfort for us in David’s testimony, because it contains ‘changeless truth about God’, and this God is our God – for ever and ever!

Those who look to him are radiant;

    their faces are never covered with shame.

Every face turned to him grows brighter (Jerusalem Bible).

The Lord bless you

    and keep you;

the Lord make his face shine on you

    and be gracious to you;

 the Lord turn his face toward you

    and give you peace (Numbers 6:24-26).

His name was Alan and, for a short time when I was a teenager, he was my Bible class leader at a local church in Winstanley, Wigan. The thing I most remember about Alan is his radiance. I can’t remember much about his teaching, but I remember him. He shone. He was “aglow with the Spirit” (Romans 12:11). Alan was a new convert and he was just so in love with Jesus he was like walking sunshine. His influence was great. He went on to have a major leadership role in the ‘Full Gospel Businessmen’s Fellowship International.’ I ran into him from time to time in later years, and I found he was always the same – such a bright Christian.

It may often be the case that the most important change we need is internal rather than external. God may, or may not, free us from troubles on the outside, but He can give us such a light, a luminosity on the inside that we are overcomers anyway.

The word “radiant” is found in Isaiah 60:5 where it describes a mother’s face lighting up at the sight of her children long given up for lost. Just imagine the ecstasy.

Exodus 34:29 tells of Moses’ face shining as he came down from the mountain (and he didn’t even know it!), and 2 Corinthians 3:18 relates this to a Christian’s growing likeness to the Lord. So radiance is, Biblically-speaking, both delight and glory – the transformation of the whole person – and this was what I saw in Alan.

It reminds me of the story about the author Edgar Wallace, who lived in the same street as a godly clergyman. Apparently, Wallace said, ‘As long as I live in the same street as that old man, I can never doubt that there is a God.’

The second part of the text says: “…their faces are never covered with shame.” This means we will never be disappointed as a result of looking to the Lord. Matthew Henry references Hannah who “…went her way and ate something, and her face was no longer downcast” (1 Samuel 1:18).

PRAYER: Lord God, please grant that people may see the beauty of Jesus in me.

I sought the Lord, and he answered me;

    he delivered me from all my fears.

‘Note the egoism of this verse and of those preceding it; we need not blush to speak of ourselves when in so doing we honestly aim at glorifying God, and not at exalting ourselves. Some are foolishly squeamish upon this point, but they should remember that when modesty robs God it is most immodest.’ C.H. Spurgeon: ‘Treasury of David.’

My outline of Psalm 34 (and there are many different ways to outline it) goes like this:

1. Praising: 1-3;
2. Praying: 4-7;
3. Preaching: 8 -22.

So here we are in the prayer section, and this verse refers to seeking, answering and delivering.

1. Seeking: The Bible contains many wonderful promises made to those who seek the Lord – not least verse 10b. But other verses on the subject come to mind. E.g: “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart” (Jer.29:13);“Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near” (Is.55:6);“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you” (Luke 11:9). These are just a few examples.‘Seeking’ seems to refer to more than perfunctory praying. There is an intensity, an earnestness running through it, like the name of a seaside town in a stick of rock;
2. Answering: The fact that God answers those who sincerely seek Him is fundamental in the above passages. Consider another which says: “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him” (Hebrews 11:6). His children never seek Him in vain (Isaiah 45:19);
3. Delivering: The word “fears” in verse 4 is a strong one. It is closely related to the “terror” of Psalm 31:13. It could refer to the events dreaded or the dread itself – probably the latter. Franklin D. Roosevelt famously said, in his 1933 Presidential inauguration: ‘…the only thing we have to fear is…fear itself…’(although he may not have been the first to articulate the thought). But there is no doubt that fear itself is a terrible thing. It can be paralysing; it can put the brakes on, and keep you from moving forward in faith. Sometimes the fear may be be worse than the thing feared. David sought the Lord and was delivered from “all” his fears. What do you need deliverance from?

Jonathon Aitken, in his book “Porridge and Passion’, tells how early on in his imprisonment at Bellmarsh Maximum Security gaol, he was talking to a monk, a member of the Chaplaincy team. Aitken is very honest about the things he did wrong and he was willing to pay the price for his crime. But he was also treated so badly, so unjustly by a number of people. At the time of this conversation he was struggling with resentment. The monk told him he needed to forgive, but Jonathon replied that he just couldn’t at that point, even though he knew he needed to. So the monk issued this challenge: ‘Would you be willing to ask the Lord to make you willing to forgive?’ Well, yes, he could and he would do that. His testimony is that not immediately, but over a period of a number of weeks, his heart gradually changed, and he was able to forgive his tormentors. He sought the Lord, and He was heard.

PRAYER: Lord, increase our faith.

I sought the Lord, and he answered me;

    he delivered me from all my fears.

5 Those who look to him are radiant;

    their faces are never covered with shame.

6 This poor man called, and the Lord heard him;

    he saved him out of all his troubles.

7 The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him,

    and he delivers them.

Verses 1-3 I’m entitling ‘Praise’ (Derek Kidner entitles the entire psalm ‘Thank God!’), and verses 4-7 ‘Prayer.’

But before we get into the detail of 4-7, I want to make a couple of observations:

1. This psalm is an acrostic. So each verse begins with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. However, it appears that one letter is missing and another is used twice. I think it’s important to point out (although the thought is not original to me) that life in a fallen world is not always neat and tidy. It is regularly disorderly and messy and unpredictable. That was David’s lived experience, and he invites us to share his joy and learn from his life. We have the same God;
2. Therefore we can say with some legitimacy, I believe, that this psalm provides us with an ‘ABC of prayer in a crisis’. Kidner points out that a substantial quotation and some further distinct echoes of the psalm in 1 Peter 2 and 3 (and in other epistles) illustrate the indebtedness of every generation to this psalm. He also says that one of its best known legacies is the hymn, ‘Through all the changing scenes of life.’

“1 Through all the changing scenes of life,

in trouble and in joy,

the praises of my God shall still

my heart and tongue employ.

2 O magnify the Lord with me,

with me exalt his name;

when in distress, to him I called

he to my rescue came.

3 The hosts of God encamp around

the dwellings of the just;

his saving help he gives to all

who in his mercy trust.

4 O taste his goodness, prove his love;

experience will decide

how blessed they are, and only they,

who in his truth confide.

5 Fear him, you saints, and you will then

have nothing else to fear;

his service shall be your delight,

your needs shall be his care.

6 To Father, Son and Spirit, praise!

To God whom we adore

be worship, glory, power and love,

both now and evermore!”