Psalm 55

1 Listen to my prayer, O God. Do not ignore my cry for help!
2 Please listen and answer me, for I am overwhelmed by my troubles.
3 My enemies shout at me, making loud and wicked threats. They bring trouble on me and angrily hunt me down.
4 My heart pounds in my chest. The terror of death assaults me.
5 Fear and trembling overwhelm me, and I can’t stop shaking.
6 Oh, that I had wings like a dove; then I would fly away and rest!
7 I would fly far away to the quiet of the wilderness.
Interlude

8 How quickly I would escape— far from this wild storm of hatred.
9 Confuse them, Lord, and frustrate their plans, for I see violence and conflict in the city.
10 Its walls are patrolled day and night against invaders, but the real danger is wickedness within the city.
11 Everything is falling apart; threats and cheating are rampant in the streets.
12 It is not an enemy who taunts me— I could bear that. It is not my foes who so arrogantly insult me— I could have hidden from them.
13 Instead, it is you—my equal, my companion and close friend.
14 What good fellowship we once enjoyed as we walked together to the house of God.
15 Let death stalk my enemies; let the grave swallow them alive,
for evil makes its home within them.
16 But I will call on God, and the Lord will rescue me.
17 Morning, noon, and night I cry out in my distress, and the Lord hears my voice.
18 He ransoms me and keeps me safe from the battle waged against me, though many still oppose me.
19 God, who has ruled forever, will hear me and humble them.
Interlude

For my enemies refuse to change their ways; they do not fear God.
20 As for my companion, he betrayed his friends; he broke his promises.
21 His words are as smooth as butter, but in his heart is war. His words are as soothing as lotion,
but underneath are daggers!
22 Give your burdens to the Lord, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.
23 But you, O God, will send the wicked down to the pit of destruction. Murderers and liars will die young, but I am trusting you to save me.

The commercial asks..."Do you ever need to get away?"
Poor David. Could it get any worse? Now his friends are ganging up on him...along with his enemies. And it's really ugly. Listen to this...

• My enemies shout at me, making loud and wicked threats
• They bring trouble on me and angrily hunt me down.
• My heart pounds in my chest.
• The terror of death assaults me.
• Fear and trembling overwhelm me,
• I can’t stop shaking.

Then there are his friends...

• Everything is falling apart; threats and cheating are rampant in the streets.
• It is not an enemy who taunts me— Instead, it is you—my equal, my companion and close friend.

So What does David really want? He wants to get out of there! "Oh, that I had wings like a dove; then I would fly away and rest! I would fly far away to the quiet of the wilderness"
Yeah, I've been there...recently, in fact. Yesterday I was so overwhelmed with trouble I had to flee. I stayed away from work. I spent the day with the Lord. My, what a difference it made.
There is something strangely harmonic about this. Scripture tells us there is no place we can go where we could hide from the Lord. He is everywhere. So, in a manner of speaking...there is nothing wrong with running away. We might even see it as "running to"...because when we get there we find exactly what we are looking for...God. Perhaps we could get some perspective.
David did...
Once he gathered his equalibrium he said "But I will call on God, and the Lord will rescue me.
He ransoms me and keeps me safe from the battle waged against me, though many still oppose me"
Are you overwhelmed? Are even your friends disappointing you? Do you feel like you're about to snap? It doesn't mean you're spiritually inferior. It means you have to get away so you can hear the voice of the Lord. And...what you'll hear is the sweet sound of deliverance. "He will ransom you and keep you safe...He will not permit the godly to slip and fall!"
Go ahead...run. Don't worry...He'll go with you.
Live boldly out there today...

Psalm 54

1 ! Defend me with your might.
2 Listen to my prayer, O God. Pay attention to my plea.
3 For strangers are attacking me; violent people are trying to kill me. They care nothing for God.

Interlude

4 But God is my helper. The Lord keeps me alive!
5 May the evil plans of my enemies be turned against them. Do as you promised and put an end to them.
6 I will sacrifice a voluntary offering to you; I will praise your name, O Lord,
for it is good.
7 For you have rescued me from my troubles and helped me to triumph over my enemies.

David knew he was in trouble. King Saul, in his jealousy of David, was trying to have him killed. David was in hiding but a band of men had just reported his location back to Saul. Saul knew where he was and David's options were running out. So, David cries out "come with great power, O God, and rescue me!"

Do you know what happened...out of the blue? The Philistines invaded Judah and King Saul had to turn his attention away from David. I'd call that "great power!" Some might call it a coincidence.

I wonder how many of us might have uttered that prayer...and then never made the connection between our prayer and the invasion. Unfortunately, many of us. God could provide an amazing answer and we would be oblivious to it. David saw the connection and was quick to give God credit. He says "you have rescued me from my troubles and helped me to triumph over my enemies."

I think we should pay more attention. There are no coincidences with God. When I say "pay attention" I'm really thinking believers need to keep their eyes on the entire world stage. Did any of us see the invasion of Iraq as an answer to a personal prayer? Probably not. I'm not implying anything about the righteousness of that war. I'm simply thinking that if we don't see the nexus between God and human activity we surely miss a lot of God's answers.

That often leaves us wondering if God is listening.

I have a thought. When we read the paper tomorrow...we should make a note of some of the big events and ask ourselves this question: "I wonder which of my prayers this might be an answer to?"

Who knows?

Live boldly out there today...

Psalm 53

1 Only fools say in their hearts, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, and their actions are evil; not one of them does good!
2 God looks down from heaven on the entire human race; he looks to see if anyone is truly wise, if anyone seeks God.
3 But no, all have turned away; all have become corrupt. No one does good, not a single one!
4 Will those who do evil never learn? They eat up my people like bread and wouldn’t think of praying to God.
5 Terror will grip them, terror like they have never known before. God will scatter the bones of your enemies. You will put them to shame, for God has rejected them.
6 Who will come from Mount Zion to rescue Israel? When God restores his people, Jacob will shout with joy, and Israel will rejoice.

There are a lot of fools out there. That is, if you believe David's definition that wisdom seeks God. So, a person doesn't literally have to "say" there is not God...just live like there is no God.

Same thing.

But the thing that really makes them foolish? They think they can get away with it. Read the psalm. Maybe its time we think about including God in our live a bit more that we have been.

Live boldly out there today...

Psalm 52

1 Why do you boast about your crimes, great warrior? Don’t you realize God’s justice continues forever?
2 All day long you plot destruction. Your tongue cuts like a sharp razor; you’re an expert at telling lies.
3 You love evil more than good and lies more than truth.
Interlude

4 You love to destroy others with your words, you liar!
5 But God will strike you down once and for all. He will pull you from your home and uproot you from the land of the living.
Interlude

6 The righteous will see it and be amazed. They will laugh and say,
7 “Look what happens to mighty warriors who do not trust in God. They trust their wealth instead and grow more and more bold in their wickedness.”
8 But I am like an olive tree, thriving in the house of God. I will always trust in God’s unfailing love.
9 I will praise you forever, O God, for what you have done. I will trust in your good name in the presence of your faithful people.

It's difficult to accept, but our world is is home to bad people. It's not simply that they are dishonest...and feel remorse. It's that they've thought about it and they prefer to be dishonest. They boast about their crimes. They spend time plotting to do evil. They actually gain pleasure by destroying others. Before their deaths, Saddam Hussein and his sons may have been good examples of this kind of person.

They robbed, raped, pillaged and murdered others...simply because they could. It's a lifestyle.

We can't relate to such an attitude. Fortunately, most of us can say we've never known people like this. But, they're out there.

The problem is...the influence of such people is wide-spread. Whether they are leaders of remote nations or are part of our own government (national or local) we feel the consequences of their behavior. Foreign despots act up and the price of oil goes through the roof. Congress acts in its own self-interest and taxes soar...inflation rears it's ugly head. And it's not just politicians. We know that. It could be our neighbor...ignoring local covenants and making life difficult for the community.

So, what can we do...?

Our country is filled with activists who are trying to make an influence against such behavior. That's an option...often effective...but it will never eliminate the problem. You see...the problem lurks in the heart of man, not in the halls of congress. More disturbing is the reality that each of us has the potential of being just like these characters...if the circumstances were right.

Was Timothy McVeigh really that much different from us? How do we respond to the ugly realities around us? We all should agree that Timothy McVeigh's response was not just inappropriate, but evil. Yet...he was simply acting out his frustration against what he saw as the evil around him.

How can we be part of the solution without slipping into the same reactionary conduct?

David says "God will strike you down once and for all. He will pull you from your home and uproot you from the land of the living". Our first bit of advice is to remember justice is God's responsibility, not our own. You see...we often fail to see the "big picture" and our version of justice harms innocent people...just like Oklahoma City.

It doesn't mean we should do nothing. Somebody once said "all it takes for evil to prevail is for good people to do nothing." Probably true...but doing the right "something" isn't always simple.

David closes this psalm with these words: “Look what happens to mighty warriors who do not trust in God. They trust their wealth instead and grow more and more bold in their wickedness. But I am like an olive tree, thriving in the house of God. I will always trust in God’s unfailing love. I will praise you forever, O God, for what you have done. I will trust in your good name in the presence of your faithful people".

I understand it is God's unfailing love that protects and prevails. The question really is this. Are we willing to view trusting God as a strategy for combating evil? Or do we see it as little more than putting our head in the sand...which prompts us toward inappropriate behavior?

We have to choose. And believe me...as our own nation becomes increasingly hostile to the notion of God...a strategy of trusting God will become a strategy filled with it's own peril.

Live boldly out there today...

Psalm 51

1 Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins.
2 Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin.
3 For I recognize my rebellion; it haunts me day and night.
4 Against you, and you alone, have I sinned; I have done what is evil in your sight. You will be proved right in what you say, and your judgment against me is just.
5 For I was born a sinner— yes, from the moment my mother conceived me.
6 But you desire honesty from the womb, teaching me wisdom even there.
7 Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
8 Oh, give me back my joy again; you have broken me— now let me rejoice.
9 Don’t keep looking at my sins. Remove the stain of my guilt.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me.
11 Do not banish me from your presence, and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you.
13 Then I will teach your ways to rebels, and they will return to you.
14 Forgive me for shedding blood, O God who saves; then I will joyfully sing of your forgiveness.
15 Unseal my lips, O Lord, that my mouth may praise you.
16 You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one. You do not want a burnt offering.
17 The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.
18 Look with favor on Zion and help her; rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
19 Then you will be pleased with sacrifices offered in the right spirit— with burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings. Then bulls will again be sacrificed on your altar.

Sometimes we need a lot of forgiveness. The occasion of this psalm was David's sin with Bathsheba; a praticularly ugly sin since she was another man's wife...a soldier's wife...who was deployed to another country fighting David's battles.

And it was followed with another sin...the murder of Uriah...the husband. Finally God's prophet, Nathan, went to David and contronted him with his sin; which he immediately acknowledged, and showed true repentance for it. What follows is...in my mind...the most precious psalm of the entire collection.

First, David recognizes his sin and throws himself on God's mercy. And he doesn't ask forgiveness based upon his lofty status as king, but upon the basis of God's love. "Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins. Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin. For I recognize my rebellion; it haunts me day and night".
We are not often as scandalized by our own sin as we should be. We spend a lot of energy justifying our actions. The end result is our spirits are not broken and we don't approach God with the sense of repentance necessary for true cleansing. Why was David so broken? Because he understood the real nature of his sin. He says "Against you, and you alone, have I sinned; I have done what is evil in your sight". That's what kept David from rationalizing. He knew it was senseless to debate God about it.

We should learn a lesson from David.

Besides forgiveness and cleansing, David asked God for three important things.
1. Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me.
2. Do not banish me from your presence, and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me.
3. Restore to me the joy of your salvationDavid knew without some major change he would certainly fall back into his same bad habits. So, he asked God to perform a miracle on his heart...making it loyal to God. He than asked God to refrain from removing His Spirit from him. David knew...without the aid of God's Spirit...the possibility of him ever pleasing God was impossible. Finally, David did not want to suffer under the guilt of his actions so he pleaded for God to restore the joy in his life...based upon the reality of his salvation.

So, I think David "got it". At the core...he was willing to do whatever God demanded in order to be forgiven. He says " You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one. You do not want a burnt offering. The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God".
Have you got some sin in your life you have been harboring for awhile? Don't let it fester. It will eat at you and destroy your peace. Let God break your spirit and restore you to the joy of His salvation. It's a very good thing when we can say "wash me and I will be whiter than snow!"
Live boldly out there today...

Psalm 50

1 The Lord, the Mighty One, is God, and he has spoken; he has summoned all humanity from where the sun rises to where it sets.
2 From Mount Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines in glorious radiance.
3 Our God approaches, and he is not silent. Fire devours everything in his way, and a great storm rages around him.
4 He calls on the heavens above and earth below to witness the judgment of his people.
5 “Bring my faithful people to me— those who made a covenant with me by giving sacrifices.”
6 Then let the heavens proclaim his justice, for God himself will be the judge.
Interlude

7 “O my people, listen as I speak. Here are my charges against you, O Israel: I am God, your God!
8 I have no complaint about your sacrifices or the burnt offerings you constantly offer.
9 But I do not need the bulls from your barns or the goats from your pens.
10 For all the animals of the forest are mine, and I own the cattle on a thousand hills.
11 I know every bird on the mountains, and all the animals of the field are mine.
12 If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for all the world is mine and everything in it.
13 Do I eat the meat of bulls? Do I drink the blood of goats?
14 Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God, and keep the vows you made to the Most High.
15 Then call on me when you are in trouble, and I will rescue you, and you will give me glory.”
16 But God says to the wicked: “Why bother reciting my decrees and pretending to obey my covenant?
17 For you refuse my discipline and treat my words like trash.
18 When you see thieves, you approve of them, and you spend your time with adulterers.
19 Your mouth is filled with wickedness, and your tongue is full of lies.
20 You sit around and slander your brother— your own mother’s son.
21 While you did all this, I remained silent, and you thought I didn’t care. But now I will rebuke you, listing all my charges against you.
22 Repent, all of you who forget me, or I will tear you apart, and no one will help you.
23 But giving thanks is a sacrifice that truly honors me. If you keep to my path, I will reveal to you the salvation of God.”

(Asaph was a Levite; one of the leaders of David's choir (1 Chr. 6:39). Psalms 73-83 are also attributed to him. He is mentioned along with David as skilled in music)
You may recall that God is referred to primarily by two names in the Psalms. When He is the covenant God is Israel, we see him referred to as "Jehovah (Yahweh)". When He he is the "God over all gods", the God of creation, He is referred to as "Elohim".
Today God is both...and I'm sure that's because Psalm 50 is a psalm about God's judgment of the world...not just Israel. So we have an interesting phrase... "The Lord(אלהים 'elohiym), the Mighty One(אל 'el), is God(יהוה Yĕhovah), and he has spoken".

Plus, it doesn't appear that God is in a good mood. We're told "Our God approaches, and he is not silent. Fire devours everything in his way, and a great storm rages around him. He calls on the heavens above and earth below to witness the judgment of his people".

And He has "summoned all humanity from where the sun rises to where it sets". This is shaping up to look like serious business. My friend Dennis used to be fond of quoting his dad. When he would misbehave, his dad would say "you are right next to dead, son." Since Dennis is still with us, I guess that phrase was more of an "attention getter" than an actual threat. And, as an adult, Dennis would chuckle when he recalled it. As a youth...I'll bet it put the fear of God into him.
Which was the point...and is God's point today. So, what has God said?
He begins with His children...“Bring my faithful people to me— those who made a covenant with me by giving sacrifices. O my people, listen as I speak. Here are my charges against you, I have no complaint about your sacrifices or the burnt offerings you constantly offer. But I do not need the bulls from your barns or the goats from your pens. Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God, and keep the vows you made to the Most High. Then call on me when you are in trouble, and I will rescue you, and you will give me glory.”

God tells his people that he doesn't need the sacrifices they are offering...even though God himself instituted them. God's complaint is that Israel has grown complacent in her relationship with God and allowed the offerings to become mere "ritual". The spirit of humility and gratitude is no longer present. When we approach God our spirits are supposed to be drenched with thankfulness...that is what the blood of the bull represents: The amazing grace that allows us to sacrifice an animal in place of ourselves.
Does any of that feel familiar? How about our weekly "responsibility" to attend worship? Do we anticipate the opportunity with a sense of thankfulness? or requirement? No need to elaborate. We should get the point. But, that's the sum of God's judgement upon His people. He wants us to correct our attitude.
The wicked don't fare nearly as well. God tells them to not even bother. “Why bother reciting my decrees and pretending to obey my covenant? For you refuse my discipline and treat my words like trash. While you did all this, I remained silent, and you thought I didn’t care. But now I will rebuke you, listing all my charges against you. Repent, all of you who forget me, or I will tear you apart, and no one will help you".
So, once again, God reveals the great privilege of being one of His children. "giving thanks is a sacrifice that truly honors me. If you keep to my path, I will reveal to you the salvation of God.”
I know I can be more thankful...how about you?
Live boldly out there today...

Psalm 49

1 Listen to this, all you people! Pay attention, everyone in the world!
2 High and low, rich and poor—listen!
3 For my words are wise, and my thoughts are filled with insight.
4 I listen carefully to many proverbs and solve riddles with inspiration from a harp.
5 Why should I fear when trouble comes, when enemies surround me?
6 They trust in their wealth and boast of great riches.
7 Yet they cannot redeem themselves from death by paying a ransom to God.
8 Redemption does not come so easily, for no one can ever pay enough
9 to live forever and never see the grave.
10 Those who are wise must finally die, just like the foolish and senseless, leaving all their wealth behind.
11 The grave is their eternal home, where they will stay forever. They may name their estates after themselves,
12 but their fame will not last. They will die, just like animals.
13 This is the fate of fools, though they are remembered as being wise.
Interlude

14 Like sheep, they are led to the grave, where death will be their shepherd. In the morning the godly will rule over them. Their bodies will rot in the grave, far from their grand estates.
15 But as for me, God will redeem my life. He will snatch me from the power of the grave.
Interlude

16 So don’t be dismayed when the wicked grow rich and their homes become ever more splendid.
17 For when they die, they take nothing with them. Their wealth will not follow them into the grave.
18 In this life they consider themselves fortunate and are applauded for their success.
19 But they will die like all before them and never again see the light of day.
20 People who boast of their wealth don’t understand; they will die, just like animals.

I once had a wealthy uncle. I recall he was asked what he wanted to happen to his fortune when he died...a rather impudent question I think.

His answer was "you can throw it all in the river for all I care." I'm sure he was serious. Jim understood something that many of us never really figure out...you can't take it with you. Oh, we know it intellectually, but our heart doesn't believe it. We live as though we don't believe it. We hoard our wealth...we flaunt it...we make it into something that God never intended it to be.

Reminds me of a story. You may have heard it...

Three wealthy businessmen were close friends. One was on his deathbed. He called his friends to his side and said "I'm dying. I know they say you can't take it with you, but I'm going to try. I want each of you to take one of these briefcases with a million dollars in it and place it in my casket at my funeral. I'm going to enter the next life as a wealthy man!".

The friends dutifully obeyed. At the funeral they each placed their briefcase in the casket. After the funeral they began discussing the ordeal.

"I feel real guilty" said the first friend. "I was a little strapped for cash so I took some money out of the briefcase. I hope our friend will forgive me when he sees he is $200 thousand short."
The other friend pondered this development and said "I wouldn't beat yourself up. We were all very good friends. I'm sure he will forgive you...if his scheme actually works."

"As a matter of fact", he continued, "I sort of did the same thing. I had a big note come due to the bank and I didn't have the funds. I took $500 thousand out of the briefcase."

"Well, we're both thieves then" said the first friend.

"Oh, no!" was the reply. "I slipped a check into the briefcase for the full $500 thousand".

And you know, we really are that foolish. Our psalmist says "they trust in their wealth and boast of great riches. Yet they cannot redeem themselves from death by paying a ransom to God. Redemption does not come so easily, for no one can ever pay enough to live forever and never see the grave."

Sobering words..."They may name their estates after themselves, but their fame will not last. They will die, just like animals".

Of course, we need to understand that God is not condemning riches. We have many people of faith who are uncommonly wealthy. I believe the danger we face is that we begin thinking our wealth can do more than it really can. Sometimes it can't even get us the best table at the restaurant because the place is full. And...with a self-entitled snort, we leave in a huff.

You see...wealth can turn us into things we never imagined. The one thing it cannot turn us into is beneficiaries of God's Kingdom.

So, wealthy people are not special people. They are not more loved by God. Wealth is actually a gift God gives...and I imagine it can be a burden...like any other possession. You see, God does not endow us with gifts so we can squander them on ourselves. God expects us to invest those gifts to further His kingdom.

Sometimes when I ponder the intoxicating allure of wealth, I'm thankful God did not give me that burden. I'm pretty certain I would mishandle it. So, along with all the other "poor folks" I'll recall the refrain from this psalm..."But as for me, God will redeem my life. He will snatch me from the grave"...and be content.

Live boldly out there today...