Psalm 110

1 The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit in the place of honor at my right hand until I humble your enemies, making them a footstool under your feet.”
2 The Lord will extend your powerful kingdom from Jerusalem; you will rule over your enemies.
3 When you go to war, your people will serve you willingly. You are arrayed in holy garments, and your strength will be renewed each day like the morning dew.
4 The Lord has taken an oath and will not break his vow: “You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.”
5 The Lord stands at your right hand to protect you. He will strike down many kings when his anger erupts.
6 He will punish the nations and fill their lands with corpses; he will shatter heads over the whole earth.
7 But he himself will be refreshed from brooks along the way. He will be victorious.

This is a "Messianic" psalm. Verse one is a reference to Jehovah speaking to Christ, our Messiah. He says "I will make your enemies your footstool." Very good news for those of us who follow Christ. And here's what it will look like...

• Christ's kingdom will be extended to rule over all his enemies
• All those who follow Christ will serve him willingly
• God will make Christ a "priest" allowing him to intercede with God on our behalf.
• Jehovah will ensure that Christ is victorious.

This is something we can look forward to. It's also something we can look back to. You see...this prophecy has a manifold fulfillment in history. Christ's work on the cross has brought each of these prophesies to reality. The kingdom of God that dwells in our hearts has realized the truth of each promise. The power of sin is broken and Christ is our high priest right now...dwelling in heaven...interceding for each of us.
But...a time will come when the Kingdom of God will extend beyond the hearts of believers and will lay claim to the entirety of creation. God's throne will not be a spiritual metaphor but a physical reality. Every king and leader of this earth will bow before Him and defer to His will.

So here's the deal...on those days when you wish there was just a bit more "flesh and bone" to our Lord...be patient and look up. It's coming. Are you ready?

Live boldly out there today...

Psalm 109

1. O God, whom I praise, don’t stand silent and aloof
2 while the wicked slander me and tell lies about me.
3 They surround me with hateful words and fight against me for no reason.
4 I love them, but they try to destroy me with accusations even as I am praying for them!
5 They repay evil for good, and hatred for my love.
6 They say, “Get an evil person to turn against him. Send an accuser to bring him to trial.
7 When his case comes up for judgment, let him be pronounced guilty. Count his prayers as sins.
8 Let his years be few; let someone else take his position.
9 May his children become fatherless, and his wife a widow.
10 May his children wander as beggars and be driven from their ruined homes.
11 May creditors seize his entire estate, and strangers take all he has earned.
12 Let no one be kind to him; let no one pity his fatherless children.
13 May all his offspring die. May his family name be blotted out in a single generation.
14 May the Lord never forget the sins of his fathers; may his mother’s sins never be erased from the record.
15 May the Lord always remember these sins, and may his name disappear from human memory.
16 For he refused all kindness to others; he persecuted the poor and needy, and he hounded the brokenhearted to death.
17 He loved to curse others; now you curse him. He never blessed others; now don’t you bless him.
18 Cursing is as natural to him as his clothing, or the water he drinks, or the rich food he eats.
19 Now may his curses return and cling to him like clothing; may they be tied around him like a belt.”
20 May those curses become the Lord’s punishment for my accusers who speak evil of me.
21 But deal well with me, O Sovereign Lord, for the sake of your own reputation! Rescue me
because you are so faithful and good.
22 For I am poor and needy, and my heart is full of pain.
23 I am fading like a shadow at dusk; I am brushed off like a locust.
24 My knees are weak from fasting, and I am skin and bones.
25 I am a joke to people everywhere;
when they see me, they shake their heads in scorn.
26 Help me, O Lord my God! Save me because of your unfailing love.
27 Let them see that this is your doing, that you yourself have done it, Lord.
28 Then let them curse me if they like, but you will bless me! When they attack me, they will be disgraced! But I, your servant, will go right on rejoicing!
29 May my accusers be clothed with disgrace; may their humiliation cover them like a cloak.
30 But I will give repeated thanks to the Lord, praising him to everyone.
31 For he stands beside the needy, ready to save them from those who condemn them.

My first admission is...I have never prayed a prayer like this. "May the Lord always remember these sins, and may his name disappear from human memory." My second admission is...I can't recall a situation where I could have honestly prayed a prayer like this. Yet, our Psalmist records his prayer as though loving and praying for his enemies were routine. I'm humbled.


I served in three wars and one peace-keeping mission. I do remember occasionally remembering my responsibility to love my enemy. I don't remember ever praying for them. I wish I could have that time back...in order to do it right.

Then again, that would be a wasted effort. I should learn from the past but face the future. I recall reading a phrase scrawled on the helmet of a Marine in Iraq: It said "Front toward enemy". That's the spirit!

Who are the "wicked" in your life today? Co-workers? Neighbors? Old friends? Our challenge is not only to love them, but to pray for them as well. Are we willing to try? We may be delighted with the reuslt. We may find ourselves paraphrasing the words of the Psalmist at the end of this psalm: Help me, O Lord my God! Save me because of your unfailing love. Let them see that this is your doing, that you yourself have done it, Lord. Then let them curse me if they like, but you will bless me!


Live boldly out there today...

Psalm 108

¹ My heart is confident in you, O God; no wonder I can sing your praises with all my heart!
 ² Wake up, lyre and harp! I will wake the dawn with my song.
 ³ I will thank you, Lord, among all the people. I will sing your praises among the nations.
 ⁴ For your unfailing love is higher than the heavens. Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.
 ⁵ Be exalted, O God, above the highest heavens. May your glory shine over all the earth.
 ⁶ Now rescue your beloved people. Answer and save us by your power.
 ⁷ God has promised this by his holiness: “I will divide up Shechem with joy. I will measure out the valley of Succoth.
 ⁸ Gilead is mine, and Manasseh, too. Ephraim, my helmet, will produce my warriors, and Judah, my scepter, will produce my kings.
 ⁹ But Moab, my washbasin, will become my servant, and I will wipe my feet on Edom and shout in triumph over Philistia.”
 ¹⁰ Who will bring me into the fortified city? Who will bring me victory over Edom?
 ¹¹ Have you rejected us, O God? Will you no longer march with our armies?
 ¹² Oh, please help us against our enemies, for all human help is useless.
 ¹³ With God’s help we will do mighty things, for he will trample down our foes.

Have you ever stopped to think that our ability to live joyfully is a function of our confidence in God? I've always been more inclined to link it to my ability to live a wholesome life.

I can see the connection. As christians, we are most comfortable with God when we are confident our standing...our attitudes and actions...has risen to a level (at least for a while) where God would not find a lot to criticize. We then can "rock and roll" with the best of believers. However, most of the time, we timidly struggle through our day hoping God either won't notice how poorly we are doing, or will at least condescend to come to our aid.

What if we have that all wrong? What if we can never achieve that level of holiness? What if that makes no difference because we have a God who will love us and welcome us even when we are prodigal? Could that change your life? I believe it could change mine.

No wonder the Psalmist was so overjoyed. Is your pursuit of a joyful life less than overwhelming? Quit thinking about it. Quit striving for it. Concentrate of the inexhaustible faithfulness of God and joy is the natural consequence.

Live boldly out there today...

Psalm 107

1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.
2 Has the Lord redeemed you? Then speak out! Tell others he has redeemed you from your enemies.
3 For he has gathered the exiles from many lands, from east and west, from north and south.
4 Some wandered in the wilderness, lost and homeless.
5 Hungry and thirsty, they nearly died.
6 “Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble, and he rescued them from their distress.
7 He led them straight to safety, to a city where they could live.
8 Let them praise the Lord for his great love and for the wonderful things he has done for them.
9 For he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.
10 Some sat in darkness and deepest gloom, imprisoned in iron chains of misery.
11 They rebelled against the words of God, scorning the counsel of the Most High.
12 That is why he broke them with hard labor; they fell, and no one was there to help them.
13 “Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress.
14 He led them from the darkness and deepest gloom; he snapped their chains.
15 Let them praise the Lord for his great love and for the wonderful things he has done for them. 16 For he broke down their prison gates of bronze; he cut apart their bars of iron.
17 Some were fools; they rebelled and suffered for their sins.
18 They couldn’t stand the thought of food, and they were knocking on death’s door.
19 “Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress.
20 He sent out his word and healed them, snatching them from the door of death.
21 Let them praise the Lord for his great love and for the wonderful things he has done for them. 22 Let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving and sing joyfully about his glorious acts.
23 Some went off to sea in ships, plying the trade routes of the world.
24 They, too, observed the Lord’s power in action, his impressive works on the deepest seas.
25 He spoke, and the winds rose, stirring up the waves.
26 Their ships were tossed to the heavens and plunged again to the depths; the sailors cringed in terror.
27 They reeled and staggered like drunkards and were at their wits’ end.
28 “Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress.
29 He calmed the storm to a whisper and stilled the waves.
30 What a blessing was that stillness as he brought them safely into harbor!
31 Let them praise the Lord for his great love and for the wonderful things he has done for them. 32 Let them exalt him publicly before the congregation and before the leaders of the nation.
33 He changes rivers into deserts, and springs of water into dry, thirsty land.
34 He turns the fruitful land into salty wastelands, because of the wickedness of those who live there.
35 But he also turns deserts into pools of water, the dry land into springs of water.
36 He brings the hungry to settle there and to build their cities.
37 They sow their fields, plant their vineyards, and harvest their bumper crops.
38 How he blesses them! They raise large families there, and their herds of livestock increase.
39 When they decrease in number and become impoverished through oppression, trouble, and sorrow,
40 the Lord pours contempt on their princes, causing them to wander in trackless wastelands. 41 But he rescues the poor from trouble and increases their families like flocks of sheep.
42 The godly will see these things and be glad, while the wicked are struck silent.
43 Those who are wise will take all this to heart; they will see in our history the faithful love of the Lord.

The story is told of a man who was about to lose his house to the bank. It was his own fault. He was overextended. He was angry and bitter as he shared his predicament with co-workers. After all, the bank should have never loaned him the money for the house in the first place. They knew he couldn't pay for it. Now, they were going to ruin his life by taking the home back.

And...there we have the sub-prime mortgage crisis.

Without explanation his boss came to him and advanced him the money he needed to recover his home. The man was untouched...barely said "thank you." After all, his boss was wealthy and could easily afford it. He took the money and bought a boat. And, not a thought of obligation to his boss.

Nobody ever knew his boss had come to the rescue...

David says we sometimes are guilty of similar lack of gratitude toward God. Our drift from God always has the same effect. Our lives lose the flavor of the Divine. We don't look, act, or feel like a child of God. A Christian writer once asked "if you were accused of being a christian...would there be enough evidence to convict you?" He knew what he was asking.

You know how to tell if it's you? David comes right out and says it..."Has the Lord redeemed you? Then speak out!"

There we have it. The "litmus Test" of faithfulness is our zeal for sharing our good fortune. The greatest consequence of straying from God is we no longer feel a compulsion to share the blessings of salvation with others. We live a redeemd life. We are on our way to heaven...to live eternally at peace with God...and we don't tell a soul. I doubt that you count yourself among them, but 90% of Christians admit they have never shared the story of their salvation with another person.


In spite of it all...God is willing to sort us out. When we cry "Lord, help...He saves us from our trouble." No wonder David says "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever."

I don't want you to get all morose and guilty about it. I want you thank God for the gift of your salvation. I want you to thank God that He offered a simple non-threatening indicator that let's us know when we're off track. I want you to open your mouth and let the good news flow. You know what? "Those who are wise will take all this to heart; they will see in our history the faithful love of the Lord."
Live boldly out there today...

Psalm 106:32-48

32 At Meribah, too, they angered the Lord, causing Moses serious trouble.
33 They made Moses angry, and he spoke foolishly.
34 Israel failed to destroy the nations in the land, as the Lord had commanded them.
35 Instead, they mingled among the pagans and adopted their evil customs.
36 They worshiped their idols, which led to their downfall.
37 They even sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons.
38 They shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters. By sacrificing them to the idols of Canaan, they polluted the land with murder.
39 They defiled themselves by their evil deeds, and their love of idols was adultery in the Lord’s sight.
40 That is why the Lord’s anger burned against his people, and he abhorred his own special possession.
41 He handed them over to pagan nations, and they were ruled by those who hated them.
42 Their enemies crushed them and brought them under their cruel power.
43 Again and again he rescued them, but they chose to rebel against him, and they were finally destroyed by their sin.
44 Even so, he pitied them in their distress and listened to their cries.
45 He remembered his covenant with them and relented because of his unfailing love.
46 He even caused their captors to treat them with kindness.
47 Save us, O Lord our God! Gather us back from among the nations,
so we can thank your holy name and rejoice and praise you.
48 Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, who lives from everlasting to everlasting! Let all the people say, “Amen!” Praise the Lord!

This has been a difficult, but valuable psalm. On the one hand, we are reminded of God's faithfulness in spite of our sin. On the other hand we are reminded of the consequences of our sin here and now. It's kind of hard to get our minds around a God who can punish and forgive at the same time.

These are two sides of the same coin. Since it is our nature to stray, God is very forgiving. That's side one of the coin. Since the natural consequence of forgetting God is to begin worshipping other gods...God instituted a spiritual law that makes disobedience painful. The pain is intended as a "wake up" call to remind us that we have forgotten God. If we pay attention...it prevents us from sliding into idol worship. That's side two of the coin.

In today's passage David says "they mingled among the pagans and adopted their evil customs. They worshiped their idols, which led to their downfall. They even sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons. They shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters. By sacrificing them to the idols of Canaan, they polluted the land with murder." Once we forget God, there is almost to limit to how far we can slide into debauchery. But really...do we honestly believe a nation of good people could have that kind of blood on their hands? Can we spell "a-b-o-r-t-i-o-n?

We call it "serving the god of personal rights." We go to extreme lengths to worship at that altar.

This is what happens when we forget God. Emmanuel Kant reminds us that "right is right" and "wrong is wrong." The most dangerous thing we can do is change our convictions about right and wrong just to soothe our disobedient conscience. When we do so, eventually we forget the original standard and quickly have no idea what is right or wrong. When that happens there is almost no chance we can recover.

Sounds a lot like our culture. Think about all the things we take for granted today...that were serious sins a generation ago. "That is why the Lord’s anger burned against his people, and he abhorred his own special possession." We have to remember God. It's what keeps us out of sin.

And as always..." he pitied them in their distress and listened to their cries...Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, who lives from everlasting to everlasting! Let all the people say, “Amen!” Praise the Lord!" No matter how bad it gets...no matter how far we have slidden...if we let our distress remind us of God's deliverance we will call out to Him...and He will answer.

Do we serve a great God...or what!

I know we are stubborn people. You know how far you've slipped. My only question is...how much pain can you endure before you finally yell "uncle?"

Live boldly out there today...

Psalm 106:13-31

13 Yet how quickly they forgot what he had done! They wouldn’t wait for his counsel!
14 In the wilderness their desires ran wild, testing God’s patience in that dry wasteland.
15 So he gave them what they asked for, but he sent a plague along with it.
16 The people in the camp were jealous of Moses and envious of Aaron, the Lord’s holy priest.
17 Because of this, the earth opened up; it swallowed Dathan and buried Abiram and the other rebels.
18 Fire fell upon their followers; a flame consumed the wicked.
19 The people made a calf at Mount Sinai[a]; they bowed before an image made of gold.
20 They traded their glorious God for a statue of a grass-eating bull.
21 They forgot God, their savior, who had done such great things in Egypt—
22 such wonderful things in the land of Ham, such awesome deeds at the Red Sea.
23 So he declared he would destroy them. But Moses, his chosen one, stepped between the Lord and the people. He begged him to turn from his anger and not destroy them.
24 The people refused to enter the pleasant land, for they wouldn’t believe his promise to care for them.
25 Instead, they grumbled in their tents and refused to obey the Lord.
26 Therefore, he solemnly swore that he would kill them in the wilderness,
27 that he would scatter their descendants among the nations, exiling them to distant lands.
28 Then our ancestors joined in the worship of Baal at Peor; they even ate sacrifices offered to the dead!
29 They angered the Lord with all these things, so a plague broke out among them.
30 But Phinehas had the courage to intervene, and the plague was stopped.
31 So he has been regarded as a righteous man ever since that time.

I remember when I was twelve...my dad got a new power lawnmower. Since the lawn was my responsibility, I was overjoyed. "You'll never have to ask me to mow the lawn again!" I exclaimed. I was deeply offended when my dad replied "that should last about a week!" Well, my dad was right. Within a couple of weeks, even with a new lawnmower, I was back to forgetting (or ignoring) the lawn.

And I'd been absolutely sincere. It's just who we are...

So, after reminding us "we should never quit praising Him," because of His forbearance, David turns around and says "Yet how quickly they forgot what he had done! They wouldn’t wait for his counsel! "

It's just plain embarrassing.

The Lord made it clear...no more "Mr. Nice Guy!" Every time Israel sinned in the desert, God disciplined her. Eventually, it got so bad that God changed His mind (about the forbearance thing). He'd had enough and determined to kill them all...regardless of the stain on His holy name. But...He let Moses talk Him out of it. Even so, this makes me very nervous...

I wonder...what are God's limits?

I should point out...typology teaches us that just as Israel is in an everlasting covenant with God, so is the church. This desert wandering...and even actual death in some instances...is not understood as "separation from God" but as separation from the promise of peace and rest that comes only after entering the promised land.


It seemed like God reached His limits then they "forgot God...so he declared he would destroy them." It's difficult to imagine how anybody could "forget" God. Then again...how many times have you laid your head on your pillow at night and realized you hadn't said a word to God all day?

We need to pay attention.


You know what happens when we "forget" God? Our "desires run wild." Our lives spin out of control as we chase false gods to satisfy our insecurities. We forget to live the disciplined life that God commands. Would you describe your life as filled with "peace and rest?" or is your life characterized by a frenetic search for something meaningful? Remember...it all begins to unravel when we forget. Today's section of Psalm 106 is a reminder to keep God "front and center" in our lives every day. Failure to do so will lead to serious trouble.

Live boldly out there today...

Psalm 106:1-12

1 Praise the Lord! Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.
2 Who can list the glorious miracles of the Lord? Who can ever praise him enough?
3 There is joy for those who deal justly with others and always do what is right.
4 Remember me, Lord, when you show favor to your people; come near and rescue me.
5 Let me share in the prosperity of your chosen ones. Let me rejoice in the joy of your people; let me praise you with those who are your heritage.
6 Like our ancestors, we have sinned. We have done wrong! We have acted wickedly!
7 Our ancestors in Egypt were not impressed by the Lord’s miraculous deeds. They soon forgot his many acts of kindness to them. Instead, they rebelled against him at the Red Sea.
8 Even so, he saved them— to defend the honor of his name and to demonstrate his mighty power.
9 He commanded the Red Sea to dry up. He led Israel across the sea as if it were a desert.
10 So he rescued them from their enemies and redeemed them from their foes.
11 Then the water returned and covered their enemies; not one of them survived.
12 Then his people believed his promises. Then they sang his praise.

Psalm 106 deals primarily with God's faithfulness even when we are in the midst of sin. David tell us in the 8th verse that in spite of Israel's disobedience, "Even so, he saved them— to defend the honor of his name and to demonstrate his mighty power."


When Israel migrated out of Egypt it didn't take long before they were complaining against God and living in disobedience. God could have chosen to destroy the entire nation right in the desert. He didn't, because history would record the fact that, although Yahweh was powerful enough to deliver His chosen people out of bondage, He was not able to get them out of the desert.

God takes the same position with the church today. Although we are often disobedient...and may be at this very moment...God understands that His reputation is established over the span of history. There will come a day when He will fully redeem His church from the temptations of sin and all history will record God is...an fact...who the Church claimed He is.


So David says "Praise the Lord! Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever." We should take a moment to connect with this. It's a collective truth for the entire church, but it is a personal truth for each of us. God wants us to be victorious. He will make us so...most often in spite of us. But we shouldn't let it go to our heads. He's doing it to save His own reputation.

Why? Because if we are allowed to tarnish God's reputation, how will unbelievers recognize that He is the solution to their quest for purpose and meaning in their lives? And...that He solves the perils of eternity as well?

I'm not suggesting God isn't gracious because He doesn't love us. He does. But, He loves the unbeliever as well. Once we come to faith we are supposed to be tools God uses to bring others to faith. In the process...we get away with a lot. We shouldn't, but we do. "Who can ever praise him enough?
I, for one, I want to do my dead level best not to take advantage of this. How about you?


Live boldly out there today...