HOUSING: TEMPORARY AND PERMANENT

The word abide, found in the first half of the first verse of Psalm 15, refers to a temporary home—a tent, for example—whereas the dwelling place—in this case ‘God’s holy hill’—would be your house; your home away from home—or, as it were, heaven.  So then, the rest of the verses of the psalm answer the question as to who may walk with God, both in this life and the next.

Jesus takes away uncertainty about the afterlife—and the consternation that naturally follows such uncertainty-- for those that trust in the truthfulness of His words, when He told us in John 14:2-3 that He was leaving to prepare a place for His followers, that He was going to His Father’s house, and that where He was, there also would be those that believe in Him.  He states that if this were not the case, He would have told them that.  When you have confidence in another, and that person tells you not to be afraid—to have peace—you listen.

The remaining four verses discuss the attributes of such a “follower”.

For one thing, they do what is right, and would not be considered by others to be a hypocrite; they do what they say they will do, even when no one is watching.  Doing what is right brings peace, because we lack it when we do the things contrary to what God would have us do (or not) do.  It is the conflict that rages between the flesh and the Spirit.

For another thing, the follower doesn’t gossip about his neighbor nor does he accept gossip about him.  This of course begs the question, “Who is my neighbor?”  The same was asked of Jesus, and the answer is given in Luke 10:25-37.  In a nutshell—per Jesus--a neighbor is you, when you show mercy to another, be it friend or foe.

Likewise, such a follower has utter disdain for the things of the wicked.  I did not say he hates the wicked, but rather, the things the wicked person does.  Merely hating the wicked would not qualify such a person as a follower to begin with.  Such a person has no peace from the onset, for out of the abundance of the heart their mouth speaks (Luke 6:45).

As for verse 4 (“…He who swears to his own hurt and does not change;”), two personal stories readily come to mind (I’d love to hear yours as well—please leave a comment or email blogczarus@gmail.com). 

Years ago a fellow church elder was in dire financial straits through no fault of his own, and he was ready to lose his home—he was $15,000 in arrears and the deadline to satisfy the debt was rapidly approaching.  After much prayer, my late wife and I determined to refinance our mortgage, borrowing an extra $15,000 to extend to the family—I told him we would do this, and he was grateful.  When I was ready to close—literally at the table—the bank officer said, “Oh, I’m terribly sorry, we made a mistake.  If you borrow this extra $15,000, you’ll have to refinance for 30 years at a higher rate, not 15 years at the lower one (which we were going to do—keeping our current payment about the same).  That was going to mean much more indebtedness on our part—we kept our word, and our brother kept his home.  I told him he could pay back whatever he could whenever he could—to this day (about 20 years later) he hasn’t been able to—and that’s OK.

Many years later, we prepared to move back to Illinois from New Hampshire.  I was trying to sell the indoor miniature golf we’d started from the ground up.  Time was of the essence, as we had to vacate our leased space by the beginning of the following month.  Additionally, we had a home in Illinois that had been built for us, and was ready (we thought) to be moved into.  I’d advertised the business for about two months with no result.  Finally, 48 hours before my deadline, I told a man he could have the business for a song.  He was going to give it away to a friend in Vermont that needed an outside course to help augment his income.  Since our indoor course was made with pressure-treated wood and had never been outside it was a perfect fit.  I gave the $75,000 business away for $300.  And then, within the next 24 hours, I got several offers, including one for $100,000—all of which I turned down—because a promise was a promise.

The last verse of Psalm 5 explains that one that enjoys the company of the Lord will not lend his money expecting exorbitant interest in return, nor will he try earning money by accepting a bribe to pervert the justice of another.  He/she who does or doesn’t do as noted in the psalm, will walk in regular fellowship with the Lord—and that, is the greatest peace one could possibly have.

b(Les)sings

Psalm 15

New King James Version (NKJV)

Psalm 15

A Psalm of David.

 ¹ LORD, who may abide in Your tabernacle?
         Who may dwell in Your holy hill?
     
 ² He who walks uprightly,
         And works righteousness,
         And speaks the truth in his heart;
 ³ He who does not backbite with his tongue,
         Nor does evil to his neighbor,
         Nor does he take up a reproach against his friend;
 ⁴ In whose eyes a vile person is despised,
         But he honors those who fear the LORD;
         He who swears to his own hurt and does not change;
 ⁵ He who does not put out his money at usury,
         Nor does he take a bribe against the innocent.
     
         He who does these things shall never be moved.

THE DICTATOR NAMED ME

Do you ever feel like your prayers are not getting beyond your cathedral ceiling?  When you do feel that way, it can be because you’re not getting the answer you want to the request you’ve made.  There is a difference between, “God didn’t answer my prayer” and “God didn’t answer my prayer the way I demanded.”  Let me explain.

When we came back to Illinois from New Hampshire, once plentiful jobs were obsolete, and my lack of employment was not for lack of effort.  Finally, I got the second interview callback and things looked absolutely stupendous—I was going to start in a couple of days.  When I read the job description I told the Lord that’s the one I wanted—it was the “perfect” job for me.  After the second interview I was careful to thank Him and give Him praise—only something was wrong—they weren’t calling me back like they promised, nor were they responding to my requests for return calls.  Finally, I went back there in person and they simply told me, “We hired someone else.”

I was furious.

I was mad with them and I was especially mad at God.  Their being ignorant was one thing, but God was without excuse.  After attending my Saturday morning men’s prayer meeting the next day, my wife and I got into the car to go the local supermarket.  We had no sooner entered the store when I heard that blood-chilling, “Les?”  It was my stalker from three years ago—and had I gotten the job I wanted, he would have been working for me!  To say that I felt about as tall as worm dung in the presence of God would be an understatement.  The sovereignty, omniscience, and love of God prevented me from the disaster that would have been, had my prayer been answered the way I wanted it to be answered.  I was able to thank God for the peace I kept as a result of His saying, “No.” 

Help from your (Heavenly) Father is one thing—trying to help your earthly father can be quite another.

When I was four, I used to “assist” my dad in cutting the grass.  He had one of those turquoise blue Sunbeam electric mowers with the really cool start-up sound.  I had a plastic model that I pushed along behind him.  Of course I wasn’t doing a thing to help my father (except possibly keep him company), but I really did think I was.  Truth be told he was worried I might distract him and that consequently he’d run over the cord and electrocute himself like he had heard others had done. 

We’re all a little bit like four year-old Les.  We tell God what the problem is and what He needs to do to fix it.  We know we can improve our “chances” by helping Him along, but all we really do in the process is get in His way. 

Ironically, we have peace when we just let God be God without requiring Him to either get our permission or opinion before He acts.  Though our intentions may be right, if we demand how God can best do his job , rather than allowing Him to do it His way, He may just give us our request, and then have to listen to us complain about His having granted it—poor God.

b(Les)sings

Psalm 10

A Song of Confidence in God’s Triumph over Evil

 ¹ Why do You stand afar off, O LORD?
         Why do You hide in times of trouble?
 ² The wicked in his pride persecutes the poor;
         Let them be caught in the plots which they have devised.
     
 ³ For the wicked boasts of his heart’s desire;
         He blesses the greedy and renounces the LORD.
 ⁴ The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God;
         God is in none of his thoughts.
     
 ⁵ His ways are always prospering;
         Your judgments are far above, out of his sight;
         As for all his enemies, he sneers at them.
 ⁶ He has said in his heart, “I shall not be moved;
         I shall never be in adversity.”
 ⁷ His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and oppression;
         Under his tongue is trouble and iniquity.
     
 ⁸ He sits in the lurking places of the villages;
         In the secret places he murders the innocent;
         His eyes are secretly fixed on the helpless.
 ⁹ He lies in wait secretly, as a lion in his den;
         He lies in wait to catch the poor;
         He catches the poor when he draws him into his net.
 ¹⁰ So he crouches, he lies low,
         That the helpless may fall by his strength.
 ¹¹ He has said in his heart,
         “God has forgotten;
         He hides His face;
         He will never see.”
     
 ¹² Arise, O LORD!
         O God, lift up Your hand!
         Do not forget the humble.
 ¹³ Why do the wicked renounce God?
         He has said in his heart,
         “You will not require an account.”
     
 ¹⁴ But You have seen, for You observe trouble and grief,
         To repay it by Your hand.
         The helpless commits himself to You;
         You are the helper of the fatherless.
 ¹⁵ Break the arm of the wicked and the evil man;
         Seek out his wickedness until You find none.
     
 ¹⁶ The LORD is King forever and ever;
         The nations have perished out of His land.
 ¹⁷ LORD, You have heard the desire of the humble;
         You will prepare their heart;
         You will cause Your ear to hear,
 ¹⁸ To do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed,
         That the man of the earth may oppress no more--NKJV

SPECIAL DELIVERY

Which do you like better:  Getting a compliment you perceive as lukewarm and half-hearted or one that overflows with praise?  Assuming the answer is the latter, it is something you have in common with God.  When you give in to your own longing and tell yourself how capable you are, you create stress, because you’re operating in the realm of half-truth.  Yes, you may be very capable, but without supernatural help you are nothing (John 15:5).  Jesus further said that out of the heart’s abundance the mouth would speak (Luke 6:45).  How often we figure that we can talk ourselves into doing just about anything, but Proverbs 16:3 tells us that when we commit our works to the Lord, it is then that our thoughts will be established.

If you are facing a current crisis, there’s no peace in worrying about how you’ll get out of it.  The peace comes instead when you reflect on past deliverances that were achieved beyond your own effort.  Crises come and crises go, but the Lord is constant through them all. 

And what Lord—or parent for that matter—doesn’t want to see their child look to him or her for guidance midst a troublesome matter?  The Lord shared in Isaiah 42:8 that He would not share His glory with another, and it behooves the peace-seeker to keep that in remembrance. 

Experiencing the peace of God midst the trials of man is not so much subject to God’s ability to provide that peace, as for you to recognize He can and does deliver—just remember to exalt Him when He delivers you, that He may care to do it time and time again.

b(Les)sings

Psalm 9--KJV

[1] I will praise thee, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvellous works.
[2] I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most High.
[3] When mine enemies are turned back, they shall fall and perish at thy presence.
[4] For thou hast maintained my right and my cause; thou satest in the throne judging right.
[5] Thou hast rebuked the heathen, thou hast destroyed the wicked, thou hast put out their name for ever and ever.
[6] O thou enemy, destructions are come to a perpetual end: and thou hast destroyed cities; their memorial is perished with them.
[7] But the LORD shall endure for ever: he hath prepared his throne for judgment.
[8] And he shall judge the world in righteousness, he shall minister judgment to the people in uprightness.
[9] The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.
[10] And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.
[11] Sing praises to the LORD, which dwelleth in Zion: declare among the people his doings.
[12] When he maketh inquisition for blood, he remembereth them: he forgetteth not the cry of the humble.
[13] Have mercy upon me, O LORD; consider my trouble which I suffer of them that hate me, thou that liftest me up from the gates of death:
[14] That I may shew forth all thy praise in the gates of the daughter of Zion: I will rejoice in thy salvation.
[15] The heathen are sunk down in the pit that they made: in the net which they hid is their own foot taken.
[16] The LORD is known by the judgment which he executeth: the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. Higgaion. Selah.
[17] The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.
[18] For the needy shall not alway be forgotten: the expectation of the poor shall not perish for ever.
[19] Arise, O LORD; let not man prevail: let the heathen be judged in thy sight.
[20] Put them in fear, O LORD: that the nations may know themselves to be but men. Selah.

WHO BUT GOD COULD HAVE “PLAN IT” THAT WAY?

David begins the 8^th Psalm by focusing on God’s magnificence.  He is not just Lord but Lord of many.  His authority is to be revered throughout the earth, though His brilliance and splendor take up their residence far out of man’s view.  The very fact that we can’t see Him directly allows us to see Him in others.

God gives strength to those who don’t otherwise have it, so that He can be glorified in the resulting differences obvious to the casual acquaintances of those He pours Himself into.  He confounds the wise of the world by the simple.  David goes on to show how even the “least” among us are great in the economy of God.  Are you tormented by an enemy?  God has babies fighting on your side.  It’s no wonder that the pro-life movement is an affront to Satan—each babbling baby (and other babies that mature into Christian adulthood) are nails—not just on a chalkboard, but in the Devil’s coffin as well.

Have you ever gone out on a clear, crisp night and witnessed the majesty of the night sky?  Looking up it causes you to realize just how small you are as a person. You can’t help but be struck by man’s insignificance in comparison to the greatness that are the stars and planets, both in their size and radiance.  When you take all of these things into account you stand ready to put on the garment of peace reserved for those that understand there is One greater in the world than themselves.

David concludes his work by repeating what he said in its beginning.  Do you want peace?  Recognize the sovereignty of God in the midst of your turmoil—recognize there is One greater than you—and torment that which has been tormenting you.

b(Les)sings

Psalm 8--KJV

 ¹O LORD, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens.
 ²Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.
 ³When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;
 ⁴What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
 ⁵For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.
 ⁶Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet:
 ⁷All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field;
 ⁸The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.
 ⁹O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!

MORNING VOICE

When we focus on ourselves, rather than God, we grieve.  It’s not that we intend to do that—quite the opposite—it’s just that seating ourselves on the throne of our lives (rather than God) creates stress. 

When your sovereign leader is the universe’s Creator, you can have confidence that someone that created the world (and all that is therein) can hear you call unto Him—and that when He hears, He will respond.  Reflecting on Him in the less busy times of the day will help you to hear Him better, because you are not as preoccupied with other things. 

Those that are wicked please themselves, but the One that can give pleasure to another refrains from doing so for those that hold Him in contempt.  God is the ultimate polygraph.

You experience the mercies of God when you spend time with Him.  We walk within a fallen world, yet He will “right” us.  We live amongst hypocrites.  They say nice things and then act despicably.  God will judge them in due time.  He will not interfere with the reaping of the sowing they have incurred.  Conversely, God visits those He loves—those that love Him—with favor.

b(Les)sings