"One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple. For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock." — Psalm 27:4-5
A psalm of David. The 'sweet singer of Israel' is here distinguished by a single-mindedness that exemplifies a proper faith. "One thing" consumes his soul, and it is, in a word or two, an unwavering, abiding relationship relationship with God. How enviable is such devotion! It is the counterpoint to the charge of the apostle James when he declares, "a double minded man is unstable in all his ways."
Regrettably, most of us are ambivalent, like the clock we bought a few days ago. Fired up and hung on the wall, it was totally unreliable. It would run for a time, then stop for a season, then start up again full of promise, but unpredictable. In frustration my son-in-law said of it, "It's a part time clock!" Too often distracted by the world, we are in danger of being 'part time Christians.' Not so David, who said, "one thing… will I seek after," i.e., "to dwell in the house of the Lord… all the days of my life." In this passion he reflects the spirit enjoined upon us by the Savior who exhorts believers to "Abide in Me… ," and assures, "If ye abide in Me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you [Jn. 15:7]."
The foundation of an abiding relationship with the living God is an established personal relationship with Christ, as reflected in the familiar 23rd Psalm, "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want… and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever." The latter is the proper and logical result of the former, following where the Shepherd leads.
There is added here a fine nuance when the writer adds, "to behold the beauty of the Lord." It is his manifest desire to contemplate "the King in His beauty," "the beauty of holiness," not merely to enjoy His benefits. In so doing, there is great reward. The apostle remarks, "But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord [II Cor. 3:18]." It is by way of consistent contemplation of His holiness, glory, beauty that we are changed into His image. He became like us (cf. Rom. 8:3) so that we might become like Him. That is the everlasting aim of the Holy Spirit (cf. Rom. 8:29,) but in this our cooperation is required.
Finally, his single-minded aspiration includes, "… and to enquire in His temple. This suggests growing in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord by hearing and heeding the One who is both the Temple and the Word of God. The fundamental and consistent question of those who properly enquire in His temple is, "Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?" Abiding is obeying the divine response to that query. (Cf. John 15:10-11.)
There is great benefit to be realized from such single minded devotion to God, "For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock." Job said, "Man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward [Job 5:7,] and "Man that is born of a woman is of few days and full of trouble [Job 14:1]." And the Savior said, without qualification, "in the world ye shall have tribulation… [John 16:33]." The time of trouble will come sooner or later to every man. Blessed is he who has a hiding place and a secure foundation when it reaches him. And such a man is the single-minded saint whose one great aim is to make God his habitation "all the days of [his] life."
"Pastor" Frasier
A psalm of David. The 'sweet singer of Israel' is here distinguished by a single-mindedness that exemplifies a proper faith. "One thing" consumes his soul, and it is, in a word or two, an unwavering, abiding relationship relationship with God. How enviable is such devotion! It is the counterpoint to the charge of the apostle James when he declares, "a double minded man is unstable in all his ways."
Regrettably, most of us are ambivalent, like the clock we bought a few days ago. Fired up and hung on the wall, it was totally unreliable. It would run for a time, then stop for a season, then start up again full of promise, but unpredictable. In frustration my son-in-law said of it, "It's a part time clock!" Too often distracted by the world, we are in danger of being 'part time Christians.' Not so David, who said, "one thing… will I seek after," i.e., "to dwell in the house of the Lord… all the days of my life." In this passion he reflects the spirit enjoined upon us by the Savior who exhorts believers to "Abide in Me… ," and assures, "If ye abide in Me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you [Jn. 15:7]."
The foundation of an abiding relationship with the living God is an established personal relationship with Christ, as reflected in the familiar 23rd Psalm, "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want… and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever." The latter is the proper and logical result of the former, following where the Shepherd leads.
There is added here a fine nuance when the writer adds, "to behold the beauty of the Lord." It is his manifest desire to contemplate "the King in His beauty," "the beauty of holiness," not merely to enjoy His benefits. In so doing, there is great reward. The apostle remarks, "But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord [II Cor. 3:18]." It is by way of consistent contemplation of His holiness, glory, beauty that we are changed into His image. He became like us (cf. Rom. 8:3) so that we might become like Him. That is the everlasting aim of the Holy Spirit (cf. Rom. 8:29,) but in this our cooperation is required.
Finally, his single-minded aspiration includes, "… and to enquire in His temple. This suggests growing in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord by hearing and heeding the One who is both the Temple and the Word of God. The fundamental and consistent question of those who properly enquire in His temple is, "Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?" Abiding is obeying the divine response to that query. (Cf. John 15:10-11.)
There is great benefit to be realized from such single minded devotion to God, "For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock." Job said, "Man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward [Job 5:7,] and "Man that is born of a woman is of few days and full of trouble [Job 14:1]." And the Savior said, without qualification, "in the world ye shall have tribulation… [John 16:33]." The time of trouble will come sooner or later to every man. Blessed is he who has a hiding place and a secure foundation when it reaches him. And such a man is the single-minded saint whose one great aim is to make God his habitation "all the days of [his] life."
"I am thine, O Lord, I have heard Thy voice, And it told Thy love to me;For God's glory,
But I long to rise in the arms of faith, And be closer drawn to Thee.
Draw me nearer, nearer, blessed Lord, To the cross where Thou hast died;
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer blessed Lord, To Thy precious bleeding side."
by F. Crosby
"Pastor" Frasier
No comments:
Post a Comment