Psalm 71 - 2008.11.29

"Thou, which hast shewed me great and sore troubles, shalt quicken me again, and shalt bring me up again from the depths of the earth. Thou shalt increase my greatness, and comfort me on every side. I will also praise thee with the psaltery, even thy truth, O my God: unto thee will I sing with the harp, O thou Holy One of Israel." —Psalm 71:20-22

In this, sometimes called "a psalm of old age," the Psalmist reflects upon the path of life over which he has traveled, and the destination which lies not far ahead of him. That is not an uncommon thing with those of us who have reached what some call "the sunset years."

Here, in particular, he sums up in few words the potholes he has encountered on the journey; "Thou hast shown me great and sore troubles." Probably the majority of senior saints could make a similar observation, for, as Job said, "man is born unto trouble as the sparks fly upward [Job. 5:7]." When trouble comes, however, it serves as the most defining element in our spiritual journey. It is then that we decide whether our faith is real or illusionary. Someone long ago said, "It does not matter what the trouble is; it only matters where the trouble lies. If the trouble comes between you and God, that is not good. If you stand between the trouble and God, trouble only crowds you closer to Him." David's troubles often wrung from his lips a cry for mercy, but never a cry of doubt about God's goodness, grace and power.

So here, his reflection gives rise to renewed confidence; "Thou…shalt quicken me again, and…bring me up again from the depths of the earth." Old age is a brusque reminder that our sojourn here is of limited duration; "It is appointed unto man once to die. "But, for the believer that is not the end. It is, in fact, only the beginning of "the life that shall endless be." As with our Savior, "death could not keep its prey," so with those who put their trust in Him. We can echo the psalmist's confidence, "Thou…shalt bring me up again from the depths of the earth." Jesus said, "Whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die." The grave will hold the remnants of 'the house we lived in,' but we will move into a "house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens," (See I Cor. 5:1-8) and when He comes again we shall be raised incorruptible and death swallowed up in victory! (See I Cor. 15:42-58!!)

But, there is more. "Thou shalt increase my greatness,and comfort me on every side." No greater prospect can enter the human mind than what awaits the believer "on the other side." The Holy Spirit, through the apostle John, has encapsulated it, "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is [I John 3:2]." We will be then forever free of all that here we defined as "great and sore troubles," not the least of which is the tenacious plague of sin. Oh happy day! As Paul put it,"I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us [Rom. 8:18]."

How appropriately, then, does the Psalmist break out into jubilant praise. "I will also praise thee with the psaltery, even thy truth, O my God: unto thee will I sing with the harp, O thou Holy One of Israel. My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing unto thee; and my soul, which thou hast redeemed. My tongue also shall talk of thy righteousness all the day long… [Ps. 71:22-24]." I am inclined to think that David is here anticipating his heavenly occupation. We are often asked, what will heaven be like, and what will we do there? Biblical information is relatively scarce, but if my judgment is correct, heaven will be filled with God glorifying instrumental music, songs of praise sung by enlightened saints and unending testimony to the righteousness of God; the 'song of souls set free!'

My friends, may we share that grand circumstance together! And perhaps not too far hence!!

"But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus." —Eph. 2"4-7

Singing HIS praises,

"Pastor" Frasier

Psalm 70 - 2008.11.22

"Let them be ashamed and confounded that seek after my soul: let them be turned backward, and put to confusion, that desire my hurt. Let them be turned back for a reward of their shame that say, Aha, aha." —Psalm 70:1-2

If we use our wonderful gift of imagination, we may be able to put ourselves at the foot of "the old rugged cross" and recreate the scene that could well have given rise to the words of our text on the lips of our Savior. Above Him, nailed to His cross, a hand printed poster scornfully proclaims, "This is the King of the Jews!" much like those some display at our athletic games today. And beneath the cross, enjoying the entertainment with a raucous crowd, some of the religious leadership scornfully deride Him, "saying, He saved others; let Him save Himself, if He be the Christ, the chosen of God." And nearby out of the duty squad of Roman soldiers one emerges with a vinegar soaked sponge on the end of a reed, shoving it in His face and crying, "If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself!"(Lk 23:36) Then, off to one side, in misery and bitterness we hear one of two thieves crucified with Him growl, "If thou be the Christ, save thyself and us." (Cf Luke 23:34-39)

Nearby some of the soldiers, bored and distracted, are divvying up his clothing and casting lots to see who will win the seamless cloak He was wearing when they stripped Him for His public humiliation. Finally the murmur begins to circulate among the watchers that He has expired. The religious element turn and petition Pilate, who has watched it all with detachment, "Break His legs and take Him away!" As the soldiers begin their cruel duty on the two thieves, someone affirms that Jesus is dead already. One of the soldiers, "just to make sure,"shoving a spear into His side confirms His death. The entertainment over, we watch the crowd break up and wander off to prepare for their Sabbath worship! (Cf. John 19:19-37)

Consider Who it is that is thus mocked, maltreated and murdered. It is, in fact, not the king of the Jews, but the King of kings, the Lord of Glory! It is the almighty Creator and Sustainer of the universe, the Commander in chief of the armies of heaven, for Whom during it all no fewer than one hundred and forty four thousand angels stood at the ready, waiting only a word from Him to scatter His abusers beyond the farthest horizon. (See Mat. 26:53) How well He might have cried, "Let them be turned backward, and put to confusion, that desire my hurt."

The most astonishing thing is that He did not then so speak. Rather, He prayed for His accusers and abusers, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do [Luke 23:34]." Even the waiting angels must have been astonished at such incredible restraint! And we are taken back in mind to His remarks to Philip and Andrew, "…The hour is come, that the Son of Man should be glorified…Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father save me from this hour: but for this cause came unto this hour." And then He prayed, "Father, glorify Thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again [John 12:23-28]."

There and then, despite the efforts of His detractors to the contrary, Christ was glorified in grace, being made sin for us to the end that we might have our sins forgiven through His sacrifice. There is a day coming when He will be glorified in judgment, and the words of our text will be upon His lips for those who have scorned His grace and salvation. Of that day we read, "…the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, [will hide] themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And [say] to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?"

In the meantime, let those who have been saved by His grace heed the exhortation of the psalmist, and the Savior from Whom these words originate, "Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: and let such as love thy salvation say continually, Let God be magnified [Ps. 70:4]."

And let those who hesitate take heed—before it is eternally too late!

For His glory and our good,

"Pastor" Frasier

Psalm 69 - 2008.11.15

"O God, thou knowest my foolishness; and my sins are not hid from thee. Let not them that wait on thee, O Lord GOD of hosts, be ashamed for my sake: let not those that seek thee be confounded for my sake, O God of Israel." —Psalm 69:5-6

The sixty ninth Psalm is a challenging one to understand. There are numerous passages quoted in the New Testament with specific reference to Christ. But, there are some passages, such as this one , which seem almost impossible to refer to Christ, Who knew no sin, and did no sin. Some attempt to solve the dilemma by referring these negative references to David. The Son of God is flawless; the sons of men, even believers, are not so. In any event, it is from this perspective that I suggest we reflect upon our "nugget" for today.

The first thing that confronts us, then, is the obvious but often forgotten or overlooked fact that the soul is utterly transparent before God. Nothing is hid den from "the eyes of Him with whom we have to do [cf. Heb. 4:13]." When Sarah in a fit of jealously banished her handmaid Hagar, "the angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness." A dialogue followed, at the conclusion of which Hagar "called the name of the LORD that spake unto her, Thou God seest me [cf. Gen. 16:7-13]." There is no place where God is not, nowhere one can hide from His eye, no thought that escapes His knowledge. Through the prophet Jeremiah God asks, "Am I a God at hand, saith the LORD, and not a God afar off? Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD [Jer. 23:23-24]." This knowledge is intended of God as a deterrent to sin, for He not only sees, but judges even those things in which we transgress, but are tempted to take lightly because, we think, "no one knows." Remember, God knows!

The next verse confronts us with another sobering thought. Our sins threaten the testimony of God before others. Sensitive to that fact, the psalmist prays, "Let not them that wait on thee, O Lord God of hosts, be ashamed for my sake…" In his indictment of Israel for her national transgressions, the apostle Paul charged, "For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written [Rom. 2:24]." The sins God's people commit, when they become public knowledge, are an embarrassment to the cause of Christ; even as the scripture says of some who profess faith "and then fall away," they "crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put Him to an open shame [Heb. 6:6]."

Brought down to a practical level, we never sin to ourselves alone. Others inevitably are implicated. Nowhere is this more evident than in Adam's original transgression. It is written, "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men…[Rom. 5:12]." Sin is a contagious malady of the first order. How many a child has discredited the gospel of Christ because of evident, unconfessed hypocrisy in the life of a parent? How many a godly wife or husband has been put to shame by the transgression of a wayward spouse? And withal, the cause of Christ suffers as well.

Indeed, sin is foolishness, and every believer is aware of that. But it is more foolish still to attempt to cover our sins and to ignore their devastating influence. God knows our susceptibility to sin and our capacity for failure. He does not, under grace, demand our perfection, but only our honesty. "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness [I John 1:9]." Let's make David's prayer ours!

"He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy." —Prov. 28:13

For His glory and our good,

"Pastor" Frasier

Psalm 68 - 2008.11.08

"Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered: let them also that hate Him flee before Him. As smoke is driven away, so drive them away: as wax melteth before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God. But let the righteous be glad; let them rejoice before God: yea, let them exceedingly rejoice." —Psalm 68:20

One of the reasons some people hate the word of God is because of the imprecatory element found in it, such as is illustrated in our text for today. Our moral sensitivity is so dulled that we cannot tolerate the idea of a God of judgment. In such an environment it is important to remember that if there is, after all, a creator God, then the rules of justice are His to call, not ours.

It will be well, too, to remember His dealings with Adam in the beginning. Testing Adam's moral response, God graciously informed him that should he eat of the fruit of the tree that was in the midst of the garden, he would "surely die." That was the word of God, and all Adam had to do to avoid the judgment was to "trust and obey" that Word. There followed the "big lie" of the Adversary, who said categorically, "ye shall not surely die."(See Genesis 3.) God having spoken, and Adam having made a faith-choice, believing the devil rather than God, God had no choice but to carry out the promised judgment; otherwise His integrity and justice would have collapsed.

The issue is precisely the same today, except that we have the issue illustrated and reinforced by ten thousand years of history. God has spoken, giving us His Word and in it His warnings and His gracious invitation to trust the One He has sent forth to deliver us from the wrath to come. Satan, through His spokesmen, continues to deny what God has affirmed, and fools still follow him to their own everlasting destruction.

Let us ever remember that behind the human agency in scripture, David in this case, is the Living Word of God, the Lord Jesus Christ. It is, after all, the Lord Who gives the word. The human agent is simply the publisher (See Psalm 68:11). From that perspective we may see this text as uttered by the Son of God in behalf of the Father. And what it foretokens is the inevitable judgment to come. This, too, is predicted and outlined in the revelation of a merciful God:

"We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth; So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure: Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer: Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you; And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day. [II Thess. 1:3-10]."

There is the precise fulfillment of this terrifying prayer, in a single event the two-edged sword of divine justice bringing the wrath of the Almighty upon the haters of God and the gospel of Christ, and final vindication of the faith of those who recognizing and repenting of their rebellious and lost condition have cast themselves upon the Lord Jesus Christ for mercy.

Decide today, if you have not already done so, whose side you are on. God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked (see Ezek. 33:11), which is why He sent His Son to be the Savior of the world. But if you reject Him, God has no choice if He is to maintain His righteousness, but to suffer you to perish. When you have crossed what some men call "the great divide," it will be too late to decide for God.

"Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation [II Cor. 6:2b]."
For His glory and our good,

"Pastor" Frasier

Post Election Note (Prov 16, 21) - 2008.11.05

A post election note:

Yesterday: "The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the LORD." (Prov. 16:33)

and today: "The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will." (Prov. 21:1)

Under HIS wings,
"Pastor" Frasier

Psalm 67 - 2008.11.01

"Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee. Then shall the earth yield her increase; and God, even our own God, shall bless us. God shall bless us; and all the ends of the earth shall fear him." — Ps. 67:5-7

Do you ever wish that we lived in a better world? Given the state of the world today, as reported to us by the omnipresent media, anyone thus informed must long for a better day, whether some may long for the fanciful "good old days," or, for those with more discernment, look forward to a great day to come.

This psalm, concise and tightly focused, offers us a clue to the realization of that longing. Drawing our thoughts from the selection at hand, we are first confronted with the foundation of hope for a better day in v.5: "Let the people praise Thee, O God; let all the people praise Thee." Praise is the key.

There was a time when Israel faced an enemy, and all the concerns an adversary brings, and God gave counsel through a spirit filled man of God (Cf. II Chron. 20:14ff), "Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's." On the strength of that counsel the godly king Jehoshaphat "appointed singers unto the LORD, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the LORD; for his mercy endureth for ever."

Imagine sending the choir out before the military! But observe the consequences: "When they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten [II Chron. 20:22]."

Praise is set forth as the prerequisite to blessing. "Let the people praise thee, O God, let all the people praise Thee. Then…" Then what? "Then shall the earth yield her increase; and God…shall bless us!" Here both temporal prosperity and spiritual blessing are predicated upon praise. Let the saints learn the lesson. "Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous: for Praise is comely for the upright [Ps. 33:1]."

Who has more reason to praise the Lord than those who have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb of God? We are numbered among the "upright" and the "righteous" only because of that mercy for which the Psalmist pleads in v.1 of this Psalm, made supremely manifest through the death, burial and resurrection of the Son of God Who loved us and gave Himself for us! Had we this and nothing more, we would still have reason enough to praise Him, for in this there is a future worth anticipating. Temporal "blessing" is, at best, only temporary. The psalmist says in another place, "Because Thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee [Ps. 63:3, my italics]."

Finally our text moves from prospect to promise. "God shall bless us; and all the ends of the earth shall fear Him." Standing on that promise, one in our dispensation may look back to God's promise, through the patriarchs, of universal blessing and look forward through the prophets to the same. As bleak as the human scene may look at any point in human history, those promises and prophesies remain unchanged. And they are the word of a God who cannot lie. Their fulfillment, at the return of the Savior, will bring about the occasion for universal praise.

For now that is not the case. Praise is confined to the company of the redeemed, and they are in the minority. It remains both our privilege and our responsibility to praise Him as the scriptures say we should. Variously, in the psalms, the writers promise, "I will praise the name of God with a song [Ps.. 69:30]; "His praise shall continually be in my mouth [Ps. 34:1]; "My tongue shall speak of Thy righteousness and of Thy praise all the day long [Ps. 35:28]; "While I live I will praise the Lord: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being [Ps. 146:2]; "I will praise Thee, O Lord, with my whole heart [Ps. 9:1]."

Go thou and do likewise!"Praise is comely for the upright."

For His glory and our good,

"Pastor" Frasier