Psalm 109 - 2009.08.29

“They compassed me about also with words of hatred;and fought against me without a cause. For my love they are my adversaries: but I give myself unto prayer. And they have rewarded me evil for good, and hatred for my love.” — Psalm 109:4-5

Our ‘Nugget’ for today is found in what is called an imprecatory Psalm—one in which the spokesman calls down judgment on the heads of his enemies. And the scope of this judgment is awesome, as even a cursory reading of the whole Psalm will reveal. It is the flip side of Calvary, not often thought about and seldom preached on.

If these words are viewed only as the words of the Psalmist, they must be seen as vindictive, and hard to reconcile with the principle of Him Who said, “Love your enemies…” and Who cried from the awful agony of the cross, “Father forgive them…, for they know not what they do.”

Yet it is from His lips, ultimately, that we must hear this awful call for judgment. For to whom else can the words apply, They “…fought against Me without a cause,” and “For My love they are My adversaries?” From the day of His crucifixion even until now the world has hosted a great company hostile to the Savior, and for no other reason than that He told the truth, did the truth and is the Truth (cf. John 14 :6). And, anticipating the cross, He took these words upon His lips, saying, “If I had not done among them the works that no other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both Me and My Father. But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause [John 15:24-25].”

For now, wonder of wonders, we hear only His compassionate plea, “Father, forgive them…” That was then . And thankfully, is now, as well. The astonishing day of God’s grace continues as the world goes on becoming increasingly indifferent or hostile toward the testimony of Jesus. But not forever.

Once before, when God demonstrated His remarkable patience and love, His hand restrained judgment. Noah, under God’s direction, constructed an ark and preached, for 120 years, a warning and undoubtedly an invitation. God said, “My Spirit will not always strive with man.” (Gen. 6:3) Men failed then, as they do now, to recognize that there is a limit to God’s patience, and one day “the flood came and destroyed them all [Luke 17:27].”

So, one day hence God will lift His mighty hand in answer to the prayer of His Son recorded here and justice will overtake mercy. For the moment sinners are in the hand of a merciful God. In that day it will be ‘sinners in the hands of an angry God.’ The apostle Paul warned, “But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape [I Thess. 5:1-3].”

When God sealed Noah in the ark, only one man’s family was inside. The day before the door was open and “whosoever” would heed the warning of the ‘Preacher of Righteousness’ could have joined him and found salvation from the impending judgment. But that day it was too late. And so will it be for the generation that witnesses the Father’s answer to this prayer:

“As he loved cursing, so let it come unto him: as he delighted not in blessing, so let it be far from him. As he clothed himself with cursing like as with his garment, so let it come into his bowels like water, and like oil into his bones. Let it be unto him as the garment which covereth him, and for a girdle wherewith he is girded continually. Let this be the reward of mine adversaries from the LORD, and of them that speak evil against my soul [Ps. 109:17-20].”

God has given us a graphic preview of that day. “And 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, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said 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? [Rev. 6:15-17].”

If you perchance are not saved, don’t delay. Turn to Christ; let Him embrace you in His love and prepare you to escape “the wrath to come.” Tomorrow could be too late!!

For His glory and our good,

"Pastor" Frasier

Psalm 108 - 2009.08.22

“Give us help from trouble: for vain is the help of man. Through God we shall do valiantly: for he it is that shall tread down our enemies." — Psalm 108:12,13

Eliphaz the Temanite counseled Job, “…man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward.” Later Job echoed the sentiment, saying, “Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble. He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down: he fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not [Job 14:1-2].” The apostle Paul wrote on one occasion, “…we were troubled on every side” (II Cor. 7:5).

There are few, if any, on the planet who do not know the meaning and have not shared the experience of “trouble.” Trouble is “no respecter of persons.” The rich and the poor, the wise and the foolish, the strong and the weak, the saint and the sinner all have their portion of it.

The question is not whether you will have trouble, but rather, what will you do with it when it comes? Where will you go for help? The natural thing, and in fact the only recourse for the ‘natural man’ is to turn to our fellow man for help. And the more science and technology and other forms of human genius develop, the more confidence we are inclined to have in, and the more we tend to expect from, man. The doctor, the economist, the professional counsellor, the militia, the members of government; these are among those we expect to have answers to our problems. And, to be sure, in many of life’s skirmishes there is help for the immediate problem. But not always, and not forever.

The declaration of the Holy Spirit, through the Psalmist, is, “vain is the help of man.” And this emphasis is frequent in scripture. There is an alternate rendering of v. 12 that reads, “Give us help from the adversary.” That rendering identifies the root of our “troubles.” Through the apostle Peter the same Holy Spirit warns, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world [I Pet. 5:8-9].” Man may win a skirmish here and there, but against this adversary he will never win the war.

It is with that understanding that the psalmist addresses his appeal to the Lord and finds his confidence in Him. Adam’s sin surrendered his Divinely delegated authority to Satan, “the adversary,” who is now defined in scripture as “the god of this world.” As a result the whole race labors under the tyranny of an enemy of enormous power. It takes more than human resources to effectively withstand him.

David recognizes not only the real source and nature of the trouble, but the only real solution to the problem, when he declares, “Through GOD we shall do valiantly; for He it is that shall tread down our enemies.” Whether sickness or poverty or conflict or ‘natural disasters’ or any other “trouble,” all lead in the same direction, and the “last enemy” is death. Whatever success human genius may have in extricating us from particular troubles, it has no solution for this one, and it is both universal and insurmountable. And this ‘enemy’ God has already crushed under the feet of our Lord Jesus Christ. Consider:

“We see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren, Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee. And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me. Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage [Heb. 2:9-15].”

“For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death [I Cor. 15:25-26].” And if the Savior has conquered this enemy, He can master any trouble that comes our way. When trouble comes, we may take advantage of whatever human resources are available, but we must never put our trust in them, nor in man. And when deliverance comes, we must ever render our praise and thanksgiving to God, for it is through Him that our victory comes, from here to eternity!

“Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens: and thy glory above all the earth.” Ps. 108:5

For His glory and our good,

"Pastor" Frasier

Psalm 107 - 2009.08.15

“Fools because of their transgression, and because of their iniquities, are afflicted. Their soul abhorreth all manner of meat; and they draw near unto the gates of death. Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he saveth them out of their distresses. He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions. Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!” — Psalm 107:17-21

The words of the Lord Jesus in Matthew 5:22 would give us caution in denominating any man a “fool,” but the fool is defined for us by God Himself in Psalm 14:1, reiterated in Ps. 53:1. “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.” As it stands in the authorized version the verse defines a fool as one who denies the existence of God, an atheist. But, it may be observed that two words in the rendering are in italics, indicating that they are conjectural. If those two words are omitted, the verse reads not as an opinion, but as an attitude: “The fool hath said in his heart, no God,” suggesting not a denial of the existence of God, but a disregard for His authority.

There may be, then, two kinds of fools: the atheist who denies that God exists, and the theist who believes there is a God, but refuses to obey Him. It may be legitimate to question which is the bigger fool! In either case, the result in the life of the individual will inevitably be “transgression” and “iniquity,” because there is no moral restraint in those who disregard God, whether philosophically or ethically. And our text assigns this as the cause of their “affliction,” which here appears to be some kind of illness which destroys all appetite and threatens to be fatal.

Certain it is that not all “affliction” is the direct result of personal sin or transgression, but here it is clear that some is. And the objective of the text, and indeed of the whole Psalm, is to indicate the source as God and the objective as merciful. It is not God’s hatred of the fool, but His compassion that stimulates His disciplinary action. It is a great mercy, as any converted soul will testify, when God uses His rod of affliction to gain our attention and bring us to our senses spiritually. “Then,” and not until then, in the case of so many, “they cry unto the Lord in their trouble.”

If the cry of the afflicted sinner is sincere, there is mercy in the offing, for “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved [Rom. 10:13].” And the avenue of His mercy is ever the same; “He sent His Word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.” The written word affords the prescription, directing us to the Living Word, which is Christ. When by faith we appropriate Christ as Savior and Lord, there is ofttimes temporal deliverance and always eternal salvation.

The central message of this Psalm is that God employs life’s trials to get the sinner’s attention, whether the unconverted sinner or the sinning believer. Among other things, He may use hunger and thirst (v.5), oppression (v.12), sickness (v.18) and calamities of nature (v.25). That accomplished, it His delight to deliver us and give us through Christ a future and a hope, “That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life [Titus 3:7].”

God’s ultimate aim in all this, however, is not merely the transgressor’s good, but His own legitimate glory. The Psalm is thematic. “Oh that men would praise the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men (v. 8, 15, 21, 31). And the point here is that the Lord’s goodness is evident not only in His deliverance, but in the circumstances He may employ to bring us to repentance. We are (hopefully) quick to praise Him for mercies experienced, but ofttimes slow to praise Him for the trials that brought us to our knees. When we understand the principles revealed through this psalm, we will praise Him for both, seeing even His judgments as associated with His grace, and thus be better able to fulfill the exhortation of I Thess. 5:18, “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” It is a formula for perennial praise!

“Whoso is wise, and will observe these things, even they shall understand the lovingkindness of the LORD.” –PS. 107:43

For His praise and our prosperity,

"Pastor" Frasier

Psalm 106 - 2009.08.08

“And he saved them from the hand of him that hated them, and redeemed them from the hand of the enemy. And the waters covered their enemies: there was not one of them left. Then believed they his words; they sang his praise. They soon forgat his works; they waited not for his counsel: But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, and tempted God in the desert. And He gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul.” — Psalm 106:10-15

The opening clause of our nugget for today summarizes the previous Psalm, which rehearses Jehovah’s great redemption of His people from their bondage in Egypt. We have before noted that it is a picture or type of our salvation from the bondage of sin. I have no doubt that David had that Psalm in mind when he penned the opening verses of this one. But while that Psalm ends on a high note, this one plays out with a tragic tone which also, unfortunately, reflects much of the history of the church and of too many a believer. If the former is a picture of regeneration, this is a tragic portrait of degeneration.

There is no greater story anywhere written than that of the salvation made available to sinners through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus. Through no merit or effort of our own we are delivered from the hand of the enemy, and he is vanquished more thoroughly and finally than the hosts of Pharaoh were destroyed by the waters of the Red Sea. Worthy of note, however, is the Divine intention in effecting that deliverance for us: “That they might observe His statutes and keep His laws [Ps.. 105:45].” For the New Testament believer this principle is reflected in that great passage on justification by grace through faith alone, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast,” too often disconnected from the verse immediately following, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them [Eph. 2:8-10].”

The new convert, like the liberated Hebrew believer, ‘believes His word and sings His praise.’ Because a true conversion is always preceded by conviction of sin, a valid experience of salvation inevitably eventuates in a great confidence in God and gratitude for His grace. He ‘sees the good of [His] chosen, rejoices in the gladness of [His] nation and glories with [His] inheritance (v.5).”

Would to God that on that high note every born again believer would continue his journey through this wilderness world until he should come into his “inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven” for every true child of God. Alas, too often that is not the case. The journey through the wilderness is sometimes long, arduous and wearying, and like the disobedient children of Israel, we forget His glorious work of grace and salvation and fail to wait for His counsel. They “lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, and tempted God in the desert,” following the devious paths of natural desire and human reason rather than the wisdom and counsel of His word.

Scripture instructs us that “all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever [I John 2:16-17].” To allow the “desires of the flesh and of the mind” to command our attention and govern our direction, rather than the word of God, is to invite disaster.

“He gave them their request,; but sent leanness into their soul.” This is the explanation for the shallow experience of many a convert, and why the world is not impressed by much of what it sees advertised as Christianity. The downward trend is spelled out later in the Psalm: they “…mingled among the heathen, and learned their works. And they served their idols: which were a snare unto them. Yea, they sacrificed their sons and daughters unto devils, and shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and their daughters, whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan… [Ps. 105:35-38].” Note the tragic downward trend: “mingled…learned…served…sacrificed.” Many a young person has been sacrificed to idols, figuratively speaking, by Christian parents who have pursued the way of the world at the expense of the will of God, “Come out from among them and be ye separate saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty [II Cor. 6:17-18].”

God intended Israel to be a separated people, and He clearly intends the same for His church. Compromising His will may not cost us eternal life, for that is a free gift; but there is still a price to pay, and it is far higher than a wise man will want to be accountable for!

For a higher calling,

"Pastor" Frasier

Psalm 105 - 2009.08.01

“O give thanks unto the LORD; call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people. Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him: talk ye of all his wondrous works. Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the LORD.” —Psalm 105:1-3

Psalm 105 is a rehearsal of Jehovah’s glorious deliverance of His people from their grievous oppression and bondage in Egypt. It is a picture, drawn in the history of Israel, representative of the salvation of sinners from the bondage of sin. The account of God’s great deliverance of His people is prefaced with this “call to worship” that concludes, “Let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord.”

The Psalmist declares near the conclusion of the psalm, “He brought forth His people with joy, and His chosen with gladness (v.43).” This introduction seeks to establish the continuation of that joy that ever belongs to the redeemed, and applies to the New Testament believer even more than to Israel, for theirs was a temporal deliverance, while ours is an eternal one. Perennial joy is the proper temper for those who have experienced God’s gracious deliverance from the bondage of sin and its awful consequences, and our “nugget” hints at the keys to it.

The first requisite is praise, and that involves constant reflection on the mercies of God. One may be inclined to ask why the constant reiteration of the same theme, for the emphasis on praise and thanksgiving is frequent in the scriptures, and so must it be on the part of those who expound them. The simple fact is that we are all too prone to let the problems of the present obscure the providence of the past and so rob us of our joy and diminish our praise. We need to remind ourselves of God’s faithfulness in all of our yesterdays and devote today to giving thanks for mercies received. It will help afford the “perfect peace” promised to the mind that is “stayed upon Jehovah.” For after all, the Lord Jesus Christ is “the same yesterday, and today, and for ever.” (Heb. 13:8)

Closely linked is the second exhortation, “call upon His name.” That is petition. The God Who was our Savior and sustainer yesterday is no less available today—and no less necessary to our joy and victory. James said well, “Ye have not because ye ask not [Jas. 4:2].” When our prayer life flags we are forced to become self-sufficient, and that will always be insufficient. Biblical Christianity is never a do-it-yourself endeavor.

Just the other day I heard again the words to an old country gospel song that poses a good question:

How long has it been, since you talked to the Lord,
And told Him your heart's hidden secrets?
How long since you prayed,
How long since you stayed,
On your knees 'til the light shone through?

How long has it been since your mind felt at ease,
How long since your heart knew no burden?
Can you call Him your friend,
How long has it been,
Since you knew that He cared for you?

If your joy is flagging, check your devotional life!

Finally, there is the need for proclamation; “Make known His deeds among the people,” and “talk ye of all His wondrous works.” Our joy in the Lord will be enhanced when we not only reflect on His goodness, but publicly declare it in this dark and needy world. The Savior said, “Ye shall be witnesses unto me…” it is His will, for His glory and our benefit, for the redeemed of the Lord to say so. The public declaration of the Lord’s faithfulness and His “wondrous works” on our behalf will reinforce our own faith, and give opportunity for those who hear us to exercise faith in His name.

Simple, but not insignificant, these are keys to joy and gladness, and interestingly, they are enjoined upon us as Christians in the New Testament, reflected in spirit, if not in precise detail, for example in the Holy Spirit’s exhortation,

“Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you [I Thess. 5:16-18].” It will not solve every problem, but it will make the burden lighter!

For His glory and our good,

"Pastor" Frasier