Psalm 139

For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.

¹ O LORD, you have searched me
       and you know me.

² You know when I sit and when I rise;
       you perceive my thoughts from afar.

³ You discern my going out and my lying down;
       you are familiar with all my ways.

⁴ Before a word is on my tongue
       you know it completely, O LORD.

⁵ You hem me in—behind and before;
       you have laid your hand upon me.

⁶ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
       too lofty for me to attain.

⁷ Where can I go from your Spirit?
       Where can I flee from your presence?

⁸ If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
       if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

⁹ If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
       if I settle on the far side of the sea,

¹⁰ even there your hand will guide me,
       your right hand will hold me fast.

¹¹ If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
       and the light become night around me,”

¹² even the darkness will not be dark to you;
       the night will shine like the day,
       for darkness is as light to you.

¹³ For you created my inmost being;
       you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
       your works are wonderful,
       I know that full well.

¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you
       when I was made in the secret place.
       When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

¹⁶ your eyes saw my unformed body.
       All the days ordained for me
       were written in your book
       before one of them came to be.

¹⁷ How precious to  me are your thoughts, O God!
       How vast is the sum of them!

¹⁸ Were I to count them,
       they would outnumber the grains of sand.
       When I awake,
       I am still with you.

¹⁹ If only you would slay the wicked, O God!
       Away from me, you bloodthirsty men!

²⁰ They speak of you with evil intent;
       your adversaries misuse your name.

²¹ Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD,
       and abhor those who rise up against you?

²² I have nothing but hatred for them;
       I count them my enemies.

²³ Search me, O God, and know my heart;
       test me and know my anxious thoughts.

²⁴ See if there is any offensive way in me,
       and lead me in the way everlasting.

Growing up has a way of changing your perspective.

When I was a girl, I found this psalm a little frightening.

It seemed to me that God was watching all the time- looking over my shoulder, testing me to see if my goings and lyings and words and sittings and even my thoughts were acceptable.  And I feared that they were not.

Being hemmed in was not high on my list of desirable positions, and just the thought that there was no where to flee made me want to!

As a young woman I looked at the “fearfully and wonderfully made” portion and felt safe.  Suddenly, His hand laid upon me was comfortable and Fatherly. And I had no problem hating those who hated the Lord and counting them as my enemies.  “If only you would slay the wicked, O God!”  was my prayer when my sons were young and I wanted to protect them from those who sinned against children.

And now, when I read this psalm- I see that it is about being known.  Searched  out- through and through- cleansed, forgiven, grace granted and being led in “the way everlasting.”  It is about the journey- the steps on the journey.  Walking with the Lord, learning to make the choices that bring me closer to Him,  It’s about knowing His way and walking in it.  It is the assurance that I’m not alone- that I walk beside the Lord God, Almighty and He has been there to guide me from before I was ever born.  And the assurance that He will lead me home.

Psalm 58 in The Message reads like an advertisement against political commercials playing on the television right now.  It is all about who is the biggest liar and cheat.  Seriously, I wonder if they think that we want ANY of them in charge at this point. 

“Is this any way to run a country?”  is my question as well.

It is hard to celebrate- hard to see under the deception of lies and subterfuge.

Hard to even choose to vote.

God warned Israel about the hardship of having a king to rule over them.(I Samuel 8: 1-22)

Samuel Adams, Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and their crew threw off the yoke of kingship to bring us freedom.

And here we are watching the “leaders” of our world wallowing about -crawling “from the wrong side of the cradle” .

Sometimes the Psalms seem to be so imprecatory and blood thirsty that we turn away and find one that is more fitting to soothe our senses.  But I stopped here today and stayed to contemplate the violence.  I read past the description and the curses and ended up at the celebration. 

Because someday, hopefully soon, God WILL step in and say “ENOUGH!”

And then we will see the real King on the throne.

Even so, Come, Lord Jesus!

I was looking for a psalm for the traveler.

I couldn’t find one appropriate- do you know of one?

Fernando Ortega’s voice comes singing into my head-

“Heavenly Father, remember the traveler.

Heavenly Father, remember the traveler,

Bring him safely home-

Safely home.”

I sang that along with the CD player on our way home all last year- 10 hours of driving- half of that on the Pennsylvania Turnpike kind of gets you in the mood for praying for safety- especially when it is snowing and dark.

I couldn’t find a psalm for that occasion, but it was a chance to read through some of the psalms of David again.  And when I read psalm 15 it stood out as a recommendation for a good life.

Here it is in the NIV:

Psalm 15

A psalm of David.

¹ LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary?
Who may live on your holy hill?

² He whose walk is blameless
and who does what is righteous,
who speaks the truth from his heart

³ and has no slander on his tongue,
who does his neighbor no wrong
and casts no slur on his fellowman,

⁴ who despises a vile man
but honors those who fear the LORD,
who keeps his oath
even when it hurts,

⁵ who lends his money without usury
and does not accept a bribe against the innocent.
He who does these things
will never be shaken.

And here it is in The Message:

Psalm 15

A David Psalm

¹ God, who gets invited to dinner at your place?
How do we get on your guest list?
² “Walk straight,
act right,
tell the truth.
^3-4 “Don’t hurt your friend,
don’t blame your neighbor;
despise the despicable.
⁵ “Keep your word even when it costs you,
make an honest living,
never take a bribe.

“You’ll never get
blacklisted
if you live like this.”

I don’t know about you- but I WANT to eat dinner at God’s house and be on the guest list.

Psalm 71

¹ In you, O LORD, I have taken refuge;
       let me never be put to shame.

² Rescue me and deliver me in your righteousness;
       turn your ear to me and save me.

³ Be my rock of refuge,
       to which I can always go;
       give the command to save me,
       for you are my rock and my fortress.

⁴ Deliver me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked,
       from the grasp of evil and cruel men.

⁵ For you have been my hope, O Sovereign LORD,
       my confidence since my youth.

⁶ From birth I have relied on you;
       you brought me forth from my mother’s womb.
       I will ever praise you.

⁷ I have become like a portent to many,
       but you are my strong refuge.

⁸ My mouth is filled with your praise,
       declaring your splendor all day long.

⁹ Do not cast me away when I am old;
       do not forsake me when my strength is gone.

¹⁰ For my enemies speak against me;
       those who wait to kill me conspire together.

¹¹ They say, "God has forsaken him;
       pursue him and seize him,
       for no one will rescue him."

¹² Be not far from me, O God;
       come quickly, O my God, to help me.

¹³ May my accusers perish in shame;
       may those who want to harm me
       be covered with scorn and disgrace.

¹⁴ But as for me, I will always have hope;
       I will praise you more and more.

¹⁵ My mouth will tell of your righteousness,
       of your salvation all day long,
       though I know not its measure.

¹⁶ I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, O Sovereign LORD;
       I will proclaim your righteousness, yours alone.

¹⁷ Since my youth, O God, you have taught me,
       and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds.

¹⁸ Even when I am old and gray,
       do not forsake me, O God,
       till I declare your power to the next generation,
       your might to all who are to come.

¹⁹ Your righteousness reaches to the skies, O God,
       you who have done great things.
       Who, O God, is like you?

²⁰ Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter,
       you will restore my life again;
       from the depths of the earth
       you will again bring me up.

²¹ You will increase my honor
       and comfort me once again.

²² I will praise you with the harp
       for your faithfulness, O my God;
       I will sing praise to you with the lyre,
       O Holy One of Israel.

²³ My lips will shout for joy
       when I sing praise to you—
       I, whom you have redeemed.

²⁴ My tongue will tell of your righteous acts
       all day long,
       for those who wanted to harm me
       have been put to shame and confusion.

Psalm 71 is the longest psalm I have posted.  And it encompasses the longest period of time within it for an individual- from verse 6, where he is delivered  from his mother’s womb to verse18, "…when I am old and gray", – a lifetime of trust and hope.

It is a good thing to stop and look backward and forward and see that God is always at work.  The questions that trouble us when we are at our weakest point can be answered by the life long experience of walking, waiting on and trusting in the Lord. 
Verse 20 asks the question, "Who, O God, is like you?"

And that question brings with it a wealth of other voices.

We can hear the voices of Israel at the feast of the Passover, asking this question- and in the following verses we see a testimony to God’s salvation through the Exodus- we ask the question in unison and receive the answer of His faithful redemption.

This is a timely psalm- it leads us in the progression through time- vv 8, 15,and 24 all have the phrase " all day long".  The psalmist looks his life and sees that God in continuously  at work, vv 3,6, and 14 – God is always there to save, to be relied upon and to give hope- ALWAYS.

I have heard and read that this psalm is one for the aged- to contemplate in one’s old age- but I think it is a psalm about hope in real life terms.  Not as a fragile promise in the future.  Hope is a long and patient waiting in spite of delay and disappointment.

My hope is in you, Lord, for all of my days.

Psalm 54

For the director of music. With stringed instruments. Amaskil of David. When the Ziphites had gone to Saul and said, “Is not David hiding among us?” ^[a]

¹ Save me, O God, by your name;
       vindicate me by your might.

² Hear my prayer, O God;
       listen to the words of my mouth.

³ Strangers are attacking me;
       ruthless men seek my life—
       men without regard for God.
       Selah

⁴ Surely God is my help;
       the Lord is the one who sustains me.

⁵ Let evil recoil on those who slander me;
       in your faithfulness destroy them.

⁶ I will sacrifice a freewill offering to you;
       I will praise your name, O LORD,
       for it is good.

⁷ For he has delivered me from all my troubles,
       and my eyes have looked in triumph on my foes.

The psalms are full of praise and thanksgiving.  They are a treasury of history and poetry.  And they resonate with our feelings of worship

Some psalms, however are cries for help.

I like them all,but some times the cries for help seem the most familiar.

Not that I am being attacked by evil men “ruthless men seek my life.”

Or that people are actively slandering me (at least I don’t think they are)>

But that I am in danger, the waters of death are closing over my head and I am hopelessly out of my depth.  I have cried out for help with this same degree of consternation and fear.  And He delivers.  God delivers salvation and peace.

Just knowing Him guarantees that you will come to a deliverance.

God takes care of His own.

Not always in our timing or along the paths we were searching- and not always with a fairy tale ending- yet.  Living happily ever after requires Eternity- and we aren’t usually transported from the place of danger into the Heavenly realms.  Often, the path ahead is cleared so that we can face danger at another time, perhaps from a different source. 

For me, it is enough that He listens. 

And answers with love.

I need that.

Everyday.

For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A psalm of David.

¹ Answer me when I call to you,
       O my righteous God.
       Give me relief from my distress;
       be merciful to me and hear my prayer.

² How long, O men, will you turn my glory into shame ?
       How long will you love delusions and seek false gods ?
       Selah

³ Know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself;
       the LORD will hear when I call to him.

⁴ In your anger do not sin;
       when you are on your beds,
       search your hearts and be silent.
       Selah

⁵ Offer right sacrifices
       and trust in the LORD.

⁶ Many are asking, “Who can show us any good?”
       Let the light of your face shine upon us, O LORD.

⁷ You have filled my heart with greater joy
       than when their grain and new wine abound.

⁸ I will lie down and sleep in peace,
       for you alone, O LORD,
       make me dwell in safety.

A few weeks ago, my wife, Heidi, did her regular posting on her blog; a commentary on the Psalm 4 .

The 6th verse caught my attention.  The verse reads: ” There are many who say “Who will show us any good?  Lord, lift up the light of your countenance upon us.”

The psalmist then states that God put gladness in his heart more than material increase and causes him to lie down in peace and safety.  I began to wonder what it meant to have God’s countenance shine down on you, and what was the benefit of that holy light.  It sounded like a good topic to study.

I found that David was likely referring back to a benediction God told Moses to have the priesthood bless the people with in Numbers 6:24-26.

“The Lord bless you and keep you;

The Lord make His face shine upon you,

And be gracious to you;

The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,

And give you peace.”

Have you ever thought what it really means to have God’s face and his countenance to shine down on us?  Why would God want to illuminate our lives and what attributes does He wish to have shine down on us?

As I thought about it, I realized it would most likely be His holiness, His righteousness, and His mercy and long suffering.  For these are the attributes He would want us to excel in.

“You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy” Leviticus 11:45.

God’s standards should be ours, after all, Jesus, in teaching the multitudes the beatitudes, said, “ You are the Light of the world….” Matt. 5:11

Thus the light of His countenance dispels the darkness from our lives and illuminates His standards  that we are to emulate.   What are the benefits  of reflecting  God’s light and being in harmony with Him?  The psalmist  said it was lying down in peace  and safety, for Isaiah 57:21 says, “ There is no peace, says my God, for the wicked.”   For His perfect righteousness demands justice.  I believe that is what Jesus was warning people who mistreat children in Matt 18:10, when He said, “ Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.”  The holy angels in God’s presence eagerly await God’s command to carry out His justice.

(Heidi, here-

I’m thinking that this is a good beginning to the contemplation of God’s benediction.  As usual,  Frank opens up scripture upon scripture to build a base upon which one can venture further into the study.  I look back at the times of God’s blessing and light in my life and recognize them as times of learning and understanding and yearning to be more like Him. 

Do you have any of these times when you had an epiphany- an illumination and inspiration to aspire to His holiness, righteousness, mercy and longsuffering?

We’d love to hear your experience of the Holy in your life.)