Context and Conditions

(Psa 7:10 KJV)  My defence is of God, which saveth the upright in heart.

(Proverbs 28 also read)

This is a clear promise of God but notice the context and conditions.

The context is one of persecution.  David is going through a rough time.  Enemies are after him.  He does not seem to be sure of victory.  He is calling on God, always a good thing to do.  He is looking at God to preserve him in the bad times.  This is not just the praise of the good times but a call for deliverance.

Equally important is the condition expressed.  God “saves” (3467) [yasha].  Notice that the Hebrew is very close to the Jewish name for Jesus, Yeshua, a form of Joshua.  Notice also that this is not a promise to everyone we calls on God.  It is for the “upright” (3477).  

These two points are important to us as we look at an uncertain future politically and socially.  Unrest is more normal that we think.  We have lived in a bubble of well being.  That is largely because of the upright hearts that have been active in this country.  Those times may be over.  The promise extends to those who are faithful.  It seems to me that we will come through the rough times either untouched or unbroken.

So?  Get upright, whatever that means to you at this point.  Repentance?  Discipline?  Personal growth?  You can fill in the blanks.  God will take care of His end. 

Lay a Foundation

(Psa 11:3 KJV)  If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?

(Proverbs 27 also read)

This is an important point for us to consider.  We get so busy with life and being nice that we forget there were certain foundational concepts that produced the freedoms we enjoy today.  We know about the Declaration of Independence with its, “all men are created equal” and we know about the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.  What the general world ignores and we push aside is that the foundation for those is the Bible and God’s standards.

We should be doing all we can to maintain the “foundations” (8356).  That starts with preparing our personal foundations and then extends to imprinting those standards on our families and the neighborhood around us.

So?  We can make a difference.  We must make a difference. 

Don’t Forget

(Psa 9:17 KJV)  The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.

(Proverbs 26 also read)

The KJV has an interesting difference from the NASB.  I am not referring to the obvious different words “Sheol” (7585) (NASB) and “hell” (KJV).  The modern translation simply does a transliteration of the Hebrew.  I am looking at the different translations of the preposition.  The NASB has “to” and the KJV has “into”.  Since the prepositions seem to be included in the verb it becomes “return to” (7725) in the NASB and “turned into” in the KJV.

The point is that evil behavior has results and the results are not pretty.  For our situation it comes down to whether we as a nation “forgot” (7913) God or not.  It would seem that if we have not entered into a memory lapse we are very close.

So?  Continue to broadcast the hope that is in you.  Do it in your life style and daily decisions.  Do it in your conversations.  The Bible is full of examples of people who have experienced revival and the deliverance that comes with it. 

A Little OCD

(Psa 5:3 KJV)  My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.

(Proverbs 25 also read)

Today I want to put in my two cents on translation.  Notice that “prayer” is in italics.  Keep in mind that when you see words in italics in either the KJV or NASB it is an indication that the word is not in the original language but is inserted for clarity.  In this case I think it adds more confusion than clarity.  I think the verse is more powerful and useful if those words were left out.

I also like the NASB use of “order” (6186a) rather than “direct” of the KJV.  The most frequent translation is “array” or “arrayed” in both translation.  The idea is not emphasizing that you are sending, or directing your prayers.  The idea is that you are organizing.  To me it is reminding us that each morning we should be looking over our day and organizing it with the will of God in mind.

So?  This is just another value in starting your day with a time of worship.  Results may vary.

The Balance of Holy Living

(Psa 92:12 KJV)  The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.

(Proverbs 24 also read)

Once again we see that the writer of Psalms is confused.  He lives in the illusion that we can live “righteous” (6662) lives.  I guess he has not read Paul lately.  

This is one of the mysteries that occupy my mind at this stage in my walk.  As I read through the Bible I see time and time again that we are called to holiness.  We are expected to live upright lives.  We are to be straight.  We are to follow.  There are so many terms that are used but they all point to the fact that God sees how we live our lives.

At the same time we are also reminded that we can’t do it on our own.  We need God’s hand upon our lives.  That is also clear in the Old Testament.

So?  Put it all together.  God extends His grace.  We are given the gift of salvation.  Yet in some way that is expected to generate behavior and attitudes in us that reflect the character of God.  What a joyful paradox to delve into. 

Cycle of Deliverance

(Psa 107:6 KJV)  Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses.

(Proverbs 23 also read)

I didn’t notice it the first time through but this verse is repeated four times in this chapter.  I would go so far as to say it is the theme of the chapter.  I tried to place the events being described and could not but the theme is one that applies to all of Israel’s history and every day of our lives.

In the worst sense people drift into sin and rebellion and are only brought back by being backhanded by God.  That wakes them up, sometimes.  In the best sense we begin to drift on autopilot and end up hitting some kind of wall that gets us back on track.  The key is being reminded that we are dependent on God and need to keep calling out the Him.

So?  This is good thinking for today.  We feel like society is falling apart around us.  The bad news is, it is.  The good news is, people have always felt that way.  The even better news is that God continues to deliver both in our spirits and our physical world. 

Ancient Worship

(Psa 108:3 KJV)  I will praise thee, O LORD, among the people: and I will sing praises unto thee among the nations.

(Proverbs 22 also read)

Here we have the words for the chorus “Be Exalted, O God”.  This is the second time that I have noticed we see David writing this out.  The other is in Psalm 57.  I would imagine that by repeating it David is showing what a glowing testimony it is.  I would love to hear the way that David sang it.  In Psalm 57 it says it is written for the choir director.  Verse 2 gives us some clues for the accompaniment.

We sometimes think we are moving ahead with our contemporary music.  Except for the electronic amplification and distortion, most of the typical music in contemporary worship would be familiar to David.  It might be more monotonous and boring to him but it would certainly not be strange.

So?  Worship.  Rejoice in the music.  Don’t be a spectator.  Lift your voice along with David in praise.  If you can’t sing then pretend you are a rapper and speak the words.