Preservatives

Psalm 40:11 (KJV) Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O LORD: let thy lovingkindness and thy truth continually preserve me.

(Proverbs 28 also read)

My first reaction to this verse focused on the word “loving kindness” because this is one of my favorite words in the Bible.  But I noticed there was a second element here that was offered as a preservative.  That second element was “truth”.

I often lament about the fact that we can’t find any truth in the different offerings to us in media, social platforms, books, and magazines, and often even in the pulpit.  What David is telling us here is that God offers us the truth that we need but it’s not found in the public square.  The truth we need to preserve us is found in God himself and is expressed to us in His word.

We often come to the questions in our life and try to interpret what the Bible says through our experiences.  What would be more helpful is if we would come to our experiences in life and try and interpret them through what the Bible says.  What are the real preservatives in life?  Think of the food you eat.  You have the preservatives that in theory keep the food itself fresh.  I’m going rotten but in another sense, the food that we eat is what preserves us and keeps us going.

So?  Partake of the truth.  Get a steady diet of it.  Let it preserve you.  

More Angels

Psalm 34:7 (KJV) The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.

(Proverbs 27 also read)

I’ve been aware of angels and how they are sometimes sent to guard over us.

Psalm 91:11 (KJV) For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.

This is also quoted in Luke. This verse seems even stronger than that.

I like the idea. This verse has them setting up a camp around us.  How good is that?

So?  Rejoice in God’s Providence.  

And God Said

Psalm 29:9 (KJV) The voice of the LORD maketh the hinds to calve, and discovereth the forests: and in his temple doth every one speak of his glory.

(Proverbs 26 also read)

I got almost all the way through this chapter before I got the connection.  I think it was the idea of the “hinds”, or deer”, calving that brought it to me.  Remember in Genesis how God spoke things into existence.  He would say things like “let there be light”.  That’s all it took, then we take the passage I believe in Colossians that talks about how Jesus holds everything together and you get this picture of God declaring what things are going to happen and they happen.

So you see this is not just a figure of speech, there is a literal element to it.  If you think about some of the creation accounts of pagan religions, and how to gods would be fighting and one would cut off the others head and man and woman would jump out.  In the Bible is simply a matter of God declaring.  What a difference.

So?  What is God declaring for you today?  Listen carefully or you might miss it.

A Point Missed

Proverbs 25:8-9 (KJV) 8 Go not forth hastily to strive, lest thou know not what to do in the end thereof, when thy neighbour hath put thee to shame. 9 Debate thy cause with thy neighbour himself; and discover not a secret to another:

The KJV and the NASB are a bit different at this point.  If I had read this in the KJV I would have missed a vital point.  Notice that the KJV has “strive” in verse 8 and “debate” in verse 9.  My impression has been that these were two different Proverbs.  Usually in this book verses stand alone, not always but usually.  This seemed like another place where that happens.

Not so fast.

I noticed in the NASB that in both verses the word was “argue”.  I checked my software and the Hebrew is the same in both verses.  With that under my belt I noticed that both verses refer to “neighbor”.  This is an admonition to think before we disagree and to keep our disagreements to ourselves.

So?  It seems to practical but it does not hurt to be reminded of basics.

The Mystery of the Sanctuary

Psalm 27:4 (KJV) 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.

(Proverbs 24 also read)

There is no temple today.  If you think about it, there was no temple in the day of David.  Mentions of the temple in this chapter refer to the tent or tabernacle of God.  That is what David meant, so there is a bit of figurative vocabulary involved here.

Take that figurative truth, and transfer it to us today.  I do this on a regular basis.  Anywhere I am, I can call upon the Lord and in a very real sense I will be in His temple, I can be dwelling in His house.  One of the glories of worship is the God allows us to meet Him everywhere.

So?  I am taking advantage of that today.  I hope you are also.  Rejoice in His presence.  

Unexpected Hope

Psalm 22:15 (KJV) My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death.

(Proverbs 23 also read)

When you read this verse, make sure you see that it is consistent with its context.  This Psalm tells us that David wrote it.  This is David’s testimony.  Most of this chapter has the same sense that this verse does.  David is not a happy camper.

What is startling to me is that this is the person talked about,

Acts 13:22 (KJV) And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will.

I guess what stands out to me is that David, one of God‘s special chosen people, anointed king, writer of scripture, ancestor of the Lord, could know this kind of desperation.

So?  If you’re having a bad day, just keep believing.  Remember David himself had these kinds of days and if you want to look for it, you can probably find Jesus struggling at times also. 

Still a Standard

Proverbs 22:2 (KJV) The rich and poor meet together: the LORD is the maker of them all.

One of the unique qualities of Christian nations in the west is that they understand that the common man stands on level ground in front of the cross with those who consider themselves his ruler.  You’ll notice as you read through the Bible there is a total acceptance of the fact that some people will be peasants, and some people will be kings.  Some are rich, some are poor.  Slavery is not condemned because it seems that there are some people, often because of bad choices, who are destined for slavery.  No one wants to be a slave.  Everyone wants to be a king.  Somewhere in between those two polar points is the balance of society.

The point here is that there is a certain dignity in being a human being that supercedes our social structures and class systems.  In the midst of our differences, we are to acknowledge that there is a commonality that comes from being made by God.  This is the basic idea behind the Declaration of Independence which states that all men are created equal.

So?  Remember that that equality begins to decrease the moment you were born.  Some things you can control, some not.  What you can control is the attitude you have between those who are above you on the scale and those who are below you.