All people are by nature great optimists when it comes to God. They think that in the end everything will be all right. They know they are not as good as they should be, but there are plenty of people far worse than them so, they think, God is bound to accept them. It is only when a man begins to listen to what God says in the Bible that this false optimism disappears. He sees there how seriously God takes sin and this shakes him. What use is it being as good as the next man if that man is going to hell? Psalm 1
For most people the future means from now until the grave. For the Christian it means from now and for all eternity.
Guarantees are notoriously unreliable things. We are urged to read the small print to be sure of the terms. Very few things are guaranteed for life and when things do go wrong it is not always easy to claim on your guarantee. Perhaps it has run out or the particular part you need is not covered. We have all known this. But God’s guarantee has no small print, there is no time limit and everything is covered. It depends upon the unfailing love of God in Christ. Those on God’s way are saved for eternity. Heaven is guaranteed them and there are no catches. It is true happiness to know this.
Some people want to dismiss Christianity as `pie in the sky when you die’, and choose instead to live out the false illusion and flimsy happiness of being in this world without God. But being without God is also to be without hope and that is the most terrible of all situations. Psalm 1
Safety and security rested for David in the one who had made known to him the path of life (verse 11). The Psalmist is on a mountaintop of spiritual bliss. He gains bright views of a glorious future, and he is assured of life, resurrection and immortality. All this does not mean he is living in some fantasy land where everything is easy and free of problems. If he has to ask God to keep him safe (verse 1), he knows of troubles that could overwhelm him. He may well have a delightful inheritance but that does not mean he cannot be shaken (verse 8). It is not his delightful inheritance that keeps him safe, but the fact that he has ‘set the Lord always before me’ (verse 8).
Psalm 16
Have you found that the closer you draw to God the more aware and concerned you become of your sin? This is not unusual and is not necessarily bad. It certainly should not be depressing. God shows us our sinful hearts in order to create in us a greater desire for holiness and a more urgent longing to be pleasing to our Lord and Saviour.
If we are complacent about our sin it is because we have lost sight of the majesty of God. The clearer we see the Lord, the greater will be the desire in us to be rid of all that displeases him. There will be a longing to be blameless and innocent, and the prayer of verse 14 will dominate our desires and ambitions.
There is no greater ambition than to be as holy as it is possible for a sinner to be. Psalm 19
~Grace is not some vague notion but is a definite act on the part of God. It is God doing for the sinner what no one else could do and what the sinner could never earn or merit. Grace is a unique work of God and it is a completed work. It could never be improved upon. The grace of God in the gospel is as perfect as anything can be. Even God himself could not improve upon the grace he has shown us in Jesus Christ.
It is the love of God that makes Calvary possible, but it is the holiness of God that makes it necessary. Grace flows out of divine love and fully satisfies God’s holiness. When grace begins its work it never forgets the absolute holiness of God, therefore it has to provide for the sinner a salvation that does not gloss over or minimize the effect of sin. There must be no short-cut salvation; no salvation on the cheap; no theoretical dealing with sin. God’s holiness cannot be deceived or satisfied with such things. The objective of grace is not merely to make sinners accept God, but to make it possible for the holy God to accept sinners.
Psalm 19
The holy God laid our sin and guilt upon his Son and Jesus our substitute bore it alone. On the cross he was facing the wrath and judgement of God upon our sin. That is why the Father turned his back on him. The Bible says that God is so holy that he is of purer eyes than to behold evil and cannot look on iniquity. So when Christ bore our sin he was left to tread the winepress of divine wrath alone. There was no angel to help him, no friend to comfort him, no Holy Spirit to assure him, no smile of a heavenly Father to encourage him. Christ hung on the cross alone with our sins, facing all the hatred of the world and hell, but far worse, facing the holy judgement of the Lord upon the sin of his people.
Psalm 22
The Psalm is the prayer of many Christians, but it is the experience of very few, so how do we make this our experience? We must certainly get beyond merely admiring the beauty of these words of David. There is no doubt that these are magnificent words that flow with an exquisite beauty, but what about the reality of them? The poetic beauty may do something for some cultural or ascetic need we have, but it does nothing for our soul. An ungodly man can be taken up with the beauty of the Psalm, but our privilege as Christians is to experience the reality of the truths expressed here.
The Bible is not a book of lovely thoughts or fanciful theories, it is a book about God and who he is and what he can do for us. What God was to David he wants to be to all his people. David was not a super saint who knew things of God we can never know. Like us all he was a sinner saved by grace. Just like us he often made a mess of his life, but he knew the reality of God, and if we do not know this reality, we need to start by praying for it.
Psalm 23
The despondent believer makes a sad mistake when he allows his sense of unworthiness, which rightly hinders him from trusting in himself, to prevent him from trusting God. The glory of the gospel is that all the way through it takes into account our unworthiness. The gospel was never meant for great people who are capable and worthy but for poor, wretched sinners. Its message is that Christ died for the ungodly and that to such people God offers a free and full salvation. This salvation includes knowing all the blessings of the love of the Heavenly Father here and now in this world.
If we can truly say the Lord is my Shepherd, then we ought to be able to say everything else in Psalm 23. Really the whole Psalm is a commentary on the first statement. Psalm 23
The glory of Psalm 23 is the glory of our privilege as Christians, and we are to rejoice in this. The Lord is the Shepherd, we are the sheep, and the simple fact is that the Shepherd chooses the sheep and not the sheep the Shepherd. Or, to be more accurate, God chooses the sheep and gives them to Jesus the Good Shepherd (John 10:29). There can be no greater privilege than that. It was God who made himself David’s Shepherd. Jesse’s son did not take upon himself this great privilege, but God called him and brought him into a living relationship with himself.
Psalm 34
Here is a psalm addressed to ‘all who live in the world’. The writer is casting his net wide. He believes he has something to say to every living man and woman. He is convinced that his words are applicable to all and are always relevant and this is so because his subject is the twin realities of life and death. He considers how temporary life is. No one can live forever – the wise and the foolish both come to the same end (v.10). All that a man may achieve in this life has to be left behind and ‘their tombs will remain their houses forever (v.11). Verse 14 is a devastating commentary on human life, ‘Like sheep they are destined for the grave.’
Psalm 49
All mankind is in captivity to sin. We are slaves to our own corrupt and depraved nature. This is a bondage of the mind, the will and the spirit that is so powerful that if left to ourselves freedom is impossible. That is what Psalm 49 is saying. It is not decrying wealth and wisdom as useless, it is merely saying that without God they have no worth and no eternal value. Though they may make life more pleasant they are impotent in the face of death.
Sin is man, whether rich or poor, wise or foolish, living with no regard for God. That puts him inevitably into a bondage to sin. From this he must be set free, or his immortal soul will go to hell.
Psalm 49
If man was spiritually free there would be no need of redemption; but the slavery to sin is real. It is not an illusion but the common fact about every human being. Sin is a great deceiver. It holds before us endless pleasures but fails to tell of the price or consequence of following its attractions. In Genesis 3 the awful reality of sin is shown to us. Then in the next chapter we see the effects of sin as a man kills his brother. By the time we get to Genesis 6 sin’s dominance is seen in every human being: `every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time’ (v. 5).
It is from this bondage that Jesus came to redeem us.
Redemption means to buy out of slavery, but the purchase price to set us free from sin is enormous. The price is way beyond anything we could afford. This is why Peter says that we are not redeemed with silver or gold but with the precious blood of the Lamb of God (1 Peter 1:18-19). Only Jesus could pay that price.
Psalm 49
Jesus told us that the reason he came into the world was -to give his life as a ransom for many’ (Mark 10:45). The -word ransom is familiar to us when we read of someone who has been kidnapped and a ransom price is demanded to set him free. Jesus teaches us that his death is the means by which we are set free. He gave his life as the price of freedom for the slaves of sin. Redemption is a costly business. Peter has reminded us of that, and so too does Paul: ‘In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace’ (Ephesians 1:7).
The ransom price is the blood of Jesus, or, in other words, his sacrificial death on the cross. We are not redeemed by the teaching of Jesus or by the fact that he could do miracles. It is what he did on the cross that purchased our salvation. Psalm 49
There can be no salvation without repentance and there can be no repentance without conviction of sin.
Repentance has two sides; it is a turning from sin and God (Acts 3:19). For true repentance both these elements are essential. A man can turn from sin without turning to God. He may see the value of changing his lifestyle and decide to refrain from certain bad habits. No doubt this will do him good in many ways, but spiritually it will be useless. On the other hand, a man may turn to God and cry for mercy, but have no intention of leaving his sin. His eyes may be wet with tears and his heart as hard as stone.
True repentance involves seeing sin for what it really is; not just a character defect, but also a permanent attitude of rebellion against the love and care and righteous authority of God. It is this new understanding of God and of one’s own sin that leads to true repentance. There will also be a great desire to break with the past and to live in future only to please God (Acts 26:20). That is repentance. Psalm 51
Repentance does not stop when we are saved. After regeneration we are still sinners and sadly we still break the law of God. The Christian life is a continual battle with sin therefore repentance has to be a daily experience. In fact it is often the case that the believer knows a deeper conviction of sin and a deeper sense of repentance after conversion than he did before. David’s prayer of repentance in Psalm 51 is an example of this.
We are to repent every day for the sin of that day. Sin that is not confessed and repented of will fester in our hearts and destroy our fellowship with God.
Psalm 51
It was because of the blessing of redemption that the Israelites’ difficulties arose. If they had not been redeemed they would never have been in the particular situation that terrified them. We need to appreciate that there are trials peculiar to the Christian and these are the direct result of coming out of the world. Far from being exempt from problems – as is sometimes suggested by the `Come to Jesus and be happy’ type of preaching – the Christian has to face all the difficulties that confront the non Christian, such as health worries, family problems and financial concerns, plus a host of spiritual problems of which the unbeliever knows nothing. These are problems of redemption, of new life in Christ. They are part of the spiritual battle and Satan’s opposition.
Psalm 59
Do not believe the saying, which declares that God helps those who help themselves. God helps those who look to him and depend upon him. This divine help comes to those who are not indifferent, but watch expectantly. It comes to Christians who in the thick of the fight depend upon the Lord. It comes to the one who believes he can do all things through Christ who strengthens him. It comes to the believer who knows that before he calls God will answer. It is faith that turns distress into singing.
From Psalm 59 we need to learn that under the clouds of life when things look impossible, even then we are held in the firm grip of a loving, caring heavenly Father.
Psalm 59
The Christian does not believe in bypassing problems. We do not whistle in the dark and pretend the difficulties are not there. That is foolishness. That is what tranquillizers and alcohol do. They make you feel at peace, but the problem has not been faced or dealt with. Whatever is causing us difficulties, whether it be illness, death or anything else, these things are real and have to be faced. But face them in the context of the greatness of the God who loves you. This we do by learning to talk to ourselves about God.
Surely this is part of what the Bible calls meditation. It is to be still and remind ourselves of God. The hymn-book is a wonderful help in this. Just turn over the pages and read the hymns, and you will be reminded of the greatness of God. Psalm 62
Have you ever tried to encourage some other Christian who is going through a rough time? Your motive is right and you say all the right things but you know as you speak that you are not helping him. Why not? Is it not because all you are giving him is words, and he needs more than words? To really be a help we need to come to such people from the presence of God, with our minds and hearts, as well as our words, full of the greatness of God. Talk to yourself first about God; then when you talk to others something of the very fragrance of God will be conveyed to them.
Psalm 62
In Psalm 62 David is in trouble and he realizes how weak he is -nothing but a leaning wall and a tottering fence. But he does not stop there. He looks beyond his difficulties to the greatness and goodness of God. Rest of soul is to get things into perspective. It is to realize what we are and what we have in God. We have salvation (v. 1). We have strength because God is our rock (v. 2). We have security because God is our fortress (v. 2) We have stability because we shall never be moved or shaken (v. 2). We have hope (v. S) and honour (v. 7). All these blessings are to be found in God alone. They can be found nowhere else. They are mercies that do not merely come from God; they are only found in God. You cannot have them in detachment from God. God is not like a doctor who gives you a prescription and you go away and benefit from the remedy. Rest of soul is found in God, in oneness and fellowship with God. It is dependent upon the union we have with Christ.
The incentive to seek God is that we are clear in our minds as to who God is and what he is to his people. In other words, the incentive to seek is that you know there is someone and something to be found. If a man goes prospecting for gold it is because, rightly or wrongly, he believes there is gold to be found. His believing prompts his seeking.
We may come into situations, caused by illness, bereavement or something else, and begin to think there is no answer. But because we are Christians we know there is an answer. We may not have it at the moment, but we know it is to be found. The answer is God and, whatever problem we have to face, we can always say like David, `O God, you are my God.’ Nothing changes that. Psalm 63
This man is not playing at Christianity. Every atom and fibre of his being long for God. Nothing else will satisfy him. He will not be satisfied with a little blessing from God; he wants God himself. This man is now taken up with God more than his problems. In verse 6 he tells us that he cannot get God out of his mind. He cannot sleep because he is thinking about God. Our problem so often is that we cannot sleep because we are worrying about our difficulties. Remember David is not writing this during a period of ease and comfort, but in a time of acute difficulties, and his problems have not gone away. He tells us in verses 9 and 10 that his enemies are still active, but he is not worried about them because he knows he is in God’s hands and God will deal with them. PS 63
The Christian finds rest of soul when he is acutely aware of his own weakness and of the infinite greatness and goodness of God. In God alone is rest, and the result in Psalm 63 is praise (v. 4), satisfaction (v. 5), joy (v. 11) and a determination (v. 8) to stay close to God and not lose again the sense of the presence and peace of God. Our hope is the character of God, and in times of great difficulties our hope for deliverance is not in the pastor, or the church, or Christian friends (though we thank God for these), but our hope is in God alone. So we are to seek him earnestly, and we do so in the knowledge that he is already seeking us. Seek and you will find.
Psalm 63
The whole psalm is full of passion, reality and v igour. Bit it is not the passion of charged emotionalism , nor the vigour of a worked up and controlled service.In verses 1-4 it is if he can hardly contain himself in wanting to praise and adore the Lord. Why is this? It is obviously the result of his experience of God. Just to know facts about God will never produce the exhilaration of these verses. Do we know anything of this? Take for example v3 , “ How awesome are your deeds”. Do you ever say that to God? Do we see the awesomeness of God’s deeds in our lives?
Psalm 66
God’s work of redemption is always sovereign – ‘ he rules forever by his power’.(verse 7). God works not by permission, nor assistance, not even with the co-operation of men, but always by his power. And are we not glad that it is so? Would not the Israelites have been glad of this? Pharoah said no to their redemption, and they themselves were not all that keen. But God did it. Thank God that he did not leave the decision to Pharoah or to thedid everything but co-operate, but God saved us.m. The same is true of our salvation. It was not that we decided to be saved. God saved us.
Are we not glad that salvation is of the Lord. Many people and influences would have held us back. Many of us did everything but co-operate , but God saved us. How awesome are God’s works. When we consider our salvation we will inevitably have to praise the Lord.
Psalm 66
What a God we have. There is no reason for a drab and dry spiritual life. We should know the joy and excitement that the psalmist knew. And it was not the excitement of a football match or a disco, but the holy excitement of a soul in the presence of Almighty God.
On Palm Sunday as Jesus entered Jerusalem in triumph his followers were full of joy and in their excitement shouted their praise to God. The Pharisees did not like that and demanded that Jesus silence his disciples. His answer was that if he did the stones would cry out. There is a holy excitement that cannot and should not be contained. Commenting on this Calvin talked of the ‘ ardour which God excites’. Psalm 66 knows something of this and may we to be so moved in our day.
Psalm 66
Even when we are not aware of it God will never leave us or forsake us. On many occasions we could not com plain if God did forsake us , but he never will. This is why that even in the darkest moments, v15 is still true. Why did the psalmist have this spiritual sensitivity? The only answer is that even when he was behaving like a brute beast god had never left him. Often the way is dark and confusing but we are not left to work it out by ourselves. There is guidance for us (v24). Sometimes God guides us out of the problems, or sometimes he may show us that it is our attitude that is causing the problem. And sometimes he may say my grace is sufficient for you to cope with this. But he is always there to guide and counsel. Not only this , but God gives strength to his people ( v26).We all know the truth of ‘ my flesh and my heart may fail’, But God never fails. That is why Paul could say that when he was weak in his own efforts he was always strong in the Lord. Have you ever found that you are never so strong as when you are weak?
Psalm 73
The picture here is of a fledgling in a nest with their mouths wide open to receive all the good things the parent birds have for them. It is a p;icture of total dependency and intense hunger. The word wide suggests urgency, need and priority. There is nothing half hearted about this. The mouth is wide open to grab as much as possible and to miss nothing.
Come back to the fledgling in the nest. When the food goes into the mouth it provides nourishment, strength and health. God is promising this to us. He wants to fill us with all the things that will encourage and maintain spiritual growth. Is that what you want? Are you fed up with your own base desires? Are you weary with how sin and the world so appeal to you? When our life is saturated with God then assurance, enjoyment and satisfaction abound. It does not mean there will be no more problems but v14 will then become a reality.
Psalm 81
The thrill of the Christian gospel is that it offers a full and complete pardon for every sin. John delights to tell us that “ the blood of Jesus his son, purifies us from all sin”( 1 John 1:7). All means every sin with no exception. This does not mean that God treats sin as unimportant and of no consequence. Forgiveness is not cheap and easy. On the contrary the whole Bible speaks of the vileness and horror of sin. Forgiveness is not a simple exercise. David alludes to this in verse 10. Stop and think about it. Sin is against God’s love, compassion and goodness. It contaminates his glorious creation and it can never live at peace with God. Hell is not only its just reward, it is the only place sin can go.
That such sin should be forgiven is cause for praising God. Can you praise God because he has forgiven all your sin?
Psalm 103
When someone comes under conviction it shows him his helplessness and hopelessness. There is nothing he can do, no more than a leopard can change his spots. An awareness of sin destroys self confidence, but that does not mean it leaves a sinner with no confidence. His confidence is in God.
This confidence is expressed beautifully in v3-4 and is based on the fact that only God can deal with our sin . God does keep a record of sin and reminds the sinner he will one day have to stand before God and be answerable for every sin he ever committed. But this record is not irrevocable. It can be destroyed; the dept can be fully paid; the slate wiped clean. That is the confidence that the gospel gives. There is forgiveness with God. Psalm 130
Has we have already seen. Even when we are not aware of it God will never leave us or forsake us. On many occasions we could not com plain if God did forsake us , but he never will. This is why that even in the darkest moments, v15 is still true. Why did the psalmist have this spiritual sensitivity? The only answer is that even when he was behaving like a brute beast God had never left him. Often the way is dark and confusing but we are not left to work it out by ourselves. There is guidance for us (v24). Sometimes God guides us out of the problems, or sometimes he may show us that it is our attitude that is causing the problem. And sometimes he may say my grace is sufficient for you to cope with this. But he is always there to guide and counsel. Not only this , but God gives strength to his people ( v26).We all know the truth of ‘ my flesh and my heart may fail’, But God never fails Psalm 150
