QT 29 Jun 17, Ps 84:10-11, The advantages of a doorkeeper

Psalm 84:10–11 (ESV) — 10 For a day in your courts is better

than a thousand elsewhere.

I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God

than dwell in the tents of wickedness.

11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield;

the Lord bestows favor and honor.

No good thing does he withhold

from those who walk uprightly.

NOTE: I think David's emphasis is on the presence of God. Technically, there was no temple yet, only the tabernacle. David, of course, went into much planning and preparation for the temple. He was gathering all the supplies, and he probably had a scale model of the temple. It may be this preparation that causes him to ruminate on the facility and what it represented. While God is everywhere, the temple is something different. It is the location of God's name on earth, and it is the location of the Shekinah glory. This glory was a tangible indicator of God's presence. So maybe what David is saying is that he wanted to always be reminded of the presence of God and of God himself. The doorkeeper would be constantly reminded of his presence in our life. And with that constant reminder, it is less likely for a man to sin. There is great blessings in staying away from sin because sin only destroys. Righteousness has the opposite effect, it builds up. A man who walks uprightly will be greatly blessed in his life.

[Editor's note: the Psalmist is not David, my mistake.]

QT 27 Jun 17, Ps 84:3-4, Experiencing Blessing

Psalm 84:3–4 (ESV) — 3 Even the sparrow finds a home,

and the swallow a nest for herself,

where she may lay her young,

at your altars, O Lord of hosts,

my King and my God.

4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house,

ever singing your praise! Selah

NOTE: Technically, there were two groups that had a physical presence near the tabernacle, birds who might nest in crevices and the Priests who lived nearby. Since David wrote this, there was no temple, only the tabernacle. The priests would ultimately live in the temple in rooms attached to the temple. Also the temple would provide sanctuary for birds in the outside structure (as birds do find crevices). Since this was written before the literal fulfillment, David must be speaking metaphorically. The blessing comes not from physical proximity but from relational necessity. A person who knows how important a relationship with God is and pursues it with his whole heart, is a blessed person. What does that mean? Blessing is a calm assurance that my life is right, I have meaning and purpose in my life, and I have hope in an even more glorious future. I cannot think of anything I would desire more.

[Editor's note: the Psalmist is not David, my mistake.]

QT 26 Jun 17, Ps 84:1-2, Our love for God grows to the extent we spend time with him

Psalm 84:1–2 (ESV) — 1 How lovely is your dwelling place,

O Lord of hosts!

2 My soul longs, yes, faints

for the courts of the Lord;

my heart and flesh sing for joy

to the living God.

NOTE: David longs to be in the dwelling place of the Lord. The following word "faints," suggests coming to an end. David could die there and be satisfied. David loved the Lord. He loved the dwelling place of his name. He loved his presence. He loved every aspect of God. He truly had a heart for God unlike any other man on the planet. How did that happen? How does one develop such a deep relationship with God? David only had the first five books of the bible, and maybe some of the history of Judges. But he fell in love with God despite such little information about God. David went through many difficult times in life. He felt anxiety, he felt lonely, he felt forgotten by God. He sinned against God, he lied to save his life and the lives of his men. But despite all his failures, ultimately he learned and developed this deep love for God. I can only suppose that unlike most people, David spent consistent deep time with God in prayer and the word. That is the only way to truly know God on such a level. It challenges me to go beyond my 20 minutes of quiet time each day to spending some serious time alone with God. That is my plan in the next couple months of this summer -- to find time alone with God, half-days and full-days.

[Editor's note: the Psalmist is not David, my mistake.]

QT 22 Jun 17, Ps 138:8, What is the purpose of our life?

QT 21 Jun 17, Ps 138:7, God preserves us during times of trouble

Psalm 138:7 (ESV) — 7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble,

you preserve my life;

you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies,

and your right hand delivers me.

NOTE: This is a similar thought to Psalm 23's "valley of the shadow of death," but the words are different in meaning. The Hebrew word for trouble, pronounced tsaw·raw, conveys the idea of enmity, trouble, or distress. It is that feeling in the pit of your stomach, when you know someone is against you, and that person has the ability to hurt you. David's reminder is that, while the person does have the authority, God's authority trumps their authority. God promises to preserve David's life. Even more so, God's hand is against the wrath of his enemies, and that same hand delivers David from them. Sometimes life can feel pretty terrible, and sometimes, maybe oftentimes, we are at fault. During those times, we need to repent. We need to fix what we have made wrong. And we need to trust God that he will preserve us. We must acknowledge that we don't know what that (preservation) looks like from God's point of view. We must exercise faith and trust during those times. God is never trumped by evil. He knows what he is doing in our life.

QT 20 Jun 17, Ps 138:4-5, Someday, everyone will bow before Jesus

Psalm 138:4–5 (ESV) — 4 All the kings of the earth shall give you thanks, O Lord,

for they have heard the words of your mouth,

5 and they shall sing of the ways of the Lord,

for great is the glory of the Lord.

NOTE: When the Queen of Sheba visited Solomon, this was a partial fulfillment of this verse. It doesn't seem very true today, nor does it seem like it was ever completely true. Of course, Psalms is imagery and expresses the heart of David, and may not be a direct prophecy. In this case though, it is. Revelation tells us that every knee shall bow at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ during his second return. Obviously, the tribulation saints have effectively spread the word, even though it has had little effect. But in the end, the world will recognize how deceived it has been. We are in the midst of that deception today. We are told how to think and what to think, and if we choose differently, we can be in danger of breaking the law. I know that history has had many cycles of government and philosophical ideas. So, we may just be in one of those cycle. And while it is not necessarily the worse physically, it could be argued it is the worse morally. Are we nearing the end of times? Some of the signs say yes. The next important sign is an attack by the area of Persia (Iran) and the area of Russia against Israel. Maybe Syria becomes involved. What seems unlikely is looking more and more possible. Forgive us Lord for our sin. Open our eyes to see what David understood.

QT 19 Jun 17, Ps 138:2, The name that is above all names

Psalm 138:2 (ESV) — 2 I bow down toward your holy temple

and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness,

for you have exalted above all things

your name and your word.

NOTE: This is a psalm of praise by David. David is bowing down, in submission and surrender to the name that is above all names and all things, and to God's word which is similarly placed. David specifically mentions two things associated with the name of God, steadfast love and faithfulness. God's love cannot be earned, but is given freely by the creator. And once given, it cannot be taken away, else it was never really love. Love is a commitment to another that does not end. Love is faithfulness to the other person loved until death separates. God's love is not separated even by death. It remains because it defines who he is. God is love. And God's love is a perfect love that will never disappear. This is why Islam does not worship the same God. Because in Islam, God is not personal. He does not love people. He measures a person on the basis of a person's works and rewards according. The God of the bible is personal and chooses to love, and bases his love on the finished work of Christ. The only test is whether we have believed in God's one and only son, Jesus. And if we have not, we stand condemned. That is the message of the word of God and it  cannot be changed. John 3:18 (ESV) — 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 

QT 15 Jun 17, Ps 23:5, God's table is much more satisfying than the enemy's

Psalm 23:5 (ESV) — 5 You prepare a table before me

in the presence of my enemies;

you anoint my head with oil;

my cup overflows.

NOTE: The parallelism is synonymous and centers around the second line, "in the presence of my enemy." In view of the enemy, God prepares a table, anoints my hear, and overfills my cup. The enemy, Satan, wants us to believe that life with God is boring, unfulfilling, and missing out on pleasures. The problem is that we don't really understand what good pleasure is because our desires are so corrupted. The reality is that only God can provide the truly satisfying pleasures of life -- the things that last and bring wholeness to our body. We must trust him with our lives and believe that he knows our needs and desires to give us the very best. He will prepare our table if we will only let him.

QT 14 Jun 17, Ps 23:4, Do not fear, we are never alone

Psalm 23:4 (ESV) — 4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil,

for you are with me;

your rod and your staff,

they comfort me.

NOTE: The "shadow of death" is literally deep darkness or gloom. These are depressing periods of life when things, circumstance, people do not go the way we would like. We all know the feeling in the pit of our stomach, the ache, the sense of something not right. It is a natural part of life, and probably a natural part because of the fall. God's promise is that we don't have to fear during those times, which is a natural reaction to gloom and despair, to fear and worry. God is with us during the darkest moments. He brings a rod and a staff. The rod to correct, and the staff to pull us back. His correction is not for our pain but for our good. Although all pain feels like it can only hurt. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 4:17–18 (ESV) — 17 For this light momentary affliction (Ed. do they ever really feel light or momentary?) is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. God is with us, the pain will not last forever; take heart my soul.

QT 13 Jun 17, Ps 23:3, Turn back O' soul to your real joy

Psalm 23:3 (ESV) — 3 He restores my soul.

He leads me in paths of righteousness

for his name’s sake.

NOTE: The word restore means to turn back. One can actually turn in one of two directions. One can turn back to the world, or a person can turn back to the Lord. In this case, the person is turning back to the Lord. It doesn't necessarily mean that David, the psalmist was struggling with sin when he wrote this, but it could mean that. When we are away from God, He can restore us back to himself. Our step is repentance and that comes first (at least from our point of view). God is always working to restore his wayward children. He needs to bring them to that point of seeing the need to repent though, and sometimes that is painful. The path of righteousness, while difficult at times, is not as painful as the path away from God. Jesus says, "my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Turning back to God is the "best" thing we can do. Any argument against this point is the enemy trying to deceive us by using our short-lived passions and emotions. God offers lasting joy, not temporary guilted pleasure. It is our soul which is most important, and only creator know what is truly best for our soul since he created us in his image.

QT 12 Jun 17, Psalm 23, Trust and prudence, a delicate tension

Psalm 23:1–2 (ESV) — 1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2 He makes me lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside still waters.

NOTE: The obvious and straightforward interpretation for David (the Psalmist) is that God takes care of his needs. God will provide to the extent that David shall not want. This is David's heart, although not always his action. In the story of Bathsheba, he wanted something he did not have, and yet something that he had in abundance. David struggled, just like us. But he also knew, that when he was seeking God, he was truly satisfied. God met his needs. He only needed to trust. This is a common them in the Psalms, the necessity of trust. In this Psalm, the word "shepherd" aptly defines how our trust should look. The sheep trusted the shepherd to protects, to take them to fields with food, to take them to water, and to take them to shady areas to relax. They did not need to plan or worry. They could trust their shepherd. But God has also given us a mind and more insight than sheep. God does expect us to act prudently with the information he provides. How much do we trust? How much do we act? Do we do both? And what does that really look like in our soul? I think "trust" should overwhelm prudence in our manner of life, but not replace prudence and common sense. And in this sense, prayer can be helpful to make that distinction.

QT 8 Jun 17, Ps 78:17-20, Faith is believing he cares for me personally

Psalm 78:17–20 (ESV) — 17 Yet they sinned still more against him,

rebelling against the Most High in the desert.

18 They tested God in their heart

by demanding the food they craved.

19 They spoke against God, saying,

“Can God spread a table in the wilderness?

20 He struck the rock so that water gushed out

and streams overflowed.

Can he also give bread

or provide meat for his people?”

NOTE: This is clearly the Exodus generation. They tested God repeatedly. What does it mean to test God? I believe it means they never really trusted God. And even more importantly, they did not believe he cared for them personally.  The passage does use the word "can," but I find that a simplistic sense of the issue. The real question is, "will he?" Because if he does provide, then he cares. He can bring plagues, he can split the waters of the Red Sea, but can he provide for people in their hour of need -- does he love us? The answer is a resounding "yes!" It is the essence of faith to believe that he cares. Even the demons fear his power, but our role is to believe he cares for me personally. As Paul said, Galatians 2:20b (ESV) — And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. He loves ME and he gave himself for ME. That should greatly encourage our hearts.

QT 7 Jun 17, Ps 78:9-11, Repent, return, and trust

Psalm 78:9–11 (ESV) — 9 The Ephraimites, armed with the bow,

turned back on the day of battle.

10 They did not keep God’s covenant,

but refused to walk according to his law.

11 They forgot his works

and the wonders that he had shown them.

NOTE: This is a story familiar to the author of the Psalm but not recorded in scripture. Ephraim was one of the larger tribes; it was also a name for the northern kingdom after the split because of Rehoboam's stubbornness. Whoever the author is referring, the point is still understandable. They knew what God had done for them in the past, but did not believe he would be there for them in the future. In some ways that can be understandable, because the northern kingdom had disobeyed God on a number of issues. Therefore, it was hard for them to believe God would do anything for them since they were living in disobedience. That is one of the dangers of a Christian living in the world, they lose their hope of God's intervention and protection, knowing they are unworthy (although we are all unworthy). But they also fear discipline, and so they don't want to involve God in their life. The simple answer is to repent and to turn back to the Lord, and put your trust in him. We are never worthy of his love, and his discipline is only intended to bring us back to him. If we return, we need not fear discipline.

QT 6 Jun 17, Psalm 78:5-8, Surrender to the Word of God for true peace

Psalm 78:5–8 (ESV) — 5 He established a testimony in Jacob

and appointed a law in Israel,

which he commanded our fathers

to teach to their children,

6 that the next generation might know them,

the children yet unborn,

and arise and tell them to their children,

7 so that they should set their hope in God

and not forget the works of God,

but keep his commandments;

8 and that they should not be like their fathers,

a stubborn and rebellious generation,

a generation whose heart was not steadfast,

whose spirit was not faithful to God.

NOTE: Verse 5 is the what (the need for the Word of God). Verses 6 and 7 is the purpose (that the next generation should put their hope in God). Verse 8 is the why (the "Exodus" generation failed because they did not have the Word of God). We have an incredible resource in our hands -- God's word -- absolute, authoritative, and true. It offers true wisdom on how to live life. The world offers a "wisdom" that brings short-term happiness and long-term pain. God's word, provides short-term suffering at times, but promises long-term joy. And even in the midst of suffering, can provide joy, because we are assured of the ending. And we are at peace with our maker. We are no longer fighting the creator in order to make his creation something he did not desire. But we have surrendered to the one who loves and cares for us more than any other. Why do we fight him so much? We need to surrender to him. We need to allow the Word of God to permeate our life.

QT 5 Jun 17, Ps 78:1-4, Sometimes we can't know all the answers

Psalm 78:1–4 (ESV) — 1 Give ear, O my people, to my teaching;

incline your ears to the words of my mouth!

2 I will open my mouth in a parable;

I will utter dark sayings from of old,

3 things that we have heard and known,

that our fathers have told us.

4 We will not hide them from their children,

but tell to the coming generation

the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might,

and the wonders that he has done.

NOTE: The Hebrew word for parable can also be translated proverb, but in the context here, we see an example of synonymous parallelism, so that the second line of verse 2 says the same thing. The Hebrew word for dark sayings means a riddle, enigmatic, or perplexing saying. So the word parable does makes sense in the context. Jesus used parables to hide the meaning of his message after the nation had rejected him as the Messiah. So, why is the Psalmist, Asaph, using parables or riddles in his teaching? He explains his reasoning in verses 3 and 4. These tough teachings were handed down by their fathers. The answers are not obvious or even easy to understand at times. But just because we don't understand something, does not make it untrue or unworthy of our attention. God will give us understanding in time. Although, it may be a very long time, even to the end of our life. Again, just because a truth of scripture is hard, is not a good reason to ignore the teaching. Our emotions demand answers. Our mind recognizes that all knowledge is not accessible to a finite mind.

QT 1 Jun 17, Ps 1:5-6, Live for God, not garbage

Psalm 1:5–6 (ESV) — 5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,

nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;

6 for the Lord knows the way of the righteous,

but the way of the wicked will perish.

NOTE: I like Constable's definition of the wicked: "The term “wicked” (Heb. rasa’) usually describes people who do not have a covenant relationship with God. They have little regard for God but live to satisfy their passions. They are not necessarily as evil as they could be, but they have no regard for the spiritual dimension of life so they are superficial." I like it because, while we cannot change our covenant relationship with God, we can live like the wicked, and that lifestyle is a stench to our savior. We, as believers, can easily fall into the trap of living for passions (worldly), disregarding the spiritual dimension of our life, and living a superficial Christian life. There is a danger to this for the believer. God as our father will discipline us for our own good, in order to bring us back to himself. In the worst case, he may end our impact on earth, for the good of the family name. God has a plan, a "way" for the righteous. If we seek him, we will find it, and we will find the fulfillment of life that can only come in a relationship with God. Don't settle for garbage, run after the savior.