THE FACE OF THE LORD
Psalm 34: 8-16
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A PRESBYTERIAN PSALTER - by Pastor Max A Forsythe |
Editor Marvin Olasky recently wrote about evangelicals confronting a popular politician about what it means to be good. Unfortunately the whole point of goodness was misunderstood and the evangelical confession from Scripture that "all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God" was dismissed as obviously a conservative plot to lay an unnecessary guilt trip upon one who had better things to do! Oh how hard it is to witness to the worldly who presume that those who would share the gospel do so with a political agenda in mind. And how great is the obstacle of humility to the enfettered pride of a fallen human heart.
How much we need to learn of David's life and faith. We may look back at David's praise for being heard by the Lord in verse six. Then we see his testimony from verse seven that he is shielded by an angelic spirit which we might identify in our time as the Holy Spirit. Recently one of my Christian friends admitted that there just had to be some sort of spiritual hedge around him in his working environment because even in the midst of a sea of troubles he was being protected. How may we like David, make this claim in the midst of a growing pagan environment? Let us look at and learn from David's experience in the second portion of this lovely psalm. David's injunction in this portion calls upon us to fear God.
As David notes in this second division, we regularly need to demonstrate to the children of the kingdom what God has indeed done for us. The essential thing to communicate is the fear of the Lord. This fear includes two things. First there is devout reverence which is essential to a right relation of man to God. Second there is the conduct which that relationship demands. Just as James asserts in the New Testament, there is a relationship between the faith which we say we have and the ongoing conduct of our lives which indicate whether or not that faith is really present!
Who should listen to David's testimony and take it to heart? David describes us in verse twelve. Whoever loves life? Whoever wants to live a good life. Wouldn't that describe just about everyone who has ever lived? The activities prescribed in David's advice are just as statistically true as they are morally true. In the inner cities of this country where violence is a fact of daily living, the lifespan for the average male is about half that of the rest of the country. "Keep your tongue from evil, do good; seek and pursue peace." The word keep here may also be translated "Guard your tongue". In other words, watch what you say. How many of our public social fights might be avoided if unnecessary words could be avoided? Oh it is a tiresome responsibility to impose the old adage upon our younger generation that "sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me!"
Doing good is simple enough to understand, but the double verbs in this passage that lead to peace, imply that our seeking may require a prolonged effort! If we will take the trouble to do just that, David assures us in the next portion that the eyes of the Lord will be upon us. A soldier once fell in with a bunch of Texans when he was in the military. When he finally was transferred to another unit he was heard to comment that he hoped he never ever heard that dreadful song The Eyes of Texas Are Upon You ever again! Now there is a problem in that worldly boasting there that rubs us in the way that boasting in the Lord described in verse two does not. But more than Texas we may rightfully boast that the eyes of the Lord are indeed upon us. We may know that because he listens to our cry and saves us. But, David also notes that there are very many who are just as offended with our boasts in the Lord as members of at least forty-nine states are with the boasting of every red neck that ever left Texas.
We see in verse sixteen that the Lord sets his face against those who do evil. Certainly we who boast in Him may cry out and he will hear us and deliver us from trouble. But as David notes in verse eighteen God may use our troubles to break our hearts and crush our spirit so that we might be saved. Yes like David in many many psalms, we might rant and rail about the prosperity of the wicked and the complete lack of interest in the Lord of our hearts. And like David we must reflect upon how the Lord delivered us from those same enemies who were once our friends.
One of the major news magazines quoted a passing personality who supposed he would go to the lower place when he died, since that was where all of his friends probably were. How sadly do we realize that misery loves company, even in miserable hellish places. So let the wicked have their way, their life is short and if they will not enjoy the peace of God in this life, neither will they enjoy it in the next! Oh but the worldly pressures from the fast crowd whose handcarts fill the highways to hell. Their disdain for everything holy so often discourages us that we might almost envy their company. Thank goodness, that our heavenly Father keeps His eyes upon us, that the Spirit keeps our ears tuned to Him and that Christ died for us that we might have eternity with Him even when that desire goes against our all too human temptations.
Taste and see that the Lord is good, blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.
May the Lord our God give us the appetite for wholesome heavenly tastes and put out of us every temptation for those foods that would poison us, this day and every day. Amen.
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Resources Used: |
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Archer, Gleason L. |
Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties. | |
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Kirkpatrick, A.F. |
The Psalms. | |
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Spurgeon, C.H. |
The Treasury of David. | |
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The Holy Bible, New International Version. International Bible Society (1973, 1978, 1984) | ||
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Psm 034c |
16 July 89 & 01 March 98 | |