Psalm 23- A Musical Interpretation

As I read Psalm 23 today, I couldn't help but think of this classic interpretation of the Psalm by Keith Green.  Enjoy.

A Random, Incomplete, Non-Devotional Thought about Psalm 21

As I read Psalm 21 today, I immediately noticed that it was a Psalm written to celebrate the king of Israel and his reign.  Of course, it is not only the king with a small k who is celebrated but also the King with the big K.  The Psalm worship and celebrates Jehovah for the blessing and reward He has given to Israel's monarch.

It is interesting that this Psalm was written by David.  David, of course, spent 40 years as Israel's King.  At first blush, this Psalm seems a little self aggrandizing.  Could David have written a song celebrating himself?  As I thought about that, I would have to say probably not.  This means there are two possibilities about who it was written for.  The first possibility is that David used to sing this song for Saul.  Remember that David used to play his harp for Saul to calm his demonic fits.  Could this song celebrating the king be one that David sang for the man who would become his enemy?  A second possibility is that David wrote this song for his son.  Perhaps this song was intended to be sung to Solomon when he became king so that he would be reminded that his strength was found in the Lord's blessing. 

I don't know who the song was in fact written for, but I do know the One in whom this Psalm found its ultimate expression: Jesus.  Read verses 1-7 again, thinking about their application to Christ

O Lord, the king rejoices in your strength.
How great is his joy in the victories you give!
² You have granted him the desire of his heart
and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah
³ You welcomed him with rich blessings
and placed a crown of pure gold on his head.
⁴ He asked you for life, and you gave it to him—
length of days, for ever and ever.
⁵ Through the victories you gave, his glory is great;
you have bestowed on him splendor and majesty.
⁶ Surely you have granted him eternal blessings
and made him glad with the joy of your presence.
⁷ For the king trusts in the Lord;
through the unfailing love of the Most High
he will not be shaken (NIV, 1984).

 

As we think of how those words apply to Christ, surely we can echo the words of verse 13: "Be exalted, O Lord, in your strength; we will sing and praise your might."

Vengeance Is Yours Says King David

As you read through the Psalms, you encounter a lot of prayers about enemies.  We have two today.  In Psalm 18, David celebrates his victory over his enemies, particularly King Saul.  In Psalm 17, David prays for deliverance from his enemies, asking that God would save him from those who would harm him.  Of the two types of prayers, the one in Psalm 17 is probably the most common.  Again and again, David prays that his enemies would be defeated.  Typically, David doesn't pray for just a simple victory.  He prays that his enemies would be humiliated and would experience pain in great quantities.  Psalm 17 may not be the best example of that type of prayer.  (David is unusually restrained in this Psalm).  But if you have read the Psalms you know the types of prayers that I mean.

Those prayers offend our moral sensibilities.  We wonder how David could pray like that.  Aren't we supposed to pray for salvation for our enemies?  Aren't we supposed to forgive our enemies like Jesus did because they don't know what they are doing?  I don't know that David's prayers are a model for us to pray like say the Lord's prayer.  Our prayers might sound much different than his.  But we should not miss that prayers like Psalm 17 are indeed prayers that model mercy and forgiveness.

I know.  You want to read that last sentence again.  Don't bother.  You read it right.  David's prayers are really prayers that demonstrate mercy and forgiveness.  In David's time, when you rebelled against the king or became the king's enemy, the king didn't typically bother to pray that you would be stricken.  The king just struck you himself.  He was the one who took all your property, cast your wife on the street, and made your children orphans.  He didn't pray for a deity to do it to you.  He did it himself.  Among kings, David stands out as different.  Some might even mistake David's unwillingness to act as a sign of his weakness.  But David was not weak.  He was compassionate. H e was just.  He knew that God was far better at handling these matters than he was.  He trusted God to judge justly and knew that he did not have to take matters into his own hand.

The prayers of David demonstrate that he believed the truth of the Biblical saying: "'Vengeance is mine,' says the Lord."  David did not feel a compulsion to take matters into his own hands when he was wronged.  Instead, he left it to the Lord.  Perhaps that is why the Lord said that David was a man after his own heart.      

Character

Psalm 15 opens with David asking a question: "Lord, who may dwell in your sanctuary?  Who may live in your holy hill?"  As king, David is the gatekeeper to Jerusalem, his capital city ("God's sanctuary," "the holy hill").  When you are king, a lot of people want to hang out with you.  They want to be your friend so they can influence you and gain benefit from your power and wealth.  In the ancient world, kings could not rule without having other powerful men allied with them.  A king needed to have an inner circle of other powerful figures who would support his rule and strengthen his army.  So when David asks the question at the start of Psalm 15, he is asking: "God who should be my allies?  Who should I let get close to me?  Who should I as a gatekeeper to Jerusalem let in?" 

To most kings, this wasn't much of a question.  The answer was obvious.  A king wanted to associate with men who had many soldiers to bring to an army.  They wanted men who had wealth to contribute to royal coffers.  Kings wanted their inner circle to be men who had the money and power to build a kingdom.  But David says that, that is not what he is looking for.  Rather than gathering men of power, he wants to gather men of character.  Look how David describes the people who will be close to him:

He whose walk is blameless
and who does what is righteous,
who speaks the truth from his heart
³ and has no slander on his tongue,
who does his neighbor no wrong
and casts no slur on his fellowman,
⁴ who despises a vile man
but honors those who fear the Lord,
who keeps his oath
even when it hurts,
⁵ who lends his money without usury
and does not accept a bribe against the innocent.

 

David is interested in gathering allies who treat other people well.  They don't slander or gossip or use words to try to increase their own reputations while undermining the reputation of others.  They don't have hatred toward other people.  They stick to their word even when that requires great sacrifice.  They help others without considering how they might benefit too.  David says in my inner circle character will matter more than power.  Why?  It is because people of character have a staying power that people of character cannot match.  Verse 5 says: "He who does these things will never be shaken."

 

When it comes time to vote, who is it that we are normally impressed with?  We are normally impressed with people of power.  It is the rich, the handsome, the politically connected who win our votes.  Perhaps in choosing our leaders, we need to get back to the principles of David.  Perhaps we need to realize that moral character and a deep compassion for others makes for more stable leadership and government than riches, charisma, or political savvy.   

Why Do the Wicked Prosper?

Many scholars think that our Psalms today, Psalm 9-10, originally constituted one Psalm.  There are several reasons for this.  First, the Septuagint, the ancient, Greek translation of the Old Testament, presents these psalms as one psalm.  Second, the two Psalms together make up an acrostic poem.  In other words each stanza of psalms 9 and 10 starts with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet, Psalm 10 picking up with the letter after where Psalm 9 left off.

Whether Psalm 9 and 10 are originally one Psalm or not, they do deal with a common theme: why do the righteous suffer at the hands of the wicked?  Why do the wicked prosper when the righteous have lives of pain and trial?  This was a particularly pertinent question back in the time of the Old Covenant.  God had promised his people blessings if they obeyed the Law and served Him.  Yet very often, the Law keepers seemed to struggle while the Law breakers seemed to do well in spite of their disobedience. 

Psalm 10 highlights the problem, giving a description of how the wicked operate in verses 2-11.  The opening verse wonders how God can stand far off when His covenant is being violated and the wicked are emerging victorious.  In many ways, the Psalmist never provides an answer to this theodicy.  Instead, he models what the righteous should do when the wicked seem to thrive.  First, they should pray.  Verses 12-15 are a petition for God to intervene on behalf of the weak and the powerless who suffer at the wicked's hands.  God is asked to act because of the arrogance of the wicked and because of His compassion for the weak and suffering.  Second, the righteous should still have faith.  The seeming prosperity of the evil should not cause the righteous to question God's character.  In verses 16-18, the Psalmist states unequivocally that God will come to the aid of the innocent who suffer.  His observations of verses 2-11 do not shake His faith in God or His understanding of God's character. 

Today, there are times where we still see the wicked prosper.  The guy who cheats on his taxes has extra money we don't have.  The woman who is unethical at work advances her career and gets all the promotions.  The guy driving 65 in the 35 zone makes the light while we get the red and get stuck behind the school bus.  In those times, we shouldn't let anger get the best of us.  We shouldn't decide to behave like everyone else because our observations of life teach us our commitment to God just isn't worth it.  We should pray seeking God's justice and we should maintain our faith in God unshaken.   

Health and Wealth? Not in the Psalms

As I have read the opening 6 Psalms over the last few days, I can't help but notice how many of the Psalms are written under circumstances of gut wrenching distress.  David may have been a man after God's own heart, but that doesn't mean he had an easy life.  Sometimes his struggles were the result of sin (the rebellion of Absalom loosely flows out of David's sin with Bathsheeba). Most of the time, though, it seems that David was just facing the intrigues and dangers that beset kings and powerful figures in ancient times.  While David was a great king, his life was not easy.  There were times that he experienced a great deal of hurt and pain.  The Psalms make clear that this pain never diminished his faith.  Even in the worst of times, he had absolute hope and faith that God would be faithful and give him joy.   David teaches us that faith in God never guarantees that life will be easy.  Health and wealth is not the Christian's normal lot.  But in the midst of suffering, we have a fierce hope, one that can never relinquish its grasp on the believer's soul.

To close, I thought I would share a video that provides a musical meditation on the opening verses of Psalm 5.  The song wears its roots in the 70's, but I think it wears them lightly:

   

When the Heat Is On

In Psalm 4, David writes at a time when he is under attack from his enemies.  It is possible that this Psalm should be placed in the same context as Psalm 3- the time when David is fleeing from a rebellion started by his own son Absalom.  While we can't be sure that the contexts of both psalms are the same, there is no doubt that David is having trouble with enemies in Psalm 4.  In verse 1, David prays to God for relief from his distress.  In verse 2, David makes it clear that his distress is coming from the actions of others.  Clearly David is under siege.  Unjustly, he is being accused and pursued by his enemies when he has done no wrong. 

Many of us have found ourselves where David is.  There are times when unjustly we have been attacked by others.  Perhaps our children have not led a rebellion against us, but we have been subject to the unjust accusations of others.  Family members have ostracized us when we have done no wrong.  Co-workers have slandered us to further their career.  Neighbors have made life difficult for the simple act of being their neighbor.  Others in church have judged us by a legalistic standard or for something that we did not do.  Very few of us go through life without some sort of conflict with others.

How do we respond in those times?  I think David models a response in the words of verses 4-5.  He gives us four ways to respond to conflict with another person when we are not at fault.  I wouldn't say this list is comprehensive, but it is suggestive of where a total response begins:

1. We do not let anger get the best of us.  ("In your anger, do not sin")- Conflict with others can make us angry.  Sometimes that anger can be just.  Many times, though, it flows out of selfishness not righteousness.  We need to be careful that our anger does not lead to retaliation or other sins that would make us share in the guilt of our unjust accuser.

2. We need to see if we do have some fault in the conflict.  ("When you are on your beds, search your hearts")-  Conflict with others is a time for self inventory.  Even if we think we have been wronged, we need to see if some of the fault lies with us.  In a quiet place, with time for reflection, we need to see if we need to ask for forgiveness and reconciliation.

3. We need to shut our mouths. ("Be silent.")  When we are angry in the midst of conflict, there is the danger of saying things that we don't mean and that we wouldn't say other under circumstances.  Better to shut our mouths.  Since this admonition to "be silent" comes in the context of the bed, it may also be that God is urging us not to pray too quickly about this matter.  In other words, prayer for God's intervention might want to wait until we see if we share some of the blame too.  Perhaps our prayers might lead to God intervening against us if we have sinned! 

4. We need to recognize our faults even if they didn't come to play in this conflict.  ("Offer right sacrifices.")-  There is a tendency when we are wronged to become self righteous. In the Old Testament, the offering of sacrifices often entailed an admission of sin.  While we may be innocent in the conflict, we should never think that we are innocent overall.  God has had mercy on our sin; we should be quick to extend mercy to others even when that is painful or sacrificial.  We should keep doing good even if others aren't affording us the same treatment. 

5. We should trust in the Lord ("And trust in the Lord")-  In conflict, we often want to take matters into our own hands.   We want to make things right in our timing and in our strength.  David says better to trust in the Lord.  Wait on Him to settle the matter when He sees fit. 

Verses 6-8 remind us that even in conflict the Lord is our joy and our peace.  If our relationship with others in broken, we can always find solace in our relationship with Him.

  

God's Judgment

Revelation 18 is clearly a passage about the judgment of God.  In the passage, Babylon the Great (whatever nation that may be) is judged for her sins.  As I read the passage, there are three things that strike me about God's judgment:

1. It is thorough (verses 21-23).  God's judgment is vast and completely destructive.

2. It is swift.  Several times in the passage it is emphasized that the judgment occurs in a day.  Even a great power like Babylon the Great is no match for God.  It quickly meets its doom.

3. It is just.  Verses 5 and 6 make it clear that the punishment is in due proportion to the crime.  Verse 24 makes it clear that God is avenging Christians that have been martyred, treating Babylon as it treated the martyrs.

The clear lesson of Revelation 18 is God's judgment is awesome and to be feared.  Thus the lesson of verse 4: "Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues..." (NIV 1984).  Revelation 18 teaches us that God's people should not get entangled in the sins of the world so we don't get entangled in its judgment.

    

Who is the Prostituite?

I've recently learned that the identity of the prostitute in Revelation 7 is a matter of no small debate among scholars who study the book of Revelation.  I think most identify her as a symbol of Rome (after all she sits on seven hills).  Others say she is Jerusalem.  (These scholars point out that in the Old Testament prostitutes are only used to symbolize Israel not other nations).  Other see the woman as a type of Rome that symbolizes some future nation that will be identified in time.  (I probably fall in this camp).

Whoever you identify the woman with, I think it is an interesting exercise to ask yourself which nation is most like her today?  Whenever I lead Bible studies on the book of Revelation, I ask the class to identify which 21st Century nation would most likely be symbolized by the harlot today?  I point out the features of the woman.  She is known for her adulteries and sexual immorality.  In future chapters, she carries out trade far and wide across the earth, exporting many of her goods and luxuries.  The other nations of the earth seem to have a love\hate relationship with her.  They love the pleasures and goods that she gives, but they despise her for her crude morals and wanton ways.  When these features of the harlot are identified, participants in Bible studies will almost universally say that in the 21st Century the harlot must represent America.

Now, the representation suffer at points.  America has not participated in the persecution of Christians.  That is a key part of the harlot's identity.  So I am certainly not saying that the answer to John's mystery has been found in twenty-first century America.  But it is clear that our nation would not find a lot of favor in God's eyes.  We have some of the qualities of the symbol of what God despises.  While there is a tendency in our nation to see our country as a moral exemplar to the rest of the world, consideration of Revelation 17 would make us qualify that picture greatly.  Yes, there is much good in America.  But there is also much that might even be labeled evil.  As Christians, we should encourage our nation in what is good.  But we should mourn at the indecencies and materialism that she exports throughout the earth.  Perhaps it is unfair to see that America is the harlot.  But it would also be untrue to see her as Snow White.

Voice of the Martyrs

As I read through Revelation again, the thing that strikes me is the role that the martyrs play in the book.  I am sure that I have read through the book of Revelation at least two dozen times in my life, yet in all of those readings I don't think I have ever noticed how crucial the martyrs are to the story.  I'm sure that commentaries that I have read have mentioned the role of the martyrs in the book, but it never stuck for some reason.  This time, though, I see how absolutely central the martyrs are to the events that unfold in this book.  Revelation 16 is another example.  In verses 5-6, the angel who pours out the third bowl says: "You are just in these judgments, you who are and who were, the Holy One,
because you have so judged;for they have shed the blood of your saints and prophets, and you have given them blood to drink as they deserve.”  When the angel turns the waters to blood by pouring out the third bowl, he says that God's punishment upon the world is just because God is giving the world what they have given the martyrs.  As the world spilled the martyr's blood, God is giving the world blood to drink.  The reason for God's great wrath is not merely that He has been sinned against.  It is instead that the world has sinned against His people, persecuting them and putting them to death.  It is the death of the martyrs that has moved God to such terrible judgment and vengeance. 

The opening chapters of Revelation make clear that many of the seven churches were suffering (or had suffered) persecution when John wrote to them.  To them, Revelation had to be an encouraging book.  In the future events revealed by John, they see that God has not forgotten their sacrifice.  They receive special heavenly reward, and their deaths are avenged in a way that shows how upset God is at their treatment.  Though Christians have died, the last word remains with God and His Church.  Revelation is certainly a great book for the church today, especially in the many places where it is being persecuted.  It is a strong reminder that every sacrifice for Jesus will be repaid.   

Snatching Defeat from the Jaws of Victory

Revelation 12 is an account of a great victory.  Satan and his angels are permanently cast out of heaven to the regions of the earth (vv. 7-9).  To understand this, one has to remember that first century Jews and Christians saw the heavens as the place from which the earth was ruled.  When Satan is kicked out of the heavens, it demonstrates that his doom is sure.  While this defeat of Satan is first credited to Michael and his angels (vv.7-9), credit is also given to the saints who gave their lives for the faith.  Verses 10-11 say: "Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ.  For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.  They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death."  The they of verse 11 are clearly the martyrs.  John says it was their willingness to die for the cause of Christ that allowed Satan to be overcome.

So for the saints of heaven, for those who were martyred for Jesus, the events of Revelation 12 are good news.  Satan gets his comeuppance.  Justice is served.  But for the saints of earth, the events of Revelation 12 are not so great.  When Satan is first hurled out of heaven, he seeks to take his revenge on Israel (verse 13.  I believe the woman in this chapter symbolizes Israel.).  God, however, protects Israel (at least the remnant of 144,000 identified in Revelation 7, verses 14-16).  Frustrated by his failed attempts to harm Israel, Satan then turns on the Church.  Verse 17 says: "Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to make war against the rest of her offspring—those who obey God’s commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus."  The rest of the woman's offspring is the Church, those who obey God's commands and hold to the testimony of Jesus.  So God's great victory in heaven leads to temporary  but horrific suffering for the Church on earth.

I am sure that the temptation of Christians at that time will be to ask: "Where is God?  Has He failed?"  As Christians suffer worldwide persecution and martyrdom, they may be tempted to think that God is not as powerful as He claims.  But the reality is the opposite.  Their temporary persecution comes not because God is powerless but because He is powerful.  His defeat of Satan leads to a temporary time of suffering that will end with Satan's permanent defeat.  In times of suffering, we should not get discouraged.  We should not give up. Instead, we should take comfort in the lesson of Revelation 12.  We should take comfort that our suffering often foreshadows God's greatest victories.