Unexpected Blessings and a New Tradition

While my husband and I were sitting chatting today...he was feeding our grandson Daniel his bottle...the Fed Ex guy showed up and backed into our driveway.  (Have you ever noticed how guys always seem to back into driveways and parking spots?)

"Are you expecting anything?", I asked.

"Nope," was the answer.

I opened the screen on the porch for the driver and he hoisted two large boxes up the steps and dropped them at our doorway.  "Hmm....", I mused.  I packed the boxes into the house and proceeded to dig for the kitchen scissors.  I sliced open the top box and pulled out a curious looking machine with the word "Keurig" emblazoned across the top.  I recollected immediately where I'd seen one before and knew just exactly what they were for - making that perfect cup of hot chocolate!  (My husband would say "coffee!")  I tore into the other box and it was filled with an assortment of hot beverages for the Keurig to work its brewing magic.  My husband and I both looked at each other and just grinned.  I removed the old, itty bitty 4-cup "Mr. Coffee" from its spot on the kitchen counter and replaced it with our new, shiny "Keurig".  I then proceeded to make the best tasting hot chocolate I'd had in a long time.  When Annie came to pick up Daniel I told her to look at my kitchen counter.  Her eyes twinkled and a wide smile broke across her face...Then she chirped,  "Hey, let's start a new tradition.  Instead of going to Starbucks after I pick you up for church, I'll come a bit early and we'll have a "Keurig!"

"I think it's a great idea Annie!"     

The Lord in His kindness sends those unexpected blessings through others who I think love putting those unexpected smiles on our faces!

Why We Love the Doctrines of Grace by John Piper

I am a fan of Piper...I receive his blog posts via email.  Today's was especially good.  It takes our tendency towards pride and puts it in its place and exalts His grace...

"Unconditional election delivers the harshest and the sweetest judgments to my soul.

That it is unconditional destroys all self-exaltation; and that it is election makes me his treasured possession.

This is one of the beauties of the biblical doctrines of grace: their worst devastations prepare us for their greatest delights.

What prigs we would become at the words, "The LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth" (Deuteronomy 7:6), if this election were in any way dependent on our will. But to protect us from pride, the Lord teaches us that we are unconditionally chosen (7:7-9). "He made a wretch his treasure," as we so gladly sing.

Only the devastating freeness and unconditionality of electing grace lets us take and taste such gifts for our very own without the exaltation of self."

Psalm 21

Spurgeon has called Psalm 21 the fit companion of Psalm 20.  Psalm 20 anticipates what this Psalm regards as realized.  We can call it the thanksgiving psalm after the battle for which the prayer was made in Psalm 20. 

We need to identify those mentioned in the psalm.  The king in this psalm is David and the Lord in this psalm is Jesus.  The king, or David, is writing to the Lord throughout the whole psalm - David is speaking to Jesus throughout the whole passage.

There is a shift between verses seven and eight because David is praising the Lord for His answers to David's requests, then speaks of the Lord's future actions. In verses 1-7 we see David praising the Lord for what He has done and in verses 8-12 we see David praising the Lord for what He will do.  David sings as a prophet. In these latter verses we see Christ subduing His enemies during the day of the Lord.  In the final verse David joins in with all in exalting the Lord. 

Verses 1-7:  David praises the Lord for what He has done…

v. 1  David returns from battle rejoicing greatly in the strength and salvation of the Lord.  The Lord was the source of His victory, not his own might, nor his armies.   

v.2  David was granted his heart’s desire.  This seems to refer to the prayers offered for victory in Psalm 20.  The Lord did not hold back David’s request but answered it by granting him victory.  This victory brought tremendous joy to David’s heart.

v.3  David sings to the Lord that He has given David good things…cf. 59:10:  “My God in His lovingkindness will meet me; God will let me look triumphantly upon my foes.” The Lord allowed David to look victoriously over his enemies.  In 2 Sam. 12:30 we see David taking the gold crown of an Ammonite king after fighting against the Ammonites.  The crown was placed on David’s head.  Was David referring to this?  I don’t know…  We do know that any spoil that David and his kingdom received was from the Lord. 

v.4  This may refer to David asking that the Lord preserve his life in battle.  The Lord did grant that request.  The Lord also swore to David, His chosen, and servant, that He would establish his seed forever.  (2 Sam. 7:13, 16, 29; Ps. 89:4) 

v. 5 The Lord’s salvation and deliverance put David in a place of high honor.  The Lord placed splendor and majesty on David. 

v.6  The Lord heaps high favor upon David throughout eternity.  God’s blessings are eternal.  Throughout his psalms, David expresses the joy and gladness he experiences from being in the presence of the Lord.  Psalm 16:11 is one of my favorite verses, written by David-“In Thy presence is fulness of joy; in Thy right hand there are pleasures forever.”  A great Spurgeon nugget regarding the Lord's presence - "This is the purest stream to drink of, and we should choose no other."

v. 7 David trusted in the Lord.  The Lord placed His favor upon David because He loved him and David was not shaken. 

Verses 8-12:  David praises the Lord for what He will do…

At verse 8 we move to David praising the Lord for what is yet to happen.  He has just rejoiced over his present victories and the blessings and favor that the Lord bestowed on him.  Now he sings praises to the Lord for what is yet to happen…when Christ finds out all His enemies and passes judgment on them.  This will occur during the day of the Lord.  This is going to be a time of fiery judgment from heaven.  He will swallow up all His enemies in His wrath.  His enemies are those who hate Him.  He will make His enemies like a fiery oven.  v. 9

Malachi 4:1-“For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and every evildoer will be chaff; and the day that is coming will set them ablaze, says the LORD of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root or branch.” 

According to verse 10 the Lord’s enemies have evil offspring as well.  All will be destroyed.  Verse 11 tells us that they intended evil against the Lord.  They actually devise a plot.  We get a bit of a clearer picture in Psalm 2.  

Another great Spurgeon nugget for you in regards to verse 12 - "For a time the foes of God may make bold advances, and threaten to overthrow everything, but a few ticks of the clock will alter the face of their affairs. At first they advance impudently enough, but Jehovah meets them to their teeth, and a taste of the sharp judgment of God speedily makes them flee in dismay. The original has in it the thought of the wicked being set as a butt for God to shoot at, a target for his wrath to aim at. What a dreadful situation!" 

Verse 13:  All praise the Lord for His strength…

David ends the psalm as he begins it, by praising God for His strength…not only David rejoices, but he says all (we) who experienced His strength will sing praises for His power.  

Spurgeon’s remarks on verse 13:  "Be thou exalted, Lord, in Thy strength.  We will sing and praise Thy power.”

A sweet concluding verse. Our hearts shall join in it. It is always right to praise the Lord when we call to remembrance His goodness to His Son, and the overthrow of His foes. The exaltation of the name of God should be the business of every Christian.  For a time the saints may mourn, but the glorious appearance of their divine Helper awakens their joy. Joy should always flow in the channel of praise. All the attributes of God are fitting subjects to be celebrated by the music of our hearts and voices, and when we observe a display of His power, we must extol it. He wrought our deliverance alone, and He alone shall have the praise.

The Psalms truly are a great place to enlarge our view of God.  Just from these twin warfare psalms we learn that God

• answers
• protects
• helps and supports
• remembers offerings
• accepts
• grants
• fulfills
• saves
• is powerful
• is to be the object of our trust
• provides happy strength
• doesn't withhold
• blesses with good things
• gives life
• crowns
• gives splendor and majesty
• makes joyful those who are in His presence
• provides an anchor with His love
• will search out His enemies
• is wrathful
• will destroy His enemies
• is in control
• is powerful
  
• will have the final, victorious outcome

"Be Thou exalted, O LORD, in Thy strength; We will sing and praise Thy power."

Psalm 20 - Part Two

Section Two - Verses 6-8

Verse 6 begins with the words, "Now I know..."  We go from a group to an individual, either the priest or possibly even David.  "Now I know that the LORD saves His anointed.  He will answer him from His holy mountain. "  I don't see this as a sudden realization of the king as in, "Oh wow, God will really save me!"  Instead, it is a statement of the king's belief that the Lord will preserve His anointed.  The word "saves" can also be translated "delivers" or "gives victory to".  The Lord will support and reach down from heaven to provide victory for David.  David could also have in mind the words of Nathan the prophet ringing in his ears...God had been with Him everywhere he went and had cut off all of David's enemies...God also declared that eventually He would give David rest from all his enemies.  (2 Sam. 7:8-11)

Verses 7 and 8 provide a summary statement of confidence in the Lord.  Verse seven is the primary statement, "Some boast in chariots, and some in horses; but we will boast in the name of the LORD, our God."  The idea here is that the Israelites trust in the name of the Lord in battle; others rely on military might and strength.

The Hebrew structure is beautiful...

"Some in chariots"
"Some in horses"

"We, in the name of the Lord our God,"

"trust"

Take a look at Deuteronomy 11:2-4...

"And know this day that I am not speaking with your sons who have not known and who have not seen the discipline of the LORD your God-His greatness, His mighty hand, and His outstretched arm, and His signs and works which He did in the midst of Egypt to Pharoah the king of Egypt and to all his land; and what He did to Egypt's army, to its horses and its chariots, when He made the water of the Red Sea to engulf them while they were pursuing you, and the LORD completely destroyed them..."

Can you hear Psalm 20 in this, with the Red Sea consuming Egypt's horses and chariots?
 
The Lord provided salvation to His people by destroying the horses and chariots of Egypt.  Pharoah trusted in military power and strength.  Those who trusted in horses and chariots on that day were sorely disappointed.

Deuteronomy 17:16 tells us that Israelite kings were not to amass horses as a display of military might.  Ultimately the strength of the king was the strength of God and not that of a horse.

In Psalm 20:8 there are two groups, "they" and "we".  "They have bowed down and fallen; but we have risen and stood upright."   "They" are the ones who trust in horses and chariots.  "We" are the ones who trust in the name of the Lord - a power which cannot be overcome.

The enemy is standing in their arrogance and the people of God are bowed in worship, but ultimately they will stand upright in victory.

Section Three - Verse 9

Here we see concluding prayer by the whole congregation.  It is a final plea for God to provide safety and triumph.

"Save, O LORD; may the King answer us in the day we call."

The focus is on the king.  Which king is in question?  The king is the one answering the call so it is most likely the true King of Israel protecting His people!

(Thanks to Richard Brannon - his research on this Psalm made it very easy for me to teach.)  

Final thoughts on Psalm 20...All the psalms are inspired by God therefore we learn the heart of God from reading them.  From this psalm we learn that God desires that we depend on Him.  He desires that we lift up others before Him.  He desires that we give Him the glory and honor for all our victories because He is our strength.

Twin Warfare Events - Psalm 20 & 21

I've taught children for years but I had the opportunity recently to teach four psalms - 18, 19, 20, and 21, to my ladies Bible study.  It was a great experience and I look forward to future opportunities. The next several posts will be the highlights of my notes from Psalm 20 and 21.  So, here you go Orange, as promised!

David was a warrior king.  In Psalm 18, David gives glory to God for delivering him from all his enemies.  David attributed his successes to the Lord’s strength.  We need to back up a bit with Psalm 20 and 21.  What we see in Psalm 20 and 21 are twin warfare events.  The king is about to go to war in Psalm 20.  The Israelites approached God prior to battle.  Psalm 20 is a ceremony before the warfare and Psalm 21 is the celebration afterwards. 

Israel was considered a theocracy.  Israel was governed by God.  David fought what we could call true holy wars.  Spurgeon called Psalm 20 the "National Anthem, fitted to be sung at the outbreak of war, when the monarch was girding on his sword for the fight."  He suggested that if David had not been plagued with so many wars, we may have never been favored with this psalm.  Spurgeon called the people of God "happy people" who were pleading before a beloved sovereign..."God save the King."

From 1 Samuel 13:8-14 we know that offerings were made prior to battle.  Saul lost the kingdom for not waiting for Samuel to make the offerings before going to battle with the Philistines.  Instead of confessing his sin, Saul tried to justify himself.  But we can also see that making an offering to procure the Lord's blessing was an important thing.   And part of that approaching God, many scholars think, involved a ceremony like that of Psalm 20.

As can be seen by looking at the pronouns, the first section, verses 1-5, was recited by the people.  The second section, verses 6-8, was recited by the priest or perhaps even the king himself.  And the third section, verse 9, was recited by everyone, including the king.

Section One:

The word "may" is used six times.  The people in David's kingdom make six requests.

• "May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble!"  v. 1

The congregation is praying that the Lord will remember their king when he is in battle - when he needs it.

• "May the name of the God of Jacob set you securely on high!"  v. 1

The idea behind the concept of "set you securely on high" is that of protection.  Protection is accomplished by removing one from the sphere of danger.   David's people were asking that God would protect David by making him inaccessible. 

• "May He send you help from the sanctuary and support you from Zion!"  v. 2

The request is that when the king goes go out from the temple, the presence of God would go with him.

• "May He remember all your meal offerings and find your burnt offerings acceptable!"  v. 3

The request is that the offerings made by the king will be sweetly remembered while the king is in battle.

• "May He grant you your hearts desire and fulfill all your counsel!"

The request was that the king's battle plans be fulfilled.

After the first five requests comes a short interlude where the people promise praise to God for the action He is sure to take in providing victory in battle and safety for the king.  They will praise God by shouting for joy and setting up banners that proclaim the name of God.  v. 5

The last request is at the end of verse 5 and is similar to the first request.

• "May the LORD fulfill all your petitions."

The prayer is for the LORD to lead the king in battle and provide him victory.

In my next post I'll cover Section Two where we see a shift in grammatical person.  We go from the people to the king (or priest) who makes an affirmation of trust.

My Wonderful Company

Certainly you must have had them, company that when they are here, you are nourished, refreshed, and strengthened, and when they go their leaving leaves a bit of a hole in your heart?  That's what that tender and precious bond in Christ will produce.  What a blessed time my family and I had with Beth and Kristen!  Lots of sweet fellowship, lots of great conversation around the Word, and Kristen even let me and Beth win at cards a couple of times! Unfortunately, we didn't solve all the world's problems, but we sure had a great time.   

(Kristen, Beth, Me)

The highlight of the week was having Kristen close out our visit by speaking at our ladies Fall Fellowship.  She spoke on "Enlarging our View of God."  The theme verse was Psalm 34:3, "Oh magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together."

It is easy to identify ourselves with certain individuals we find as we go through a passage in Scripture, but Kristen encouraged us to look for God when we read our Bibles.  As you read the Word ask these questions:

• What does this reveal to me about God?
• What is God's involvement in this passage?
• What do these verses tell me about God's desires, His plans, His character?

The larger our view of God that we gain, the more life will make sense.  Life is all about lifting Him on high, even when we are in the dark and lowest valleys of life.

We spent the evening enlarging our view of God by working our way through three different passages, one in Genesis, one in the Psalms, and one in a Gospel.  We then corporately responded by lifting Him high in song.  Oh the sweet sound of 45 women singing acapella "Great is Thy Faithfulness."  Beth signed the words while we sang and it was beautiful.

Well, I still have some more special company that I need to get back to.  My mom and sister are here until Saturday and my uncle and aunt arrive tomorrow to close out their visit.  More sweet fellowship ahead! 

(Mother, Daisy, Me, Kristen, Karin, Beth, Annie, Daniel)

Thank you so much for coming and pouring into our lives, you two!

A Message for the Orange Mailman

Hey Orange,

I know I promised to blog about Psalm 20 and 21.  I did teach the lesson on Thursday to my ladies study.  I am having some very special company from Michigan soon.  They arrive on the 7th.  I am busy, busy, busy getting ready for them!  Our schedule is rather full once they are here.  I am taking a break from posting for the next couple of weeks but I will post about the "twin warfare" psalms, eventually, Lord-willing.

Having fun and staying really busy...

Overcomer