Yet they were not afraid

The bible repeatedly commands that we should "fear" God, which might seem like a strange, even uncomfortable, concept. The idea is that we are all sinners (Psalm 14:3, KJV),

There is none that doeth good, no, not one.

But God has not punished us as we deserve (Psalm 103:10, KJV),

He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.

We should there be thankful to God, but with a "fearful" attitude, realizing that we deserve much worse (Psalm 2:11, KJV)

Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.

For the exact opposite attitude, turn to Jeremiah 36, which finds the king deliberately burning an early draft of Jeremiah's warnings. Despite such egregious behavior on the part of the king (Jeremiah, 36:24, KJV),

They were not afraid, nor rent their garments, neither the king, nor any of his servants that heard all these words.

Yikes! Let's not mimic that behavior. Rather, let us pray for forgiveness with a fearful attitude.

Ye have not looked unto the maker

In Isaiah 22, God comments on how the Israelites have undertaken great effort to protect themselves. God says (verses 10-11, KJV),

Ye have numbered the houses of Jerusalem, and the houses have ye broken down to fortify the wall. Ye made also a ditch between the two walls for the water of the old pool.

Important efforts, no doubt. Unfortunately, the Israelites had not done something more important: appeal to God, himself, for protection. God complains (verse 11, KJV),

But ye have not looked unto the maker thereof, neither had respect unto him that fashioned it long ago.

This is a major problem for all of us. Getting caught up in the rhythms of life, we assemble our own efforts to protect and provide for ourselves. But in the process, we forget God's role in bring things into existence in the first place. A presence that power surely can protect and provide for us. So why are we so quick to forget that?

Rather than to try protect and provide for ourselves, let us learn to appeal to God. As David says in Psalm 62:8 (KJV),

Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us.

Rejoice in the Lord

Following God is not about adhering to a set of rules. It's about achieving righteousness through faith. After all, Abraham was declare righteous not because he was a good guy. Rather, as stated in Genesis 15:6 (KJV),

He believed in the LORD; and [God] counted it to [Abraham] for righteousness.

Then, once we achieve that righteousness through faith, it doesn't end there. Rather, we have the opportunity to "rejoice" in our newfound union with God. Paul instructs in Philippians 4:4 (KJV),

Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.

So we should pursue faith, and in that process, we should also "rejoice"!

Psalm 50

Psalm 51, in which David repents for his actions with Bathsheba, is one of the most famous Psalms, and therefore it tends to overshadow the Psalm immediately preceding it. But Psalm 50 is densely packed with spiritual insights, and it is useful exploring in detail.

In this post, I'll focus on a handful of verses from Psalm 50 (all from the KJV), taking them a bit out of order. Starting with verse 21, God states that, while the people were sinning,

... I kept silence; thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself: but I will reprove thee, and set them in order before thine eyes.

Just because God doesn't immediately punish us for our sins doesn't mean he's not paying attention. He "will reprove" eventually. Verses 3 and 4 look ahead to that time,

Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence: a fire shall devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about him. He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that he may judge his people.

Yikes! Verse 23 puts forth what we must do to avoid that dreadful judgement, 

... him that ordereth his conversation aright will I shew the salvation of God.

The word "conversation" means behavior. And if our behavior is "aright," verse 15 promises,

Call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.

Note that, once we're delivered from our troubles, we will "glorify" God. But what does that (very biblical-sounding) word "glorify" mean? Verse 23 provides the answer,

Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me.

So, when reading Psalm 50, one must bounce around a bit, but a theme emerges. God pays attention to our behavior, and we'll have to answer for our behavior eventually. Therefore, we should try to order our lives according to his will, and if we do, he'll save us from trouble. And when he does save us from trouble, we should praise him, which brings him glory.

With that outline in mind, try reading the full Psalm 50, and let it guide your prayers.

Thou knewest my path

God can sometimes feel like a distant, abstract force, unfamiliar with our experiences as humans. When we feel that way, let us consider three things.

First, those feelings are almost always the direct result of our own sins. So we should consider whether those distant feelings are actually our fault.

Second, never forgot that Jesus came in human form, so that he actually directly experienced the feelings, thoughts, and emotions of humans. Isaiah (63:9, KJV) states

In all their affliction he was afflicted.

Third, God has explained to us, in many places, that he completely understands life on earth. Just to pick on example, Psalm 102:19-20 (KJV) reads

He hath looked down from the height of his sanctuary; from heaven did the Lord behold the earth; To hear the groaning of the prisoner; to loose those that are appointed to death.

And to pick another, consider the famous verse in John 11:35 (KJV),

Jesus wept.

God certainly knows our thoughts and emotions. Here's near to us. So let us draw near to him ... by praying without ceasing!

 

 

After they had rest

Nehemiah (9:28, KJV) summarizes God's dealings with the post-exile Hebrews, but his discourse speaks exactly to our own interactions with God. Specifically, what happens when God has given us some relief or peace or success? Nehemiah addresses God,

After they had rest, they did evil again before thee: therefore leftest thou them in the land of their enemies, so that they had the dominion over them: yet when they returned, and cried unto thee, thou heardest them from heaven; and many times didst thou deliver them according to thy mercies.

On one hand, it's depressing that we do "evil again," which inevitably brings some kind of chastisement. Then we return and cry until God. He hears and delivers. And this cycle repeats, as indicated by the phrase "many times." On the other hand, the passage is encouraging, because it speaks to God's abundant mercies. He delivers "many times"!

We're sinful. We're going to repeatedly sin. And God is going to repeatedly forgive. Our job is to humble ourselves before him, because we don't deserve that mercy. As stated in Psalm 34:18 (KJV),

The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.

Separate yourselves from the people of the land

Toward the end of Ezra, Israel finds itself having intermingled with non-Hebrews. God had expressly forbidden this, knowing that such fraternization would lead to sin. To their credit, the Hebrews repented, without making excuses (Ezra 10:2, KJV),

We have trespassed against our God.

This cycle of sin leading to repentance happens throughout the bible, but what's interesting about Ezra 10 is the extent to which the Israelites plot to change their behavior. Starting in Ezra 10:3 (KJV),

Now therefore let us make a covenant with our God ... and of those that tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the law.

The main corrective action comes in verse 11 (KJV),

Now therefore make confession unto the Lord God of your fathers, and do his pleasure: and separate yourselves from the people of the land.

Our modern ears should equate "people of the land" with sin in general. That is, we should "make confession" for our sins, seek to "do his pleasure," and separate ourselves from further sin. Thankfully, God gives us many repeated opportunities to follow the path put forth in verse 11. So let's take that path today.