Tag: David

Mercy

Re: Verse reading–Psalm 51; 1 John 1:9 (Day Five)  When pondering the nature and character of God we take note of His Majesty, Wisdom, and Justice.  In Psalm 51, David teaches us the sole basis of any approach to God by sinners is His Mercy.  vs 1- “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions..”

Where does our understanding of God’s merciful nature come from?  It comes from God Himself.  Exodus 33:19 “I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.”  Hebrews 4:16- “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

So maybe this week, as we read this passage, we can be reminded that what we need to know about God, is that He is merciful.

God’s mercy is also depicted as Unfailing Love and Great Compassion.

One further thought and reminder (thanks to James Boice), Unfailing Love points to the continuing operation of God’s Mercy, and Compassion teaches He does feel our infirmities.

Restore

Re: Verse reading–Psalm 51; 1 John 1:9 (Day Two)
Restore to me the joy of your salvation Psalm 51:12. Look back at the words that pertain specifically to David’s sin: blot out, wash away, cleanse me. Such vivid imagery creates a landscape that we can all understand. This picture of a broken man, not a king, but a man caught in sin. We can relate. But what is astounding is not the picture created of David’s sin-nature, but the hope of restoration. All of these terms deal with a renewal. To be brought back to a former relationship. Sometimes when we have sinned we cannot imagine how we can be forgiven much less how we can be brought back to a right relationship with the Almighty. But hear David’s cry, once he has confessed his heart longs for the Joy of His Salvation. What a beautiful thought, to be made clean again with the same life and strength as that first time you prayed. Don’t let the weight of your sin cause you to buckle, His joy is still waiting for you. He is faithful, He is just and His burden is light.

We need to talk.

Re: Verse reading–Psalm 51; 1 John 1:9 (Day One)
  “Have mercy on me, O God. . .For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.  Against you, and you only have I sinned.”  (Psalm 51:1, 3-4)  We need to talk!  Ever had a friend say this to you?  Something hurtful has entered the relationship.  Anger.  Disagreement. Left unaddressed this tension will weaken the friendship and possibly destroy it.  Only an honest, vulnerable conversation can deal with the disappointment and restore trust.  Same with God.  It is called confession.  Not to priest, but to God Himself, by means of prayer.  The subject?  Sin.  Hard?  Yes.  Embarrassing?  Yes.  Necessary?  Yes.  Psalm 51 may be the best know prayer of confession in the world.  After his affair with Bathsheba, after he murders his friend to cover-up, David comes clean in a conversation with God.  We all have much to learn from his example.  Listen carefully, friend, you may hear the Lord say, “We need to talk.”

Ichabod

Re: Verse reading–Ezekiel 10:18-19, 11:22-23; 40:1-2; 43:1-9  (day one)
“And she called the boy Ichabod, saying, ‘the glory has departed from Israel.’ ”  (1 Samuel 4:21)  Old story.  The daughter-in-law of Eli, upon hearing the news of a great defeat and the enemy capture of the Ark of the Covenant, kneels down and gives birth and dies. (On how many levels can sin be tragic?)  Before death comes, she names the boy Ichabod, which means “the glory of God has departed.”  Years later, it happens again.  Not the birth, but the departure of God’s glory, God’s protection/power.  Ezekiel sees it in a vision.  “The glory of the Lord departed from the threshold of the temple.” (10:18)  Then later, “the glory of the Lord went up from the midst of the city, and stood over the mountain which is east of the city.”  (11:23)  Graphic.  Sobering.  It is what David dreaded, “Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take Thy Holy Spirit from me.”  (Psalm 51:11)

Obedience to His Call

Re: Verse reading – Ezekiel 1:28-3:4 (day four)
The call of God is unmistakable!  Verse 2 says, “As He spoke to me the Spirit entered me and set me on my feet; and I heard Him speaking to me.”  Samuel, Elijah, Elisha, David, Habakkuk, Paul…the list goes on.  When God spoke to one of His servants, things happened.  Ezekiel heard from God and his life was set…he would be a spokesman for God.  God expected obedience from Ezekiel.  He said whether they listen to you or not…they are stubborn and obstinate and rebellious…they will know that a prophet has been among them.  That is God’s command to us…we are to go and make disciples.  (Matthew 28:19-20)  We are not responsible for people’s response to our evangelistic efforts, we are only responsible for being obedient to go and tell.  Just like He promised to protect Ezekiel, He will protect us when we are obedient.  So what is keeping us from going?

When Judgement Comes

Re: Verse reading – Jeremiah 21:1-10; 38:1-6 (day seven) 
“Thus says the Lord. . .those who go out and surrender to the Chaldeans. . . shall live.”  (21:8-9)  When judgment comes we are to submit to it.  Not complain.  Not resist.  We are to trust/obey God despite the painful moment that our sins have brought down upon us.  God promises a way of escape and commands us to endure because we believe.  (1 Corinthians 10:13)  David is a good example of this attitude that leads to recovery.  “Against you, you only have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are justified when you speak, and blameless when you judge.”  (Psalm 51:4)  He praised God and refused to accuse God of unfairness.  Admitting that some of the difficulty is life comes in direct response to our sin is humbling.  Some, not all,  heartbreak is the discipline of God, and the way forward is to submit to it and look to Him for mercy to follow.

Seventy years

Re: Verse reading – Jeremiah 29:1-14 (day seven)
“It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of a living God.”  (Hebrews 10:3)  It is not a place I want to be–led by my own stubbornness into a time of God’s discipline.  Read Hebrews 12:5-11.  Once begun, the discipline of God will run its course.  Short or long, the Lord will decide the duration and I will have no other choice but to endure.  40 years in the wilderness for the Exodus people. (Numbers 14:34)  70 years in exile for the unrepentant people of Judah.  (Jeremiah 29:10)  3 days of pestilence for the nation because of David’s sin. (2 Samuel 24:13)  The anger of God is nothing to trifled with.  Even this “opposition” to us (Numbers 14:34) is an expression of His loving desire for us to share His holiness. (Hebrews 12:10)  It is, however, very painful and costly for those who experience it.  “Do not be DECEIVED, God is not mocked; whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.”  (Galatians 6:7)

How majestic

Re:Verse reading–Psalm 8 (day one)
“O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!”  (vs 1)  Fill in the blanks.   “For purple mountain_________above the fruited plain.” (think song)  “Her ________, the Queen!”  (think England)  When David says that God’s name is majestic, He used a word (addir) which meant, “glorious, mighty, huge or wide”.  It was a word of scope, scale and size.  Name meant “reputation or character”.   It is an insight that came to David as he watched the stillness and beauty of the nighttime sky.  How could the creator of such beauty not be beautiful, Himself?  How could He be small?  There is great benefit for those who gain this perspective.   Whenever we are overwhelmed it is usually because our problems have gotten large and our God has gotten small (in our eyes, at least).  To recover this vision is to experience peace.  “Little ones to Him belong, they are weak, but He is STRONG!”