The
Solution to the Mess that
the World ,
and Each of Us are In Today Part XX
Psalm 53 & 59
Various New Testament Passages
October
19, 2025
(31 pp. of notes -some may be
repetitious)
1 Deliver
me from mine enemies............
12 For the sin of their mouth and the words of
their lips let them even be taken in their
pride:
and for cursing and lying which they speak.
13 Consume
them in wrath, consume them, that they may not be: and
let them know
that God ruleth in Jacob unto the ends of the earth. Selah.
14 And
at evening let them return; and let them make a noise like a dog, and go
round
about the city.
15 Let them wander up and down for meat, and
grudge if they be not satisfied.”
(Psalm
59:1,12-15)
In Psalm 59:15, the word "grudge" means to complain, murmur, or be unsatisfied. It describes David's
enemies as being like hungry dogs that roam and howl in dissatisfaction when they
cannot find their prey. The word's original meaning also encompassed "to stay all night"
if unsatisfied,
a phrase that aligns with the image of a restless and unsuccessful hunt.
·
·
Grumbling in discontent: Great
Danger in Dissatisfaction;
The Hebrew word used in this verse
originally conveyed the idea of a loud complaint
or grumble. In this context, it
pictures David's enemies making a frustrated, unhappy noise.
This week I was
thinking about the idea of “FIRST THINGS
FIRST.”
Are you aware that the Bible teaches that before He made
the world that God
and His Son, Jesus Christ, worked out the plan of salvation
for you and me and
all the world?
“Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou
wilt revive me: thou shalt stretch forth
thine hand
against the wrath of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall save me.”
The Lord
will perfect that which concerneth me:
thy mercy O Lord endureth for
ever: forsake not the work of thine own
hands.” (Psalm 138:7-8)
This perfection is a result of
God’s Plan of Salvation.
What order of importance is it
in your life”
Early?
Late”
Never?
“Now unto
Him that is able to present you faultless before the presence of His glory
with
esceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion
and power,
both now and for ever.” (Jude 1:24-25)
14 Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they might have right
to the
treeof life, and may enter through the gates into the city.
15 For without are dogs, and sorcerers (φαρμακοι
- pharmakoi - pharmakoi -
especially
one who uses drugs), and idolaters, and whoremongers, and whosoever
loveth and maketh a lie.”
I want to get into things which will not only keep you out of heaven, (if unrepented)
but will keep you dissatisfied
for the rest of your earthly life!
___________________________________________________________-________
In Galatians 5:20 - φαρμακεία
= pharmakeia - sorcery - progression:
medicine, drugs,
poisoning, sorcery, witchcraft
- associated with the occult - professedly designed to
keep the user from the
attention and power of demons, but actually to impress the
user with the mysterious
resources and powers of the sorcerer.
(Vine’s Expository
Dictionary of New Testament
Words)
19 Now the works of
the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery,
fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
20 Idolatry,
witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions,
heresies,
21 Envyings,
murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which
I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they
which do such
things shall not inherit the
9 Know ye not that
the unrighteous shall not inherit the
Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers,
nor
effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
10 Nor thieves, nor
covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners,
shall inherit the
11 And such were some
of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified,
but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit
of our God.
(I Corinthians 6:9-11)
Reiterate:
“Now unto
Him that is able to present you faultless before the presence of His glory
with
esceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion
and power,
both now and for ever.” (Jude 1:24-25)
Emphasize Psalm 69:13 - “But as for me, my prayer is unto thee, O
Lord, in an
acceptable
time. O God, in the multitude of thy
mercy hear me, in the truth of thy
salvation.”
Psalm 53:1-3
“The fool
hath said in his heart, There is no God.
Corrupt are they and have done
abominable
iniquity: there is none that doeth good.
God looked down from heaven
upon the children
of men, to see if there were any that did understand, that did
seek God.”
18 “For the wrath of God is revealed (one of the four
root words - where have you
been all your life? - the
others being manifest, knowledge, understanding)from
heaven against
all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in
unrighteousness;”
19 “Because that which may be known of God is manifest (another of
the words)
in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
The knowledge of God's
mercy rests mainly on revelation" (Kay).
“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament
showeth His handiwork.
Day
unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge. There is no
speech
nor language where their voice is not heard.” (Psalm 19:1-3)
Contrast the two recent “nos) “no God” and “no voice where His explanation
is
not heard!”
The New Testament way and shortcut to what you and I are
really looking for
is found in the first few verses of Hebrews !:1-3)
1 “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in
time past
unto the
fathers by the prophets,”
2 “Hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, whom
He hath
appointed heir
of all things, by whom also He made the worlds;”
3 Who being the brightness of His glory, and the express
image of His
person, and
upholding all things by the word of His power, when He
had by Himself
purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the
Majesty on
high:
20 “For the invisible things of Him from the creation of
the world are
clearly seen,
being understood
by the things that are made, even His
eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:”
21“Because that, when they knew God, they glorified Him not
as God,
neither were
thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and
their foolish heart was darkened.”
22 “Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,”
23 “And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an
image
made like to
corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts,
and creeping
things.”
24 “Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through
the lusts
of their own
hearts, to dishonor their own bodies between themselves:
25 “Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped
and served
the creature
more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.”
26
“For this cause God gave them
up unto vile affections: for even their
women did
change the natural use into that which is against nature:”
( I can guarantee you that abortion on demand is against nature
[God said in
Jeremiah 19:5 - “...neither came it unto my mind.”] Not only is abortion
against nature, which humanists like to recognize as
their authority, but
lesbianism is against nature - note v. 26)
27 “And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of
the woman,
burned in their
lust one toward another; men with men working that
which is
unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of
their error
which was meet.
28 ”And even as they did not like to retain God in their
knowledge,
God gave them
over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which
are not
convenient;”
29 “Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication,
wickedness,
covetousness,
maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit,
malignity;
whisperers,”
30 “Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters,
inventors of
evil things,
disobedient to parents,”
31 “Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without
natural
affection,
implacable, unmerciful:” (I counted 24 things - more than a catch all)
32 “Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit
such
things are
worthy of death, not only do the same, but
have pleasure
in them that do
them.”
Contrast these 24 descriptions
of the evil that mankind can fall into with
the seven things God hates in
Proverbs 6;
The Danger of Dissatisfaction With One’s
Lot in Life - Part VI
II Timothy 3:1-5
Ezekiel 16:18-63; Proverbs
5:15-23
July
7, 2024
At the end of last
week’s lesson I was dealing with the saturation point of iniquity
filling up
one’s life - I was using comments by Charles Spurgeon on Genesis
15:16, about
God’s revelation to Abram, before his name change.
“....the iniquity of the
Amorites is not yet full.”
Sexual
immorality and sexual deviancy are just two ways to fill up the
measure (of
iniiquity allotted to an individual ??????????????) Abuse of alcohol
and drug usage
are two other common ways that mankind in our age are on the road to
eternal
separation from God.
II Timothy
3:1-5
1 This know also, that
in the last days perilous times shall come.
2 For men shall be
lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters,
proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful,
unholy,
3 Without natural
affection, trucebreakers, false accusers,
incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
4 Traitors, heady,
highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers
of God;
3:5 Having a form of
godliness, but denying the power thereof: from
such turn away.
Add these nineteen (19)
characteristics of the times with the twenty-four (24)
from Romans 1 and seven (7)
things God hates from Proverbs 5:16-19)
Consider the
Seven Things God Hates from Proverbs 6:16-19:
As I have said on
other occasions, these seven things are characteristics
of American
Culture in 2024.
16 These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an
abomination unto Him:
17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent
blood,
18 An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be
swift in
running to mischief,
19 A false witness that speaketh lies, and he
that soweth discord
among brethren.
But wait, in
true Biblical fashion, characteristic of God Himself, the next four verses
are the remedy for any of our situations in
which we might hem ourselves, making
available for
all, some timely and sound advice:
Advice for Americans and the People of the World Today
Proverbs
6:20-24
20 My son, keep thy father’s commandment, and forsake not the
law
of thy mother:
21 Bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about
thy neck.
22 When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it
shall
keep thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee.*
24 For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and
reproofs
of instruction are the way of life:
It is a very happy circumstance
when the commandment of our father and the law
of our mother are also the
commandment of God and the law of the Lord. (As I have
said the last two weeks, now three weeks, the revelation of God’s will was intended
to be COORDINATE WITH THE SUPREME
SECULAR AUTHORITY!
You
kinda get the picture of the condition the world has been in, is now, and
shall be,
until Jesus comes to bring in eternal righteousness and may our prayer
be “Even so, Come Lord Jesus! =
Revelation 22:20.
In verses 2-3
of II Timothy 3, prior to and following the word “incontinent” are these
words
descriptive of the last days:
“....unthankful, unholy,
without natural affection, trucebreakers, incontinent,
fierce, despisers of those
who are good.” - These are other ways to fill
that cup of
iniquity to the point of no return.
ἀκρατεῖς - akrateis - without
self-control- powerless, impotent
Do you remember
the parable of Jesus in Luke 13:6-9?
It was prefaced
by:
5 I tell you, Nay:
but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
6 He spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree
planted in
his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and
found none.
7 Then said he unto the
dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three
years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find
none: cut it
down; why cumbereth it the ground?
8 And he answering said
unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till
I shall dig about it, and dung it:
9 And if it bear fruit,
well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it
down.
All
these lots in life, situations, and predicaments that we get ourselves in,
we either
address or ignore.
In II Timothy
Incontinency is
flanked by all sorts of biblical terms that Americans and the rest
of the world
should, though they be not Bible students, yet understand, in 2024.
While I am at
it, I want to wander farther from the lesson title,
but hitting the
bull’s eye of what we are talking about - by addressing conditions
in the
or
unfortunately, in our hearts.
Atheism Contrasted with Godliness (Psalm 53:1-2)
I. ATHEISM. “No God.” This implies:
1. Denial of God’s existence
This
is folly. The assertion proves nothing.
Negatives are not arguments.
Besides, there may be a God, though you,
the denier, have not found Him.
You have not yet explored the universe.
2. Denial of God’s moral government of the world. “No God!” if so,
then
there is nothing but chance.
There can be no law without a lawgiver, no
order without a controlling
mind. “No God!” then we are free to do our
own pleasure. “Let
us eat and drink; for tomorrow we die.” (Isaiah
22:13; I Corinthians 15:32)
3. Denial of God’s grace in the redemption
of sinners by Jesus Christ.
“No God!” then the Bible is a fable, heaven and hell are dreams, the
benefits of the gospel are a
delusion, faith in Christ and the resurrection is a
mockery and a lie.
II. GODLINESS. “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no
God;” but
the wise man says that there is a God, and that “He is the Rewarder of
all
who diligently seek
Him.” Godliness implies:
1. Faith in God as revealed in Christ Jesus. Here is the
satisfaction of the
soul.
2. Life ruled by the law of Christ, which is holy, just, and good. Here
is the
true ideal, and the Spirit, by the gospel, shows how it may be realized.
3. Prayer and holy endeavor to the end. We are not left to struggle alone,
but have the Word to guide us, the promises to cheer us,
the love of Christ
to inspire us, that
we may go from strength to strength, and that when
called hence we may enter upon the blessed and perfect life
beyond this
world. Thus the godly
witness for God. They testify to His being, for in Him
they live; to His character, for
their aim is to be holy as He is holy; to His
will and government, for they
strive to do justly AS HE DOES JUSTLY and
to be merciful as He is
merciful, who “maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on
the good, and
sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.” (Matthew 5:45)
All the good in themselves, in society, in the world, IS FROM GOD!
What has been is in agreement with what is now. The progress of all things
is towards a perfect end.
AND TO NOT SEE THAT END, TO BE NOT
INCLUDED - the tragedy of all tragedies - CY - 2025) The cross, which
overthrew paganism, and
triumphed over the eagles of
win greater and yet greater
victories. Yet a little while, and the great
voices
of heaven shall cry, “The kingdoms of this
world arc become
the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall
reign
for ever and ever” (Revelation 11:15).
I
ran across this: Job 21:7-20 Ponder -
this isn’t what you want at the end!
A
Pathetic Prayer (Psalm 55: 6-8)
“Oh that I had wings,” etc.! A very natural wish, pathetically and
beautifully expressed. The Prophet Jeremiah gave utterance to the
same
wish, and for
similar reasons (Jeremiah 9:2). Hence some
have
conjectured he was the author of this psalm. The title,
ascribing it to David,
represents ancient Jewish tradition, which there is no
adequate ground for
rejecting. But the psalm contains nothing certainly to
indicate at what time
in David’s history it was composed, or who was the
treacherous friend
referred to. The fact is, the Book of Psalms is a treasury, not of
history
(thus I have on this website Charles H. Spurgeon’s Treasury
of David - a full
commentary on all 150 Psalms, to go along with these of
the Pulpit Commentary,
CY - 2025), but of
spiritual experience; a manual of prayer, praise, meditation,
faith, for the
Church in all ages. (I don’t know how many
times in my life I have
had great need to turn to the Psalms for personal help and
guidance, where I found
solace in time of need - the book of Psalms are quoted more
often in the New Testament
than any other book - CY - 2025) Its perennial meaning and value are rather
raised than
lowered by the uncertainty besetting special occasions and
dates which keen critics
labor to drag to light.
I. THESE WORDS PICTURE FOR US A HEART WEARY OF
THE
WORLD. The writer longs passionately to be quit of it, out of
sight and
hearing, in restful solitude. He feels as our English poet,
when taking up
Jeremiah’s thought he wrote:
“Oh for a
lodge in some vast wilderness,
Some
boundless contiguity of shade,
Where
rumor of oppression and deceit,
Of unsuccessful
or successful war,
Might
never reach me more!”
The Task by William Cowper
(1785)
This world-weariness may be of different kinds —
from widely opposite
causes. There is the case of the man who has loved the world with
all his
heart, and is
sick and sated, and still hungry and unsatisfied. He has loved
pleasure, laid the reins on the neck of his lusts; and his reward is a
diseased
body, a worn-out heart, a blighted character, a guilty
conscience. Or
money; and while he has been piling up what men call a
fortune, his heart
has dried up,
friends have grown estranged, the power of enjoyment has
dwindled as the
material means of buying it grew. Or political power;
and
has learned how
thankless a task it is to serve people against their
prejudices, how
futile is popularity, party allegiance, how unstable earthly
greatness. Like many a monarch
and statesman, he is longing for freedom
and rest. Is ir not these kinds of world-weariness the Holy Spirit
depicts
here. Those tired-out worldlings do not write psalms. They have sown
to
the flesh, and reaped
corruption. What David and
Jeremiah were so weary
of was the wickedness of the world (vs. 3, 9, 11, 19). This is the key to
the tremendous denunciations of the guilt and fate of
sinners, in other
psalms as well as here. Intense personal feeling is no
doubt implied; but it is
as rebels against God, not
as private foes, they are described.
The king —
the Lord’s anointed — ought to have punished them if he
could; feeling his
inability, he appeals to God. And be it borne in mind, God did punish
them;
as (e.g.) Ahithophel and Absalom.
Ezekiel
9:1-6
Condense
A Pathetic
Prayer (vs. 6-8)
“Oh that I had wings,” etc.! A very natural wish, pathetically and
beautifully expressed. The Prophet Jeremiah gave utterance to the
same
wish, and for
similar reasons (Jeremiah 9:2). Hence some
have
conjectured he was the author of this psalm. The title,
ascribing it to David,
represents ancient Jewish tradition, which there is no
adequate ground for
rejecting. But the psalm contains nothing certainly to
indicate at what time
in David’s history it was composed, or who was the
treacherous friend
referred to. The fact is, the Book of Psalms is a treasury, not of
history
(thus I have on this website Charles H. Spurgeon’s Treasury
of David - a full
commentary on all 150 Psalms, to go along with these of
the Pulpit Commentary,
CY - 2025), but of
spiritual experience; a manual of prayer, praise, meditation,
faith, for the
Church in all ages. (I don’t know how many
times in my life I have
had great need to turn to the Psalms for personal help and
guidance, where I found
solace in time of need - the book of Psalms are quoted more
often in the New Testament
than any other book - CY - 2025) Its perennial meaning and value are rather
raised than
lowered by the uncertainty besetting special occasions and
dates which keen critics
labor to drag to light.
I. THESE WORDS PICTURE FOR US A HEART WEARY OF
THE
WORLD. The writer longs passionately to be quit of it, out of
sight and
hearing, in restful solitude. He feels as our English poet,
when taking up
Jeremiah’s thought he wrote:
“Oh for a
lodge in some vast wilderness,
Some
boundless contiguity of shade,
Where
rumor of oppression and deceit,
Of unsuccessful
or successful war,
Might
never reach me more!”
The Task by William Cowper
(1785)
This world-weariness may be of different kinds —
from widely opposite
causes. There is the case of the man who has loved the world with
all his
heart, and is
sick and sated, and still hungry and unsatisfied. He has loved
pleasure, laid the reins on the neck of his lusts; and his reward is a
diseased
body, a worn-out heart, a blighted character, a guilty
conscience. Or
money; and while he has been piling up what men call a
fortune, his heart
has dried up,
friends have grown estranged, the power of enjoyment has
dwindled as the
material means of buying it grew. Or political power;
and
has learned how
thankless a task it is to serve people against their
prejudices, how
futile is popularity, party allegiance, how unstable earthly
greatness. Like many a monarch
and statesman, he is longing for freedom
and rest. Is ir not these kinds of world-weariness the Holy Spirit
depicts
here. Those tired-out worldlings do not write psalms. They have sown
to
the flesh, and reaped
corruption. What David and
Jeremiah were so weary
of was the wickedness of the world (vs. 3, 9, 11, 19). This is the key to
the tremendous denunciations of the guilt and fate of sinners,
in other
psalms as well as here. Intense personal feeling is no
doubt implied; but it is
as rebels against God, not
as private foes, they are described.
The king —
the Lord’s anointed — ought to have punished them if he
could; feeling his
inability, he appeals to God. And be it borne in mind, God did punish
them;
as (e.g.)
Ahithophel and Absalom. It is often asked
— How can we
reconcile these denunciations with our Lord’s prayer,
“Father, forgive
them”? Answer: Remember the ground on which this forgiveness
was
possible: “They know not what they do.” They were to have
room for
repentance. Remember, that only two or three days before, Jesus had
uttered, in the
temple, denunciations more severe than any in the Psalms;
and, lastly, that
these woes were fulfilled to the letter, after forty years, in
the destruction of
II. EVERY REAL CHRISTIAN MUST KNOW SOMETHING OF
THIS
HEART-SICKNESS,
PREVALENCE OF
SIN IN THE WORLD. The better he knows the
world, the more he feels this. Once our Saviour gave a
momentary glimpse
of the daily burden this was to him (Matthew 17:17). If so
very imperfect a saint
as
the Holy One of God have endured in the hourly contact with
sin! He
was the
“Friend of
sinners.” The Christian Church of the
present day — and society
outside the Church — shows more than in any former age of the
likeness of
his compassion
for sinners. But are we not
sorely lacking in that righteous
indignation against wrong, and deep grief at the dishonor
offered to God’s Name,
which are no less part of “the mind that was in Christ Jesus”?
III. WE MUST NOT ALLOW THIS HEART-WEARINESS TO SLIDE
INTO DESPAIR. It must not abate hope, slacken effort, hinder prayer.
The temptation may be strong — partly from forgetfulness or
ignorance of
the past. When a great poet allows himself to exclaim, “When was age so
crammed with meanness, madness, written, spoken lies?” the
reply is —
What former age was less so? Not the age of Isaiah, or of
Jeremiah, or of
Malachi. Not the age which cried, “Not this Man, but
Barabbas!” Nor the
ages of the decline and fall of
others, more justly, “the dark ages.” Nor of the Tudors and
Stuarts. Nor
the coldhearted, cruel eighteenth century. No! It is an old story, “The
whole world lieth in wickedness.” (I Johbn 5:19) It
is an ancient cry, “How
long, O Lord, how long?” We are “as they that watch for the
morning.” But courage!
“The night is far spent” (Romans 13:12). Armor is not for
flight, but
fight. “Like a dove!” Yes, David; if thou wert a dove! But thou art a king
— God’s
servant,
(Are yoiu a man or a mouse?
- CY - 2025) If this prayer is
David’s, it is pathetic
and instructive to remember that it was granted, though not
as he desired
(II Samuel 17:23). God can show us the unwisdom of our
prayers by granting
as well as denying. For the present, our Saviour’s prayer for His
own is not that
they be taken out
of the world (John 17:15). But whatever is
right and true in this
prayer shall in due time be answered (Revelation 21:3-4, 27).
Wearily
glean from this:
Prayer
(v. 16)
“As for me, I will call upon God!” In this verse — the crisis or turning-point of
the whole psalm — you see the storm-tossed vessel making
for the
harbor, and casting anchor in safe shelter. A sorely
wounded soul, vexed
and out of heart with the tumult and strife of life, the
wickedness of men,
longs for:
“A lodge
in some vast wilderness,
Some
boundless contiguity of shade;”
where, far from
the sight of violence and fraud, the din of business, politics,
or war, he might be alone with God. But he discerns that if
he cannot flee
from mankind, he can take
refuge in God. He appeals from an
unjust and
cruel world to eternal righteousness, infinite love, Divine
faithfulness. He
pours out his
heart to God, and lays hold on Him; and light and peace begin
to stream in (vs. 18, 22, ch. 62:8 and closing words of psalm). The
text suggests
some very important views of prayer.
I. ITS PERSONAL CHARACTER; as expressing individual need and
desire; the voluntary confidential converse of the heart
with God. Custom,
fashion, human sympathy, and opinion are all out of court.
If in the whole
world not another heart or voice were raised in prayer, the
believer would
yet say, “As for me, I will
call upon God.” There are other kinds
of prayer:
the united prayer of two or three, agreed touching what
they shall ask; the
public prayer of the assembled Church. In private prayer,
too, all is
not
petition for one’s
self or others; there is confession, thanksgiving,
consecration,
submission, adoration. Worship may be
wordless, silent. But
the most wonderful, instructive, encouraging examples of
prayer recorded
in the Bible show us some
strong earnest spirit face to face with God, in
direct petition;
alone with the Father of spirits, the Almighty Creator, even
though a multitude were looking on. Abraham; Jacob; Moses;
Joshua;
Elijah; Hezekiah; Paul. This is what makes this Book of
Psalms so precious
a manual for the Church and for each Christian; a
storehouse of liturgies, a
magazine of prayers. This makes David’s life, in spite of
his faults and sins,
so true and grand a
type of real godliness; the clear, full sense and
unhesitating utterance, of personal relationship to God; the reality,
blessedness,
duty, glorious privilege, of drawing nigh to God. Think of it.
There is something more than sublime — appalling — in this
view of
prayer. That a child of dust, yesterday in the cradle, hanging on
God’s
absolute power
over the gulf of nothingness, whose voice can reach so
few, even of
his fellow-men, whose knowledge, thought, will, are bounded
in such strait
limits, should be
able at will to speak with the Ruler and
Author of the universe; to make his wish, weakness, misery,
or his boldest
hope and loftiest purpose, known beyond the stars, above
the thrones of
archangels, behind all the laws and causes and inmost
springs of nature —
to God himself; and that he should have a right to
expect an answer! Is not
this, I say, an amazing, sublime, appalling contemplation?
How poor and
low are all the heights of worldly dignity compared with
the point to which
these words lift our thoughts, to which you or I may soar
if we make them
our own! “As for me, I will call upon God!”
II. THE CERTAINTY THAT GOD HEARS PRAYER; its sure warrant,
reasonable assurance, joyful encouragement. “And the Lord
shall save
me.” If this
certainty were merely an inward persuasion, born of strong
desire, it would be worthless. If based on any supposed
claim of merit or
special favoritism, it would be blind presumption. If on the
experience of
fact, that God does
answer prayer, it would rest on as sure
foundation as the
discoveries of science, and what we call “laws
of nature”
But the haunting uncertainty would paralyze faith — Will
God hear my
prayer? IT RESTS:
1. On God’s promises. If the Bible contains
any Divine promises, they are
promises to prayer.
2. On the mediation of the Lord Jesus. The Old Testament
believer took
his stand on the ground of God’s
covenant; and securely, because, though
the priesthood and sacrifices
were but shadows, they were shadows of
THE
GREAT REALITY - CHRIST. How much more
boldly may we draw near, to
whom the reality stands unveiled (Hebrews 4:16; Romans 8:34)!
3. On the promised help of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 8:26, 24.)
Let us
take up David’s purpose (v. 17),
and hold fast David’s faith, “He shall
hear my voice.”
From a lesson of yesteryear that is applicable here - CY -
2025
The True and the False
Way of Encountering the Difficulties of Life
(vs. 1-8)
Sorrow, danger, and terror had come upon the psalmist with
the force of a
tempest. He thinks of two ways of escape:
Ø
casting himself upon
God and
Ø flight.
These suggests the
true and the false way of encountering the difficulties
of life.
I. TAKE THE FALSE FIRST. “Oh that I had wings,” etc.! (vs.
6-8).
We must conquer difficulties, not fly from them:
1. Because the post of difficulty is often the post of duty. And we find no
rest in flight, because we have
sought to evade or neglect our duty.
2. The post of
difficulty is the post of discipline. Difficulty is one
of the
Divine instruments of our training; gives health and
strength.
3. Solitude brings an exchange of difficulties, and does not free us from
the power of the world. It is better to fight the battle of life than for the
heart to prey upon itself apart
from the fellowship of men and women.
II. THE
LIFE. By seeking the help of God. (vs. 1-2.)
1. God will help us to a greater faith. “This is the
victory that overcometh
the world, even
your faith’ (I John 5:4) - faith in Divine help, and faith in the
good and righteous cause.
2. God will inspire us with a truer courage. “In the world ye
shall have
tribulation: but
be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”
(John 16:33)
3. God will give to those who are faithful all needed
strength. Will fulfil
the promise, “As
thy day’[or, ‘need’] is so shall thy strength be.” (Deuteronomy 33:25)
4. Victory is easier to us than to the psalmist, through Christ. Faith in God
through faith in Christ will give every believer the victory.
Facing Death
Ecclesiastes
9:1-10
August
22, 2021
I used to teach this in Health
Class at
EVERYONE
HAS PROBLEMS.
Adaptive Behavior is reacting to situations we face in live in healthful
ways.
Maladaptive Behavior is reacting to situations in our lives in
unhealthful ways.
Characteristics of people who use adaptive behaviors are:
o they have the ability to solve problems in healthful
ways
o flexibility
o they have ability to handle their emotions in
healthful ways
o they have short-term plans
o they have long-term plans
o they are able to develop and maintain close
relationships.
Characteristics of people who use maladaptive behavior are generally
opposite
of those who use adaptive behavior strategies:
o they try to solve their problems in unhealthy
ways.
o they are inflexible.
o they have not short-term plans.
o they have no long-term plans.
o they do not develop nor cultivate close
relationships.
Five problems associated with Maladaptive Behavior:
Ø Frustration
Ø Loneliness
Ø Depression
Ø Substance Abuse
Ø Suicide
The following is
added since I retired from teaching in 2000 - yea
much more recent
because of Covid and cryptocurrency
21st Century
Problems
Add to this the coin shortage - a clever way to get everyone to go to
plastic,
or as the man above says, “microchips
- cryptocurrency - no doubt early
steps in One World Government, the revealing of the “man of sin”
or “antichrist” which is prophesied in the
Bible.
A cryptocurrency, crypto-currency, or crypto is a binary data
designed to work as
a medium of exchange wherein individual coin
ownership records are stored in a
ledger
existing in a form of a computerized
database using strong cryptography
to
secure transaction records, to control the creation of
additional coins, and to
verify
the transfer of coin ownership.
“But evil men and seducers
shall wax worse and worse, deceiving,
and being
deceived. But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned
and hast been assured
of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them;
And that from a child thou
hast known the holy scriptures, which
are able to make thee
wise unto salvation through faith which is in
Christ Jesus. All
scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for
doctrine, for reproof, for
correction, for instruction in righteousness:
That the man of God may be
perfect, throughly furnished unto all
good works. (II Timothy 3:13-17)
The Solution to the Mess that
the World , and Each of Us are In Today Part XIX
Psalm 48-53
October
12, 2025
I have fourteen (14) pages of
notes today but I do not claim to cover them all.
I have them on the website for
any needy souls, serious Bible students, the lost,
or any person made in the image
of God to peruse if you are so inclined.
There is enough for you to keep
busy for a while but today I want to emphasize
and re-emphasize things that are
important to salvation and to guidance in everyday
life in a time such as this.
“For the
Lord is good, His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endureth to all
generations.” (Psalm 100:5)
“He shall
send from heaven, and save me from the reproach of him that would
swallow me
up. Selah. God shall send forth His
mercy and His truth.” (Psalm 57:3)
“Though I
walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me: thou shalt stretch forth
thine hand
against the wrath of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall save me.”
The Lord
will perfect that which concerneth me:
thy mercy O Lord endureth for
ever: forsake not the work of thine own
hands.” (Psalm 138:7-8)
______________________________________________________________________
“Now unto
Him that is able to present you faultless before the presence of His glory
with
esceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion
and power,
both now and for ever.” (Jude 1:24-25)
Emphasize Psalm 69:13 - “But as for me, my prayer is unto thee, O
Lord, in an
acceptable
time. O God, in the multitude of thy
mercy hear me, in the truth of thy
salvation.”
Psalm 53:1-3
“The fool
hath said in his heart, There is no God.
Corrupt are they and have done
abominable
iniquit: there is none that doeth good.
God looked down from heaven
upon the
children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, that did
seek God.”
18 “For the wrath of God is revealed (one of the four
root words - where have you
been all your life? - the
others being manifest, knowledge, understanding)from
heaven against
all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in
unrighteousness;”
19 “Because that which may be known of God is manifest (another of
the words)
in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament
showeth His handiwork.
Day
unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge. There is no
speech
nor language where their voice is not heard.” (Psalm 19:1-3)
Contrast the two recent “nos) “no God” and “no voice where His explanation
is
not heard!”
The New Testament way and shortcut to what you and I are
really looking for
is found in the first few verses of Hebrews !:1-3)
1 “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in
time past
unto the
fathers by the prophets,”
2 “Hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, whom
He hath
appointed heir
of all things, by whom also He made the worlds;”
3 Who being the brightness of His glory, and the express
image of His
person, and
upholding all things by the word of His power, when He
had by Himself
purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the
Majesty on high:
20 “For the invisible things of Him from the creation of
the world are
clearly seen,
being understood
by the things that are made, even His
eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:”
21“Because that, when they knew God, they glorified Him not
as God,
neither were
thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and
their foolish heart was darkened.”
22 “Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,”
23 “And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an
image
made like to
corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts,
and creeping
things.”
24 “Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through
the lusts
of their own
hearts, to dishonor their own bodies between themselves:
25 “Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped
and served
the creature
more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.”
26
“For this cause God gave them
up unto vile affections: for even their
women did
change the natural use into that which is against nature:”
( I can guarantee you that abortion on demand is against
nature [God said in
Jeremiah 19:5 - “...neither came it unto my mind.”] Not only is abortion
against nature, which humanists like to recognize as
their authority, but
lesbianism is against nature - note v. 26)
27 “And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of
the woman,
burned in their
lust one toward another; men with men working that
which is
unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of
their error
which was meet.
28 ”And even as they did not like to retain God in their
knowledge,
God gave them
over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which
are not
convenient;”
29 “Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication,
wickedness,
covetousness,
maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit,
malignity;
whisperers,”
30 “Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters,
inventors of
evil things,
disobedient to parents,”
31 “Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without
natural
affection,
implacable, unmerciful:” (I counted 24 things - more than a catch all)
32 “Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit
such
things are
worthy of death, not only do the same, but
have pleasure
in them that do
them.”
Contrast these 24 descriptions
of the evil that mankind can fall into with
the seven things God hates in
Proverbs 6;
The Danger of Dissatisfaction With One’s
Lot in Life - Part VI
II Timothy 3:1-5
Ezekiel 16:18-63; Proverbs
5:15-23
July
7, 2024
At the end of last
week’s lesson I was dealing with the saturation point of iniquity
filling up
one’s life - I was using comments by Charles Spurgeon on Genesis
15:16, about
God’s revelation to Abram, before his name change.
“....the iniquity of the
Amorites is not yet full.”
Sexual
immorality and sexual deviancy are just two ways to fill up the
measure (of
iniiquity allotted to an individual ??????????????) Abuse of alcohol
and drug useage
are two other common ways that mankind in our age are on the road to
eternal
separation from God.
II Timothy
3:1-5
1 This know also, that
in the last days perilous times shall come.
2 For men shall be
lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters,
proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful,
unholy,
3 Without natural
affection, trucebreakers, false accusers,
incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
4 Traitors, heady,
highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers
of God;
3:5 Having a form of
godliness, but denying the power thereof: from
such turn away.
Add these nineteen (19)
characteristics of the times with the twenty-four (24)
from Romans 1 and seven (7)
things God hates from Proverbs 5:16-19)
you
kinda get the picture of the condition the world has been in, is now, and
shall be,
until Jesus comes to bring in eternal righteousness and may our prayer
be “Even so, Come Lord Jesus! =
Revelation 22:20.
In verses 2-3
of II Timothy 3, prior to and following the word “incontinent” are these
words
descriptive of the last days:
“....unthankful, unholy,
without natural affection, trucebreakers, incontinent,
fierce, despisers of those
who are good.” - These are other ways to fill
that cup of
iniquity to the point of no return.
ἀκρατεῖς - akrateis - without
self-control- powerless, impotent
Do you remember
the parable of Jesus in Luke 13:6-9?
It was prefaced
by:
5 I tell you, Nay:
but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
6 He spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree
planted in
his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and
found none.
7 Then said he unto the
dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three
years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find
none: cut it
down; why cumbereth it the ground?
8 And he answering said unto
him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till
I shall dig about it, and dung it:
9 And if it bear fruit,
well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it
down.
All
these lots in life, situations, and predicaments that we get ourselves in,
we
either address or ignore.
In II Timothy
Incontinency is
flanked by all sorts of biblical terms that Americans and the rest
of the world
should, though they be not Bible students, yet understand, in 2024.
While I am at it,
I want to wander farther from the lesson title,
but hitting the
bull’s eye of what we are talking about - by addressing conditions
in the
or
unfortunately, in our hearts.
Consider the
Seven Things God Hates from Proverbs 6:16-19:
As I have said
on other occasions, these seven things are characteristics
of American
Culture in 2024.
16 These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an
abomination unto Him:
17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent
blood,
18 An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be
swift in
running to mischief,
19 A false witness that speaketh lies, and he
that soweth discord
among brethren.
But wait, in
true Biblical fashion, characteristic of God Himself, the next four verses
are the remedy for any of our situations in
which we might hem ourselves, making
available for
all, some timely and sound advice:
Advice for Americans and the People of the World Today
Proverbs
6:20-24
20 My son, keep thy father’s commandment, and forsake not the
law
of thy mother:
21 Bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about
thy neck.
22 When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall
keep thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee.*
24 For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and
reproofs
of instruction are the way of life:
It is a very happy circumstance
when the commandment of our father and the law
of our mother are also the
commandment of God and the law of the Lord. (As I have
said the last two weeks, now three weeks, the revelation of God’s will was intended
to be COORDINATE WITH THE SUPREME
SECULAR AUTHORITY!
Atheism Contrasted with Godliness (Psalm 53:1-2)
I. ATHEISM. “No God.” This implies:
1. Denial of God’s existence
This
is folly. The assertion proves nothing.
Negatives are not arguments.
Besides, there may be a God, though you,
the denier, have not found Him.
You have not yet explored the universe.
2. Denial of God’s moral government of the world. “No God!” if so,
then
there is nothing but chance.
There can be no law without a lawgiver, no
order without a controlling
mind. “No God!” then we are free to do our
own pleasure. “Let
us eat and drink; for tomorrow we die.” (Isaiah
22:13; I Corinthians 15:32)
3. Denial of God’s grace in the redemption
of sinners by Jesus Christ.
“No God!” then the Bible is a fable, heaven and hell are dreams, the
benefits of the gospel are a
delusion, faith in Christ and the resurrection is a
mockery and a lie.
II. GODLINESS. “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no
God;” but
the wise man says that there is a God, and that “He is the Rewarder of
all
who diligently seek
Him.” Godliness implies:
1. Faith in God as revealed in Christ Jesus. Here is the
satisfaction of the
soul.
2. Life ruled by the law of Christ, which is holy, just, and good. Here
is the
true ideal, and the Spirit, by the gospel, shows how it may be realized.
3. Prayer and holy endeavor to the end. We are not left to struggle alone,
but have the Word to guide us, the promises to cheer us,
the love of Christ
to inspire us, that
we may go from strength to strength, and that when
called hence we may enter upon the blessed and perfect life
beyond this
world. Thus the godly
witness for God. They testify to His being, for in Him
they live; to His character, for
their aim is to be holy as He is holy; to His
will and government, for they
strive to do justly AS HE DOES JUSTLY and
to be merciful as He is
merciful, who “maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on
the good, and
sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.” (Matthew 5:45)
All the good in themselves, in society, in the world, IS FROM GOD!
What has been is in agreement with what is now. The progress of all things
is towards a perfect end.
AND TO NOT SEE THAT END, TO BE NOT
INCLUDED - the tragedy of all tragedies - CY - 2025) The cross, which
overthrew paganism, and
triumphed over the eagles of
win greater and yet greater
victories. Yet a little while, and the great
voices
of heaven shall cry, “The kingdoms of this
world arc become
the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall
reign
for ever and ever” (Revelation 11:15).
I
ran across this: Job 21:7-20 Ponder -
this isn’t what you want at the end!
A Pathetic Prayer (Psalm 55: 6-8)
“Oh that I had wings,” etc.! A very natural wish, pathetically and
beautifully expressed. The Prophet Jeremiah gave utterance to the
same
wish, and for
similar reasons (Jeremiah 9:2). Hence some
have
conjectured he was the author of this psalm. The title,
ascribing it to David,
represents ancient Jewish tradition, which there is no
adequate ground for
rejecting. But the psalm contains nothing certainly to
indicate at what time
in David’s history it was composed, or who was the
treacherous friend
referred to. The fact is, the Book of Psalms is a treasury, not of
history
(thus I have on this website Charles H. Spurgeon’s Treasury
of David - a full
commentary on all 150 Psalms, to go along with these of
the Pulpit Commentary,
CY - 2025), but of
spiritual experience; a manual of prayer, praise, meditation,
faith, for the
Church in all ages. (I don’t know how many
times in my life I have
had great need to turn to the Psalms for personal help and
guidance, where I found
solace in time of need - the book of Psalms are quoted more
often in the New Testament
than any other book - CY - 2025) Its perennial meaning and value are rather
raised than
lowered by the uncertainty besetting special occasions and
dates which keen critics
labor to drag to light.
I. THESE WORDS PICTURE FOR US A HEART WEARY OF
THE
WORLD. The writer longs passionately to be quit of it, out of
sight and
hearing, in restful solitude. He feels as our English poet,
when taking up
Jeremiah’s thought he wrote:
“Oh for a
lodge in some vast wilderness,
Some
boundless contiguity of shade,
Where
rumor of oppression and deceit,
Of unsuccessful
or successful war,
Might
never reach me more!”
The Task by William Cowper
(1785)
This world-weariness may be of different kinds —
from widely opposite
causes. There is the case of the man who has loved the world with
all his
heart, and is
sick and sated, and still hungry and unsatisfied. He has loved
pleasure, laid the reins on the neck of his lusts; and his reward is a
diseased
body, a worn-out heart, a blighted character, a guilty
conscience. Or
money; and while he has been piling up what men call a
fortune, his heart
has dried up,
friends have grown estranged, the power of enjoyment has
dwindled as the
material means of buying it grew. Or political power;
and
has learned how
thankless a task it is to serve people against their
prejudices, how
futile is popularity, party allegiance, how unstable earthly
greatness. Like many a monarch
and statesman, he is longing for freedom
and rest. Is ir not these kinds of world-weariness the Holy Spirit
depicts
here. Those tired-out worldlings do not write psalms. They have sown
to
the flesh, and reaped
corruption. What David and
Jeremiah were so weary
of was the wickedness of the world (vs. 3, 9, 11, 19). This is the key to
the tremendous denunciations of the guilt and fate of
sinners, in other
psalms as well as here. Intense personal feeling is no
doubt implied; but it is
as rebels against God, not
as private foes, they are described.
The king —
the Lord’s anointed — ought to have punished them if he
could; feeling his
inability, he appeals to God. And be it borne in mind, God did punish
them;
as (e.g.) Ahithophel and Absalom.
Ezekiel
9:1-6
Condense
A Pathetic
Prayer (vs. 6-8)
“Oh that I had wings,” etc.! A very natural wish, pathetically and
beautifully expressed. The Prophet Jeremiah gave utterance to the
same
wish, and for
similar reasons (Jeremiah 9:2). Hence some
have
conjectured he was the author of this psalm. The title,
ascribing it to David,
represents ancient Jewish tradition, which there is no
adequate ground for
rejecting. But the psalm contains nothing certainly to
indicate at what time
in David’s history it was composed, or who was the
treacherous friend
referred to. The fact is, the Book of Psalms is a treasury, not of
history
(thus I have on this website Charles H. Spurgeon’s Treasury
of David - a full
commentary on all 150 Psalms, to go along with these of
the Pulpit Commentary,
CY - 2025), but of
spiritual experience; a manual of prayer, praise, meditation,
faith, for the
Church in all ages. (I don’t know how many
times in my life I have
had great need to turn to the Psalms for personal help and
guidance, where I found
solace in time of need - the book of Psalms are quoted more
often in the New Testament
than any other book - CY - 2025) Its perennial meaning and value are rather
raised than
lowered by the uncertainty besetting special occasions and
dates which keen critics
labor to drag to light.
I. THESE WORDS PICTURE FOR US A HEART WEARY OF
THE
WORLD. The writer longs passionately to be quit of it, out of
sight and
hearing, in restful solitude. He feels as our English poet,
when taking up
Jeremiah’s thought he wrote:
“Oh for a
lodge in some vast wilderness,
Some
boundless contiguity of shade,
Where
rumor of oppression and deceit,
Of unsuccessful
or successful war,
Might
never reach me more!”
The Task by William Cowper
(1785)
This world-weariness may be of different kinds —
from widely opposite
causes. There is the case of the man who has loved the world with
all his
heart, and is
sick and sated, and still hungry and unsatisfied. He has loved
pleasure, laid the reins on the neck of his lusts; and his reward is a
diseased
body, a worn-out heart, a blighted character, a guilty
conscience. Or
money; and while he has been piling up what men call a
fortune, his heart
has dried up,
friends have grown estranged, the power of enjoyment has
dwindled as the
material means of buying it grew. Or political power;
and
has learned how
thankless a task it is to serve people against their
prejudices, how
futile is popularity, party allegiance, how unstable earthly
greatness. Like many a monarch
and statesman, he is longing for freedom
and rest. Is ir not these kinds of world-weariness the Holy Spirit
depicts
here. Those tired-out worldlings do not write psalms. They have sown
to
the flesh, and reaped
corruption. What David and
Jeremiah were so weary
of was the wickedness of the world (vs. 3, 9, 11, 19). This is the key to
the tremendous denunciations of the guilt and fate of
sinners, in other
psalms as well as here. Intense personal feeling is no
doubt implied; but it is
as rebels against God, not
as private foes, they are described.
The king —
the Lord’s anointed — ought to have punished them if he
could; feeling his
inability, he appeals to God. And be it borne in mind, God did punish
them;
as (e.g.)
Ahithophel and Absalom. It is often asked
— How can we
reconcile these denunciations with our Lord’s prayer,
“Father, forgive
them”? Answer: Remember the ground on which this forgiveness
was
possible: “They know not what they do.” They were to have
room for
repentance. Remember, that only two or three days before, Jesus had
uttered, in the
temple, denunciations more severe than any in the Psalms;
and, lastly, that
these woes were fulfilled to the letter, after forty years, in
the destruction of
II. EVERY REAL CHRISTIAN MUST KNOW SOMETHING OF
THIS
HEART-SICKNESS,
PREVALENCE OF
SIN IN THE WORLD. The better he knows the
world, the more he feels this. Once our Saviour gave a
momentary glimpse
of the daily burden this was to him (Matthew 17:17). If so
very imperfect a saint
as
the Holy One of God have endured in the hourly contact with
sin! He
was the
“Friend of
sinners.” The Christian Church of the
present day — and society
outside the Church — shows more than in any former age of the
likeness of
his compassion
for sinners. But are we not
sorely lacking in that righteous
indignation against wrong, and deep grief at the dishonor
offered to God’s Name,
which are no less part of “the mind that was in Christ Jesus”?
III. WE MUST NOT ALLOW THIS HEART-WEARINESS TO SLIDE
INTO DESPAIR. It must not abate hope, slacken effort, hinder prayer.
The temptation may be strong — partly from forgetfulness or
ignorance of
the past. When a great poet allows himself to exclaim, “When was age so
crammed with meanness, madness, written, spoken lies?” the
reply is —
What former age was less so? Not the age of Isaiah, or of
Jeremiah, or of
Malachi. Not the age which cried, “Not this Man, but
Barabbas!” Nor the
ages of the decline and fall of
others, more justly, “the dark ages.” Nor of the Tudors and
Stuarts. Nor
the coldhearted, cruel eighteenth century. No! It is an old story, “The
whole world lieth in wickedness.” (I Johbn 5:19) It
is an ancient cry, “How
long, O Lord, how long?” We are “as they that watch for the
morning.” But courage!
“The night is far spent” (Romans 13:12). Armor is not for
flight, but
fight. “Like a dove!” Yes, David; if thou wert a dove! But thou art a king
— God’s
servant,
(Are yoiu a man or a mouse?
- CY - 2025) If this prayer is
David’s, it is pathetic
and instructive to remember that it was granted, though not
as he desired
(II Samuel 17:23). God can show us the unwisdom of our
prayers by granting
as well as denying. For the present, our Saviour’s prayer for His
own is not that
they be taken out
of the world (John 17:15). But whatever is
right and true in this
prayer shall in due time be answered (Revelation 21:3-4, 27).
Wearily
glean from this:
Prayer
(v. 16)
“As for me, I will call upon God!” In this verse — the crisis or turning-point of
the whole psalm — you see the storm-tossed vessel making
for the
harbor, and casting anchor in safe shelter. A sorely
wounded soul, vexed
and out of heart with the tumult and strife of life, the
wickedness of men,
longs for:
“A lodge
in some vast wilderness,
Some
boundless contiguity of shade;”
where, far from
the sight of violence and fraud, the din of business, politics,
or war, he might be alone with God. But he discerns that if
he cannot flee
from mankind, he can take
refuge in God. He appeals from an
unjust and
cruel world to eternal righteousness, infinite love, Divine
faithfulness. He
pours out his
heart to God, and lays hold on Him; and light and peace begin
to stream in (vs. 18, 22, ch. 62:8 and closing words of psalm). The
text suggests
some very important views of prayer.
I. ITS PERSONAL CHARACTER; as expressing individual need and
desire; the voluntary confidential converse of the heart
with God. Custom,
fashion, human sympathy, and opinion are all out of court.
If in the whole
world not another heart or voice were raised in prayer, the
believer would
yet say, “As for me, I will
call upon God.” There are other kinds
of prayer:
the united prayer of two or three, agreed touching what they
shall ask; the
public prayer of the assembled Church. In private prayer,
too, all is
not
petition for one’s
self or others; there is confession, thanksgiving,
consecration,
submission, adoration. Worship may be
wordless, silent. But
the most wonderful, instructive, encouraging examples of
prayer recorded
in the Bible show us some
strong earnest spirit face to face with God, in
direct petition;
alone with the Father of spirits, the Almighty Creator, even
though a multitude were looking on. Abraham; Jacob; Moses;
Joshua;
Elijah; Hezekiah; Paul. This is what makes this Book of
Psalms so precious
a manual for the Church and for each Christian; a
storehouse of liturgies, a
magazine of prayers. This makes David’s life, in spite of
his faults and sins,
so true and grand a
type of real godliness; the clear, full sense and
unhesitating utterance, of personal relationship to God; the reality,
blessedness,
duty, glorious privilege, of drawing nigh to God. Think of it.
There is something more than sublime — appalling — in this
view of
prayer. That a child of dust, yesterday in the cradle, hanging on
God’s
absolute power
over the gulf of nothingness, whose voice can reach so
few, even of
his fellow-men, whose knowledge, thought, will, are bounded
in such strait
limits, should be
able at will to speak with the Ruler and
Author of the universe; to make his wish, weakness, misery,
or his boldest
hope and loftiest purpose, known beyond the stars, above
the thrones of
archangels, behind all the laws and causes and inmost
springs of nature —
to God himself; and that he should have a right to
expect an answer! Is not
this, I say, an amazing, sublime, appalling contemplation?
How poor and
low are all the heights of worldly dignity compared with
the point to which
these words lift our thoughts, to which you or I may soar
if we make them
our own! “As for me, I will call upon God!”
II. THE CERTAINTY THAT GOD HEARS PRAYER; its sure warrant,
reasonable assurance, joyful encouragement. “And the Lord
shall save
me.” If this
certainty were merely an inward persuasion, born of strong
desire, it would be worthless. If based on any supposed
claim of merit or
special favoritism, it would be blind presumption. If on the
experience of
fact, that God does
answer prayer, it would rest on as sure
foundation as the
discoveries of science, and what we call “laws
of nature”
But the haunting uncertainty would paralyze faith — Will
God hear my
prayer? IT RESTS:
1. On God’s promises. If the Bible contains
any Divine promises, they are
promises to prayer.
2. On the mediation of the Lord Jesus. The Old Testament
believer took
his stand on the ground of God’s
covenant; and securely, because, though
the priesthood and sacrifices
were but shadows, they were shadows of
THE
GREAT REALITY - CHRIST. How much more
boldly may we draw near, to
whom the reality stands unveiled (Hebrews 4:16; Romans 8:34)!
3. On the promised help of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 8:26, 24.)
Let us
take up David’s purpose (v. 17),
and hold fast David’s faith, “He shall
hear my voice.”
"Excerpted text Copyright AGES Library, LLC. All rights reserved.
Materials are reproduced by
permission."
This material can be found at:
http://www.adultbibleclass.com
If this exposition is helpful,
please share with others.
From a lesson of yesteryear that is applicable here - CY -
2025
The True and the False
Way of Encountering the Difficulties of Life
(vs. 1-8)
Sorrow, danger, and terror had come upon the psalmist with
the force of a
tempest. He thinks of two ways of escape:
Ø
casting himself upon
God and
Ø flight.
These suggests the
true and the false way of encountering the difficulties
of life.
I. TAKE THE FALSE FIRST. “Oh that I had wings,” etc.! (vs.
6-8).
We must conquer difficulties, not fly from them:
1. Because the post of difficulty is often the post of duty. And we find no
rest in flight, because we have
sought to evade or neglect our duty.
2. The post of
difficulty is the post of discipline. Difficulty is one
of the
Divine instruments of our training; gives health and
strength.
3. Solitude brings an exchange of difficulties, and does not free us from
the power of the world. It is better to fight the battle of life than for the
heart to prey upon itself apart
from the fellowship of men and women.
II. THE
LIFE. By seeking the help of God. (vs. 1-2.)
1. God will help us to a greater faith. “This is the
victory that overcometh
the world, even
your faith’ (I John 5:4) - faith in Divine help, and faith in the
good and righteous cause.
2. God will inspire us with a truer courage. “In the world ye
shall have
tribulation: but
be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”
(John 16:33)
3. God will give to those who are faithful all needed
strength. Will fulfil
the promise, “As
thy day’[or, ‘need’] is so shall thy strength be.” (Deuteronomy 33:25)
4. Victory is easier to us than to the psalmist, through Christ. Faith in God
through faith in Christ will give every believer the victory.
Facing Death
Ecclesiastes
9:1-10
August
22, 2021
I used to teach this in Health
Class at
EVERYONE
HAS PROBLEMS.
Adaptive Behavior is reacting to situations we face in live in healthful
ways.
Maladaptive Behavior is reacting to situations in our lives in
unhealthful ways.
Characteristics of people who use adaptive behaviors are:
o they have the ability to solve problems in healthful
ways
o flexibility
o they have ability to handle their emotions in
healthful ways
o they have short-term plans
o they have long-term plans
o they are able to develop and maintain close
relationships.
Characteristics of people who use maladaptive behavior are generally
opposite
of those who use adaptive behavior strategies:
o they try to solve their problems in unhealthy
ways.
o they are inflexible.
o they have not short-term plans.
o they have no long-term plans.
o they do not develop nor cultivate close
relationships.
Five problems associated with Maladaptive Behavior:
Ø Frustration
Ø Loneliness
Ø Depression
Ø Substance Abuse
Ø Suicide
The following is added
since I retired from teaching in 2000 - yea
much more recent
because of Covid and cryptocurrency
21st Century
Problems
Add to this the coin shortage - a clever way to get everyone to go to
plastic,
or as the man above says, “microchips
- cryptocurrency - no doubt early
steps in One World Government, the revealing of the “man of sin”
or “antichrist” which is prophesied in the
Bible.
A cryptocurrency, crypto-currency, or crypto is a binary data
designed to work as
a medium of exchange wherein individual coin
ownership records are stored in a
ledger
existing in a form of a computerized
database using strong cryptography
to
secure transaction records, to control the creation of
additional coins, and to
verify
the transfer of coin ownership.
“But evil men and seducers
shall wax worse and worse, deceiving,
and being
deceived. But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned
and hast been assured
of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them;
And that from a child thou
hast known the holy scriptures, which
are able to make thee
wise unto salvation through faith which is in
Christ Jesus. All
scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for
doctrine, for reproof, for
correction, for instruction in righteousness:
That the man of God may be
perfect, throughly furnished unto all
good works. (II Timothy 3:13-17)
"Excerpted text Copyright AGES Library, LLC. All rights reserved.
Materials are reproduced by
permission."
This material can be found at:
http://www.adultbibleclass.com
If this exposition is helpful,
please share with others.
From a lesson of yesteryear that is applicable here - CY -
2025