Psalm 22

A Psalm a week: Psalm 22

This is a long one, full of great verses and ideas; here are only a couple of the big ideas. Read it for yourself here!

This Psalm of David is really cool because, as I learned it at school, it contains prophecy that Jesus fulfills. After reading the first part of verse 1 (“My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?”) you may recognize this statement. Many years after this verse was written, Jesus was hanging on a cross and said the same thing (check out Matt 27:46 or Mark 15:34).
Why did Jesus say that? One reason is as follows. The Pharisees, with all their biblical knowledge, would recite passages from the Bible in a funny way. One of them would start by saying the first verse and then the rest of them would finish it. Jesus knew this, and so He appropriately started speaking the words of a Psalm that contained prophecies He fulfilled, so that the Pharisees that surrounded and watched his crucifixion would think to themselves the verses that follow. As we will see, the Psalm continues (verses 16-18) with random statements that happened to Jesus in the moments following his crucifixion. In John 19:24,36,37 we see these verses of Psalms repeated… “They divided My outer garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots”, “Not a bone of Him shall be broken”, and “They shall look on Him whom they pierced.” It is really amazing that years before Jesus was even born, God was putting prophecies in the Bible that His Son would fulfill. It is just further proof that God had to inspire the words of the Bible, for 40 different men could not have written such perfectly prophesied words and verses. Awesome.

So besides this Psalm being an amazing testament to the perfectly, inspired word of God, it also has great comfort for Christians today. The title of this Psalm in my Bible says “A Cry of Anguish and a Song of Praise”. Repeated throughout this Psalm, we see cries of pain or loneliness, a cry for deliverance, then we see a song of praise remarking on how holy and awesome our God really is. The first two verses are a cry of anguish, a cry for deliverance from words, but David remarks in verse three “Yet You are holy.” Again we see the reoccurring theme that in pain and times of trouble, God is there for us. Holy is such a weird word, what does it even mean? Upon researching this word, it means “pure, loving nature and separate from evil”. God’s holiness demands a response of worship, which is where David’s songs of praise come in. “22 I will declare your name to my brothers; in the congregation I will praise you. 23You who fear the LORD, praise him! All you descendants of Jacob, honor him! Revere him, all you descendants of Israel! 25 From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly; before those who fear you [e] will I fulfill my vows. 26 The poor will eat and be satisfied; they who seek the LORD will praise him may your hearts live forever! 27 All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him, 28 for dominion belongs to the LORD and he rules over the nations. 29 All the rich of the earth will feast and worship; all who go down to the dust will kneel before him those who cannot keep themselves alive.”
So, to sum it all up, God is all knowing (fulfilling prophecies in Jesus and composing the Bible in perfection) and God is comforting to those who diligently seek His face, worship Him, for He alone is worthy of praise, and live to give God the glory in their lives.

God bless!

p.s. sorry for the delay this week :/

A Good King

Psalm 21


Every king is marked by his kingdom. This is how I know that the Burger King is the most disappointing king of them all. Burger King's food doesn't even taste good ... that should tell you something. Anyway, let's think about real kings. As we all know, any successful king that has ever walked this planet has taken two things very seriously - his nation, and his people. Every king's pride is found in his people, and every king's status is marked by the prestige of his nation ... If that doesn't make sense, it will in a little bit. Today, we're going to see a king that didn't place his trust in the wealth of the world or the stone that help up the walls surrounding his city. Rather, the king we study today is the one that found his wealth and his protection in the father - one that truly showed our God is worthy to be called the King of Kings.

Verses 1-6 So this guy ... this David character - a remarkable man and notable king - He didn't even think he was worthy to stand before God. On the flip side, he entrusted everything to God. Think about your most prized possession - maybe a cellphone, Xbox, car ... you name it. David gave his entire kingdom over to God. Why? Maybe because he understood that stone walls around his city were only so strong , that his money was only worth a particular amount, and that his people would only put up with him for so long. ON THE OTHER HAND, he knew that the protection God could provide would be impenetrable, and because of it, David basically makes God the general of the kingdom. Continuing on, David knew that the riches he possessed would only last so long, but the gifts that the Father could provide would be eternal - gifts including [but not limited to] eternal life! For this, David made God his treasurer. Lastly, David knew that people would love who God was and what he would do for them - and for that, David made God his King. It's amazing to put it this way, but David gave his entire kingdom to the Father - for all the reasons we've seen in the past 20 Psalms and more. The question you need to ask yourself is ... HOW MUCH ARE YOU WILLING TO PUT INTO THE FATHER'S HANDS? Is your life so important that you need to be in control? ... Uhm sorry to say, but you will fail miserably. David teaches us that even the mightiest, richest, and most powerful of men still have to give God the reigns in their lives. Boom!

Verses 7-13 Some of you might have read the last section and thought, "Well Chris is stupid and he doesn't know a thing about my life." Although that is probably true, let me tell you a fact. No matter how difficult life may be for you ... no matter what trial is being thrown your way at this time in your life, Verse 7 (along with countless scripture) tells us that the love we have from the Father is unconquerable - that nothing can separate you from Him. If you give him your world ... he'll give you a new one ten times better. Time and time again I find myself questioning the power and love of our God ... only to slap myself in the face and either realize 1. That i'm pulling myself away from that love and need to get back 2. Or I was just stupid and forgot it was there for a few days,weeks, or months. There's really no need to talk about the last verses if you truly understand the consequences of verse 7. As a true king to a spiritual king (that's you if you haven't surrendered your life to the Father, David has made you a promise that God will never fail you. How awesome.


That is all.
Chris

Some may trust in horses ... Psalm 20

When I was a baby, my parents gave me a checkered blanket with patches of all different colors on it. For some reason, I thought that this blanket would protect me from all sorts of danger - whether I was pretending to be a superhero jumping from couch to couch, or simply hiding under the covers from the monsters in the closet. Looking back, I'm sure you'll all agree that the blanket did nothing for me. If anything, it was the reason I tripped down the stairs all of the time - it did nothing to protect me. Today, we look at the question - where do you place your trust? Is it in a checkered blanket or in the arms of the Almighty God?

Verses 1-6 So, first off ... why would I place my trust in God anyway? The fact of the matter is that God will always protect you. We have been talking in Luke about a lot of nerve-wrecking stuff. For instance, it's not always the easiest thing to proclaim Christ in the midst of your piers, especially when they are living in sin, but (and this is a big but) when we come to realize that God is our defense - we become spiritually unstoppable. Romans 8:31 says "For if God is for us, who can be against us?" If you're truly living a life according to God's will, there is never such a thing as defeat. God is victory. God never loses. As David says, God is our sanctuary, God is our rock, our defense, and our purpose for celebration. David says, let's rejoice and raise the banners. God has saved us, he has heard our cries, and he has been with us through the highs and through the lows of our lives. Think of how many times even your best friend has let you down. Now think about a time when God let you down (truly, never ...) God truly is the best friend you will ever have, and He is worth of honor, glory, and most of all - your trust.

Verses 7-9 This section is pretty simple. Basically David says, if you don't place your trust in God, good luck finding somewhere else to put your trust it. Just think about verse 7. Back in the day, so many men placed their trust on horses and chariots - as symbols of their power and status in society. Do we still us chariots? Do we see horses riding up and down the freeway? I think not! Time has passed and horses and chariots have lost their importance, but God has remained the same. Psalm 18:2 says that God is our rock, our foundation, in whom we should place our trust. Time and time again, for all eternity God has proven himself to be of a solid reputation.

Some may trust in horses ... So what do we get out of today's Psalm? What does that mean for me? You may not have to worry about what brand of chariot you're going to stroll into school with, but I'm positive that each and every one of you worries about how you talk around friends, what you wear, what type of cellphone you have, and all that nonsense. When I was in school, I struggled with the same things - I worried about what was popular and what wasn't. The minute I graduated high-school (some wonderful 2 years ago), all of that just went away. I don't even see anyone I went to school with, nor do I care what they think about the fantastic blue shirt I'm wearing right now. I don't care what they think that I don't drink, swear, or do drugs - why? Cause it doesn't matter. Because man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart. Man looks at what is temporary, but God is concerned with that which is eternal. Let me tell you this - If you place your trust in popularity, it will fail you. If you place all of your trust on your cellphone plan, you will get a dropped call now and again. If you place all of your trust in friends, they will skip out on you from time to time. If you place your trust in the Father, He will always be there for you, he will not drop your call in the middle of a prayer, He will not look at you funny because of the clothes you wear, and He most definitely will not turn you away ... That's the God that has earned my trust.


Sorry for the jumbled mess that I call a Psalm a week - my brother is on his Xbox killing zombies at full volume - rather distracting.

Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight.

Have a nice week!
- Chris