Down an Unfamiliar Road

DO YOU HEAR WHAT YOU SEE!

Like many kings of his day, David had his distractors and so called “wise men” who offered their explanation about how to live and succeed. Many turned to the mysteries of nature and witchcraft to understand the unseen and interpret the secretes of life. That’s because they couldn’t bring themselves to believe that God really did everything they saw in heavens, and therefore shouldn’t get all the credit and praise. As such, they depended on themselves and their intellect to find answers for life’s most puzzling questions. But David decided to consult the fountain of knowledge and wisdom, His God.

“The galaxies communicate the genius of our Sovereign God, and the sky displays His brilliant handiwork. We see it day after day and night after night. The amazing thing, they do it all without uttering a word. Yet their message is seen all around the world. And right in the middle is the sun that materializes from the dark like a groom emerging from his bachelor suite; or like a champion eager to run the marathon. We see him rise on one end of the horizon and arc over to the other side; and nothing can hide from his light. That’s why the teachings, judgments, principles, instructions, faithfulness, and decisions of the LORD Eternal are complete, reliable, fair, clear, enlightening and eternally valid for the soul, intellect, heart, mind and spirit. They are worth their weight in purest gold, and more satisfying than the sweetest honey right from the honeycomb. Your servant takes all of them seriously, because it is important to obey them. No one can be completely aware of every mistake they make, so I trust Him not to hold any innocent mistakes against me. But I want Him to keep me free from biases; don’t let them control me. That way I can be free of prejudice and avoid making bad moral judgments. And I pray, that these words that I have spoken and all the things I’ve meditated on in my heart will meet Your approval, O LORD Eternal, my Rock and my Redeemer.” Psalm 19:1-14

Reflection: President Theodore Roosevelt was a dedicated outdoorsman. He loved to go on trips into the wild to see nature untouched by man. One night standing outside his tent in the badlands of North Dakota, he scanned the sky for a tiny patch of light near the constellation of Pegasus. After spotting it he said to his friend William Beebe, “That’s the Spiral Galaxy in Andromeda, and it’s as large as our own Milky Way; containing over one hundred billion suns larger than our own.” As they stood there looking into space, Roosevelt remarked, “It sure makes us realize how small we really are.” We might say that Roosevelt had a “King David” moment. David believed that God designed the universe as a teaching tool to understand His greatness. Some skeptics try to explain away any higher power being involved in its creation. But the more they explore it, the more intricate and marvelous it becomes, making it harder and harder to believe it was all an accident. If you took 10,000 pieces of paper, each one having a letter of the alphabet, up in an airplane and dropped them from 5,000 feet, the chances of them landing to spell out a word are remotely possible; but the likelihood of them forming a sentence are rare, if not impossible. Take 20,000 pieces up to 10,000 feet and the odds against words forming become even higher since the further they fall and the wider they spread the less chance they have. That’s why the more millions or billions of years evolutionists add to their formula of how the universe and planets were formed, makes their theory less and less plausible.

REMEMBER NOT TO FORGET

Taken from 2 Samuel 22, this Psalm depicts the many times David escaped from his relentless enemies. It is the story of David’s life in a nutshell. As always, David counts God’s mercy and protection as his greatest asset. Although it made life uncomfortable for him day after day, it also helped him gain new insight into God’s way of dealing with mankind. While he did not always know when the next attack would come or from what direction, David knew for certain where God stood and put his full trust in Him.

“O LORD Eternal, You know how much I adore You, because You are always there when I need You. Yes, I have place I can run to and a place where I feel safe and that’s my LORD Eternal; My Divine King is everything to me as my Protector, my Defender, my Savior, and my Provider. I can’t help but lift You up in praise, O LORD, because each time I’ve call on You, You’ve never failed me. Once I felt like death had wrapped its tentacles around me, and the thought of dying terrified me; indeed, the grave was beckoning me as death stared me in the face. That’s when I cried out in desperation to the LORD Eternal my One True God, and my voice reached His listening ear in His holy Temple. I’ve always tried to be open and honest with God and stay out of trouble. That’s why He blessed me for living right and doing what was right. For if you are faithful, He is faithful; if you are honest, He is honest; if you are sincere, He is sincere; but if you try to fool Him you’ll end up looking like a fool. He’s made me feel like I’m worth something, so I’ll never feel worthless again.” Psalm 18:1-6, 23-26, 28

Reflection: There’s an ancient story about a Persian king who rose out of poverty to end up living in luxury on the royal throne. He sent servants to the old dirt hovel where he once lived to collect everything he left behind. They brought back broken toys, a worn out, patched coat, a rough wooden bowl, a rickety old chair, and many other stained and crude objects. He arranged for these to be displayed in a special room in his palace. Then he hung a plaque on the wall with these words: “Lest I Forget.” Each day he went to the room and offered thanks as he remembered his humble past. This Psalm could be viewed as David doing the same thing. He writes few words about himself, but many, many words ascribing praise and honor to his God and Savior. David did not view his existence as being just for his benefit, but for God’s purpose. Though his enemies aimed their swords and arrows directly at him, in his mind they were aiming them at God’s anointed. Through trials, pain, frustration, victories and celebrations, David saw that his unchanging God met him at the right place, at the right time, with the right solution for each circumstance.

SOMETHING TO PONDER!

When you hear someone say they were saved from sin, is that Biblical? Yes, sin is all around us, but where sin abounds, God’s grace abounds even more. You can be delivered and cleansed from sin, but when you are saved, you are saved from the eternal punishment meant for sin. – Dr Robert R Seyda

WHAT’S IN A NAME?

You can find it in almost any grocery store or supermarket. If you polled the shoppers you would find out that most, if not all, have heard of it; many of them have it in their kitchens; and most of them have used it. Today it is one of the most popular products on the market. In 1957 when a patent was issued to the inventor of a new cooking spray, a decision had to be made on how to market it. Should it be named after the company that owned it, like products from Johnson & Johnson? Or would it sell better if they just gave it a generic name such as, “New Cooking Spray.” After much discussion they decided to name it “PAM” – PAM Cooking Spray. But why PAM? Was that an ingredient or some new substance? No, they named it PAM because that is an acronym for the name of the inventor: Product of Arthur Meyerhoff. Amazing what you can learn when you discover what the name of something stands for! The same is true of the word GRACE. It signifies unmerited favor; getting something one does not deserve or has earned. We see GRACE exemplified when instead of doing away with Adam and Eve after they sinned in the garden, God allowed them to go on living. We see it when God allowed Noah to escape the flood so his family could continue to expand. God’s GRACE was extended to David after his adultery with Bathsheba and murder of Uriah. Peter was the recipient of God’s GRACE after he denied Jesus three times. The GRACE of God was offered to Paul even though he was responsible for killing a number of believers. The list goes on and on. The list of acronyms for GRACE is long, but one that I love is: God’s Redemption At Christ’s Expense. When you know more about how something came into being, it gives you a greater appreciation for the work that was done to bring it about and how fortunate you are in having it available to you. This is so true of God’s GRACE. It is more than just a word; it is a willful act of undeserved love, compassion and mercy. So every morning it wouldn’t be a bad idea to start each day by thanking God for His GRACE.

PROBLEMS CAN BE POSSIBILITIES

The main thing David learned during King Saul’s constant pursuit to get rid of him, was how to pray. Having to run from one hiding place to another, caused David’s faith in God’s anointing through the prophet Samuel to be tested over and over again. But in so doing, God became David’s best friend and confidant. So instead of facing his tribulations with anxiety and fear, David developed a stronger faith in accepting God’s way of handling such challenges.

“O LORD Eternal, I’m confident that You know I’m being honest with You, so I ask You to listen carefully to what I’m about to say; I will not try to deceive You. I believe You’ll do the right thing in my case; because You can’t be fooled by pretense. When You spoke to my conscience during the night, helping me to examine my heart to see if I was trying to hide anything, I determined that I wasn’t going to say anything I would later regret. I plan to conduct myself in line with what You taught me, that way I won’t end up making a fool of myself as others have done. You put me on Your pathway where it’s harder to stumble. That’s why I’m turning to you, O my Sovereign King, for I believe You will answer me and help me because You know the story I’m telling You is true. So show Your steadfast love for me in a special way; proving that You are the one who reaches out without hesitation to help those running to You for protection. Guard me like the apple of Your eye, wrapping me warmly in Your arms.” Psalm 17:1-8

Reflection: On Sunday, March 13, 1904, the governments of Argentina and Chile dedicated a statue of Christ in Uspallata Pass, high in the Andes Mountains, directly on the Argentine-Chilean border to commemorate a series of peace treaties. In 1937 a plaque was added with this inscription: “Sooner shall these mountains crumble into dust than Argentines and Chileans break the peace sworn at the feet of Christ the Redeemer.” But within weeks Chileans began to protest because Christ’s back was turned toward Chile. Tempers rose and soon threatened to destroy everything. But a quick thinking newspaperman saved the day by writing an editorial that not only satisfied the Chileans but actually made them smile. He simply said, “The people of Argentina need more watching than the Chileans.” To paraphrase a famous quote from Chuck Swindoll, President of Dallas Theological Seminary: Other people are 10% of what happens to us, and 90% is how we react to them. So instead of getting upset and worried when things go wrong and unwanted disruptions complicate your life, and start believing that God doesn’t care or isn’t watching your situation, think like the Psalmist and the Chilean newspaperman: God doesn’t have to watch you constantly to see if you’re going to make it because He fears you will give up and quit. He trusts you so much that He’s willing to let whatever the devil may bring against you to happen because He knows you’ll stand fast and remain faithful to the mission He gave you.”

DON’T BE MISLED

David penned many wonderful psalms, and when compilers collected them, some were so good they classified them as being worth their weight in gold. They recognized that if they wanted to inspire people to remain faithful and loyal, they had to choose the writings of someone who had gone through the fire; went through the flood; experienced unimaginable difficulties, but yet survived. After facing many such trials and challenges, David developed a motto for his life, and this Psalm proved worthy to be etched on a pillar erected in his honor, hence it became known as a Golden Psalm. The ancients also tell us that the first sentence was etched into the crown David wore.

“My Sovereign King, You’re all I want; You’re the only One I hold on to. I openly confess, You are my Divine Master; You owe me nothing. Likewise, I want only the best for all the gallant believers throughout our land. But when it comes to those who do not acknowledge You, may they be sorely disappointed. I not only refuse to join in their ungodly activities, but decline to even discuss it with them. O LORD Eternal, I won’t let You go because You’re the One who guarantees my future. Life’s been good to me in so many ways: food on my table and a roof over my head. But You get all the credit O LORD Eternal, because of Your advice in letting me know when a change needed to be made in my life. Each day I sense Your presence, walking with me; making sure I’m on the right track. That’s why I’m full of joy, yes, I’m all excited and have such blessed assurance in my soul. You won’t abandon me, even when I die; You won’t let the one who has been faithful to you die lost. You will keep me on the path to eternal life; and having You walk with me each day is pure joy; I get happy just holding Your hand.” Psalm 16:1-11

Reflection: A wealthy Persian named Ali Hafed living in India owned a very large estate with orchards, grain fields, and gardens. One day a visiting Buddhist priest showed him a diamond and told him how much richer he’d be if he owned a diamond mind. So out of greed Ali sold his plantation and went in search of diamonds. He traveled the world over but found none. Eventually he became so poor, hungry and defeated that he committed suicide by throwing himself off a boat into the sea. One day the man who bought Ali’s manor led his camel into the garden to drink. He saw a sparkle of light in the sand at the bottom of the stream. When he pulled out the object he discovered it was a diamond. His find led to the famous diamond mine of Golcanda, the most magnificent diamond mine in history. Had Ali stayed home and dug in his own garden, he would have possessed acres of diamonds. Often we go chasing after supposed spiritual remedies or solutions based on other people’s opinions. God went out of His way to provide us with all we need right where we are. It’s our option to keep our eyes open to see it, or close them and go off on a fruitless journey.

IT’S NOT WRONG TO BE WRONG

There were few things David revered more than the Ark of the Covenant. He went to great lengths to get it from where the Philistines left it at Kiriath Jearim, about 6 miles NW of Jerusalem. It signified the presence of the living God in the midst of His people. It was the symbol for all things righteous and holy, as well as representing the embodiment of spiritual goodness and ethics, something sorely lacking in his day. David did not want to continue thinking of God’s presence in the abstract, but something that could be seen and felt; not something that was imaginary, but something that was real.

“O LORD Eternal, who qualifies to enter Your sanctuary; yes, who can stand in Your holy presence? Only those who live wholesome lives; who dedicate themselves to living and doing what’s right, and telling the truth even when it hurts; who doesn’t slander or disgrace friends or neighbors; who avoid despicable people, but love those who worship the LORD Eternal; who never go back on their word no matter what it costs; who give to the poor without wanting anything in return; and those who cannot be bribed to lie against an innocent person. People like that will never, ever disappoint anyone.” Psalm 15:1-5

Reflection: Universities produce graduates – the doctors who heal us, engineers who build our bridges and CEOs who generate our wealth. The degrees they confer are the university’s guarantee that a graduate has completed a required course of study, and that he or she has been tested and deemed suitable by appropriate authorities. Yet a recent University of Guelph study discovered that more than half the student body was cheating its way through school. There is no great sense of urgency shown by university administrators over this problem. The value of a degree is being debased, and there is mounting evidence that a lack of integrity in the university system will have a far-reaching effect on our economy in the years to come. The numbers on academic misconduct at both Canadian and American post-secondary institutions are startling. The Guelph report puts the percentage of Canadian students engaging in serious cheating on written work at 53 per cent. In the U.S., according to some studies, 70 per cent of students admit to cheating in one form or another. Universities, apparently not convinced that cheating has reached crisis proportions, offer little but token anti-plagiarism policies and ineffective ethics campaigns to assuage critics. [Cathy Gulli, Nicholas Kohler and Martin Patriquin | Category Magazine, Feb 9, 2007] Could it be that there are cheating Christians; people who profess but don’t possess or produce? David certainly did not want to be in that crowd, and he despised people who wanted only to be judged on the outside. But he knew there was one Judge who could not be fooled, and one day all mankind will stand before Him to receive their sentencing. Those who fit the person David described in this psalm are the ones who confesses their failures now, and don’t want to wait and apologize when they stand before the judgment throne of the Almighty.

DEFYING THE DOUBTERS

Continuing with the theme of trusting in God to help you through your difficulties, in this portion of Psalms, Book I, the compilers include a psalm befitting David’s quality of writing. It came from a period in Israel’s history when their captors profanely rejected their God; treated them with contempt; and caused them to plead for liberation by a Savior coming out of Zion. The Psalmist’s words are not crude or contentious, but strong and deliberate to let the enemy know nothing they can do will destroy his faith in the One True God.

“Only morons live as though there is no One True God. The way they live is immoral, detestable and they don’t have one ounce of good in them. The LORD Eternal has tried to find just one who has enough sense to see if a One True God does exist. But He found that every one of them was rotten to the core; none of them proved to be decent human beings, not a single one. Can these individuals who love to insult and profane God’s people be so clueless that they dismiss the very existence of the LORD Eternal? One day their arrogance will turn into terror when they see our One True God revealed and living in the presence of His people. Right now they make fun of those who have such hope; but the saints believe the LORD Eternal holds them securely in His arms. O how we pray for our Deliverer to come. For when the LORD Eternal restores His people to their rightful positions, all God’s people will rejoice; yes, all God’s saints will shout for joy!” Psalm 14:1-7

Reflection: A Christian college student sat in his philosophy class listening to a lecture about God’s existence. The professor used a very humanistic form of logic when asking the class, “Has anyone here ever heard God speak?” Nobody raised their hand. “Has anyone here ever touched God?” No answer. “Has anyone in this class ever seen God?” the professor inquired. When no one responded the professor concluded, “That tells me there is no God.” The Christian student finally lifted his hand and asked if he could speak. Standing up he turned to the class and asked, “Has anyone here ever heard the professor’s brain speak?” Silence followed. “Has anyone here ever touched our professor’s brain?” Complete quiet. “Has anyone in this class ever seen the professor’s brain?” Everyone sat looking at each other with no response. “Then according to our professor’s logic, he has no brain!” The Psalmist seemed to draw the same conclusion about the critics and doubters in his day. While the mind is the intelligence of the body, faith is the intelligence of the soul. That’s why people without faith find it so hard to accept and believe the things that believers are absolutely confident in. Doubters and skeptics attack the believer’s mind, but they have no weapon to attack the soul. When under attack, believers must never allow their body’s intelligence of the mind to overrule their soul’s intelligence of faith.

DEFYING DISAPPOINTMENT

Not only did David contend with Saul’s attempts to get rid of him, but he even faced criticism and opposition from his own supporters. They wondered how long he would go on believing he was destined to be king when the prospects seemed all but lost; why he didn’t face the truth and forget his dream and go back to shepherding, Psalm writing and playing the harp. No doubt some of them grew tired of supporting him in his quest, and were ready to go home and give up. But David knew this was no fantasy, it was his mission. God anointed him and he would not quite till he reached the goal set for him.

“O LORD Eternal, how much longer must I feel like You have forgotten me and don’t want to commune with me any longer? How long must I continue figuring out things on my own; giving me heartache and grief because my enemies won’t go away. Say something, or at least take note of what I’m dealing with, O LORD Eternal, my One True God; put a glimmer of hope back in my eyes, otherwise there’s no reason for me to go on. I don’t want my enemies to brag, ‘We got the best of him!’ and start cheering when they see me finally give up. As for me, Your unwavering love is all I need, and I can hardly wait until You give me victory. When You do, I’ll sing to the LORD Eternal like I’ve never sung before, because He’s been so good to.” Psalm 13:1-6

Reflection: A driver saw an old man having trouble walking along a country road because he had a heavy bag of potatoes draped over his shoulder. Out of compassion he stopped and offered a ride. The old man was grateful, but when he got in he sat the bag of potatoes on his lap. Several times the driver urged him to put the bag on the floor, but the old man replied, “Sir, it’s kind enough of you to carry me, but I don’t want you to feel like you must carry my potatoes too.” By the time the driver explained that since the potatoes were already in the car they were being carried without any extra effort, they reached the old man’s destination. How many believers go through life continuing to carry the weight of their disappointments, even though God has already offered to carry their burdens for them? David concluded that he’d rather be thankful for what he already had instead of becoming depressed over what had not yet be given to him. Sometimes I think believers would rather carry their burdens as victims instead of casting them upon the Lord to become victors. As Scott Wesley Brown wrote so beautifully in 1982, “If He carried the weight of the world upon His shoulders, I know my brother that He will carry you.”

HONEST AT BEING HONEST

David continues sharing about the bad state of affairs resulting from King Saul taking God’s people, whom Samuel led toward righteousness, and turning them toward wickedness. He knew that such a situation left unchallenged would deteriorate into a society full of corruption, lying, cheating and violence, with evildoers finding ways to avoid punishment. He also realized it would not be easy, no great victory ever is. However, he was still anxious to be used of God in the position his LORD chose for him and anointed him to lead.

“O LORD Eternal, do something quick; more and more honest and decent people are disappearing from society every day. It is now common for people to lie, twist the truth, but still act like they are being honest. So I ask You to put a stop to this misleading and worthless blabber. Especially those who go around bragging, ‘Our free speech guarantees we’ll say what we want to say and no one has any right to censor us.’ But didn’t I hear You say, O LORD Eternal, that because the ill-informed and under-served are crying out for help that You would act now, that You promised that You would come to their rescue? Therefore, I believe that Your promises are genuine, they are even more valuable than sterling silver refined to perfection. Because You, O LORD, Eternal, will see to it that such people will never be able to dupe Your children into becoming victims of such lies.” Psalm 12:1-7

Reflection: While ministering in Asia a businessman asked me how he could succeed now that he was a Christian, when bribery and kick-backs, plus charging owners for high-priced materials and then substituting inferior products were a common practice. Not being an Asian or businessman, I told him I could only advise him on the principles of Biblical ethics. Those who earn a reputation for being honest; being true to their word; mean what they say and say what they mean, will find that businessmen who put up money for expensive projects will love to deal with an honest and trustworthy contractor more than those who cheat. Sometime later that same businessman told me he followed that principle and found it to be true. This led to his becoming a highly respected, trusted, and wealthy businessman with a reputation for being honest. Many believers feel that the idolization of corruption must be met with strong public outcries of righteous indignation. This often offers only the proverbial 15 minutes of fame to the proponents. Better to respond by living an honest and trustworthy life so that believers and sinners on every level will see the benefits of truth and reliability.