Psalm 113:7-9 – “Good Management”

As always, here’s my fairly literal translation of these verses:

⁷Raising [the] poor from the dust, He raises [the] needy from the dung pile,

⁸to make [him] dwell with nobles, with the nobles of his people,

⁹making [the] barren [woman] to dwell [in] the house, the mother of the sons,

    joyful.

Praise the LORD.

These are amazing verses. Who knows? I might have to write several blogs to cover all I think I’m learning.

In verses 4 and 5 we praised the Lord because He is the High God, the One who sits enthroned above everything. In verses 1-3, we acknowledged this great God is worthy of praise from everyone, everywhere, all the time. He simply is El Elyon, the Most High God.

Then in v6 we marveled at the fact that this Most High God stoops down to observe what is happening here. As I said earlier, that is so unlike humans who, as they rise “higher,” get more and more inaccessible. It is and always has been endearing to any people where their rulers “come down” to actually be with their people and care about them.

That reminds me of a very large factory where several friends of mine worked, the Braun Corporation in Winamac, Indiana. Ralph Braun started the business in his garage and, over the years, turned it into a massive international business. One day my friend was relating, with obvious affection, how for years Ralph had made it a point from time to time to simply travel around the plant and visit with his workers, listen to them, encourage them, and be aware of their needs. Those memories brought a big smile to my friend’s face, then suddenly his face fell, and he said sadly, “He doesn’t do that anymore.”

Such is our habit as human beings and sadly so.

Wonder of wonders is that the Most High God isn’t like that. He “stoops down” to see us.

“But,” someone might ask, “What does He stoop down to see? What does He stoop down for? Why does He ‘visit’ us?”

What does He stoop down for? I think this is precisely a point of profound consequence. What is your answer or mine? What, in your heart of hearts, do you believe He “stoops down” for? I fear that too many people, if they were honest, would say they fear He stoops down to look at their life and judge them. He stoops down to see their faults and failures, to punish them for their sins. In their heart of hearts, they would prefer He just stay up in Heaven and not be stooping down. Would I be wrong to suggest that is how most people see God – that that is the very reason why they keep Him at arms’ length, why they shut him out of their thoughts – because they fear He will only criticize them? Who hasn’t heard preachers warning them, “God is watching you! You’d better do what’s right!” And granted there is an element of truth to that statement. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. But it is only the beginning. The end of wisdom is to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength and your neighbor as yourself.

And what Psalm 113:7-9 would teach us, I believe, is precisely this, to love the Lord our God.

How so?

Look at the passage. When our God stoops down, what does He do?

He raises the poor from the dust
    and lifts the needy from the ash heap;
He seats them with princes,
    with the princes of his people.
He settles the childless woman in her home
    as a happy mother of children.

Grace. Grace. Grace. Our God stoops down to do us good! Isn’t that precisely what He said? “For God sent not His Son to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him” (John 3:17). When God Himself stepped down and walked in our world, what did He do? He healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, made the lame to walk again, and died on a Cross to save us from our sins! Our God is to us a Rock, a Refuge, a Shelter in the time of storm. He would whisper in our ear, “I know the plans I have for you, plans to do you good and not to harm you, to give you a future and a hope.”

Someone might ask, “But what about like Sodom and Gomorrah? God stooped down to see them and rained fire and sulfur to destroy them. Yes, that is true. But “even in judgment, He remembers mercy.” Read Psalm 113 again and realize that judgment is not what He lives for. He is love. He would have far rather seen them repent and, like Jonah and Nineveh, He would have spared them and blessed them instead.

I am marveling in these thoughts this week. I thought a lot about the High God earlier. I don’t know that I’ve ever been impressed before with just how high He is, that His infinity stretches out to the furthest star and down to the tiniest atom. But then to think that same God stoops down to care about me? That He stoops down not to judge me – which I deeply deserve – but rather to love me and do me good???? Mi-cha-el?? Who is like our God?? Amazing grace. How sweet the sound!

But while I’m marveling in who God is, my heart turns to who we are. Having studied this, I think I now really, really understand why it so saddened my friend’s heart, “He doesn’t do that anymore.” Do you see what I see? It is godly to stoop down and care about the people “below” us. What Ralph was doing was right. We should “get around” and see “our” people. We should not let our “position” make us inaccessible, but instead use it to do good to our people. That is good management. It is good rule. And it is good because it is godly!

I guess what is impacting me most is simply seeing this quality in God. No wonder the people loved Diana. As always, here I sit at His feet, seeing Him in His glory, and I understand in a new and deeper way who I want to be – and why. Oh, to see His face, how different would we be as managers and teachers and parents – to have hearts filled with grace that long not to condemn our world, but to save it through Him? – to make it a point of our everyday lives to use “position” (whatever that might mean) to do people good???

No wonder His name is Redeemer. “O, to be like Thee.”

Psalm 113:5,6 – “Stooping”

As always, here’s my fairly literal translation of these verses:

⁵Who [is] like the LORD our God, causing to be high to dwell,

⁶the One causing to be low to look on the heavens and on the earth?

Verse 5 asks, “Who is like the LORD our God?” That is one of my favorite questions. It is actually the meaning of the name Michael – Mi-cha-el = Who?-like-God? I’ve always found it interesting that is the name of the good angel Michael – Who is like God?, while Satan, the bad angel, says in his heart, “I will be like the Most High.” A part of Satan’s downfall was that he could not embrace that he was not like God. That leads my own heart to the conclusion this is no trivial question. Who is like God? There needs to be in our heart of hearts the settled conclusion that, in fact, our God is high above all else, that there is no one like Him, that He is God and we are but angels and men and raccoons, always, always, always dwelling ourselves in a very small, very limited perspective of the totality of reality.

I sincerely believe all of this is fundamentally critical to a right view of our existence. However, having said that, I acknowledge I could have derived all those observations from verse 4, ^“High above all of nations [is] the LORD, His glory above the heavens.”  Verses 5 and 6 would consent to all of this but then lead us on to one of the most sublime truths our hearts can ever ponder.

And what is that? Can this High God ever trouble Himself with anything so mundane as our pathetic little world? “Surely not,” some would say. The deists of old held that the Lord simply set in motion the laws of nature, then retreated back to His high and lofty home to see how it would all work out. Such is invariably the case with men. The “higher” they rise, the less willing or interested they become in the affairs of those “below” them. One of the things that endeared Diana to the British people was that, though herself a princess, she seemed to care about common people. But notice that Her gentle, genuine, and personal attention endeared her specifically because it was so unusual. Men simply aren’t usually like that.

Is our God? Can He who sits infinitely high above all nations, who spoke a universe into being, genuinely care about the minor details of that universe? Hear what He says, “For this is what the high and exalted One says -- He who lives forever, whose Name is Holy: "I live in a high and holy place, but also with the one who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the hearts of the contrite ones” (Isaiah 57:15). “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them” (Matthew 6:26). “You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing. The Lord is righteous in all His ways and faithful in all He does. The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth” (Psalm 145:16-18).

So says our passage before us today, “Who is like the Lord our God, the One who sits enthroned on high, who stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth?”  The “High One” stoops down! Yes, He does care intimately about the most minute and seemingly mundane details of not only our existence but even that of birds and flowers.

Wonder of wonders! He who is infinitely great extends that infinity not only to the furthest star of our universe but also to the smallest atom. He who minds the spinning of galaxies knows the number of hairs on each of our heads!

How can this be? Because He is God, not man. We are incorrigibly prone to measure Him by us, to only understand Him in light of understanding us; but to others He has said, “You thought I was such a one as you are!” He is not. He is God.

Our God is not only great, greater, and greatest, He is so great that His greatness reaches back to include us.

And what is the supreme example of this High God’s “stooping down?” Is it not when “God so loved the world, He gave His only Son” … when “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” – Jesus, our Immanuel, the One who “was with God and was God” but “thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself nothing” and was born a helpless baby, one of us, to live with us, to walk with us, to die for us, to be our Savior? Jesus ought to be the end of any doubts the world ever entertained whether the High and Lofty One still cares about His universe.

This all leads me to conclude we really, seriously have nothing to worry about! It is one of the wonders of grace to know that our God infinitely cares about the most minute details of our every second. As I sit here, my heart tells me, if I could just keep this view of God in my head, I could lay worry aside forever and live out my days in endless joy. And I should. I’m also quite sure I won’t pull it off. If somehow in His great grace, He would grant such a change in me, it could happen in a heartbeat. But I have no confidence in me. God help me. I do believe; help my unbelief.

Who is like the LORD, our God?

How privileged we are that our God, our Creator, is, even in His infinite greatness, love personified. He is infinite love, great enough to create a beautiful universe, and great enough to include the tiniest atom – and somewhere in the middle there, to actually care about rebellious, broken worms. The High One stoops down!

No wonder the Psalm begins and ends with “Praise the LORD!”

Psalm 113:4 – “Getting High”

As always, here’s my fairly literal translation of this verse:

⁴High above all of nations [is] the LORD, His glory above the heavens.

The Biblical concept of “high” has always fascinated me. It is actually a concept of considerable importance to us earthbound human beings. “High” is almost always a good thing while “low” is typically bad. People rise “higher” in their workplace. Some students rank “high” in their class. When someone is happy they’re “riding high.” We pretty much all enjoy going to the mountains and getting “way up high.” Kings are called “your royal highness.” One of God’s names El Elyon means “Most High God.”

What amuses me is that, in a sense, there is no such thing as “high.” As long as we and our thoughts are earthbound, “high” makes sense. But, what if two people were standing on opposite sides of the earth, one at the North Pole and one at the South. What if you asked them to point “up?” The two would be pointing in opposite directions! If they both climbed in rockets and went “up” they would travel in opposite directions! What is “up” to one is “down” to the other. The direction of “high” to one is “low” to the other.

So what really is “high?”

It is actually a completely earthbound term and is, in fact, totally relative to where we happen to be standing at the moment. It only “works” when you’re standing on a planet (or moon) with gravity, so that “down” is in the direction of the gravity and “up” is away from it. The term is inherently relative. You could almost say it is anthropocentric. In order to mean anything, it requires the presence of a thinking human being, who is actually (and even unknowingly) defining the term entirely from his own perspective. As a kid, my cousins and I would climb Mt. Moosilauke in NH which rose far above the surrounding landscape to a height of almost 5000 feet. That was “high.” Yet, now my son lives in Colorado where they climb the “14-ers,” the mountains that reach up above 14,000 feet. When you’re up there “Rocky Mountain high,” the top of Moosilauke is way down “low.”

It occurs to me as I type, perhaps that is the problem with people who want to rise “high.” It is always relative. No matter how high I rise in the company, there’s always someone “higher.” And if I rise to be the CEO of the company, then there’s another company worth more money, so their CEO is “higher” than me. Napoleon was a genius of administration and could have left France (and Europe) with a heritage of good government, but he got it in his heart he wanted to rule all of Europe. It wasn’t enough to have become the emperor of France. He wanted to rise higher, and so, instead of good government, he plunged Europe into years of horrific war, bereaved hundreds of thousands of families of their sons and husbands and fathers, and left behind a memory of a cruel dictator hated by everyone.

I guess that’s why people are always “stepping on each other.” They all want so much to be “higher.” But, again, “high” is inherently a relative term, so there’s nowhere to rise to and then be content. No matter how “high” you get, up is always “higher.”

This verse before us says, “High above all nations is the Lord…” Once again, interesting that one of God’s names is El Elyon, the Most High God. In order to know Him, we have to accept that He is “higher” than us – and always will be. We have to accept that He is “high” and that makes us “low.” Part of Satan’s fall was he wanted to “… ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God … I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.” He couldn’t accept that he had to be “low.” Perhaps in all of this, we find the reason why a genuine Christian can actually be a decent person – because they’ve stopped trying to be “high.” They’ve accepted that God is and always will be “higher” and so it’s okay if other people seem to be “higher.” They don’t always have to “win.” I believe this is the thought buried in the Hebrew of Psalm 91:1, which says in English, “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.” The idea in Hebrew is that the person who actually chooses to remain (dwell) under the rule of Elyon (the Most High) will rest, will enjoy the benefits of living under Shaddai (the One who does exceedingly abundantly above all we could ask or think).

Our God is the “High” one. He is “His Most Royal Highness” and everyone, all nations, all rulers, all people everywhere are “under” Him. To accept that is to accept reality. To fight it is to live in a fantasy and will finally land people in the place prepared for the devil and his minions, the lowest of lows, the pit called hell. Those who accept it will be “raised” to the highest heavens. As Jesus said, “He who exalts himself will be humbled while He who humbles himself will be exalted.”

“High” is totally a relative term, yet even its relativity ought to teach us one of the most important lessons of life – I need to be content where I am. “Promotion comes from above.”

Psalm 113:1-3 – “All the Time and Everywhere”

As always, here’s my fairly literal translation of these verses:

Praise the LORD.

  ¹Praise, [O] servants of the LORD. Praise the name of the LORD.

 ²Let the name of the LORD be blessed from now and until ages.

 ³From sunrise to sunset, the name of the LORD being praised.

This has been an interesting couple of weeks since I posted thoughts on verses 1&2 and expressed my own desire to be a “walking psalm.” As is usually the case, I’ve been anything but! I was studying verse 3 and resolved to live verses 1&2, but got clobbered again at work. I already felt overwhelmed and was trying to trust God that it is all His work and that somehow it will all get done. Then it seemed like every day more got piled on. And then more. And then more. I felt so deeply buried there’s no possible hope I can do it all. And yet, underneath it all, I do believe it’s all from Him, that He’s just wanting to stretch me and teach me. I want to be confident in Him. I want to live in praise. But I was not. I was living in absolute terror (as usual).

Things have improved a little, so I’m not quite as overwhelmed. But then all that means is, as usual, I’m being “brave when the battle is distant.” When it’s in my face, I retreat in terror.

Sigh. I do want to be confident in the Lord. I honestly don’t know how to flip that switch – to be able to stay calm and clear-headed even in the face of fear. I know it’s possible. I just can’t seem to get it. It’s like someone pointed out how natives in the jungle are often terrified by an eclipse of the moon. We all would see that, chuckle to ourselves, and tell them, “It’s okay. You don’t need to be afraid.” We know it’s just an eclipse. To us they’re being silly … even childish. “All that emotional energy and drama is so totally unnecessary,” we would say. But then how am I any different? “Be still, and know that I am God.” “Fear not, for I am with thee …” Verse 3 says, “From sunrise to sunset, the name of the LORD being praised.” He’s got it all covered. “The flames will not hurt thee, I only design, thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.”

Sigh. All I know right now is, even in the fear, to keep trying to do what I should, keep trying to be loving to the people with whom I interact (perhaps even those who contribute to my terror), and keep praying, keep telling the Lord I know I’m filled with fear but I should (I want to) live in faith, to keep begging His help and strength. He knows my heart. He knows whatever it is I’m missing. And He knows when and how He’ll help me see it. Of course, even seeing it, involves facing the terrors.

I don’t know. It’s all crazy. But since He’s in the middle of it all, I’m back in the fray. I guess knowing it’s all Him is what gives me hope. I certainly have none in me. Of course I’m not alone. I know others struggle with exactly these same issues. I like what Shana Schutte said,

“In 2 Thessalonians 1:11, the following phrase grabbed me, “. . . and that by his power He may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by faith.” … I began this calling in faith but later allowed fear and pride to take over. So I tightened my hands on the reigns of my life, and I tried to control outcomes. Instead of trusting God as I worked, I trusted in myself. I forgot that it was my job to act “by faith” but God’s job to fulfill those actions by “His power.” Indeed, we fulfill all of our “good purposes” by His power, and every act prompted by our faith is fulfilled by God. We take the first step(s) but the fulfillment and completion of those steps belong to Him. The good works assigned to us originated with Him and they will be completed by Him.”

Yes.

Before I close, I want to note that verse 3 says the Lord is being praised from sunrise to sunset. One can ask if the point of that is to say He’s being praised “all the time” or “everywhere?” I lean toward the latter. If it were time and we said, “From sunrise to sunset,” one could ask, “and what about night time?” On the other hand, in the Hebrew mind, the words translated “sunrise” and “sunset” also mean “east” and “west.” In that case, the verse would say He’s being praised “from east to west.” That would mean “everywhere.” So then we would have verse 2 saying He deserves praise “both now and forever more” (all the time) and verse 3 saying He deserves praise “from east to west” (everywhere). The two together then are saying (poetically) that our Lord is deserving of praise all of the time and everywhere. And He certainly is.

… even when we’re facing fears.

He is wonderful. I am so thankful for His never-ending kindness, that He never gives up on me, that He’s always there, smiling, gently encouraging me, and somehow, underneath it all – all of my endless drama – He keeps my heart knowing He’s above it all, He’s using it for my good, that it will end, that somehow it will all add up to making me more like Him, a better person, maybe even a braver, calmer person (some day). He’s there – all the time and everywhere.

I don’t know how anyone survives without this hope, without Him.

Hebrew 13:15,16 -- Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise--the fruit of lips that confess His name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

Psalm 113:1,2 – “A Walking Psalm”

As always, here’s my fairly literal translation of these verses:

Praise the LORD.

  ¹Praise, [O] servants of the LORD. Praise the name of the LORD. 

 ²Let the name of the LORD be blessed from now and until ages.

It would be easy to read these verses and say, “Right. Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, praise the Lord,” seeing them as “good” words but really just more Christian clichés. I used to think like that. I remember the first few times I read through the Bible, I would dread coming to the Psalms, just for that reason. It seemed like it was just “praise the Lord” over and over again for 150 chapters. Then I read a book about a guy named Henry Venn. He was an English minister back in like the 1600 or 1700’s.

The book was actually a compilation of letters he wrote to people throughout his life. What struck me most about him was that the man was literally a walking psalm! He seemed to breathe the psalms. As he wrote to people and talked about life, the psalms were woven into everything. The man seriously praised the Lord all day every day. He saw all of life as praises to the Lord. He totally transformed my attitude toward the Psalms. After reading that book, I began very deliberately memorizing psalms and looked forward to every chance I could get to open this wonderful book and be reminded what a wonderful God we serve.

The passage before us is a prime example. For myself, I have just studied through the previous two psalms, 111 and 112. The first, 111, was about what a great God He is and then 112 was about how blessed I am to know Him. I honestly cannot think of a more fitting conclusion to that entire study than Psalm 113:1,2. “Praise the Lord … Let the name of the Lord be blessed, both now and forever more!”

There is so much to praise Him for. No wonder David wrote at the end of his life on earth (I Chron 29:10-13),

Blessed are You, Lord God of Israel, our Father, forever and ever.
Yours, O Lord, is the greatness,
The power and the glory,
The victory and the majesty;

For all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours;
Yours is the kingdom, O Lord,
And You are exalted as head over all.
Both riches and honor come from You,
And You reign over all.

In Your hand is power and might;
In Your hand it is to make great
And to give strength to all.

Now therefore, our God,
We thank You
And praise Your glorious name.

Like Henry Venn, David had spent his life walking with God in this real world, facing all the troubles and pain and failures of his own, and what did he become? A walking psalm.

That is exactly who I want to be.

What struck me most about these first two verses was the words, “Let the name of the LORD be blessed, both now and forever more.” “Both now and forever more.” As I contemplate my incessant problem with worry and fear, I read those lines and it occurs to me that I have no problem seeing the Lord has been worthy of praise my entire life. Looking back, even the intensely painful times I can now see were blessings from the Lord. I can say without hesitation, “Let His name be praised through all those moments. All day, every day He was doing great and awesome things.”

Then there is the “now.” Right now, at this minute, I do believe He is working all things together for good, that He is wisely and kindly ordering the universe to accomplish the greatest possible good. But what about the “and forevermore?” What about the future? What about tomorrow? I live under this dark cloud of worry and fear. Of what? Will the name of the Lord be worthy of praise tomorrow? The next day? The next? Will there ever be a second when He isn’t worthy of praise, when He isn’t totally in control and working all things together for good? Then why am I so afraid? What am I afraid of?

It occurred to me some time ago that worry is actually imagining a world without God. It’s leaving God out of my future. I could see that, but somehow I couldn’t get it to “stick” in my brain.

I think this helps me. “Both now and forever more.” I do believe in my heart that He will be worthy of praise every second of every day of the rest of my life. I just don’t do a very good job of appropriating that truth as I face all the problems and fears and issues.

I Peter 2:9 says, “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that you should show forth the praises of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”

I want to be a walking psalm. The Lord deserves a walking psalm. I can see though, that only really works if I will trust Him not only with my past and present but also with my future.

Such a change is utterly beyond me. Worrying over the future it seems is just a part of who I am. But then I know it’s not. I was created in the image of God to “show forth His praises.” Everything less than that are the perversions and twistings of sin in me. Still I know I cannot make such changes. But there is a Redeemer, Someone who began a good work in me. Jesus died specifically “to save His people from their sins.” Do your redeeming work, Jesus. Make me a walking psalm. You deserve it.

Psalm 111, 112 – “Mary Has Chosen the Better Part”

These two psalms begin and end with:

 “I will extol the Lord with all  my heart … To Him belongs eternal praise”

      and

 “Blessed is the man who fears the Lord … the desires of the wicked will perish.”

 As I have studied these two psalms, there is no question in my mind they were intended to be read together. As I (and a host of others) have noted, 111 is all about the Lord and who He is, while 112 is about the people who know Him (and, in v10, those who don’t). As the two stand together, I am reminded of JI Packer’s book Knowing God and particularly one of the chapter titles, “The People Who Know Their God.”

I think one of the profound blessings of my life was that, not long after the Lord saved me, He put that book in my hands. I devoured it. But not quickly. I remember literally reading it a paragraph at a time. Knowing God – and “The People Who Know Their God.” Jesus said, “For this is eternal life, that they might know Thee …” (John 17:3). It struck me back then, that, in fact, as Jesus is clearly saying, eternal life itself is all about knowing God. It’s not just about Heaven forever and salvation and deliverance and love and all those things. They are all important, but … and this is my point (then and now) … all those blessings issue from a relationship with God.

And that is precisely why “Mary has chosen the better part.” Martha was filling her day with good things – serving the Lord – but Mary chose the better part. Mary sat at Jesus’ feet and drank of who He was and what He said. Martha would serve the Lord, Mary would know Him. And what did Jesus think of it all? “Mary has chosen the better part … and it will not be taken from her.”

Once again, my point is to observe that these two psalms belong together. You can read again the blessings of the second, Psalm 112, and there are many people today who, like Martha, would work very hard to see those blessings come about in their own lives and the lives of those around them; but it simply will not happen without Psalm 111, without “sitting at His feet.” To “sit at His feet,” treasuring Him and knowing Him and loving Him (111) is what will produce the blessings of 112.

In Hebrew, there is a great deal of repetition between the two psalms. Both are acrostics and the number and organization of the lines of each are identical. Also, there is much repetition of words and phrases. One example is obvious even in English, the statement, “His righteousness stands forever.” It is stated of God in 111:3, then of the godly man twice in 112, in verses 3 and 9. In addition, there are many words and phrases repeated between the two. As I noted earlier, there is a definite chiasm in 112:7,8 and I suspect there is a great deal of order between the two psalms. I have looked at various people’s efforts to find chiastic structure in the entire psalms, but so far I haven’t found anything I thought convincing. I guess it is enough for me now to see that, grammatically, there is no question the two psalms are related, and then to note that connection is also theologically profound.

I guess I think our generation is seriously missing this point. I fear almost the entire focus of “church” today is simply to make people busy, to “do” things, to “serve the Lord,” without realizing the point of it all, the dynamo that fuels it all, is simply to know Him. That is true for us and it is also true for the very people we want to “reach.” We have reason to fear lest Jesus’ words be true of us, “They travel over land and sea to make one disciple, and when they do, they make him two times more the son of hell than they are.” Is the goal to make more Marys or more Marthas? I fear it is a cosmic “bait and switch.” The devil would have us ignore God entirely; but, if he can’t accomplish that and someone is bound determined to be a Christian, then he gets them busy being a Martha and robs them of the very thing that drives the Psalm 112 life -- the God of Psalm 111.

Mary has chosen the better part. “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord” (II Cor 3:18). We see from this verse, it is in “beholding the Lord” that we “are being transformed.” “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, has shone in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (II Cor 4:6).

My heart is literally dumbfounded to sit here and ponder all of this. I spent way too many years “trying to grow,” trying to “serve the Lord,” only to discover what I knew from the beginning, the title of Packer’s book, it’s all about knowing Him. The more I know the God of Psalm 111, the more I become the man of Psalm 112. And not so much because I’m “trying;” as He said in II Cor 3:18, it is in beholding the Lord that I am changed into His image. Knowing His love for me, I am changed forever. I want to love others. Knowing His kindness, I want to be kind. Seeing His faithfulness, I want to be dependable. Hmmmmm, maybe that’s why it’s all called, the Fruit of the Spirit?

Well, I am still a mess. He’s been working all these years to “fix” me and make me who He intends me to be, but I’m keenly aware He is far from done. But I am very thankful for this simple truth of Psalms 111 and 112. Mary has chosen the better part. God help me to choose Mary’s part. You deserve it.

I am going to go on ahead and study Psalm 113 as well. It begins with the same “Praise the Lord,” and looks like it too was intended to be read together with Psalms 111 and 112. Whether it is or isn’t, I’m sure it will be instructive.

All praise to Him who reigns above.

Psalm 112:10 – “Hope”

As always, here’s my fairly literal translation of this verse:

¹⁰A wicked one will see and be agitated.

   He will grind his teeth and melt.

   [The] desires of wicked ones will perish.

As I have studied this verse and read what others had to say about it, it strikes me that I don’t often enough pause to remember how blessed I am. Interestingly, the body of this psalm opens with the word “blessed” and ends with the word “perish.” Those two simple words sum up all there is to know about those who love God and those who don’t. The one will only know blessing for all eternity. The other will perish. The one is told even his children will be mighty ones, his righteousness will stand forever, and he will look in triumph on his enemies and be held high in honor. The other will simply grind his teeth in angry disappointment and all he hoped for will come to nothing.

Wow. And I’m in the “blessed” group only because Jesus died in my place and the Father chose one day to open my eyes to see the truth.

For all eternity. Wow.

We see this same truth all through the Bible, but I think of several passages:

“The prospect of the righteous is joy, but the hopes of the wicked come to nothing” (Prov 10:28).

“Peace, peace to him that is near and him that is far ... But the wicked are not so; they are like the troubled sea which cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked” (Isa 57:19-21).

“The wicked plot against the righteous and gnash their teeth at them; but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for He knows their day is coming” (Psalm 37:12,13).

Expressing these same thoughts, Psalm 107:41-43 concludes with “Whoever is wise, let him heed these things and consider the great love of the Lord.”

It is simply an inestimable blessing to live every day with hope. We believers go about our lives with the promise that our Lord will every day “work all things together for good,” that our destiny is in an eternal bliss with Him. I feel I am only beginning (after 36 years) to learn to trust Him in this and actually live in that hope. As I’ve often lamented, I am an incorrigible worrier and forget quickly that my hope (every day) is secure, that I can actually live in confidence in the Lord. But even in all my ridiculous fretting and drama, I always have this simple truth to come back to. Him. My Rock.

There are many who don’t. They don’t know Him. They don’t have a Rock. They don’t have this hope. No wonder they scheme and maneuver and manipulate, lie, murder, and steal.

God in Heaven, thank You for grace. Thank You for making me one of Yours, for letting this ridiculous twisted self-destructing idiot live his life with hope.

Help me today to live in that hope, to appreciate the gift it is, and not forget it the second anything seems to threaten me. And somehow, let Your presence go with me as I interact all day with people who may not have this hope. May somehow Your hope in me become hope in them.

It’s Your world. Help me be a part of it.

Psalm 112:9 – “Generosity”

As always, here’s my fairly literal translation of this verse:

⁹He has scattered. He has given to the needy ones.

   His righteousness stands forever.

   His horn will be high in honor.

I really like these lines. It was already said in verse 5 that a good man is a generous man. Here we see it again. I like it.

Once again, a person can be “religious” and still be a tight-fisted, heartless grouch. But real grace will have none of that. Our God “so loved the world He gave” and “gives to all men liberally.” He “makes His sun to shine on the evil and the good.” He “opens His hand and satisfies the desires of every living thing.” We may live our lives “in malice and envy, hating and being hated,” but “when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He saved us … by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior.”

Anyone who has genuinely received such grace; anyone who has genuinely experienced and realized that overwhelming kindness of such a God and Savior, cannot for long be anything less. We’re all still quite capable of fits of selfishness, but still, as this Psalm has now asserted twice, the people who know their God can’t help but be like Him. His is a big, generous heart and His dearly loved children cannot help but be the same.

It has generally been true throughout human history that there always are the very rich and the very poor, with precious few anywhere in between. For a short time, America was a nation where that wasn’t true. We had a robust middle-class and that level of prosperity was available to anyone willing to work for it. I would maintain that happened because of the truth of Psalm 112:9. For the first two hundred years of our history, there was a genuine vein of godliness that pervaded the rich and poor of our country. I would suggest that very godliness meant that the “rich,” though they did accumulate their wealth, also never lost sight of some sense of benevolence, and so that very wealth was “scattered.” Today we have people like Bill Gates or Sam Walton’s family, who accumulate billions and billions of dollars for themselves while wages stagnate, while that middle class steadily shrinks, while young people are plunged head over heel into debt just to get an education, and those “rich” will only get richer and richer.

This is a living illustration of the truth, “Blessed is the nation that fears the Lord.” And unfortunately we have become a living illustration of what happens when that same nation casts Him aside. The very graciousness that emanates from His heart is no longer present to pervade our society and so, instead, we more and more reflect the face of him who is a murderer and who has been a liar from the beginning.

All that, to me, is enormously sad. I knew this nation when it was great. It is so sad to see what it has become. But I am very thankful for the grace I’ve been shown and, as I said in the beginning, I like this verse. It is, in fact, who I want to be. “True religion and undefiled is this: to visit widows and the fatherless in their affliction.” True religion makes us want to care about people less fortunate than ourselves.

And that is how it should be.

It is interesting too to see the other two lines of the verse. The second line repeats the words of verse 3 and 111:3, “His righteousness stands forever.” I already commented on this under verse 3, but I would suggest in this case it is speaking of the memory of his righteousness. In other words, his righteousness stands forever in the sense that people will not soon forget a man’s kindnesses. There are a few people in history remembered for the excess of their cruelties but, for the most part evil men are soon forgotten. Andrew Carnegie is one of those very wealthy men of an earlier age whose name is still remembered because he built libraries in practically every small town in America.

And then the last line says, “His horn will be high in honor.” This is a simple old testament statement of Jesus’ words, “He who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.” Why are the rich miserly? They imagine that their wealth (and more of it) will somehow exalt them. So they hoard it to themselves, cheat everyone they can, maneuver themselves to get even more, and, instead of being “exalted” they end up living in a world of endless family animosity, constant intrigues and legal battles over who gets what, and, while they may in fact get to live “the good life” of extravagant vacations and palatial mansions, yet they lack the one thing that makes life worth living – love.

The godly man, while he may in fact prosper in his business, never loses some sense of generosity. He can “let loose” of some of that wealth to benefit others, trusting God that what he gives he actually receives. As it says in Proverbs, “One man gives and receives only more.” And because he has been kind, because he has given of himself to those less fortunate, Jesus would have him to know he will somehow be exalted.

Once again, I like this verse. Even though I live in this world where it really does seem like the best plan is to “look out for #1,” yet I can live knowing that I don’t need to. I do need to “guide my affairs with discretion” (v5), but I can do so with open hands and live my life caring about the people the Lord places around me.

Lord, may Your grace genuinely shine from the hearts of us who’ve enjoyed its blessing. May we “passing through the Valley of Bacah, make it a spring.”

Psalm 112:6-8 – “To Be Continued”

As always, here’s my fairly literal translation of these verses:

⁶Because to ages he will not be shaken,

     a memory of ages a righteous one will be.

⁷He will not fear bad news,

    His heart being established, being confident in the LORD.

⁸His heart being supported, he will not fear,

    Until which he will look on his enemies.

My last three blogs have recorded a rather interesting little episode in my own life. As I’ve related, I studied out these three verses, thought I basically understood them, then walked into work and got clobbered by two terrifying situations, only to have that followed by the addition of what I perceived to be an impossible workload. Shaken? Fear? I had plenty of both; but it was also obvious to me this was the Lord’s hand and the point of it all was to help me grow in being the very person portrayed in this Psalm.

I think for the most part I’m “on the other side” now, perhaps even “looking in triumph on my foes.” The two terrifying situations were pretty well remedied and in fact I would say things are considerably improved in both of those projects. As far as the work load, the Lord really helped me by reminding me I need a “well-ordered mind” (II Tim 1:7), and when I sat down and wrote it all out, it just didn’t look as bad.

Maybe it’s not over. Maybe something else is on its way. It’s all up to Him, of course. Of course it’s not over if I’m still alive. I still have much to learn and I’m still not the man of Psalm 112. I hope I’m a little more that man. I hope I’ve grown even just a little in being “confident in the Lord.” He certainly deserves it. Through all the terrors and hardships of my entire life, He has always been there; He has always worked out all things for good; and I should be confident in Him. This whole thing has just been one more example of His kindness.

I don’t know. Right now, honestly, I feel like I’ve been run over by a truck. This one really beat me up. But then it was my own fear that did the beating. Had I really been “confident in the Lord” the whole time, there would have been no need for any of this trauma or terror. There wasn’t any need for it anyway. I just haven’t learned yet how to rise above it. It is completely my own mind, my own heart that creates the trauma and all the emotional fracas.

Well, I hope I have learned even a little, that perhaps in some small way I am stronger. If I am it is all the Lord’s doing. I want to be the man of Psalm 112. The Lord deserves that I should be that man, a man who doesn’t fear bad news, who is in fact confident in Him. I want to be stable like Him.

This may sound crazy but this has all been wonderful. It’s just like sports. I appreciated my awesome track and cross-country coach Louis Baker. I appreciated how he pushed me and nearly killed me (just kidding) and made me into a runner who actually ran miles down in the 4-minute range. The Lord is doing the same thing on a much bigger scale. He’s making me, slowly but surely into the man I want to be. And I’m glad He loves me enough not only to put me through it all but to endure all my childish whining, that He stays with me through it all, gives me lots of little expressions of love and kindness along the way, and just gives my life and my troubles meaning and purpose.

It’s not “over” of course and won’t be until He calls me home; but this is all exactly what I want Him to be doing in my life.

I don’t want to face any more pain, but I have to pray with Jesus, “Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless not my will, but Thine be done.” On the other hand, I’ll pray with Jabez, “Keep me from pain, that it might not pain me!”

He is a wonderful Lord. I don’t know how anyone lives without Him!

And so we study on. In this life, everything ends with “to be continued …”

Just 'cause I want to include the words of the old Hymn,  "How Firm a Foundation."

How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word!
What more can He say than to you He hath said,
Unto you, who to Jesus for refuge have fled?

Fear not, I am with thee, O be not dismayed,
For I am thy God and will still give thee aid;
I’ll strengthen and help thee, and cause thee to stand
Upheld by My righteous, omnipotent hand.

When through the deep waters I call thee to go,
The rivers of woe shall not thee overflow;
For I will be with thee, thy troubles to bless,
And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.

When through fiery trials thy pathways shall lie,
My grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply;
The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design
Thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.


The soul that on Jesus has leaned for repose,
I will not, I will not desert to its foes;
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I’ll never, no never, no never forsake.