Psalm 8 - A Call to Worship

As we saw in Psalm 19, it is not known when David wrote the 8^th Psalm, but it was at a time when David was again reflecting on nature, this time the night sky. As we recall from Psalm 19, his reflection on nature caused him to praise God for the goodness of His word and then to reflect on his own sin. In this Psalm, his reflection on the night sky causes him to have an attitude of humility and worship.

David begins by proclaiming, “O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth, Who have set Your glory above the heavens!” The first “LORD” is Jehovah, the covenant name for God for the Jewish people. The second “Lord” is Adoni, meaning lord or master. So, David is proclaiming with his mouth that Jehovah is his Lord. He goes on to say “How excellent is your name in all the earth?” God’s name refers to His reputation or character. Man may have a good reputation, but he still has faults. However, God’s reputation is entirely flawless. His reputation is excellent (great or majestic). In the English dictionary excellent means very good.

God has set His glory above the heavens: in Psalm 19 we see that the heavens declare the glory of God, but here we see His glory is above them. Solomon would later say, “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You.” (1 Kings 8:27) The Lord said through Isaiah the prophet, “Heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool.” (Isa 66:1) As big as this universe is, God is still bigger. Creation has glory, but God is truly glorious.

Next, David says that out of the mouth of babes (young children) and nursing infants, the Lord has ordained strength (praise). God has chosen the weak and foolish things of this world to put to shame the wise and the strong. (1 Co 1:27) He does this so that no flesh will glory in His sight. When we are good at something, we like to take the credit, forgetting that God has even given those gifts and abilities to us. However, when we are weak and vulnerable, we know we could not have done it if it were not for the Lord. Well, you don’t get much weaker and more vulnerable than a young child or a nursing infant, but if we recall it was these young children who were coming to see Jesus in the temple, and crying out, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” The chief priests and scribes were indignant, and said, “Do you hear what these are saying?” In other words, why don’t you stop them? Jesus replied to them by quoting from this verse in Psalm 8 “’Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise.’” During His triumphal entry, the people were worshiping Jesus, and the pharisees told Him to rebuke His disciples. However, Jesus responded, “I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out.” Wow! What a statement. What would this look like for the stones to cry out in worship of the creator of the universe?

David said that when he considered the heavens, the work of the Lord’s fingers, the moon and the stars which He has ordained, he was left in awe that this great and majestic God who created everything, would give attention to or care for him, a mortal man. He said, “What is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him?” For a God this big to pay attention to us, who in the grand scheme of things are so small, it takes humility on God’s part. This humility on God’s part caused David to be humbled as well and left in awe.

Genesis depicts God as speaking the universe into existence, but apparently His hands were involved as well. Genesis tells us that He set the sun, moon, and stars in their place in the heavens to rule the day and the night. This universe that is so vast, had everything set in its place by the fingers of God.

Not only is God mindful of man, He also became a man Himself. Paul wrote to the Philippians, “who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Phil 2:6-11) Jesus humbled Himself (made Himself of no reputation) by taking on human form to the end that He would go to the cross to redeem you and me. As Chuck Missler used to say, “He was crucified on a cross of wood, but He made the hill on which it stood. This is humility and love of the greatest kind.

God has made man a little lower than the angels, and crowned him with glory and honor. The word for angels here is Elohim, a Hebrew word that can be used to refer to God, angels, false gods, or even human rulers, so context is key in determining who is being referred to. Some modern translations have rendered this verse as making man a little lower than God, but I disagree with this rendering for a couple of reasons. First, the author of Hebrews quotes this verse in referring to Jesus, who states, “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.” (Heb 2:9) When the New Testament writers quoted the Old Testament, they used the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament, and the Septuagint renders it as angels. Second, it just makes sense that it would be angels, since man is created with less glory and power than they were. So, God has created man a little lower than the angels, and has crowned him with glory and honor, and this is ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ.

God has given man dominion over the works of His hands. This includes livestock, the wild beasts, birds, and the animals of the sea. After He made Adam and Eve, He told them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” This flies in the face of the beliefs of the environmentalists who have placed creation and nature above mankind. However, as we can see, God made nature for man, not man for nature. I remember writing a college English paper in which I referenced this principle, and how classmates were offended that I would say such a thing. However, I was merely repeating what God had already said. I cannot imagine how this would go over today in a college classroom, a white male talking about subduing and having dominion over nature. This is not to squander or misuse it, but to be good stewards of it. Having said this however, as I have already pointed out, this is ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ (Heb 2:5-9) He was, for a little while, made lower than the angels, crowned with glory and honor, and set over the works of His hands. Although we do not see all things put under Him yet, it has been accomplished at the cross, and one day we will see it.  Every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

I want to share an interesting true story that was inspired by this Psalm. There was a young man who was fascinated by the seas and navigation who joined the navy in 1825. At one point he was bed-ridden, and while there, one of his children would read the Bible to him every day. One day, he was struck by the words in Psalm 8:8 “The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.” He had this verse read over and over to him until he finally resolved that, if God says there are paths in the seas, then he was going to find them if he recovered. He did recover, and began studying the seas. He charted the ocean currents and helped shippers understand them so they were more successful in crossing the oceans. His name was Matthew Fontaine Maury, and he is considered the father of modern oceanography. Again, the Bible is not a science book, but when it speaks to Science, it is always correct.

Lastly, David repeats the same phrase from verse 1: “O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth!” He begins with worship, tells us why he is worshipping, and then ends with worship. This should be our response as well. This great and majestic God with an excellent reputation who set the sun, moon, and stars in their place with His fingers, lowers Himself to care for us. He has given us dominion over creation, but became one of us that He could redeem us from our sin. Soon one day, all things will finally be put under His feet, and we will have eternity to worship Him for it.

    

Psalm 19 - The Glory of God Revealed

 

It is not known for sure when David wrote the 19th Psalm, but it is thought by some to have been written while he was a shepherd boy, watching the flocks in the wilderness. This makes sense, because he would have had plenty of time to reflect on nature, and how it bears the unmistakable marks of an intelligent designer. This psalm is close kin to Psalm 8. In Psalm 19 David’s reflection on creation causes him to then reflect on the word of God and on his own sin, while in Psalm 8 his reflection on creation drives him to humility and praise. Let’s go ahead and dive in.

                            David begins with his reflection on nature. He states the heavens declare the glory or splendor of God: You cannot look at creation and all its awesomeness, and come away with the idea that it happened by chance, at least if we are honest with ourselves. Just a casual observation of creation bears the marks of intelligent design, and if there is intelligent design, then it naturally follows there has to have been an intelligent designer. The more you study science, you quickly realize how carefully designed creation really is. Everything is so precise that if things were altered slightly, life on Earth would be impossible. David stated the firmament is His handywork, which can be translated, a work of art. Again, just a casual observation of creation bears this out.

The heavens are personified as having the ability to speak: they are constantly speaking day and night of the glory and majesty of God. Their voice transcends all language and cultural barriers. No matter where we are on the planet, we can all look into the heavens to see God’s handywork. Paul wrote to the Romans that God’s invisible attributes are seen in creation, and as a result, man is left without excuse (Rom 1:18-20). Because of this witness of Himself in His creation, man is left without excuse on the day of judgment for his sin. He will not be able to stand before God and say he didn’t know better. Man sees the truth of God’s existence, and chooses to suppress it.

Next, David uses poetic language to describe the sun’s course through the sky. He has set a tabernacle or tent from which it comes out each day. It goes through the heavens like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber or a strong man to run a race. It goes from one end of heaven to the other, and there is no part of the planet that is not affected by its heat. Even the polar regions which receive no sunlight for several months during the year are still affected by the heat of the sun through winds that blow on different parts of the globe to help stabilize air pressure. Critics of the Bible like to point out passages like these since it refers to the sun rising and moving through the sky, but again David is clearly using figurative language to describe the sun’s course through the heavens. Interestingly enough however, the sun is actually moving through the heavens. According to NASA, the sun and our entire solar system are orbiting around the center of the Milky Way galaxy at a whopping velocity of 514,500 MPH. So, truly the sun is moving through the heavens like a strong man running a race. The Bible is not a science book, but when it speaks to science, it is always correct.

Next, David transitions from talking about the sun into talking about the word of God. This is quite a natural transition really, since both the sun and the Scriptures provide light to guide our way through life. There are many who claim not to need Church or the Scriptures, because they can connect with God simply by going out in nature. Although it is certainly true that we can connect with God through nature, if that is all we have, we will fall drastically short in our understanding of our creator. Creation reveals God to us, but the Scriptures reveal Him even more. David breaks the first five books of the Old Testament into different categories, and tells us how each section of God’s word is good for us.

First, he tells us that the law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul. The law is the Torah, or it can also be used to refer to the 10 Commandments. It is without fault or blemish. Convert means to restore or revive. You may ask, how does the law convert the soul? Well, Paul tells us in Romans that the law stops every mouth and makes the whole world guilty before God. Also, it is by the law that we have the knowledge of sin. (Rom 3:19-20) Paul also told the Galatians that the law was our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ. So then, the job of the law is to reveal our sin and show us our need for Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. We are driven to Him who, through our faith in Him, revives our soul. Once our soul has been converted or revived, we then need to learn how to act right according to God’s will. The Scriptures tell us this as well.

The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. Testimony means witness. The Scriptures bear witness of God, His character, and His ways. Most importantly, they bear witness of Jesus Christ, the only way to salvation. The Psalmist wrote, “Then I said, ‘Behold, I come; in the scroll of the book it is written of me. I delight to do Your will, O my God, and Your law is within my heart.’” (Psa 40:6-8) The author of Hebrews attributes this to Jesus, so the totality of Scripture is about Him. John wrote in his Gospel, “And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.” (Jn 20:30-31) To receive this testimony of God’s Son as true is wisdom and eternal life.

Statutes and commandments are similar, but with some differences. Commandments are the dos and the do nots, while the statutes are a specific type of commandment. God’s word rejoices our hearts and enlightens our eyes. Many of us have probably heard the saying, “Holiness leads to happiness,” and it is so true. Notice I didn’t say legalism, for holiness and legalism have gotten mixed up over the years. Holiness simply means to be set apart from sin, so if the Bible plainly teaches we should or should not do something, we will be blessed and enlightened for obeying what it says. Moses told the children of Israel, “Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the Lord your God. (Deut 28:1-2) James wrote, “But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.” (James 1:25)

The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever. Fear can mean different things depending on the context. If you are outside of Christ, this is a terror and a dread of the wrath that is to come upon you for your sin. However, if we are inside Christ, we have no need to fear the wrath of God. For the believer, fear is a reverence and a respect for the God of the universe who takes mind of us and even calls us His friends if we do what He commands us (Jn 15:14). This fear naturally results in obedience. The Scriptures are full of admonishments to fear the Lord. Here are just a few: “Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him.” (Psa 34:9) And, “Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Who is the man who desires life, and loves many days, that he may see good? Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceit. Depart from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.” (Psa 34:11-14) Lastly, Peter writes, “Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.” (1 Pe 2:17)

God’s judgments are true and righteous altogether. Judgments are God’s verdict against sin. It includes the verdict, as well as the penalty for the wrong-doing. Unlike a human court in which a judge and jury can get it wrong, God never does. He will not acquit the guilty, nor does he punish the innocent. His judgments are always true, and they are always right. You might ask, what about us as believers, aren’t we the guilty who have been acquitted? The answer is, yes, but there was a price that was paid, there was justice that was administered. God poured out the wrath that you and I deserved on His only begotten Son who was a perfect sacrifice for our sin. This is how He can be just in forgiving us when we confess our sins to Him. In like manner, this is how He is just in judging the world, those who have rejected Christ, during the tribulation. After three of the seven of the bowls of God’s wrath had been poured out, one from the alter said, “Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are Your judgments.” Now that he has broken them down, David moves on to his love of the Word.

He said that the word of God was to be desired more than gold, even much fine gold. By the time David’s reign was coming to an end, he was a very wealthy man. However, he was known for his heart for God rather than his riches. In Psalm 119, the psalmist wrote, “The law of Your mouth is better to me than thousands of coins of gold and silver.” (Psa 119:72) And, “Therefore I love Your commandments more than gold, yes, than fine gold!” (Psa 119:127) If we had reason to believe there was a million dollars of gold buried in our yard somewhere, we would be overturning every square inch of soil to try and find it. How much more the word of God which exceeds all the riches of the world? David also said the Word was sweeter than honey and the honeycomb. Not only is God’s word more valuable than earthly riches, it is more valuable than the experiences of the senses which can be powerful at times.

God’s word gives us warnings. The purpose of warnings is to alert us to consequences or danger that we are either not aware of or do not appreciate. As a parent, I have a better understanding of warnings. We love our children and don’t want to see them hurt from the consequences of sin or foolish behavior, so we warn them ahead of time. When my dad’s family moved to this area, there was no dam on the river just south of Brewster, and as a result, the Columbia was dangerous to swim in. So, parents would warn their children not to swim in the river. Jesus gave warnings: He talked more about Hell then He did about Heaven, and I believe He did so because He didn’t want anyone to go there.

In contrast, there is great reward for doing what is right. As we previously discussed, there is blessing in obeying the word of God. God is a loving Father, and as a result, He discourages bad behavior and encourages good behavior because He wants us to be blessed.

David has spent time reflecting on the glory of God in creation and the richness of His word, and this causes him to be mindful of his own sin. While this is certainly not our only response to the greatness of God, it is an important one. Although we do not lose our salvation by sinning, sin, especially when unconfessed, is a barrier to fellowship and a deeper walk with the Lord. David said, “who can understand his errors?” In other words, we don’t fully understand the depths of our own sinful state. It takes a revelation from the Lord through the conviction of the Holy Spirit to gain this understanding. He asked the Lord to cleanse him from secret faults, those sins he was not even aware of. In another Psalm he asked the Lord to search his heart and to try him. Sins done in ignorance are still sin, and should be dealt with. He also asked the Lord to keep him back from presumptuous sins, those sins we are fully aware of and do anyway. He prayed that they would not have dominion over him. We all have those sins that are a struggle for us, those sins that we feel have mastery over us, but the Scriptures state, “For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.” (Rom 6:14) It may feel like they have dominion over us, but Jesus has broken its power over us at the cross. Nonetheless, we can be like David and pray for a greater revelation of this. Then he said he would be blameless and innocent of great transgression. This was not a proclamation of sinless perfection, but an understanding that his heart was right before God. Everything he was aware of had been dealt with, and he could have fellowship and communion with God.

Lastly, he prayed that the words of his mouth and the meditation of his heart would be acceptable in the Lord’s sight. This was a wise prayer by David, for it is what we think about that will eventually come out in our words and actions. Jesus, when questioned by the Pharisees why his disciples ate without washing their hands, explained to His disciples, “What comes out of a man, that defiles a man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile a man.” (Mark 7:20-23) Rather than dwelling on those things that defile us, Paul tells us, “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.” (Phil 4:8) David calls God his strength (rock) and his redeemer. The Lord is our strength in the midst of temptation, and He has redeemed us from all sin, past, present, and future.

In closing, have we lost sight of the glory and majesty of God? Look at the heavens. Look at the moon, stars, and planets. Observe the sun rising each morning to heat the earth, and it’s setting each evening. Consider how carefully designed creation is, how everything works as it should to make life possible. Let this awe of our creator drive us to His word to learn more about Him and to examine its richness and sweetness. Let us also be mindful of how we have fallen short of this glorious God’s righteous standards, and confess our sins to Him for forgiveness and restored fellowship. Then let us continue to think on those things that are pleasing in His sight.

 

2 Samuel 6 - The Ark Comes to Jerusalem

In the previous chapter of 2 Samuel, we saw all Israel come to Hebron to make David king. David took the stronghold of Zion, and made Jerusalem his capital. Immediately following this, the Philistines came up to battle with David, and David beat them twice, driving them back closer to their original territories. In this chapter we will see David bring the ark of God to Jerusalem, and some problems he encounters in doing so.

David gathered 30 thousand choice men to bring up the ark of God from Baal Judah (Kirjath Jearim), out of the house of Abinadab, which was on a hill about eight miles from Jerusalem. It had been there 70 years, ever sense the ark came back from the camp of the Philistines. It was largely neglected by Saul, and if we recall, the tabernacle had been destroyed by the Philistines when the ark was captured as recorded near the beginning of 1 Samuel.  So, they put the ark on a new cart, and Uzzah (strength) and Ahio (friendly), the sons of Abinadab, drove the cart. While they were going, everyone was playing on various instruments in worship to the Lord.

When they came to Nachon’s threshing floor, the oxen stumbled, and Uzzah put forth his hand to grab ahold of the ark to keep it from falling. Then God became angry with Uzzah for his error, and struck him dead for touching the ark. David was angry because the Lord had stricken Uzzah, and he named the place Perez Uzzah. David was afraid of the Lord, and would not bring it to Jerusalem. However, he took it to the house of Obed-Edom who was himself a Levite of the family of Kohath (1 Chron 26:1-4), and left it there three months. While the ark was there , the Lord blessed the house of Obed-Edom.

So what was going on here? Well, if we look at 1 Chronicles, it gives us some more insight. Here David is instructing the priests and Levites what they needed to do in order to bring up the ark the second time, and that the Lord had broken out against them because they had not followed the proper order. The Lord  had told them in Exodus 25:12-14, and Numbers 4:1-20 and 7:9 that the ark was to be born on the shoulders of the Kohathites on poles, and it was not to be touched. So, David’s desire was right; he wanted all of Israel to be excited about the presence of God. The problem was, his method was wrong. He did the right thing in the wrong way. He chose a new cart being pulled by oxen, the method the Philistines used to send the ark back to Israel, and it was driven by Strong and friendly. It was a worship service not submitted to the Word. There are a lot of well-intended ministries like this today: we take the pattern of the world and try to apply it to the Church. We get new carts (boards with big wheels as I have heard it put), find someone who is a strong leader and liked by everyone, wrap it all up in a nice time of worship, and think it will work. However, the main emphasis needs to be centered around Jesus and the word of God. If not, we will just be another social club, and in some cases the results can be disastrous like as in the case of Uzzah. As one commentator said, “We are often tempted to judge a worship experience by how it makes us feel. But when we realize that worship is about pleasing God, we are driven to His word so we can know how He wants to be worshipped.”

David was upset about the whole thing, but God struck only one man instead of over 50 thousand as when the ark came back from the Philistines. If David had consulted the Lord first, he could have avoided all this. Nevertheless, he learned his lesson and went back to the word to make sure he was doing things properly. This is what you and I should do as well. If we don’t understand why things happened the way they did, if there is any blame to be had, it lies with us rather than the Lord.

After David heard that the house of Obed-Edom was being blessed because of the ark, he decided to bring the ark to Jerusalem, and it states he did it with gladness. There was no fear because he knew he was following the Word this time. Guzek writes, “We often think that a “new cart” or “strength” or a “friendly” manner is the way to bring the presence and glory of God. But God always wants His presence and glory to come on the shoulders of consecrated, obedient, praising men and women.” Every time those bearing the ark went six paces, he sacrificed oxen and fatted sheep. This was obviously excessive sacrifice, but it demonstrated David’s and the people’s desire to please and worship the Lord. Then he danced before the Lord with all his might, setting aside his royal apparel, and  wearing a linen ephod. This is not an excuse for chaos in a worship service, nor is it an excuse to entirely disregard passionate worship before the Lord either. In an appropriate time and place, this form of worship is just as pleasing to the lord as any other form. I believe this is another reason God called David a man after His own heart, because David worshiped Him with all his might, not caring what others thought. So, they brought the ark to Jerusalem with shouting and the sound of the trumpet, set it in the tabernacle David had pitched for it, and then David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord. Then he blessed the people in the name of the Lord, and gave everyone a loaf of bread, a piece of meat, and a cake of raisins. This was another joyous celebration centered around what the Lord was doing in Israel.

Now, when Michal saw the ark coming into Jerusalem and David leaping and whirling before the Lord, it states she despised him in her heart. When David came to bless his own house as he had done to the children of Israel, she came out to meet him, and said, “How glorious was the king of Israel today, uncovering himself today in the eyes of the maids of his servants, as one of the base fellows shamelessly uncovers himself!” She was accusing him of dressing immodestly before the women servants, but he was wearing a linen ephod, a close-fitting outer garment worn by the Levites which was associated with worship. So, it would seem that Michael was more bothered by David’s expression of worship, and her accusations of immodesty were her excuse. Perhaps she was embarrassed that he would make such a spectacle of himself, but David was not doing it for anyone else’s benefit. He was doing it for the Lord. There are those today who are bothered by outward expressions of worship, but if dancing is portrayed as acceptable, then we should probably not be bothered by such expressions of worship as long as they are truly that. Obviously, there is a difference between dancing outside versus in a small congregation where such activities could be distracting or even dangerous, so common sense needs to be applied.

David responded that it was before the Lord who had chosen him above her father to appoint him ruler over Israel. Because of this he would play music before the Lord, and would even be more undignified than this. And for the maidservants, he would be held by them in honor. After this, it would appear that David never had marital relations with Michal again, since she did not have any children the rest of her life. If so, we can understand David’s frustration, but his response was an overreaction, since this is not the Lord’s will for married couples. As is usually the case in marital struggles, both parties were wrong. Michal was wrong for being hard-hearted toward the things of the Lord, and David was wrong for holding this against her the rest of her life. In the following chapter, we will see David set out to build a house for the Lord.