Bible Reading Reflection from Psalms 22-28

[Originally posted in a WhatsApp group (PTS) as a reading update (reflection) from one chapter of the Bible a day]

ℙ𝕊𝔸𝕃𝕄 𝟚𝟚:𝟡-𝟙𝟙

"Yet You are He who brought me out of the womb;

           You made me trust when upon my mother’s breasts.

Upon You I was cast from birth;

           You have been my God from my mother’s womb.

Be not far from me, for distress is near;

           For there is none to help."

A confession of God's faithfulness from his birth! We are saved by faith not by our works, and even that faith is given to us by God.

David would not have trusted God if God hadn't made him trust God. David would not have trusted God in his adulthood if he was not made to trust long before he was born.

There's no boasting. There's no boasting even in righteousness and godliness, and holiness. It's God working in one's life! Thus, David prayed for help, because God has been his Helper, his God, always.

 

ℙ𝕊𝔸𝕃𝕄 𝟚𝟛:𝟙

"Yahweh is my shepherd,

           I shall not want."

Few days ago, I read a tweet about a young Sunday School girl, who went up to recite Psalm 23 by heart. Apparently, she had forgotten the wording. She recited, "The LORD is my Shepherd. That's all I want."

Well, a misquote from a young girl, but a lesson for all! Indeed, a great practical reflection from this verse. If Indeed God is our Shepherd, who else should we want after? Like that young girl, we must be quick to say, "That's all I want!"

Jesus in John 10 identified Himself not only as a Shepherd, but as the Good Shepherd.

One hymn sing, (especially sung most beautifully by Fernando Ortega), "Give me Jesus, give me Jesus. You may have all this world, give me Jesus."

 

ℙ𝕊𝔸𝕃𝕄 𝟚𝟜:𝟛-𝟜

"Who may ascend into the mountain of Yahweh?

           And who may rise in His holy place?

He who has innocent hands and a pure heart,

           Who has not lifted up his soul to worthlessness

           And has not sworn deceitfully."

Mark these words: "Innocent hands" "Pure Hearts"

Our Lord Jesus reiterates, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God" (Matt. 5:8).

When Abimelech was confronted by God, he made his case before God saying, "In the integrity of my heart and the innocence of my hands have I done this" (Gen 20:5).

Heart, the attitude, which is secret. Hands, the action, which is open.

Both our actions and attitudes matter. Both our public and private life matter.

 

ℙ𝕊𝔸𝕃𝕄 𝟚𝟝:𝟞-𝟟

"Remember, O Yahweh, Your compassion and Your lovingkindnesses,

           For they have been from of old.

           Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions;

           According to Your lovingkindness remember me,

           For the sake of Your goodness, O Yahweh."

Whenever I see a Psalm with 22 verses, I look up to Hebrew Bible to confirm whether it is written in an acrostic format. And yes, Ps 22 is an acrostic poem in the order of Hebrew Alphabet.

Psalms are poems. To ignore the literary structure even in our daily reading is to play a guitar with only one string. Acrostic poems are terribly difficult to construct. When the poet wants his people to memorize or when he really wants to impress upon his hearers, acrostic psalms are created. The inspired poet wants you to think of this psalm more deeply and remember it.

V6-7 mentioned "remember" three times. All of them a petition to God. First and third are positive requests. The middle one is a negative request. It expresses the deep desires of the psalmist. His desires are unambiguous, fervent, and direct. He also employs other poetical features, an antithetical parallelism and a chiastic structure. Very beautiful!

It is a God-centred request. God is the basis, object, means, and answer of his request. What he can think of himself is his sins, and he doesn't want to even think about them, and asks God to overlook them as well!

Indeed, we pray not only in Jesus's name, but also, for His name's sake. We pray for God! For His Honor, Glory, and Fame!

 

ℙ𝕊𝔸𝕃𝕄 𝟚𝟞:𝟜-𝟝

"I do not sit with worthless men,

           And I will not go with pretenders.

           I hate the assembly of evildoers,

           And I will not sit with the wicked."

Ps. 1 reminds us that blessed is such man. Would this be our testimony! Would we practice this! We are to be the light of the world. And Paul in Ephesians says the nature of light is to expose the things of the dark.

We are called to reach out, but not to live like the world! We are to be transformed to the likeness of Christ, not to be conformed to the likeness of the world.

Or "Has thou become like us?" would be true of us (Isaiah 14:10).

 

ℙ𝕊𝔸𝕃𝕄 𝟚𝟟:𝟜

"One thing I have asked from Yahweh, that I shall seek:

           That I may dwell in the house of Yahweh all the days of my life,

           To behold the beauty of Yahweh

           And to inquire in His temple."

It parallels with Ps. 84:10. Also with Ps. 23:6. Also with Ps. 63:3

We have many desires, dreams, and wishes. And how often do they get broken one after another! David had only one desire; it is to gaze upon the beauty of God. No wonder David was called "a man after God's own heart."

Indeed, we are made to enjoy God forever. Joy in God is the real deal! He who gazes upon God will be like Him. He who desires after God will be like Him.

A friend of mine likes Ronaldo. He puts up his pictures on the wall of his room. He dresses like Ronaldo, and he even has learned some tricks of Him. He supports every club Ronaldo joins. And he loves all the posts of Ronaldo in social media.

We become like what we desire after. Or tend to be.

 

ℙ𝕊𝔸𝕃𝕄 𝟚𝟠:𝟙,𝟞

"To You, O Yahweh, I call;

           My rock, do not be silent to me,

           Lest if You are hesitant toward me,

           I will become like those who go down to the pit."

What's the difference between a man of God and the rest?

David saw he himself was like them and would end up like them. But he called on to God. A man of God calls upon God. And even then, if the Lord doesn't answer, he still will perish like others. Indeed, no man of God thinks he is holier than anybody, but he will strive to be holier than everybody.

And it's God who vindicates. It's God who is the Hero of every story! So, v6

"Blessed be Yahweh,

           Because He has heard the voice of my supplications."

God answered David, and it made him different from the rest.

Why did psalmist(s) always long after God? Why did they cry out like they were the greatest sinners? Why did they have a Big-God theology?

Well, that's why they are different!