To God Be the Glory

“Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness! You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord! He is their help and their shield.” -Psalm 115: 1, 11 (ESV) [Read Psalm 115]

Psalms 115-118 were sung by Jews after the Passover Meal. Psalm 115 may well have been the psalm sung by Jesus and his disciples after they finished the meal which we know as “The Last Supper” (see Mark 14:26). Psalm 115 is a magnificent psalm of praise that can be outlined as follows:

1. God Reigns (vv. 1-3)
2. God Lives (vv. 4-8)
3. God Gives (vv. 9-15)
4. God Deserves Our Praise (vv. 16-18)

All people who know the Lord can exult and give praise. “Alleluia! For the Lord God omnipotent reigns!” (Revelation 19:6, NKJV). He reigns as sovereign God of the universe. Because of the Lord’s steadfast love and faithfulness and his ever-continuous reign, we who fear—stand in awe—of Him praise and magnify Him.

God Almighty is above any idol and worthy of worship. Scholars remind us that after the Babylonian captivity, the Israelites no longer went after idols. In the seventy-year exile there, they saw firsthand the fallacy of idol worship. As we sometimes say, that “cured” then of their sin of going after idols. The poetic device of anthromorphism—of giving human characteristics to things not human—was used to describe the fallacy of idols. They have mouths but do not speak. They have eyes but do not see. They have ears but do not hear. They have noses but do not smell; hands but have no power to help; feet but the idols could not walk; they had to be carried from place to place. The sad thought is that we become like what we worship. Those who worship idols become insensate like them. By contrast, worshiping our God who lives enables us to have ears that hear his Word, eyes that see needs we can fill in Jesus’ name, hands that are eager to do His work. Even our worship rises as “sweet incense” and our gifts “as a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God” (Philippians 4:18).

Trust is the theme of the third section (vv. 9-15) of Psalm 115. As we trust in him, His blessings are poured out upon us. Even in the hard times, we grow stronger because of our dependence upon Him and our unfailing trust in Him. Because He is the maker of heaven and earth, we should worship Him—not His creation—and certainly not what we think we have “created” for ourselves. Take verse 15 for what it says and promises: “May you be blessed by the lord who made heaven and earth.”

The psalmist saw only the living praising the Lord, but we as Christians look forward to praise forever in the courts of our God. Psalm 115:17 could subtly refer to those who worship “dead” idols as being themselves dead and therefore unable and unworthy to praise God. One of the principal points made by this psalm is the vivid contrast between those who worship the living God and those who worship dead idols, or the gods they make for themselves. But praise be to God, “we will bless the Lord from this time forth and forevermore.” Amen! - Ethelene Dyer Jones 04.24.2016

Lessons from the Psalms: Praise, Prayer and Promises

“My heart is steadfast, O God! I will sing and make melody with all my being! Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn! I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples; For your steadfast love is great above the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth! That your beloved ones may be delivered, give salvation by your right hand and answer me!….Oh grant us help against the foe, for vain is the salvation of man! With God we shall do valiantly; it is he who will tread down our foes.” -Psalm 108:1-5; 12-13 (ESV) [Read Psalm 108]

This Psalm of David is a repetition of portions of earlier Psalms by the great poet of Israel. Compare Psalm 108:1-5 with Psalm 57:7-11. In his exuberance, and in praising God with harp and lyre, the psalmist thinks he will “awake the dawn,” so happy is he with praising the Lord God. He will sing the Lord’s praises among all the peoples, for great is God’s faithfulness and steadfast love!

Verse six is a prayer of deliverance and is inserted between the verses which are like Psalm 57:7-11 and those that are like Psalm 60:5-12 (which are those in Psalm 108:7-13). In verses 7-13 God himself speaks, assuring David that when he goes out to conquer Shechem, the Valley of Succoth, Gilead, Manasseh, Ephraim and Judah, they are all parts of the land that God promised to Israel. Moab, Edom and Philistia are neighboring lands that also belong to the Lord. David will be victorious, because these lands are already the Lord’s. David prays for success in battle in verse 12: “O grant us help against the foe, for vain is the salvation of man!” Man cannot save himself, even in battle and with a strong army unless the Lord is in the battle with the army. Knowing this truth about conquering those nations God promised to Israel, David encouraged the people with the victorious cry: “With God we shall do valiantly; it is he who will tread down our foes” (v. 13). He promises to go with God and to allow God to direct him as he conquers the strong nations then occupying and fortifying the Promised Land.

In Psalm 108 we see a stalwart king going forth into battle to conquer because the Lord was directing him. During World War II our nation seemed to have direction, to know that to stop oppression we had to enter the war. Much prayer and supplication went up during that period for wisdom for our leaders in battle and especially for our commander-in-chief, the president of the United States, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Churches had “honor roll” reminders of the men (and women) from their membership who were serving in the military, many on the battlefields of the world. Prayer was made for them by name, urgently, at each congregational gathering of the church. Congregants were given lists of names and urged to pray consistently and regularly for those persons in harm’s way, defending our freedoms.

Now our nation is far removed from the confidence we had then in the causes we champion and the people we support with prayer. We need to praise God who will fight our battles. We need to acknowledge Him as Lord. We need prayer for unity of purpose, forgiveness for our sins, personally and nationally, and promises from the people that we will serve and honor God. A clarion call is going out: return to God. Seek his face and turn from our wicked ways. Only then will God hear from heaven, forgive our sin, and heal our land. These solemn conditions and the promise is given to us in 2 Chronicles 7:14 and reiterated in Psalm 108 with its strong message: “In God we shall do valiantly.” May we heed and follow. -Ethelene Dyer Jones 04.17.2016.

Lessons from the Psalms: Walk with Integrity

“I will walk with integrity of heart within my house; I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless. I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me. A perverse heart shall be far from me; I will know nothing of evil.” -Psalm 101:2b-4 (ESV) [Read Psalm 101]

After several Psalms by anonymous authors, Psalm 101 is again attributed to Israel’s great psalm-writer, David, King of Israel. Psalm 101 is recognized by scholars as a royal psalm, one that gives the place the Davidic monarchy holds in God’s plan for His people. It describes the idealistic kind of leader a king or monarch should be.

Summarized, verses 1-4 declare that the king will seek to be blameless in his conduct and actions. Next, in verses 5-8, the psalm indicates the king will seek to destroy the wicked and favor the faithful and righteous people. The determination of the monarch himself is the key verse of this psalm: “I will walk with integrity of heart within my house.”

Oh, that every ruler of a nation would make such a vow before the Lord: to walk in integrity and to know nothing of evil. How differently would a nation be ruled if the monarch, president, whoever is at the helm of government would determine so to walk before the people, and lead the people themselves to follow in faithful and upright paths.

The focus in this psalm is political ethics. The history of David’s 40-year rule indicate that he did not always follow his own determination to be filled with integrity. He succumbed to temptation and knew much heartache because of wrong choices. He had severe problems with sins of commission and omission in his life. He failed to have the trust of his sons and sometimes of his generals. But there was good during his 40-year reign. The borders of Israel’s kingdom were expanded. He gathered the wealth so that his son Solomon could build the Temple in Jerusalem. He was in the direct earthly ancestral line of Jesus Christ the Messiah. He authored many psalms which we still read as the inspired word of God.

I well remember a lecture my father had with me before I went away to college. He sat me down, and in a serious frame of mind said that I should remember that I had been reared to choose the good and right over the wrong and that which would degrade my character and reflect poorly upon family upbringing. “Remember who you are and where you came from,” was his advice. That strong admonition followed me from my home into a different world, one where my decisions mattered greatly in the direction my life would take and what I might become.

Samuel Johnson 1709-1784), English writer, gave this advice: “Integrity without knowledge is weak and useless, and knowledge without integrity is dangerous and dreadful.”

Eugene Peterson in The Message Bible renders Psalm 101:1 in this way: “My theme song is God’s love and justice, and I’m singing it right to you, God.” With a theme as lofty as this before one as he goes into the avenues and byways of life, how could he walk any other way than with integrity and purpose?           -Ethelene Dyer Jones 04.10.2016

A Prayer for God to Protect the Faithful

“Blessed is the man whom you discipline, O Lord, and whom you teach out of yoru law, to give him rest from days of trouble, until a pit is dug for the wicked. For the Lord will not forsake his people; he will not abandon his heritage; for justice will return to the righteous, and all the upright in heart will follow it.” -Psalm 94:12-15(ESV) [Read Psalm 94]

Psalm 94 is a community lament, with author not given. The subject is the injustice meted out against the faithful, not by an enemy power but by those who are within the nation who do not practice justice and upright living. Some scholars believe the psalm has reference to the reign of wicked King Manasseh (recorded in 2 Kings 21). He was king of the kingdom of Judah from 696-642 B. C., and had one of the longest reigns of any of the Judean kings. A son of King Hezekiah, he did not follow his father in faithfulness to God, but was wicked and did not acknowledge God as Lord. In 2 Kings 21:10-16, we see how his unfaithfulness led to Judah’s destruction.

Even though this psalm voices a prayer for God to bring justice to those who cause calamity to come upon those who disobey Him, there follows a prayer for God to bring comfort and help to the faithful. The psalmist has a firm belief that God will never forsake those who trust Him.

We can easily apply the lessons of this psalm to our own day and to our own nation. A rhetorical question is asked in verse 20: “Can wicked rulers be allied with you, those who frame injustice by statute?” Of course the answer is that such rulers who go against known statutes of God Almighty cannot be allied with Him. What statutes could we name in our own day that bring answers to this question? Are not pro-choice, same-sex marriage, and entitlement assistance not within the parameters of manmade laws that ignore God’s teachings? Other statutes passed and in operation also fall within questionable bounds. Man has made laws to convenience his own self-centered and sinful pursuits instead of giving attention to the commandments of God. There will be “pay day some day” as noted in verse 23: God will “bring back on them their iniquity and wipe them out for their wickedness.; the Lord our God will wipe them out.”

The psalmist declares that in the end, God knows who is evil and who is good, and His judgments will be just and sure. Moses warned in Deuteronomy 4: 25 that the people were not to provoke God to anger with their evil doings. That warning is still intact and still comes from God. We have a clarion call to heed God or suffer the consequences. Will we? - Ethelene Dyer Jones 04.03.2016

Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken

“Glorious things of thee are spoken, O city of God.” – Psalm 87:3 (KJV).

It was early in the morning on the first day of the week. The sun had not yet risen. It was still dark, as we learn from John 20:1. Mary Magdalene, early, was at the tomb where Jesus had been laid and found the stone rolled away and the body gone. She hurried to tell Peter. Peter and the other disciple (probably John, who wrote the account) hurried to the tomb and found it empty. “They did not understand the Scripture, the he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples went back to their homes.” (John 20:9-10).

But Mary Magdalene remained in the garden, weeping near the tomb. As she stooped to look into the tomb, she saw two angels who asked her why she was weeping. Turning from the tomb, she saw someone whom she supposed to be the gardener. He asked her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” (John 20:15), It was only when her name was called, “Mary!” did she recognize the One speaking to her as the risen Lord, and she cried out: “ ‘Rabboni!’ (which means Teacher).” Jesus then gave Mary Magdalene a mission to go and tell the disciples that He was risen and would ascend to His Father. The mission for which Jesus came into the world had been completed. He died a sacrificial death. He arose victorious. “Go…tell.” This is a command still reverberating through the ages.

From Zion, holy city of God in the heavens, Jesus came to earth, ministered and taught for a few brief years, and then death claimed Him, a sacrificial death on the cross. And on that resurrection morning after being in the grave three days, he broke the bonds of death and the grave. These earthly events took place in and around the earthly city of Zion, or Jerusalem. From Zion flowed out the good news to all people. “He is risen! He is risen, indeed! Alleluia!” Jesus gave new meaning to the city of God, Zion, the new Jerusalem.

Because of His death and resurrection, we, too, can know life and expect to live in that heavenly city.

John Newton (1725-1807), great poet and songwriter, spurred by the scripture from Psalm 87:3, wrote the words to the hymn, “Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken” which tells of the place where we in victory will one day meet and live with the Lord of Glory. Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) composed the majestic tune selected to go with Newton’s words. Think “glory!” as you hum or sing this song on this Resurrection Day:

      “Glorious things of thee are spoken, Zion, city of our God.

       He whose word cannot be broken, Formed thee for His own abode;

       On the Rock of Ages founded, What can shake thy sure repose?

       With salvation’s walls surrounded, Thou may smile at all thy foes.

      “See, the streams of living waters, Springing from eternal love,

       Well supply thy sons and daughters, And all fear of want remove;

       Who can faint, while such a river Ever does their thirst assuage?

       Grace which, like the Lord the giver, Never fails from age to age.

       Round each habitation hovering, See the cloud and fire appear

       For a glory and a covering, Showing that the Lord is near!

       Glorious things of thee are spoken, Zion, city of our God;

       He whose word cannot be broken, Formed thee for His own abode.”

-Ethelene Dyer Jones 03.27.2016

Lessons from the Psalms: Prayer for Restoration

“Restore us, O God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved!...Turn again, O God of hosts! Look down from heaven, and see; have regard for this vine, the stock that your right hand planted, and for the son whom you made strong for yourself…Restore us, O Lord God of hosts! Let your face shine, that we may be saved!” -Psalm 80:7; 14-15; 19 (ESV) [Read Psalm 80]

This Psalm is a community lament at a time when at least a portion of the people have received hard treatment at the hand of Gentile conquerors. The refrain, “Restore us, O God of hosts; let your face shine that we may be saved!” is repeated in verses 3, 7 and 19.

The occasion of the Psalm by Asaph is debated by scholars. Some believe it represents the fall of the city of Samaria in 721 B. C. The tribes mentioned in the Psalm are that of Joseph, the combined tribe of his sons, Ephraim and Benjamin, and the tribe of Manesseh. The writer remembers that “God brought a vine out of Egypt; you drove out the nations and planted it. You cleared the ground for it; it took deep root and filled the land.” (vv. 8-9). Those were the good days, when the refugees who had come out of Egyptian bondage conquered the land of Canaan for their own homeland and established a nation there. It is no wonder they liked to remember those days before faithlessness and disobedience brought downfall. Now the Psalmist is leading his people in praying that the vine may be restored and the Lord’s face will shine upon them.

The Psalm reminds us of words Jesus taught as recorded in John 15: 1-3: “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit, he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.”

Having grown up on a farm, I was familiar with the grapes that grew in both my Grandfather’s and my father’s grape arbor. I observed how well they tended the vines, pruning off some of the branches so that the growth would be strong and productive. When I studied the words of Jesus in Sunday School, I could understand the principle of pruning off so that the major vine could be productive. And likewise, in our Christian life, if we do not abide in Christ through obedience to His Word and in prayer, we cannot have a productive Christian life. Jesus ended the “abiding” passage by stating: “These thing I have spoken to you that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” (John 15:11, ESV).

Psalm 80 was a community lament and prayer for a nation. How we today in America need to pray earnestly that God will “Restore us…and let His face shine upon us, that we may be saved!” We are not only speaking of the saving grace that initially brings us into the vineyard of the Lord, but of the grace that forgives our wandering astray—as we certainly have as a people, a nation—and the grace that brings us back into fellowship with God to seek and follow His ways. Let us pray that this may be so, and “Let it begin in me.”

              -Ethelene Dyer Jones 03.20.2016

   

When Holding on Is Hard, God Holds onto Me

“Nevertheless, I am continually with you; you hold my right hand, You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” -Psalm 73:23-26 (ESV) [Read Psalm 73]

Psalm 73 is the opening Psalm of Book Three division of the Psalms. This section contains Psalms 73-89. The tone is somewhat dark in Book Three of the Psalms. For example, the opening Psalm in this division starkly questions God’s justice. But then in verses 23-26 the writer comes to realize that a personal relationship is the way to recognize that God is still at work and is holding onto those who love and serve Him faithfully.

Although we desire a nation that fears and serves God, when we think about it, and use the analogy of a chain being only as strong as its weakest link, we come to the conclusion, as did Asaph to whom the writing of Psalm 73 is attributed, that it is the individual who is responsible for being “continually with God” and depending on His counsel, as expressed so strongly in Psalm 73:23. To identify Asaph, we note in 1 Chronicles 15:16-19 that he, Heman and Ethan (also known as Jeduthun) were Levites who were worship leaders and musicians in the sanctuary during King David’s reign. Twelve Psalms 50 and 73-83 are attributed to Asaph. Psalm 73 deals with the age-old question of “Why do the righteous suffer and the ungodly seem to prosper?” Psalm 73 gives five stages of seeking to answer this universal question:

1. The believer stands on what he knows (v. 1).
2. The doubter slips from where he once stood (vv. 2-3)
3. The wrestler struggles with what he feels and sees (vv. 4-14)
4. The worshiper sees the bigger picture (vv.15-22)
5. The conqueror rejoices over God’s goodness (23-26)¹

Asaph comes to a wonderful conclusion: “But for me, it is good to be near G0d; I have made the Lord my refuge, that I may tell of all your works.” (v. 28).

Looking back over the years of my life, I can see high points and low, times of doubt and times of great assurance. But I can testify to the strength of this Psalm’s testimony. The times of questioning “Why” do come, but through the darkness an eternal light always shines to show forth God’s light and His way. With the Psalmist the believe can say triumphantly: “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. But for me, it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of all your works!”  (Psalm 73:26, 28, ESV). When holding on is hard, God holds onto me. Selah!

-Ethelene Dyer Jones 03.13.2016

1 Warren W. Wiersbe. The Wiersbe Bible Commentary. OT. “Psalms.” Colorado Springs, Co: David Cook. 2007. Pp. 953-954.