God Keeps His Promises!

Psalm 105

Introduction

            Nikita Khrushchev, the former premier of the Soviet Union said, "Politicians are the same all over. They promise to build bridges even when there are no rivers." We laugh at such a statement because we have the same cynical views about politicians. The problem is that we have the same cynical views about promises as well.

            Paulo Coelho, the novelist, says in one of his books, “In the first place, you shouldn't believe in promises. The world is full of them: the promises of riches, of eternal salvation, of infinite love. Some people think they can promise anything, others accept whatever seems to guarantee better days ahead, as, I suspect is your case. Those who make promises they don't keep end up powerless and frustrated, and exactly the fate awaits those who believe promises.”

            Ralph Waldo Emerson summarizes what is so true about promises in our world when he writes, "All promise outruns performance."

            In light of these sayings about promises in our world, the statement of Corrie Ten Boom shines as a wonderful exception. She writes, "Let God's promises shine on your problems." And yet at times we even doubt the promises of God as Paulo Coelho's quote indicates.

            In a world in which broken promises are normal, why can we have hope in a God who keeps His promises. Psalm 105 helps us recognize the truth that God keeps His promises. As we go through life, we may at times struggle to see His faithfulness, but when we look at history, we are assured that God does keep His promises. Waltner says, "The purpose of knowing history is that people may know God." As we examine this historical account which reminds us of God's faithfulness, may we be encouraged to put our trust in God who is faithful.

I.     God Does What He Says

A.   The Covenant He Made

            The key theme of this Psalm is that God keeps His promises. The development of this theme begins in verses 7, 8 where it says that "He is mindful of his covenant forever."

            In order to demonstrate God's faithfulness, the writer begins with mention of the covenant which God made with Abraham. The first time God spoke to Abraham, in Genesis 12, he promised, "Now the LORD said to Abram, 'Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.'" These promises include three items. One, that he would become a great nation, second, that God would give him a land and third that he would bless all the families of the earth through him. These three promises were repeated to Abraham again in Genesis 15:4-6 and Genesis 17:1-8.

            The Psalmist next mentions that these promises were once again made to Isaac. In Genesis 26:3 we read, "Reside in this land as an alien, and I will be with you, and will bless you; for to you and to your descendants I will give all these lands, and I will fulfill the oath that I swore to your father Abraham." Not only did God repeat the promise, but he tied it to the promise made to Abraham, declaring God's intention to fulfill the promise made to Abraham.

            The Psalmist also mentions that God confirmed the promise to Jacob. Although all three promises are important and are mentioned in other places in the Bible, here the focus is on the promise of the land because that is the promise which the rest of the Psalm is going to talk about. Likely the reference is to the promise made to Jacob in Genesis 35:12, "The land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you, and I will give the land to your offspring after you.”

            God has made these promises or covenants. In fact, as we read in verse 8, they are promised "to a thousand generations." A generation is generally agreed to be about 20-25 years. Even if we take a generation as the lowest number, 20 years, this promise is good for 20,000 years, which means that it is still in effect today. Spurgeon comments, "O matchless condescension, that the most free and sovereign Lord should put himself under covenant bonds to his chosen and make a law for himself, though he is above all law." But as we know from life, it is easy to make promises and even to repeat promises. What we really want to know is, does God keep promises.

B.   He Kept His Covenant

            It sure didn't look like God was keeping his promise at the beginning. As the Psalmist begins the narrative which shows how the promise was fulfilled, he begins with the statement, "When they were few in number, of little account and strangers in it, wandering from nation to nation." Talk about having strikes against you. The beginning was that they did not have enough people to make a nation, they were not noticed at all on the stage of world events, they had no home and so they were wandering around from place to place.

            Yet even at that time, God was with them to protect them. A small family wandering about from place to place would have been vulnerable and could easily have been wiped out, yet in verse 14 we read that God, "allowed no one to oppress them; he rebuked kings on their account." This happened numerous times. One of those times was when they were in Egypt and Abraham stated that his wife was his sister in fear that if he said she was his wife, he would be killed. Funny how when he was trying to protect the promises of God, he was only making it worse. God protected Sarah and His promises by bringing plagues against Pharaoh's house and he kept the king from Sarah. In the end, Abraham was sent out of Egypt, but not killed. This scenario happened three times, twice to Abraham with two different kings and once to Isaac.

            Things got even more precarious when God "summoned famine against the land" as we read in verse 16. It is possible for famine to wipe out whole families. If you have nothing to eat, the first thing that begins to happen is that the elderly die off. Then babies begin to get sick and die and finally whole families disappear.

            Yet before the famine came, God had already made a provision for them. He sent Joseph ahead of them, as we read in verse 17.

            However, the story of Joseph is not one which at its beginning inspires confidence that God is keeping his promises. Jacob and his wives had 12 sons who were to become the 12 tribes of Israel. Yet there was conflict among the brothers and when Joseph was sent away it was not because he was going away to college or to start a business in another land. He was driven away by his brothers who sold him to slave traders. They were confident that they would never see him again. The Psalm highlights the difficulty which Joseph had when he was sold. Verse 18 says, "His feet were hurt with fetters, his neck was put in a collar of iron." Where was God during this time? How was He helping his people to receive the Promised Land?

            One of the reasons that Joseph's brothers wanted to get rid of him was because of his dreams. In one dream he saw the sun and moon and eleven stars bowing down to him, implying that his brothers and even his parents would bow down to him. In the early days of his captivity, there was no notion of the fulfillment of this dream, much less that this was an important part of fulfilling God's promise to Abraham. He was sold as a slave to a powerful man in Egypt, far from the promised land. Then, to make matters worse, he was put in prison because he was falsely accused of adultery. In prison, he interpreted dreams for fellow prisoners and hoped that this would get him out of this unjust situation. Yet for many years he continued to suffer in prison.

            Where was God at this time? Where was the fulfillment of His promises? As we look at verse 19, we see that God had not forgotten. The fulfillment of the promise was waiting for the right time. The Psalmist says, "until what he had said came to pass." During that whole time, it was a time of learning and testing for Joseph and in the end, we know that he passed the test.

            What is encouraging is the speed with which the promise was fulfilled when the time was right. In one day, Joseph went from being a slave/prisoner to being the second most powerful man in Egypt, second only to Pharaoh. In this way, when the famine which threatened the descendents of Abraham became really bad, there was provision for them in Egypt and they moved there and survived there.

            Yet, even at this point, we wonder how God's promises were being fulfilled. In Egypt, they were, as verse 23 says, "aliens." This situation was not getting them any closer to the fulfillment of the promise. They were now far from the promised land and still a small family of 66 people. Yet it was in Egypt that the promise of becoming a great nation was fulfilled. The Psalmist talks about this in verses 24 indicating that, "they became very fruitful."

            Although this promise was fulfilled, they were still a vulnerable people, and far from inheriting the land. In fact, the next thing the Psalmist says is that the fact that they multiplied made things even worse. Now their hosts became their enemies and all kinds of terrible things began to happen to them. The Egyptians tried to reduce their number through infanticide. They increased their oppression by intensifying their expectations of them and making them slaves. Where was God in this terrible time? How was His promise being fulfilled?

            It was at this time, as we read in verse 26, that God sent Moses and Aaron to set them free. What a story this is! God allowed Moses to live, rather than to die as had happened to so many other children. He allowed Moses to grow up in Pharaoh's house. Then after fleeing Egypt because he had sided with his own people, God called Moses to free His people. Moses was, at first, reluctant, but eventually went to Pharaoh, together with his brother Aaron, to ask for the release of the children of Israel. If we know anything about the story of slavery in the US, we know that such a request was crazy, but God was powerfully present at this time. He sent plagues, as recorded in verses 27- 36. The final plague, which we read about in verse 36 was, "He struck down all the firstborn in their land, the first issue of all their strength." Finally, but still reluctantly, Pharaoh let the people go.

            Several things about the exodus are interesting in Psalm 105. It says, in verse 37, that they went out, "with silver and gold." Not only did the people leave Egypt, but they plundered the nation as they left. In this way, God provided them with the means for the journey and the means to enter into the promised land. It is noteworthy that, given the fact that all the firstborn in Egypt had died, we read, in verses 37, that "there was no one among their tribes who stumbled." In this way, God not only provided for them, he also protected them. This protection is further mentioned in verse 39 where we read, "He spread a cloud for a covering, and fire to give light by night." In verse 40, we read that "he brought quails, and gave them food from heaven in abundance." In verse 41, we read that "He opened the rock, and water gushed out…" Although it was a difficult journey, God provided protection, food and water for them.

            Finally in verses 42-44 the Psalmist once again makes mention of the promise which God had made. In verse 44, we read "He gave them the lands of the nations…" If you read the stories in Genesis to Joshua, you know that there was much more to it. The people were not exactly faithful to God. They grumbled, complained, worshipped other gods and were in the wilderness for 40 years because of their stubborn disobedience to God. Yet that is not what the Psalm is about. Although it took over 400 years, the Psalm records the important matter, God kept His promise! In verse 8 we are assured, "He is mindful of his covenant forever." In verse 42 the same conclusion is declared, "For he remembered his holy promise..." God brought the people out of Egypt and brought them into the land. They rejoiced greatly that at last God's promise was fulfilled.    

C.   He Keeps His Promises!

            Several important things are worthy of note in this Psalm. One is that it is sometimes hard to see how God is keeping His promises. We also learn, particularly from the life of Joseph, that there are always lessons to be learned even in the times when it doesn't look like God is keeping his promise. Above all, however, we are encouraged that God is faithful. When He promises something, He keeps that promise. William Dean Howells said, "An acre of performance is worth a whole world of promise." Harold Geneen wrote, "It is an immutable law in business that words are words, explanations are explanations, promises are promises but only performance is reality." If that is the measure, then surely God has given us reason to trust in Him. His performance is solid. He has kept His promises.

            God has kept His promises and these promises extend to us as well. When John the Baptist was born, Zechariah recognized, prophetically, that the promises to Abraham, were being fulfilled in what was happening with the birth of his son and all the other things that were about to happen. We read in Luke 1:72, 73, "Thus he has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors, and has remembered his holy covenant, the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham, to grant us." What Zechariah understood was that even the coming of Jesus was a part of the fulfillment of the promises made to Abraham. In that way, we know that God is still fulfilling His promises. As we think about these things, we need to remember that God has made even more promises to us. The New Testament is full of His promises to us. Let us be reminded about a few of them.

Matthew 11:28, "“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest."

Matthew 26:28, "for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins."

John 4:14, "but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.”

John 14:3, "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also."

Matthew 28:20, "...And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”"

            Because God has kept His promises in the past and has revealed His character as faithful, we have every reason to hope and believe that He will keep these promises! He has kept His promises and He will keep His promises.

II.  Response

            So, if God is faithful, how do we respond? The text invites us to two responses.

A.   Worship

            The Psalm begins and ends with a call to worship. In verses 1-6, there is a strong call to worship which helps us understand that worship is not just one thing.

            The imperatives in these verses include, giving thanks, calling on His name, singing, telling of His wonderful works, glorying in His holy name, rejoicing, seeking the Lord and His strength and remembering. Each of these imperatives calls us to a different aspect of worship. To worship is to acknowledge that God has done great things for us. It means that we call on His name, which means that we trust in Him. Singing is the celebration of His goodness. Proclamation is a way of letting others know of God's goodness. Glorying is a strong word of recognizing and declaring how amazing God is. Seeking Him is a trustful response when we don't understand everything or when we need His help. Remembering is made powerful when we recognize that God has remembered His promises.

            Praise is a key feature of the Psalm because not only does the Psalm begin with praise, but it also ends with praise. The last words in the Psalm are, "Praise the Lord!"

            Because God is faithful, let us worship Him!

B.   Obedience

            The other response which the Psalm mentions is obedience. In fact, the wording of the Psalm lets us know that the reason God kept His promises was "that they might keep his statutes and observe His laws." God has created us for a relationship with Himself. He has been very good to us because He wants us to follow Him. Such obedience is also for our own good. Obedience to God invites us to fall in line with how we have been created. Obedience is invited, not given as a threat, but as a response to the blessings we have received. That is the message of the Psalm. Since God has blessed us with His faithfulness, why would we not respond to Him by following Him in obedience.

Conclusion

            It is good to recognize the faithfulness of God. At times we don't see that, even as Israel didn't see it. The Psalm demonstrates that God is faithful. May we be encouraged to recognize God's faithfulness and to go on in trust no matter how difficult it is to see His faithfulness at the current time.

            It is also good to declare the faithfulness of God. Why would the Psalmist rewrite what already appeared in Genesis to Joshua? It was a way to repeat the story for his own encouragement and to declare it to others and even to God, by way of praise. We can do the same thing as we tell and retell the Biblical story, but we can also do so as we tell the many other stories of what God has done. As we remember the stories of God's faithfulness in our life and tell those stories, we encourage others and bring glory to God. I have written about God's goodness in the story I wrote about my grandmother and that has been a great encouragement to me and to the rest of my family with whom I shared it. I have written about the faithfulness of God in this message and I hope that you have been encouraged.

            We don't usually assign homework after a Sunday message, but here is a homework suggestion. The Psalm invites us to remember. How can we do that? I want to invite you to find a way of expressing God's faithfulness. I want to invite you to remember God's faithfulness either in the Biblical story or in your own story.  It doesn't have to be done by writing a sermon or a biography. Perhaps you like poetry and would like to express it in poetry. Perhaps you are an artist or an artisan. Is there a way for you to use your gifts to remember and declare God's faithfulness? If you do express it in some way, I would love to see it and perhaps we can share it with others so that many people can be encouraged that God is faithful.

Pursue God Honoring Lives!

Psalm 37

Introduction

            I have been reading the book, "You Lost Me" by David Kinnaman. It is a book about why young people are leaving the church and in some cases the faith. Kinnaman says that, "Wrestling with faith is an enduring feature of the transition to young adulthood…" In other words, we have probably all gone through such a time. However, he also says that, "…it is a particularly urgent dilemma for the Christian community because of the profound changes to the emerging generation’s social and spiritual context…" In other words, there are things happening in our world which are having a more significant impact today on how particularly young people are viewing faith and the church.

            Of course there are many young people who are faithful and highly involved in church and in God's mission, but there are others who are leaving and he identifies three broad categories of young people who have grown up with Christian influence, but now wrestle with it or have left it. He calls some of them nomads and says, "For these young adults, faith is nomadic, seasonal, or may appear to be an optional or peripheral part of life. At some point during their teen or young adult years, nomads disengage from attending church or significantly distance themselves from the Christian community. They … put their faith on the shelf for a time. Most, however, do not discard it entirely." He comments further, "The second category of dropout consists of young people who leave their childhood or teen faith entirely. This includes those who deconvert (including atheists, agnostics, and those who say they have no religious affiliation) and those who switch to another faith." The third group he calls exiles and describes them in this way, "For our purposes, let’s define exiles as those who grew up in the church and are now physically or emotionally disconnected in some way, but who also remain energized to pursue God-honoring lives."

            In the book, he identifies some of the reasons which are leading to this exodus. Some have had such a poor experience in church that it is not surprising that they are gone. Others have struggled to reconcile their faith with the prevailing worldview. As I was reading this book, I found that I could name young people whom I know or have known in each of these categories. Whenever someone leaves faith, this concerns me. When people wrestle with faith, it does not concern me as much, but it does create an opportunity to have good conversations with them about their doubts and questions. At one time or another all of us wrestle with questions and doubts about the truth of Christian faith. Therefore, this morning, I would like to talk about this and encourage all of us to think about why following God is the best way to go and think about what it means to be faithful. Psalm 37 will guide our thinking this morning.

            Psalm 37 is an acrostic Psalm. About every second verse begins with another letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Like other acrostic Psalms, the most famous being Psalm 119, it is difficult to discern a logical flow and themes are repeated frequently. I would like to pick up on two of the major themes in this Psalm.

            The Psalm is also recognized as wisdom literature which means that it is much like the Proverbs in that it shows us the best way, the wisest path of life.

I.     Following God is the Best

            One of the key themes of this Psalm is an encouragement to follow God. The encouragement comes in the form of demonstrating why not being faithful to God is a bad idea and why being faithful to God is the best way to go.

A.   Faithlessness is a Bad Idea

            Those who do not follow God are identified in the Psalm as "the wicked." Although we could interpret this to refer to those who do really bad things, from the perspective of the Psalmist it appears that there are only two categories. Those who follow God and those who reject God and those who reject God are those who are identified as wicked.

            The message of this Psalm is that this is a bad idea because those who reject God and His way won't last. Please take note of the expressions in this Psalm which communicate this idea. Verse 2, says that wrongdoers "will soon fade like the grass." Verse 9 says, "For the wicked shall be cut off." and verse 10 "the wicked will be no more." Verse 20 also says, "…the enemies of the Lord are like the glory of the pastures; they vanish – like smoke they vanish away." Verse 35 gives an interesting perspective when it says, "I have seen the wicked oppressing, and towering like a cedar of Lebanon. Again I passed by, and they were no more; though I sought them, they could not be found."

            The message of these verses is consistent throughout. Those who do not follow God, who reject God and His people and who live in ways that are disobedient to God will not last. The consequences of rejecting God sometimes come in this life. People who reject God's way and follow a self centered way often run into trouble. For example, greed usually does not produce abundance, violence usually is returned with violence and there is no honor among thieves.

            Furthermore, even if someone who rejects God prospers all their life, in the end, they will not experience the eternal life which God intends for those who follow Him. The Bible is clear that only those who follow God will inherit the full and eternal life which God gives to all who love Him.

            Therefore, this Psalm teaches that if you reject God and His way, you are getting into something that has a short shelf life. It won't last! When you go shopping, you may be careful to check the best before dates on things like milk because it has such a short shelf life. Rejecting God is like that.

B.   Obedience Leads To Blessing

            On the other hand, you don't check the shelf life on many other things like canned goods because they have such a long shelf life. In a similar way, following God, in fact, has no shelf life. It is always fresh and good and lasts forever. In this Psalm, there is only one consequence that comes to those who reject God and that is that they won't last. On the other hand, the passage declares numerous blessings which come to those who follow God.

1.    Blessing in This Life

            One blessing is that life here and now is good. Verse 3 says, "Trust in the Lord, and do good; so you will live in the land and enjoy security." Verse 11 says, "But the meek shall inherit the land, and delight themselves in abundant prosperity." Verse 34 repeats this theme once again when it says, "Wait for the LORD, and keep to his way, and he will exalt you to inherit the land; you will look on the destruction of the wicked."

2.    God's Presence

            The second blessing is the promise of God's own presence accompanying us on our way. There are several wonderful statements in this regard. Verse 5 says, "Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act." In Verse 23 we read, "Our steps are made firm by the LORD, when he delights in our way…" We are also encouraged by verse 39 where we read, "The salvation of the righteous is from the LORD; he is their refuge in the time of trouble."

            This adds encouragement in that it shows us that even when we don't experience blessing all the time in this life, we still have the presence of God to comfort and encourage us.

3.    Long Term Blessing

            The final blessing is that all of this is assured as ours for the long term. Whereas we saw that the wicked won't last, the path of the righteous is long lasting and goes even into eternity. We read in verse 18, "The LORD knows the days of the blameless, and their heritage will abide forever;" The same message is found in verse 27, "Depart from evil, and do good; so you shall abide forever."

            As we read the Psalm and take note of these things, there is good reason for encouraging each other and anyone we meet to follow God's way. It has so much more to offer and it is the best way to go in this life. And when life is looked at through the long lens of eternity, it becomes clear that living a God honoring life is the best way to go.

II.  The Way of Following God

            If this is evident, the next question becomes, "What does it mean to live a God honoring life?" Verses 3-8 give a wonderful description. As we reflect on these, I am doing so with two perspectives in mind. One is as an encouragement to examine our life to see if we are living in this way. The other is to consider the example of our life. It is my belief that those who watch us, including the young people in our lives, will be encouraged to follow God if they see in us a living and active faith such as described here. So besides being encouraged to follow God in this way, we are also encouraged to live this way so that we can give an example of faithfulness that is attractive and convincing.

A.   Do Good

            Verse 3 has a very concise statement about what it means to be faithful. It says, "trust in the Lord and do good." From this verse we learn that faithfulness involves doing good which means obedience to God. The question which follows is, "What is good?"

            One of the problems is that Christians in various places have sometimes tried to define "good" by things that are external. If we say that something is good, but an examination of life and a study of Scripture reveals that it really has nothing to do with being good, then we are living in legalism and people see us as "holier than thou."

            When I was young I once found a deck of playing cards. My parents wouldn't let me keep them. At the time, I learned that playing cards were on the list of things that were not good. Later, things changed and my parents played games with playing cards. Clearly this was not in the list of things that were "not good." I am so glad that we have mostly left behind such external rules about what is good and what is not good. However, that still leaves us with the question "what is good?"

            According to this verse, we find that the things that are good are those that are associated with trust in the Lord. If our doing good arises out of a desire to look good to others or to earn favor with God, that is not the kind of goodness that arises out of trust. The kind of goodness that arises out of trust is the kind that acknowledges that our hope is in God, His forgiveness and His grace to accept us. It responds to that grace by seeking in every way to do that which responds with gratitude and a desire to be the holy people God has called us to be.

            It is in a trusting relationship that accepts the Word of God as God speaking to us, that we will discover those things that are good. Some of the things that we will discover is that doing good includes such things as loving our neighbor, not judging another person, caring about another person enough not to gossip about them and so on.

            If we live in that way, we will live consistently and genuinely and our lives will also be an example of true faith rather than religion or legalism. Such faithfulness will be attractive to others and will invite them to also consider following God.

B.   Delight in God vs. 4

            Verse 4 adds another dimension to faithfulness when it calls us to take delight in the Lord.

            God invites us to respond to all the good things He has done for us. He has called us His children, He has forgiven our sins, He has accepted us, He has given us life. He leads us through life. He has given us eternal life. He gives us His Spirit. He blesses us with a community of brothers and sisters who care about us.

            We sometimes respond to all this goodness of God by becoming distracted by all the things that this life offers. For example, we love our sports teams and we love our recreation. We delight in our vacations. We are thankful for all the money we make or we wish we made more money. Jesus warns in Matthew 6:24, "You cannot serve God and wealth."

            Faithfulness to God means that we will delight in the Lord. Not that we won't go no vacations or engage in sports or enjoy music or many other things, but our delight will be in the Lord. If we delight in the Lord, we will have a smile on our face when His name is honored. If we delight in the Lord, we will have tears of joy in our eyes when we see what God has done. When we delight in the Lord, difficulty, persecution and illness will drive us into His arms. If we delight in the Lord, we will look forward to the day when we will see Him face to face.

            I firmly believe that if others, specifically our children, our grandchildren or our neighbors see that our delight is in the Lord, they will see a faith that is genuine and attractive and inviting. May we learn what it means to delight in the Lord.

C.   Trust in God vs. 5

            One of the ways in which the church has sometimes failed those who attend is to create a disconnect between Sunday and Monday. Kinnaman writes in the book I mentioned earlier, "One hallmark of the exiles is their feeling that their vocation (or professional calling) is disconnected from their church experience. Their Christian background has not prepared them to live and work effectively in society. Their faith is “lost” from Monday through Friday. The Christianity they have learned does not meaningfully speak to the fields of fashion, finance, medicine, science, or media to which they are drawn."

            As a person whose life is focused on Sunday, I share in the blame for that. The question which must be answered by us on Sunday is, "How will I live for God on Monday?" Have we adequately talked about what it means to be a student who follows God? Have we adequately talked about what it means to be a Christian farmer, or mechanic or doctor or teacher?

            The Psalmist challenges us in verse 5 that faithfulness also includes that if you are faithful you will "commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him." The word "commit" is a word that has the nuance of rolling in a direction, of going on a particular path.

            The way spoken of in this verse is our entire life. Following God is not just about attending worship service on Sunday, as good as that is. If our way is committed to the Lord, then when decisions are made about career choices, career activities or retirement, the question which must guide our thinking is, "how does trust in God lead me to commit this part of my life to the Lord?" I was in a church the other day and over the door as you went out of the church was a sign which reminded the people "You are going out into your mission field." If our way is committed to the Lord, we will recognize that we are always on mission.    

            When there is a disconnect between what we say on Sunday and how we live on Monday, it is no wonder that the next generation has little interest in following the path of faithfulness. They have seen nothing that engages or attracts to that kind of a lifestyle. If they see one thing lived at church and another thing lived day by day, the conclusion they must come to is that what is talked about on Sunday has no impact on who we really are and then it is no wonder that they choose not to participate in church.

            To commit our way to God, in trust, is to know that God is at work in our life and in our world. It means to make our decisions and to choose a path that is guided by God.

D.   Rest in God vs. 7, 8

            The last aspect of faithfulness mentioned in this passage relates to our ability to answer the question, "Do we expect God to act?" There are things which happen in life which are unexpected, unwanted and sometimes tragic. When we are persecuted, when we become sick, when a loved one dies, when people we love suffer and there seems no explanation for it then our faith in God is severely tested. If it is a genuine faith, it will land back on God because it will have found that God keeps His promises. If it is weak, this may be the point at which faith is abandoned.

            It is to this kind of faith that verses 7, 8 direct our thoughts. There we read, "Be still before the LORD, and wait patiently for him; do not fret over those who prosper in their way, over those who carry out evil devices. Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath. Do not fret—it leads only to evil."

            Faithfulness involves a choice to see how God is at work and a response to God which expresses trust in Him no matter what. Sometimes we just don't understand, but if we are still before the Lord, He will show Himself. Sometimes the struggles seem to go on forever, but if we walk in faithfulness, we will continue to "wait patiently for Him." At such a time, anger, at the situation? at God? does not help, but leads only to evil. Waiting patiently means that we know that God will act in His time and in His way.

            One of the most powerful influences in my life has been what I have seen in members of my family who have gone before. Through revolution, war, being refugees, having cancer, I have seen a faith that continued to trust in God.

            A faith that knows how to be still and to wait for God shows others a faith that is deep and not easily moved. May we live in and exemplify such faith.

Conclusion

            I remember the song I learned when I was a child in Sunday School. "The wise man built his house upon the rock, the wise man built his house upon the rock, The wise man built his house upon the rock and the rains came a tumbling down. The rains came down and the floods came up, the rains came down and the floods came up the rains came down and the floods came up and the house on the rock stood firm." The song is based on Matthew 7:24-27. In that text Jesus talks about how much better it is to follow Him.

            The invitation follows after Matthew 7:21-23 where Jesus says, in part, "not everyone who says to me 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven…" So, if we want to enter the kingdom of heaven, if we want to live well, now, if we want to give an example of a true, attractive, genuine faith, then let us, do good, let us take delight in the Lord, let us commit our way to the Lord, and let us be still and wait patiently for Him. If we do, the promise of life is sure!

God Over Enemies

Psalm 9

Introduction

            Today is Remembrance Day. What do we do with this day? When we lived in Manitou, I often participated in the Remembrance Day service which was held every year by reading Scripture. However, the Legion chaplain, who was a friend of mine, kept asking me to preach and so one year I did preach at that service. In the message, I acknowledged the horror of what the veterans and those who had lost their lives had experienced and used it as a foundation to say that we need to make every effort to work towards peace and never go to war again.

            I suspect that this day creates a little bit of a quandary for us. On the one hand, we don't want to be insensitive to the fact that people have given their lives for our country. On the other hand, our understanding that God has called us to be peacemakers and the fact that some among us have been conscientious objectors makes full participation in this day somewhat uncomfortable. MCC invites us to call it Peace Sunday and to use it as an opportunity to speak about being peace makers.

            One of the things that makes this whole question difficult is that the Bible speaks in different ways about conflict between the nations, particularly conflict between God's people and the nations surrounding them in the Old Testament. We know that in the Old Testament, God actually sent his people to war. In addition, we have such violent expressions of hatred for enemies as we read earlier in Psalm 58:6-9. What do we do with these passages? We have chosen to derive our theology from the words and example of Jesus in the New Testament, particularly such passages as Matthew 5:38-48, which we also read this morning. These passages call us to turn the other cheek and to be peacemakers and we believe that this is not only to be applied in personal situations, but also national ones.

            So what do we do with all this? This morning, I would like to examine Psalm 9 with you. This Psalm does not answer all of the questions I have raised this morning, but it does give us a framework from which we can begin to think about them. The Psalm, is written by David who was a man who had much experience with war and with dealing with enemies. In it he speaks about personal enemies and national enemies and so the thoughts expressed here can help us think about our response to conflict both individually and nationally. I hope that reflection on these verses will help us understand who God is so that we can think about these things from the perspective of God's mind on the issue. I am not going to look at the whole Psalm nor follow the logic of it, but rather, I will pick out some of the main themes which repeat themselves in the Psalm and which speak to the issue before us.

I.     God Is A Just Ruler

            Our thinking about conflict and our response to it must be shaped by our understanding of who God is and how He relates to this world. If evil is the ultimate reality in the world and if bullies are the power brokers in the world, then we are in real trouble and fighting against them is the only solution. But the Psalm helps us understand that there is another reality. The ultimate reality in the world is not evil, but God.

A.   He Is Involved vs. 4

            One of the stories in the Bible that I particularly enjoy is the story of Elisha and his servant. The Arameans had surrounded Dothan, where Elisha was living, with the expressed purpose of killing Elisha. Their large army surrounded the whole city and when the servant of Elisha woke up and saw the multitude he was terrified. He cried out, "Alas, master! What shall we do?" In II Kings 6:17 we read, "Then Elisha prayed: 'O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see.' So the LORD opened the eyes of the servant, and he saw; the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha." This story reveals how God was present with Elisha. It is an example of what David understood about God. We read in Psalm 9:4, "For you have maintained my just cause..." God is not uninvolved, blind or uncaring. God is aware of His people, what they are experiencing and what kind of enemies are threatening them.

            God's care is also seen in several other places in this Psalm. Several times we read in this Psalm that God is totally aware of and fully cares for those who are oppressed. In verse 9 we read, "The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble." Verse 12b tells us, "he does not forget the cry of the afflicted…" and in vs. 18 it says, "the needy shall not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the poor perish forever."

            When Mary was told that Jesus would be born to her, she sang a song. We would expect that the song would be about the joy of having a child or perhaps even the joy of giving birth to the Saviour. It is all of that, but it is amazing to read the extent to which she perceived that with the coming of Jesus, God was showing His care for His people, particularly for those who are oppressed. In Luke 1:51-53 we read, "He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty." Jesus' coming speaks to God's plan to care for the afflicted and Mary understood that.

            The awareness God has about the danger his people might be in and the assurance that He cares is an important part of thinking about how to respond to either a personal or a national threats of violence.

B.   He Rules vs. 4

            There was another time when the Arameans were threatening the people of Israel and the people were filled with fear. The situation was desperate as described in I Kings 20:27 where we read that "Israel encamped opposite them like two little flocks of goats, while the Arameans filled the country." In the next verse we have an interesting perspective of the Arameans. They thought, "The Lord is a god of the hills but he is not a god of the valleys…" Because of this inaccurate and arrogant thinking about God, God delivered the Arameans into the hands of Israel.

            David expresses the perspective on which the people of God can rest in Psalm 9:4, where we read, "…you have sat on the throne giving righteous judgment." The thought expressed in this verse reminds us about who is in charge. God is not just the God of the hills, He is the sovereign Lord over everything. He is not just the God who rules over one nation or one country, but is the God who is over every nation and every creature on earth.

            Verse 7 adds another thought to this perspective when it says, "the Lord sits enthroned forever." This means that whatever happens on earth on any given day, year or even century is not the whole story because God is eternal. The final perspective on God's eternal reign is given to us in Revelation 19 where we read about the rider on the white horse who shed his own blood and is declared to be "King of kings and Lord of lords."

            What a comfort to know that whenever enemies threaten God still reigns over all.

C.   With Righteous Judgment vs. 4, 7, 8

            Another important aspect to recognize is that God who reigns is also the righteous judge of all the earth. Several times in this passage the just judgment of God is mentioned. In vs. 4 it says that He is the one enthroned, "giving righteous judgment." Verses 7 & 8 also speak very clearly about this. There we read, "But the LORD sits enthroned forever, he has established his throne for judgment. He judges the world with righteousness; he judges the peoples with equity."

            How often we have read about the unjust and violent actions of the world's dictators, like Hitler, Saddam Hussein and many others. The natural reaction is that something must be done about these evil people. There is no doubt that something must be done. Evil and injustice are things that God hates and He is the judge of all the earth. What difference does it make that God is the judge who will make all things right? I believe that this understanding helps us address several difficult questions. It helps us understand why there were wars in the Old Testament. God, as the sovereign and final judge determined that at that time war was the way to deal with the unjust. For the same reason we can work for peace today because God has told us that for the present time, we are called to be peacemakers, in the knowledge and hope that He will bring justice in the end.

            Hope in God as the judge of all the earth helps us rest in His plan and know that He will do what is right. This allows us to work for peace in a non-violent way. It allows us to work for justice, even though we may not be able to change everything. We can keep pressing for justice in the knowledge that God will make everything right in the end. When injustice seems to have the upper hand, it allows us to hope in Him and know that this is not the end of the story. Even though it may appear so at the time, unjust rulers are not getting away with anything. In the end, God will make everything right.

D.   He Gives Victory Over Enemies vs. 3, 5, 6, 15, 16, 17

            Because God reigns and because He is the righteous judge and because He cares, God deals with His enemies and the enemies of His people. This theme is repeated throughout the passage in many verses. Please take note particularly of verses 5, 6, "You have rebuked the nations, you have destroyed the wicked; you have blotted out their name forever and ever. The enemies have vanished in everlasting ruins; their cities you have rooted out; the very memory of them has perished." In addition Psalm 9:15-17 tells us that those who reject God will be caught in their own traps. There we read, "The nations have sunk in the pit that they made; in the net that they hid has their own foot been caught. The LORD has made himself known, he has executed judgment; the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands. The wicked shall depart to Sheol, all the nations that forget God."

            II Kings 7 tells another story about what happened to the Arameans. They had maintained a siege around Samaria during the days when Elisha was prophesying in Israel. The siege was very bad so that there was hardly any food left. One day four lepers, who, because of their leprosy lived outside the city, decided that they had nothing left to lose. They decided that there was no point entering the city because the famine was so severe there. They reasoned that if they went to the Aramean camp, they might be spared or they might be killed, but their situation was so bad that it didn't matter much to them any more. So they decided to go to the Aramean camp in the hope that they would get some food and perhaps be spared. When they got to the camp they found it deserted. God had caused the Aramean army to hear another army and they thought that perhaps the Egyptian army had come in support of the Israelites. It was a good day for the whole nation because God had chased off their enemy without them having to do anything.

            God has done similar things in our day. In the 1950's Krushchev worked very hard to eliminate Christianity in the Soviet Union. Some have said that he boasted that within a short time he would display the last Christian in the Soviet Union. It was a terrible time for God's people in that country, but he did not succeed. Last Sunday we heard about the work of God's church which is happening in Russia and the Ukraine today. Christians are not being eliminated, but are growing in influence. The same thing is happening in China. From these examples we see that God deals with those who oppose Him. Because of His sovereign justice He decides the fate of the enemies of His people.

II.  If God Is Lord Over Our Enemies…

            As a church we believe that God does not want us to fight against our enemies. Admittedly this is a problem in several respects. We wonder how we are to understand the wars of the Old Testament? We wonder how to follow Christ when our country calls for people to participate in the military through conscription? What do we do on a day like this when we are called to remembrance of those who have participated in war? The perspectives on God in these verses help us respond. Actually there are some specific statements that invite certain responses to these thoughts about who God is.

A.   Trust Him – vs. 10

            One of the things which this passage teaches us is that we can trust God in these situations as well. We do not need to take things into our own hands, but can follow the teaching of Jesus knowing that the sovereign Lord knows us, our situation and will make all things right in the end. When an enemy attacks us personally or attacks our nation, the first thing we can do is to express our hope in God because we know that He is aware and will do what is right.

            One of the things which trust implies is that we do not need to take vengeance. In light of that, it is sometimes hard to understand how to view verses like those in Psalm 58 which we read earlier. Walter Brueggemann has a great perspective on it, which also teaches us to trust. He suggests that when someone wrongs us, there are three ways we may choose to respond to it. We can take vengeance, and we see lots of that, but we also see how badly that ends up most often. It results in situations of paying back eye for eye and tooth for tooth, which would result in everyone being toothless and blind. The second response is to do nothing and to simply bury the anger and injustice we experience. The problem with that response is that it usually ends up coming out somewhere else and causing damage for innocent bystanders. The third response is to bring it to God. That is what is happening in Psalm 58. The Psalmist expresses his anger and sense of injustice to God and in so doing chooses to leave it with God. Doing so is trusting God.

            So in any situation of conflict, whether personal or national we can trust God. When we trust God, we will find that God will lead us to do what is right, whether it is to speak against injustice, to engage in non-violent protest or to wait until He acts. May we learn to trust God regarding our enemies.

B.   Praise Him - vs. 1, 2, 11, 14

            The second response which this passage invites is to praise God. The theme of praise to God is found throughout this Psalm. Verses 1, 2 are the words of praise of the Psalmist who declares, "I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High."

            God is worthy of praise because of who He is. He is the one enthroned above and He is righteous. So we have every reason to praise Him for His very character.

            But He is also worthy of praise because of what He has done. The idea of praising God for what He has done is also found throughout the passage. For example, in verse 13, the psalmist speaks about what he has suffered, but also about how God is the one who "lifts me up from the gates of death." Then in verse 14 he responds to that experience when he says, "so that I may recount your praises."

            Instead of complaining and fearing what is happening on the earth, as we are so often tempted to do, we can live in praise to God for all He has done. Last week we had a chance to declare praise to God because of what He has done in Russia and Ukraine. May we often take the time to declare praise to God.

C.   Seek Him - vs. 13, 19, 20

            The final response I would like to mention is that we can pray. This is what the Psalmist does in verse 13 when he says, "Be gracious to me, O Lord." This part of the prayer is a prayer for relief from personal difficulty and suffering. Many people who are in the midst of battle need the presence of the Lord.

            But we can also pray that God will do right when an enemy threatens. In the current battle that is going on in the world, the battle against terrorism, we can respond in the same way. We can pray that God will gain victory over those who threaten and cause fear among the nations. In Psalm 9:19 – 20 we read, "Rise up, O LORD! Do not let mortals prevail; let the nations be judged before you. Put them in fear, O LORD; let the nations know that they are only human." Here we see that the Psalmist prays directly regarding the threatening situation before him. He asks that God will not let human beings prevail. He asks that God will judge the nations. He asks that those who wield power, who seem to think that they have the power to overcome, will know that they are "only human" and he prays that they will recognize that there is a God who rules over all. What a great prayer for us to pray in times of personal and national threat from enemies. Spurgeon said, "Prayers are the believer's weapons of war."

Conclusion

            So how do we respond to some of the difficult questions I raised earlier? The knowledge of God as the righteous judge who reigns over all and is involved in our world helps us understand. I personally think it is good for us to remember those who have given their lives and to honor their memory. That does not mean that we have to agree with participation in war. Rather, we can live our lives and speak to the world from the perspective of understanding who God is in these situations. We can point to God as the righteous judge and we can invite trust in Him. We can remind people that He reigns over all and invite praise for all He has done. We can recognize that God cares about the world and about the people and about His kingdom and we can seek Him and pray to Him about all the situations of injustice, hatred and war in the world today.

            When we recognize who God it also allows us to be peacemakers because that is what God has called us to in this time. It allows us to work towards peace and to reject violence and leave making things right up to God.

            May we trust and praise our just and compassionate king.