The Twenty-Plus-Three’s

Psalm 23, 53, 83, 113, 143

Psalm 23 is perhaps the most familiar psalm in all the psalms. What powerful and comforting words! Because the LORD is in charge of my life, I have no need that He doesn’t satisfy. Provision for body and soul. Guidance. Protection. Empowerment for the task at hand. Blessing. His presence. No wonder this psalm means so much to so many.

There is only one hope, and it doesn’t lie with the atheists (Ps 53:1). The sad thing is that there are so few people who really serve the LORD. Many have the appearance of a spiritual life, but spiritual is not good enough. I love verse four. “Do all these evildoers know nothing?” It is as if the psalmist is saying, “You have got to be kidding! You are going to continue to try and deny God’s existence and His authority over your life? How stupid is that!” Evil people don’t really know the stakes at hand. They think that if they ignore God they won’t have to pay the consequences for their wicked ways. The psalmist hopes that the LORD will restore His people and bring victory.

Psalm 83 is a prayer of petition. The writer wants the LORD to act, to get involved on his behalf. He wants the LORD to get involved as He has so many other times in Israel’s history. The word pictures of God’s judgment that are painted capture the vivid imagination and depth of emotional involvement of the writer. And all this to the end that the LORD’s fame would be universally understood, that they would know that He alone is God.

The universality of the message of the Scripture is capture in Psalm 113. The whole earth is His domain (v3). All nations, even the heavens themselves are nothing compared to the LORD. He is exalted above them all (vv4-6). No one is too lowly or insignificant to garner the LORD’s attention. Notice verse nine. Even the childless woman, someone at the bottom of the social ladder of her day, gets the privilege of raising children. No one gets overlooked.

The Psalmist in Psalm 143 has a picture of God, an accurate one I might add, that when the LORD turns His back on people, life is as good as over (v7). They desperately want the LORD’s answer (v8). When was the last time you desperately wanted or felt you needed the LORD’s answer? That sense of desperation can be crippling if we try to deal with it absent from God’s presence. The secret that the Psalmist discovered was to take the struggle directly into God’s presence. There he could find an answer that could satisfy.

The Ten-Plus-Four’s

Psalm 14, 44, 74, 104, 134

We have a lot of fools living in the world today. Psalm 14 starts by declaring the definition of a fool. Making the claim to know that the Creator of the Universe does not exist would mean the person making the statement would have to have all knowledge, be everywhere simultaneously, and have existed forever. It sounds like they would have to be God. Logical contradiction! And even with all the ignorance the LORD still seeks us. People who claim that there is no God, really do nothing for others. How many “atheist” soup kitchens do you have in your town? Just something to think about.

Learning and remembering the history of the LORD’s interventions in history can build our faith. Psalm 44 outlines the Israel’s history of rebellion and of the LORD’s rebuke. We must be careful that we don’t follow their path. Feeling like you are a sheep ready for slaughter is not a good feeling. The clock ticking toward judgment hour. Tick, tick, tick. HELP, LORD!

The psalmist reminds the LORD of His history in hopes that He will again intervene in their lives. He reminds the LORD of the damage done to HIS reputation as a result of Jerusalem’s destruction (Ps 74:18). He is desperate for the LORD’s intervention. At the end of the psalm he lists the things that might be negatively affected if the LORD does not intervene. It’s as if the psalmist is say, “Hey, LORD, if you don’t act your Name will be mud.” Do we ever do things that throw mud in God’s direction? If you have, now is the time to repent.

Psalm 104 begins with a lesson in hydrology, a lesson that shows the LORD’s signature on everything. The whole of creation is a canvas upon which the LORD has signed His Name. Everywhere we look we can see His ink, if we are open to seeing it. But unless the Spirit opens our eyes, we really can’t see it. And if we do, we must dismiss it rapidly because acknowledging the ink would require us to acknowledge Him and His claim on our lives. Verse 29-30 give insight into life and death, when it starts and stops.

The act of lifting our hands in worship is an ancient one (Ps134:2). We use our hands for so many things, special motions (the wave) at sporting events, celebratory “high fives”, the good bye wave, the “I see you over there” wave, and so many others. Why are we so hesitant to raise our hands to the One who created and redeemed us?