Lord, at times we get ourselves into predicaments because we needed somewhere to shelter, to hide and/or to rest; a place of refuge. For example, in David's case as he recorded in Psalm 34, You provided such a place under the wing of King Abimelech who was actually an enemy of the Israelites.
Then how was he to un-entangle himself from this king? At times, Lord, You turn up the heat, making our situation untenable, converging to compelling us to move on as was David's case. How, though, was he to get away?
He had to make out that he had finally gone over the edge and become insane. He made himself, dribble and drool and didn't shave; presenting a very disreputable, unpresentable repulsive sight.
King Abimelech let him go pretty quickly and so David went.
David rejoices.
Perhaps David could have found his escape in some other way but that was the way he chose.
Lord, David boasts in You. He glorifies You. He said he sought You and You delivered him from all his fears.
There were many reasons for David to fear. Real fears from King Saul and King Abimelech, to name a couple. Nevertheless, Father, when a person looks to You, their faces can shine in trust because You have shone Your face upon them. Thus, David's cause for relief and rejoicing.
He and we did and do not have to have our faces covered in shame. No doubt David felt a lot of shame because he was acting the fool, maybe he even felt like he was mocking those who were truly intellectually challenged. So his face had been covered in shame but You helped him to uncover it and to look radiant; to look up to You with unveiled face. He had called to You; You heard him, You saved him. That is heady stuff. Confidence in you spiked again. No wonder David was glad and heaps praise upon You.
Father, Your angel encamps around each of us who fear You. He helps to deliver them. Thank-You, Father. You delight to work in tandem with Your people.
We have to experience this for ourselves as David said,
"O taste and see, that the LORD is good".
Indeed You are good, Heavenly Father. When we do these, we will be blessed. David knew it. He wanted his readers to know too.
Father, I want to taste and see You. May I not fear the circumstances I may have to persevere through to do so. May my fear only be in You. May my refuge only be in You.
As we gain more understanding and knowledge of You, the greater our insight can be of You and Your ways, Father God. We can learn to put our faith, hope and trust, in ever increasing measures, in You. You will not fail us.
In so doing, we will then have a message of Your love and grace and goodness as David had and explains for us in this Psalm 34. He has documented all this in his "Journey's Journal & Jottings".
David was wise because he feared and revered You, his Refuge. He wanted others to do the same because when we have fear of You, we will lack nothing. We will become more wise in Your wisdom as You are the source of all wisdom. We bow to You.
Again, we will not lack any good thing. We may lack some things but not good things. We may think that the things we lack are good things but Lord, we know that You supply all our need abundantly, Therefore, we cannot find fault.
How do we fear You? David says You would teach those who love life. If we love life, Lord yes, we look up to You, we want to go to be with You someday soon. However, if we love life we won't be thinking of death, causing our own death or someone else's.
Lord, we can have spiritual death, emotional death, besides physical death. Lord, through life's troubles, even as David's troubles were: big and great and real, having to flee for his life. We can see that he loved his life. He fled so he could retain his life.
If he had feared Abimelech, if he'd feared Saul so much that he was emotionally stymied with paralyzing fear and panic so he could not think wisely, that would not have been 'life'. Rather, he put his fear in You; his hope and trust in You. That gave him life and impetus to flee and preserve his physical life.
So, this is not a vicious a cycle, but a cycle in which he fears You, loves life, so he can fear You some more, to see many good days, and so on.
David did indeed see many good days. His life was not cut short by mankind. In fact, he lived to be 70 years old and died of natural causes. What a worshiper of Yours, he was, Father. Thank-You, many times over for his example to us. Indeed he had great wisdom; no wonder his son Solomon valued the character and asked for an extra dose.
David said to keep our tongues from evil and our lips from speaking lies. He could have said a lot against King Saul who was bent on killing him but he would not slander him. He could also have said much against Abimelech; we don't read of any.
Even when David got the news report that King Saul had died in battle, he did not speak evil of the dead. He chastised the messenger who brought the report of Saul's death. The messenger had thought he'd be rewarded greatly by this "breaking news flash bulletin". He was greatly mistaken.
David would not speak evil of the Lord's anointed. This one that You, Father God had allowed to be placed into a position of power and authority; no matter how good or bad he had been. So he kept his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking lies.
This is such a HUGE lesson to us nowadays Father, when news we hear is so very disturbing and perpetrated by those in power acting so very unseemly. Keep our lips and tongue pure for You, no matter how tempting it is to speak the opposite.
King David turned from evil and did good instead. He sought peace and pursued it, for all he was a man of war. You had even told him he was a bloody man and therefore could not build the Temple for You (1 Chronicles 28:3).
Here he was talking about seeking peace and pursuing it. He was Your man of the hour, to help the Israelites conquer the Promised land more fully after Joshua's conquering. Yet, in his heart, David was a man of peace.
Recall his upbringing. He preferred the backside of the desert with all the sheep; more quiet and tranquil hours. Here he was in the fray for a great deal of his life after he was anointed king of Israel by Samuel. His life really did an about turn. Likely, never in his wildest dreams, did he think he'd be Your "man" and "king", Father. Yet, he had to go through so much torment until then.
These sorts of things happen to us nowadays too. Therefore, David's wise words are so very wise for us. He told us that if we want to fear the LORD, we need to love life, keep our tongues from evil and our lips from speaking lies too. We need to turn from evil and do good, to seek peace and pursue it.
Oh Father, we need Your Holy Spirit's help to convict us, to lead, guide and remind us when we are sorely tempted to lash out especially in the midst of disagreements or when others mistreat us. I know, we have free will to choose Your way but our hears are deceitful.
Your eyes Father are on the righteous and Your ears are attentive to their cry. David found this to be so. He want all to know too.
When a person lives an honorable, pleasing life in Your eyes, Your eyes will be on that righteous person. From this comes our help. Your face is against evil, You cut off the memory of them from the earth.
Your eyes are on the righteous. Sounds like the blessing you asked Aaron to bless over the whole multitude of Israelites every night--like a bedtime prayer. A benediction. Continue to,
"Turn Your face towards us and give us peace" (Numbers 26:24-26).
When we do keep our tongues from evil and lips from speaking lies and we turn from evil and do good, seek peace and pursue it, then we can be righteous and we cry out, You hear us and deliver. David's themes he often wrote about time and again, so all may know and also reveled in and praised You.
He was a man of praise, that's for sure and of worship because of all the wonderful ways You have helped him in his life. He had been brokenhearted. He had lost son after son--four of them because of his own sin with Bathsheba. He knew what it was like to be broken hearted. That he brought on by his own unrighteous acts. He was crushed in spirit. Through this he'd learned an immense lesson.
Perhaps he was ever heart broken when one of his best friends and wise counselor turned from him to Absalom his son, who'd stolen the people's hearts away from David, his father. He knew then, Father, what it must be like to You, when he sinned against You. Agonizing.
Of course, in the context of this Psalm, the story of David's manipulating Abimelech to let him leave his jurisdiction, this may have also broken David's heart to pretend he was insane. It would also bring shame to him.
He'd learned that a righteous man has many troubles but that You deliver. May we all do what is right in Your eyes, being obedient to all Your commands and promises that You gave to Moses. When people do what is right they will be blessed. Nevertheless, here David remembered something very curious:
"...the righteous will have may troubles".
Remember Daniel? He was a man of prayer yet his praying got him into trouble. Lord, even Your son Jesus, the Perfect man of God was crucified. You forsook Him because of our (mankind's) sins. Yet You did deliver Him, not from death and suffering but he rose again to give life for all mankind--conquering death and sin's degradation and punishment.
You protected all His bones and not one was broken. You protected David's bones too. Not one broken. When he ran for his life, running over precarious terrain, etc, perhaps he tripped and fell injuring himself but not breaking any bone.
Lord, there are times in our deep troubles, that even, we, the righteous (in Your sight), and who do try to live according to Your will, to please You, sometimes we do get into injuries along the way: health problems; relationship problems, or other things. These feel like the pain of a broken bone.
Pondering on that phrase leads one to see that it appears to be a prophecy about Your Son Jesus, Father. The One who died upon the cross for us. Not a one was broken. He was pierced for our iniquities; stricken, smitten and afflicted but His bones were not broken. He was still whole. He was the most righteous Man who ever walked this earth. In fact, the only One. Jesus was, and still is, fully righteous and holy; 100%. He endured all that trouble for us on the cross out of love for us. He brought us life.
Those who follow evil ways, that evil will slay them. If they do not repent and turn from those evil ways, that is, and come to Jesus, who died for them. He who took the punishment for their sins upon the cross.
Even one of the criminals who was crucified at the same time as Jesus did repent. He asked Jesus to remember him when He came into His kingdom. Jesus told him that that day he'd be with Him in paradise.
Father, we ask, as David did, turn the wicked from their evil ways so they won't be eternally lost.
We cringe for the wicked who do not turn, those enemies of Your righteous people, Lord, turn them aside. Stop the harassments, foil their plans. We know they will be condemned in the end. All these wicked, evil people. however, they still have a chance while there is life in their bones. Where there is life, there is hope for them to repent, and in faith come to Jesus no matter how wretched they may be, or evil their deeds.
May they come to Jesus. To Jesus, the very One they are tormenting because You redeem Your servants, Lord. You have redeemed us through Jesus' work on the cross.
Redemption.
"Redeemed, how I love to proclaim it. His child and for ever, I am."
Jesus, thank-You. Thank-You for Your love. That love which conquers all. It conquered us and made us righteous in your Father, God's sight. Your Father who was and is satisfied with Your complete work on the cross.
Now none of us can be condemned who have come to You and accepted your gift of salvation. now we have forgiveness of sins. It's like You don't ever see those sins anymore. Therefore, NO ONE can condemn us. NO ONE can accuse us to Hell.
You, Father, are satisfied when we take Refuge in You and we will not be condemned.
I praise and thank You.
Thank-You for the words David wrote so long ago as he was escaping from Abimelech. He put his hope, faith and trust in you even as he had to run for his life.
Lord, we too, nowadays, may have to run for our lives to escape evil situations. However, we can still trust in You; fear You, put our reverence and respect in You through Jesus, Who made it all possible.
I give You thanks and praise You in Jesus' Name.
~ERC November 2020~
Based on Psalm 34.
Sing, Redeemed How I Love To Proclaim It, by the Gaither Homecoming.
No comments:
Post a Comment