Archive for May 2008
Psalm 119 Heth
Posted on Sunday, May 25, 2008 at 6:04 PM by David Zavadil
57 ¶ <HETH> The LORD is my portion; I promise to keep your words.
58 ¶ I entreat your favor with all my heart; be gracious to me according to your promise.
59 ¶ When I think on my ways, I turn my feet to your testimonies; 60 I hasten and do not delay to keep your commandments.
61 ¶ Though the cords of the wicked ensnare me, I do not forget your law.
62 ¶ At midnight I rise to praise you, because of your righteous rules.
63 ¶ I am a companion of all who fear you, of those who keep your precepts.
64 ¶ The earth, O LORD, is full of your steadfast love; teach me your statutes!(ESV)
We Americans like everything big. We go to a restaurant and try to figure out which dish will bring the most food. We like big houses, big cars, big pets, big everything. Yet, one thing that scares almost all of us to a person is a big God. The Psalmist calls our attention back to our view of God. 57. The LORD is my portion; I promise to keep your words. These words are difficult in our modern English What does the writer mean by "my portion?" We might could paraphrase that first line as, "The Lord is all that I need." He is enough. We always seem to want more, but the Psalmist reminds us that in Christ we have all that we need. What does it mean to be content? We think it means having more, but the Scriptures teach us that contentment is found in all we need, it is found in God. Because I have all that I need in God, in Christ, I am going to keep your word. There is nothing else I need, so why live or do anything else but live for you Oh Lord?
"But a portion implies, not a source of ordinary pleasure, but of rest and satisfaction, such as leaves nothing else to be desired." Charles Bridges, Psalm 119
58 ¶ I entreat your favor with all my heart; be gracious to me according to your promise. When we find the portion of the Lord, the sufficiency of God in our lives, we are driven to call out for his favor. Anytime we discover contentment, we cry out for more. The psalmist, finding that God fulfills all of his needs, cries out, "Lord show me favor." As God's word works in our lives, making us more like Him, we desire even more. The natural question that arises here is, "what is God's favor?"
Is not the favor of God, God himself? In Christ we find the true fulfillment of this promise. The grace and mercy found in Christ is all we could ever want. Like the Psalmist we are to seek God with all our heart. God has promised to be gracious to us, fulfilling this promise in Jesus Christ. "We 'joy in God, through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we now receive atonement.' (Rom. 5:11) Mercy, however, is the source of that favour which we entreat; and the word is the warrant of our expectation - Be merciful unto us according to thy word." (Bridges, Psalm 119) Never forget, dear reader, the promise of mercy and grace is found throughout the Word of God. Our cry does not fall on deaf ears but lightens upon the God of the Word. He will fulfill His promises. Rest in those promises.
59 ¶ When I think on my ways, I turn my feet to your testimonies; Oh, if we would only rest on the Word of God. If only God were our constant thought. Most of us, however, think more of our stomachs that we do of God. The Psalmist teaches us what should happen when we turn our thoughts to ourselves. We should be driven back to the Word of God. "Multitudes live for the world - forget God and die! This is their history." (Bridges) Anytime we are dwelling upon self, we should be driven to Christ, for as we think of self we realize our need for Christ. He is both our starting place and our finish line.
60 I hasten and do not delay to keep your commandments. When we begin to see our lives for what they are, sinful lives in need of a savior, we shouldn't dally around, hoping one day we might find the answer to our condition. We are in such a need of a savior that we should run to Christ, not walk and wait. "If ever delays are dangerous, much more are they in this concern of eternity." (Bridges) We must not take our time in learning the Word of God. His Word must become a daily part of our lives. When we see who we are apart from Christ we must run with haste to the commands of God. They are the guide to carry us through the day.
61 ¶ Though the cords of the wicked ensnare me, I do not forget your law. The world bombards us with all kinds of influences every day. We have become so desensitized to sin that we too easily find ourselves ensnared in the very sin we condemn. What are we to do when facing the temptations of the world? First we need to remember the Word of God. I do not forget your law. Paul writes, 1 Cor. 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. There is nothing we will face that God can't over take. Remember we can endure temptation. Second, we must flee the cords of the wicked. Put the sins of our youth behind us and live a life worthy of Christ. 1Ti 6:11 But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. 2Ti 2:22 So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. Turn to the Word to find the strength to flee sin and walk with Christ.
62 ¶ At midnight I rise to praise you, because of your righteous rules.
63 ¶ I am a companion of all who fear you, of those who keep your precepts.
64 The earth, O LORD, is full of your steadfast love; teach me your statutes!
What a feeling of relief it is when we succeed in overcoming sin. When the Scriptures become central to our lives and we find our lives driven by the power of God in us, we are moved to praise. The psalmist is so moved that he awakens in the middle of the night to praise God. The question that arises is this, "Do you praise God when you find His Word powerfully at work in your life?" Our life should be a life of praise, we read that throughout the Bible.
You are never alone when you walk with God and are a man or woman of the Word. We are, as the psalmist writes, are "a companion of all who fear you." There is a unity of faith that is found in the unity of the Word. The uniqueness of the Christian faith is that no matter where you are in the world, the Bible is still the Bible. The language may be different, but the truths are still the same.
One of those truths is expressed in our final verse. The earth, O LORD, is full of your steadfast love; The love of God is all around us. Ps 32:10 Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the LORD. Since His love surrounds us, we can look to God for contentment, for His portion. The psalmist begins by pointing to God and ends this passage by pointing back to God. He is our portion, all that we need, because of this, we should rest in His Word.
Posted in Bible Study (RSS), Psalm 119 (RSS)
Christian Witness to Israel
Posted on Saturday, May 24, 2008 at 3:50 PM by David Zavadil
We at EPC had a blessed evening and then breakfast with Rev. Stephen Atkinson of Christian Witness to Israel . If you have a heart for the Jewish people and desire to learn more about this Reformed and International ministry, I heartily recommend CWI.
Posted in Ministry (RSS), The Church (RSS)
Prince Caspian; The Movie
Posted on Monday, May 19, 2008 at 1:17 PM by David Zavadil
My family and I went and saw "Prince Caspian" this past Friday night. I am always scared of sequels, especial after the likes of "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" and "Rocky V." (Boy did I just date myself bigtime?) Caspian turned out to be a pleasant surprise. I will say up front, it was by far a more violent film than was "the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe." I would not send my young children alone, go as a family.
The film is the classic good versus bad story. The spiritual content focuses more on the personal faith and decision making of the characters than a broad gospel or biblical picture. Lucy deals with peer pressure verses obedience to Aslan. Peter struggles with self as much as the pressure of others, taking a very self reliant and prideful posture throughout much of the movie. One thing that surprised me was the movie makers portrayed the older Pevensies as "too old" to believe. This came across at times as saying belief in Aslan or in our case God was limited to children and at some point you will out grow it. I was pleased that Peter and Susan returned to their earlier belief before the end of the movie. There is one brilliantly done scene with allusions to the parting of the Red Sea.
I am intentionally being a bit vague with this review. I think "Prince Caspian" is a movie you need to go and see. Despite the violence (medievel war type violence), it is a movie the whole family should see together. There are many lessons that can be learned, making this a great movie to discuss after seeing. I give this movie a four and a half out of five stars.
Posted in Commentary (RSS), Family happenings (RSS)
Marks of a Healthy Church Sermon Series
Posted on Thursday, May 15, 2008 at 10:34 AM by David Zavadil