Meditations on the Psalms

Thanks for Triumph

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. 1 The king shall have joy in Your strength, O Lord; and in Your salvation how greatly shall he rejoice! 2 You have given him his heart's desire, and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah 3 For You meet him with the blessings of goodness; You set a crown of pure gold upon his head. 4 He asked life from You, and You gave it to him-- length of days forever and ever. 5 His glory is great in Your salvation; honour and majesty You have placed upon him. 6 For You have made him most blessed forever; You have made him exceedingly glad with Your presence. 7 For the king trusts in the Lord, and through the mercy of the Most High he shall not be moved. 8 Your hand will find all Your enemies; Your right hand will find those who hate You. 9 You shall make them as a fiery oven in the time of Your anger; the Lord shall swallow them up in His wrath, and the fire shall devour them. 10 Their offspring You shall destroy from the earth, and their descendants from among the sons of men. 11 For they intended evil against You; they devised a plot which they are not able to perform. 12 Therefore You will make them turn their back; You will make ready Your arrows on Your string toward their faces. 13 Be exalted, O Lord, in Your own strength! We will sing and praise Your power.

In psalm twenty, we heard the believers pray to the Lord to give victory to their leader. Now in this psalm we hear another confirmation of God's response and answer. Truly, "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you" (Matthew 7:7). In Psalm 20 they asked, and in Psalm 21 they thank God who answered them and gave them their desire, expressing their confidence that He will also give!

Psalm 21, then, is the psalm of the struggling church, whose prayer for its shepherd has been heard by God. It can also be a prophetic psalm to be sung by the triumphant church as it declares the victorious end to the struggle. Again it is a psalm of the Christian family that listens to the head sing a song of thanksgiving, and a psalm of workers listening to their boss thanking God who answered the prayer of his men for their establishment.

This psalm is considered a prophetic psalm of Christ, the Son of David. The Jewish Targum (a number of ancient exegetical translations of parts of the Old Testament in Aramaic) interprets king in verses 1,7 as "the Messianic king". This is what Paul also says, "For He must reign till He has put all His enemies under His feet" (1 Corinthians 15:25).

The psalm includes the following:

• First: Rejoicing in triumph (verses 1-7)

• Second: The permanent defeat of the enemy (verses 8-12)

• Third: A permanent celebration of triumph (verse 13)

	First: Rejoicing in Triumph

(verses 1-7)

1. Joy was the result of a miracle: "The king shall have joy in Your strength, O Lord; and in Your salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!"(verse 1). The leader they prayed for did not win the battle owing to his own strength, "chariots and horses" (Psalm 20:7), but owing to "Your strength" and "Your salvation", O Lord. Our human vanity makes the strings of our harps lose tone, and start producing flat tunes. His strength and salvation, however, stretch the strings of our harps, making us sing the songs of salvation and miraculous victory with joy, because "Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of hosts" (Zechariah 4:6). "For our hearts shall rejoice in Him, because we have trusted in His holy name" (Psalm 33:21). "Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me" (2 Corinthians 12:9).

2. Joy was the result of an answered prayer: "You have given him his heart's desire, and have not withheld the request of his lips"(verse 2). Desire means a deeply seated urge, not just a passing fancy. Also the Hebrew word for request could also be interpreted as "inheritance". So his request was not merely a hope, but a true, indisputable fact. Jesus said to His disciples, "With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer" (Luke 22:15), which He actually did. Solomon said, "The desire of the righteous will be granted" (Proverbs 10:24). God fulfilled this holy desire and answered his plea.

   The word "Selah" comes at the end of the second verse, as if to stop us for a while in order to meditate on how the prayer was answered, so that we would be encouraged to pray more(John 16:24).

3. Joy was the result of God's providence: "For You meet him with blessings of goodness; You set a crown of pure gold upon his head"(verse 3). God Himself is pictured as having gone out to meet him with all the goodness of success, as fulfilment of the saying "A good blessing will come upon them" (Proverbs 24:25). Some people have blessings but they abuse them. Yet, there are good blessings that come from the Lord to those who walk in goodness. The word "meet" can be translated precede or go before. It was customary in ancient Israel for a shepherd to go before the sheep, and Christ said that His sheep hear His voice, that He knows them and they follow Him (John 10:3-5). The Lord goes before the believers carrying the blessings of goodness for them, and they follow Him rejoicing in His surpassing providence.

   Then the Lord set a crown of pure gold on the king's head, as a declaration of the renewal of his kingship over his people that prays for him. Likewise, the Lord sets crowns of righteousness (2 Timothy 4:8), crowns of life (James 1:12; Revelations 2:10), and crowns of glory (1 Peter 5:4)on the heads of His faithful believing servants. They are crowns of gold (Revelations 4:4). I wonder if any believer deserves all this? Christ carried on His head a crown of thorns to give us a crown of gold, endured shame and dishonour to give us glory and honour. Let us give thanks to our good God with all joy!

4. Joy was the result of receiving eternal life: "He asked life from You, and You gave it to him- length of days forever and ever"(verse 4). This means that God lengthened the years of the king's life, made its quality deeper, imparting him with a fruitful and prosperous life. Moreover, He gave him "length of days forever". God gives us eternal life that lasts "forever and ever" when Christ enters our hearts, and our life becomes His life. "And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent" (John 17:3; cf. John 3:14-16). At that time we will enjoy eternal life, because the eternal One who dwells within us makes the perishable imperishable, and endows it with immortality!

   King Hezekiah received fifteen years more than his life time (Isaiah 38:5) but eventually died. Lazarus received an unknown number of years after Christ raised him from the grave (John 11:43), but he died again. Obviously the physical life perishes, but we receive an eternal, endless life, when Christ dwells in our heart.

5. Joy was the result of receiving honour and majesty: "His glory is great in Your salvation; honour and majesty You have placed upon him"(verse 5). Glory, honour and majesty are all divine attributes, which He bestows upon the victorious king to lift up his head. Today we realise that our glory, honour and majesty are in the fruit of the Holy Spirit; which is love, joy, peace, and long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, and self-control. As Christ enters our hearts, He gives us eternal life and the Holy Spirit starts to bear fruit in us, which is the essence of majesty. "Love" starts to appear in us and all people get to know that we are Christ's disciples (John 13:35). The "joy of the Lord" starts to appear, too, and it becomes our strength (Nehemiah 8:10). "Peace" starts to well up within us even when we lose those who are dearest to us (2 Kings 4:26).

   Dear believer, you who received Christ in your heart, if you do not have the fruit of the Spirit, please check your spiritual life, because all these blessings are yours by right, because glory, honour and majesty are the portion of all those whose names have been written in the Lamb's Book of Life (Revelations 3:5).

6. Joy was the result of becoming a blessing to the people: "For You have made him most blessed for ever"(verse 6a). The Lord said to Abraham, "Get out of your country...I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing" (Genesis 12:1,2). Everyone who confidently, lovingly and obediently follows the Lord will receive blessings, as well as become a source of blessings to those around him. A preacher may encourage his suffering audience, because life shocks them again and they yield to their suffering once more. But there is a blessing that lasts forever, which is the blessing of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ: salvation from the sins of the past by forgiveness, from the sins of the present by sanctification and the completion of salvation in the future by entering the heavenly glories, which is the perfection of joy and gladness in the Lord's presence.

   "You have made him exceedingly glad with Your presence"(verse 6b). "To make exceedingly glad" is actually an expression meaning the animating singsong of a caravan leader that stimulates the camels to march in the arid deserts carrying their often heavy loads easily and smoothly. Likewise, the Lord gladdens the king to carry the responsibilities of government by letting him hear the singing, the chanting and the prayers of his people on his behalf him.

7. Joy came to stay: "For the king trusts in the Lord, and through the mercy of the Most High he shall not be moved"(verse 7). Trusting means dependence on the truth of a certain news we hear, and acting on and in the light of this dependence. The king knew that God hears prayers, and experienced a great response, hence he learned to trust the Lord, and therefore he no longer doubts or is unstable. James said, "He is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways" (James 1:8). He who trusts the Lord and His grace, however, is stable. The world gives an impermanent sort of joy, whose sweetness may end up in bitterness and whose laughter may end up in weeping. But when the Lord gives joy, it lasts forever, because the recipient in this case trusts the Lord for its provision.

	Second: The Permanent Defeat of the Enemy

(verses 8-12)

God gave victory to His people over the enemy that tried to invade them and was defeated, just as all the enemies of the Lord will be surely defeated, the last of whom will be "your adversary the devil" who seems like a "roaring lion" (1 Peter 5:8). But he is actually defeated. Jesus said, "I saw Satan fall like lightening from heaven" (Luke 10:18). But the Lion of the tribe of Judah, who went conquering and to conquer (Revelations 5:5; 6:2) is the only One whom God exalted and gave a name which is above every name (Philippians 2:9). The gates of hell shall not prevail against His kingdom, and no weapon formed against it shall prosper (Isaiah 54:17).

God is always the conqueror, but He is such a democratic God that He allows opposition. He allows Satan to act freely, knowing that the final victory always belongs to the truth. The enemy may be shouting at the top of his voice and thinking he is distracting the truth by lying, but the quiet, prayerful congregation of believers realises that the low voice (1 Kings 19:12) is undoubtedly coming to encourage, edify and bless them, and at the same time defeat the enemy.

In these verses we find the following five facts:

1. The enemies' defeat will continue because they are vulnerable: "Your hand will find all your enemies; Your right hand will find those who hate You"(verse 8). Nothing is hidden from the Lord: "There is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account" (Hebrews 4:13). If the enemy thinks he can make himself secure by hiding his plots from the Lord, then he is a mistaken fool and his defeat is certain!

2. The enemies' defeat will continue because they will be inevitably defeated: "You shall make them as a fiery oven in the time of Your anger; the Lord shall swallow them up in His wrath, and the fire shall devour them"(verse 9). The Lord will destroy the enemies like fuel in a furnace, "'For, behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, and all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up', says the Lord of hosts, 'that will leave them neither root nor branch.'" (Malachi 4:1).

3. The enemies' defeat will continue because their descendants will be cut off: "Their offspring You shall destroy from the earth, and their descendants from among the sons of men"(verse 10). The wicked will not give birth to children who are as wicked as they are, either because the Lord will destroy their offspring or because the offspring will not want to walk in the ways of their wicked fathers. God is capable of doing both things. Even if the enemies think that they are the majority, they will not triumph, because the Lord will decimate their descendants them, so much that they won't be able to train or recruit other wicked people like them.

4. The enemies' defeat will continue because they are continually unable: "For they intend evil against You; they devised a plot which they are unable to perform"(verse 11). No matter what they arrange or set up, they still cannot bring it forth. Herod the Great did not think that the baby Jesus would escape his malicious intrigue of murdering all the babies of Bethlehem. But his intrigue did not succeed. Herod Agrippa did not think that the four squads (16 soldiers) would be unable to guard Peter in prison, neither did he think that the prison gates would open of their own accord. However, in His love and power, God saved Peter from the evil they had intended against him.

5. The enemies' defeat will continue because they will always run away: "Therefore You will make them turn their back; You will make ready Your arrows on Your strings toward their faces"(verse 12). Turn their back means that God's attack against them will make them turn and run away. When they turn around again to attack God's people, the arrow will be ready on the string to hit them and turn them back again. These words may seem too optimistic, but who said that God's children should not be optimistic? They are optimistic by nature because they follow the conquering Saviour, who imparts conquest to those who belong to Him, so that they would be more than conquerors through Him who loved them (Romans 8:37).

	Third: The Permanent Celebrationof Triumph

(verse 13)

The whole nation joins in saying this last verse, with hearts full of confidence that the Lord will show His power. "Be exalted, O Lord, in Your strength! We will sing and praise Your power" (verse 13). The Lord is exalted by His own power; the believer can't exalt Him! Who are we to glorify God? It is rather God who glorifies Himself, and us together with Him. Our glorification of God should be understood in the context of conducting ourselves in a way that brings glory to God, a way that is acceptable to Him.

On the diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria, the poet Rudyard Kipling wrote, "In order not to forget on this diamond celebration that majesty and strength are God's alone, let all men keep silent and be humble before the Most High." [Such a quotation must be taken verbatim from the English reference because it is a very famous quotation??] Let us now keep silent, and calm our hearts down before God, so that He may fulfil the promises in this psalm of victory to us.

	Questions

1. The psalmist mentions seven reasons for rejoicing. mention them.

2. Give two reasons for the permanent defeat of the enemy.

Prophecies of the Cross and Resurrection

To the Chief Musician. Set to "The Deer of the Dawn." A Psalm of David. 1 My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, and from the words of My groaning? 2 O My God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not hear; and in the night season, and am not silent. 3 But You are holy, enthroned in the praises of Israel. 4 Our fathers trusted in You; they trusted, and You delivered them. 5 They cried to You, and were delivered; they trusted in You, and were not ashamed. 6 But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised by the people. 7 All those who see Me ridicule Me; they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, 8 "He trusted in the Lord, let Him rescue Him; let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!" 9 But You are He who took Me out of the womb; You made Me trust while on My mother's breasts. 10 I was cast upon you from birth. From my mother's womb You have been my God. 11 Be not far from Me, for trouble is near; for there is none to help. 12 Many bulls have surrounded Me; strong bulls of Bashan have encircled Me. 13 They gape at Me with their mouths, like a raging and roaring lion. 14 I am poured out like water, and all My bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it has melted within Me. 15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and My tongue clings to My jaws; You have brought Me to the dust of death. 16 For dogs have surrounded Me; the congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. They pierced My hands and My feet; 17 I can count all My bones. They look and stare at Me. 18 They divide My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots. 19 But You, O Lord, do not be far from Me; O My Strength, hasten to help Me! 20 Deliver Me from the sword, My precious life from the power of the dog. 21 Save Me from the lion's mouth and from the horns of the wild oxen! You have answered Me. 22 I will declare Your name to My brethren; in the midst of the assembly I will praise You. 23 You who fear the Lord, praise Him! All you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him, and fear Him, all you offspring of Israel! 24 For He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; nor has He hidden His face from Him; but when He cried to Him, He heard. 25 My praise shall be of You in the great assembly; I will pay My vows before those who fear Him. 26 The poor shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek Him will praise the Lord. Let your heart live forever! 27 All the ends of the world shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall worship before You. 28 For the kingdom is the Lord's, and He rules over the nations. 29 All the prosperous of the earth shall eat and worship; all those who go down to the dust shall bow before Him, even he who cannot keep himself alive. 30 A posterity shall serve Him. It will be recounted of the Lord to the next generation, 31 They will come and declare His righteousness to a people who will be born, that He has done this.

David wrote this psalm a thousand years before Christ. In it he explained, by the spirit of prophecy, the sufferings of the cross and the glories of the resurrection. The heading of the psalm is "To the chief musician. Set to 'The Dear of the Dawn.'" We gather from this that the psalm was always sung before sunrise. It captures the suffering of the cross that our Redeemer endured on our behalf, till the day of resurrection broke with its great light. This psalm is a prophecy of Christ, and does not, under any circumstances, express David's situation, for David was never:

1. "Despised of the people"(verse 6):David was loved by the people even in the worst situations when King Saul was chasing him. They were the ones who sang to him, "Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands" (1 Samuel 18:7). Yet, Christ was described by Isaiah in His suffering state as "despised, and we did not esteem Him" (Isaiah 53:3).

2. "For there is none to help"(verse 11):David was never without a helper, because the Lord was always by His side. Christ, however, could say this on the cross, because God hid His face from Him in His capacity as a representative for sinners during the crucifixion.

3. "They pierced My hands and My feet"(verse 16):This could have never happened to David, but only to Christ on the cross.

4. "I can count all My bones"(verse 17):David was never hanged without clothes and in such a position that all his bones were showing, so that he could count them.

5. "They divide My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots"(verse 18):This has never happened to David. It is exactly what the soldiers did with Christ.

In fact, the psalm is an Old Testament prophecy, inspired by the Holy Spirit, foretelling the episode of Christ's crucifixion. Verse 22 says, "I will declare Your name to My brethren; in the midst of the congregation I will praise You." Paul said in the New Testament that these words were uttered by Christ (Hebrews 2:12). The first verse in the psalm says, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" These were the first words Christ uttered on the cross as He felt the Father hiding His face from Him and leaving Him to pay the wages of our sins as a representative for mankind. After offering the sacrifice and bringing atonement and redemption onto the scene, it was about Him that it was said, "He has done it" (verse 31). In the Septuagint the verse reads: "He has finished it"!

A thousand years before the crucifixion, this psalm, by the spirit of prophecy, described the darkest and last hours of Jesus' life on earth, and foretold the very words He would utter on the cross. The Evangelists referred to this psalm as a prophecy concerning the cross (Matthew 27:35-46; John 19:24,28,30).

Verses 1-21 speak of Christ's suffering. When He was born Herod attempted to murder Him. Later He was tried by Satan in the wilderness, to keep Him away from the cross. At the end He was resisted by the leaders of society and finally crucified. Yet, all their intentions for crucifying Him came to nothing, because He rose from the dead on the third day. The Jews assumed that they killed Him and put an end to His message, but their evil expectations were defeated, since God lifted Him up to Him and gave Him a name which is above every name, so that "All the ends of the world shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations" (verse 27).

For Christ the cross was not the end, just as suffering was not the end of Psalm 22. In its latter part (verses 22-31) the psalm announces Christ's triumph. One cannot talk about Christ's cross and redemptive suffering without talking about His resurrection by the His own strength and might, which Paul explains as follows: "...who was delivered up because of our offences, and was raised because of our justification" (Romans 4:25).

There are two more obvious things in this psalm, which prove that it speaks of the crucified, risen Christ:

1. The psalm does not include any confession of sin, since Christ is the only sinless person.

2. The psalm does not include any curses, which we read in all the psalms that deal with the relationship with the enemies. Only Christ did not curse those who rose against Him, but rather asked for forgiveness on behalf of those who crucified Him and taught His disciples to love their enemies.

The psalm includes the following:

• First: Prophecies of Christ's suffering (verses 1-21)

• Second: Prophecies of Christ's triumph (verses 22-31)

	First: Prophecies of Christ's Suffering

(verses 1-21)

1. The prayer of the suffering Christ (verses 1-5)

   The prayer includes:

   1. An expression of emotional anguish: "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, and from the words of My groaning? O My God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not hear; and in the night season, and am not silent"(verses 1,2). It is a cry of perplexity and astonishment, when faith struggles with suffering in the one who cries out. Faith holds fast to God "My God" and suffering asks, "Why have You forsaken Me?" It is a cry of a suffering soul, who takes hold of God with both his hands and asks Him, "Why have You forsaken Me?" He says this in the flesh, as a representative and substitute for us, because He is our Redeemer, our next of kin, who is in charge of us. All the excruciating pains of the cross, the horrid mockery of people, the emotional pain that is far beyond the physical one, could not separate Him from God, who demanded the wages of the world's sin from Him, for He is "The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). Jesus did not do anything that should call God to forsake Him, but because of our sins God hid His face from Him, as it is written: "Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief" (Isaiah 53:10). "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Corinthians 5:21).

      The unbearable pain made Christ's words sound like groaning: "Why are You so far from helping Me, and from the words of My groaning?" He sounded like a lion groaning from pain! "O My God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not hear; and in the night season, and am not silent." He was entirely sure that God was with Him, but, He wondered, why doesn't He answer and give Him salvation and peace?

   2. Turning to the faithful and holy God: "But You are holy, who inhabit the praises of Israel. Our fathers trusted in You; they trusted and You delivered them. They cried to You, and were not ashamed"(verses 3-5). The psalmist trusts the Lord, because He is holy and different from the imperfect people, as well as pure, just and faithful. Therefore, His people praises Him even in the midst of their severe suffering and anguish of soul. Their praises rise up like a fragrant incense toward His great throne. In verses 4,5 the psalm confesses that God saved and delivered His people who trusted Him. So, why doesn't this happen now? It is a prayer of a forsaken trusting person, crying out to the faithful and wonder-working God of old.

2. The humility of the suffering Christ (verses 6-8):

   1. They did not appreciate Him rightly: "But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people"(verse 6). He is the perfect Man, yet He agreed to be considered a worm, despised, and worthy of being crushed down under the foot, yet completely harmless! We read the same description in relation to Christ in Isaiah 41:14. It is also written of Him: "He is despised and rejected by men" (Isaiah 53:3), so much that the masses asked Pilate to release Barabbas the murderer and nail Christ to the cross. They did not regard Him as a human being, but insulted and stabbed Him as "a worm", weighing Him down with His own cross, so that He fell under it.

   2. He was mocked: "All those who see Me laugh Me to scorn; they shoot out the lip, they shake the head [indicating their contempt, hatred and rejection of Him], saying, 'He trusted in the Lord, let Him rescue Him; let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him'"(verses 7,8). This prophecy came true down to the minutest detail at the cross, for the priests and the people, the Jews and the Gentiles, the civilians and the soldiers, the honourable and the thieves all mocked Him, saying, "He saved others; Himself He cannot save...He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him" (Matthew 27:42,43). What they did not know was that he did not save Himself because He wanted to save us.

   As we read these verses we wonder: Should we marvel at the cruelty of man? Or should we marvel at our Redeemer's love when He prayed for those who crucified Him, "Father, forgive them for they do not know what they do"? (Luke 23:34). How cruel man is, and how far off greater God's love is!

3. The trust of the suffering Christ (verses 9-11):

   "But You are He who took Me out of the womb; You made Me trust when I was on my mother's breast. I was cast upon You from birth. From My mother's womb You have been My God."

   His enemies said, "He trusted in the Lord, let Him rescue Him", and it really happened. God turned their derision into a prayer. All His past life proved that He was loved by God, and this was the content of the message that the angel brought to The Virgin Mary: "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One to be born is to be called the Son of God." This is also what the angels declared to the shepherds: "I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord" (Luke 1:35; 2:10,11).

   Then He changes His question in verse 1, "Why have You forsaken Me?" into a request: "Be not far from Me, for trouble is near; for there is none to help." He repeats the same request in verse 19.

   From the trust expressed in verses 9-11 we learn that faith carries its weapon everywhere, no matter how fierce the battle is! Therefore Christ says, by the spirit of prophecy, through Isaiah, "I have trodden the wine-press alone, and from the people no one was with Me" (Isaiah 63:3).

4. Christ's suffering at the hands of those around Him (verses 12-18):

   In these verses the psalmist describes his cruel enemies, and records what they have done to him.

   1. Their descriptions

      1. They are like many strong bulls: "Many bulls have surrounded Me, strong bulls of Bashan have encircled Me...Save me from...the horns of the wild oxen! You have answered Me"(verses 12,21b). They are like the strong bulls that graze in the succulent pastures of Bashan, which are prize pastures for rearing the fattest and strongest bulls. They are as fierce as wild oxen with strong horns. Christ's enemies who encircle Him are also strong when they attack Him.

      2. He describes them as lions: "They gape at Me with their mouths, as a raging and roaring lion...Save Me from the lion's mouth!"(verses 13,21a).

      3. He describes them as dogs: "For dogs have surrounded Me...Deliver...My precious life from the power of the dog"(verses 16,20b).

      4. He describes them as wicked: "The assembly of the wicked has enclosed Me"(verse 16b). Pilate tried to rescue Him but they shouted all the more, "Crucify Him, crucify Him!"

   2. What they did to Him:

      1. They brought Him to His end: "I am poured out like water, and all My bones are out of joint; My heart is like wax; it has melted within Me"(verse 14). This is a true description of someone whose body has been stretched on a cross till it was torn to pieces. He is like water, which when poured out, leaves the place where it was before and is no more there.

      2. They made Him be terribly thirsty: "My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and My tongue clings to My jaws; You have brought Me to the dust of death"(verse 15). When dehydration started to take its toll on Jesus, He said, "I thirst!" (John 19:28).

      3. They pierced His hands and feet: "They pierced My hands and My feet"(verse 16). This is what happened to Jesus on the cross.

      4. They caused His bones to stick out: "I can count all My bones"(verse 17). This is possible only when someone's body is fully stretched on a cross, which makes all His bones stick out and be visible. The first Adam was made naked because of sin, and the second Adam was made naked to cover our nakedness that was caused by the first Adam. Christ has covered us with His righteousness.

      5. They make sport of Him: "They look and stare at Me"(verse 17). They made Him the laughing stock and a public spectacle.

      6. They took His garments: "They divide My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots"(verse 18). They anticipate His death by taking His clothes and dividing them among themselves. This was fulfilled to the letter at the foot of the cross (Matthew 27:35; John 19:23,24).

5. The supplication of the suffering Christ (verses 19-21):

   After describing the cruelty of Christ's enemies and His sufferings at their hands, by the spirit of prophecy, he turned his gaze from suffering to God, and said, "But You, O Lord, do not be far from Me; O My strength, hasten to help Me" (verse 19). In the severity of His weakness He calls upon the Lord.

	Second: Prophecies of Christ's Triumph

(verses 22-31)

Part two presents some prophecies about Christ's triumph. We mustn't look at Friday, the day of Christ's crucifixion, without looking, at the same time, at the dawn of Sunday, the time of His resurrection. Christ, who was nailed to the cross, died and was buried, also rose triumphantly, being the only One whose grave could not contain His body. Neither did His body return to the grave, and it will not return even again, because He is the Living God whom the grave cannot contain. After giving Himself as a ransom for us He arose triumphantly, defeating death. His grave became vacant, because He rose from the dead by His own strength and might! The author of the psalm was persuaded that His prayers were answered, therefore He began shouting the shouts of triumph.

In this part we find a public call for praise (verses 22-26), and see how praise blesses everybody, including the coming generation (verses 27-31).

1. A public call for praise (verses 22-26):

   1. The psalmist Himself begins by praise: "I will declare Your name to My brethren; in the midst of the congregation I will praise You"(verse 22). By God's name He means all those things through which God declared who He is to us. The news the psalmist is declaring here is the cross and resurrection of Christ, which demonstrates God's love, holiness, power, wisdom, righteousness and redemption. In this verse Christ calls the believers His brethren. The writer of Hebrews says, "For both he who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not shamed to call them brethren." Then he quotes verse 22 of our psalm and explains that it was Christ who said it (Hebrews 2:11,12). This praise takes place in the midst of the whole congregation, in public, as a confession and declaration of God's great work. "I have proclaimed the good news of righteousness in the great congregation; indeed I do not restrain my lips, O Lord, You Yourself know. I have not hidden Your righteousness within My heart; I have declared Your faithfulness and Your salvation; I have not concealed Your loving-kindness and Your truth from the great congregation" (Psalm 40:9,10).

   2. The words of praise: "You who fear the Lord, praise Him! All you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him, and fear Him, all you offspring of Israel! For He has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; nor has He hidden His face from Him; but when He cried to Him, He heard"(verses 23,24). This call is extended to all those who share the faith of Abraham. They have chosen like Jacob, regardless their nationality and denomination, to praise God who glorified His Christ and lifted Him up to Him, saying of Him, "He shall see the travail of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous servant shall justify many, for he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong, because He poured out His soul unto death, and He was numbered with the transgressors, and He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors" (Isaiah 53:11,12).

      The psalmist transports us in these two verses to a new atmosphere of praise and thanksgiving to God for the cross. That is exactly what Christ did, for after He instituted the sacrament of the Eucharist, which is a memorial of His death, He praised with the disciples and they all went to the Mount Of Olives where He was arrested (Matthew 26:30).

   3. It is public praise: "My praise shall be of You in the great congregation"(verse 25a). God filled the psalmist's heart with joy and gladness, so much that His tongue was released in acclamation. His praise is about the Lord because of what the Lord has done for Him. This triumph should be characteristic of our feelings now, for which we should be praising God in the great congregation, the assembly of the believers and of those who will believe! To both we should say, "Christ has risen, indeed!"

   4. It is coupled with a payment of vows: "I will pay My vows before those who fear Him"(verse 25b). Christ paid what He promised, and gave His own life, as He said when He came into the world, "Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body You have prepared for Me. In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You had no pleasure. Then I said, 'Behold, I have come- in the volume of the book it is written of Me- to do Your will, O God'" (Hebrews 10:5-7).

   5. It is satisfactory praise: "The poor shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek Him will praise the Lord. Let your heart live forever!"(verse 26). It is a banquet that satisfies the poor in spirit and those who are hungry and thirsty for righteousness. They were starving but the Lord satisfies them at His table, which He prepared in the presence of their enemies! It is a call for satisfaction, if we accept God's precious call, which says, "Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters...Listen diligently to Me, and eat what is good, and let your soul delight itself in abundance" (Isaiah 55:1,2). The Mosaic law prescribed the "peace offering" to the believer who appreciated God's favour and graciousness with him; he would burn a part of it and eat a part of it with his family before the Lord on the same day he offered it. It was a thanksgiving banquet (Leviticus 7:29-34). Christ said, "I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world" (John 6:51). Now let us come to Him in order to find true satisfaction, because everyone who accepts Christ's call will be honoured by Christ's dwelling in his heart. When Christ comes into his heart He satisfies his life (Revelations 3:20).

2. Praise blesses everybody (verses 27-31).

   1. The Gentiles worship God:The psalmist's vision extends from the "descendants of Jacob" (verse 23) to the whole world, and he sees everybody praising and worshipping the Lord. He says, "All the ends of the world shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall worship before Him" (verse 27). This is the first blessing, for the message goes for all. All the ends of the earth shall "remember...turn...worship". Remember as a result of the Holy Spirit's conviction, and say together with the prodigal son, "I will rise and go to my father." Turn in repentance leaving behind all other gods. Worship in adoration and obedience. Today, in all the corners of the earth, the good news is being preached, and the cross and resurrection of Christ is being proclaimed, and millions are turning back to Him in repentance. So let us present ourselves before Him, kneeling down in submission.

   2. The reason the Gentiles worship the Lord: "For the kingdom is the Lord's, and He rules over the nations"(verse 28). Christ performed miracles, and still does, demonstrating His authority over nature, sickness, unclean spirits and death. He said, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations" (Matthew 28:18,19). As a result those who have been redeemed will shout to Him, saying "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom, and strength and honour and glory and blessing...forever and ever" (Revelations 5:12-13).

   3. There are three kinds of worshipers:

      1. The oppressors: "All the prosperous of the earth shall eat and worship"(verse 29a). They are the ones who persecute others, rob them of their wealth, and oppress the poor. When these repent, the Lord feeds them at His table, and they prosper spiritually and worship Him in truth.

      2. The oppressed: "All those who go down to the dust shall go before Him, even he who cannot keep himself alive"(verse 29b). Perhaps the psalmist meant by "those who go down to the dust" the oppressed who can't keep themselves alive because they are dead in sins and trespasses, who worship and praise God when they receive spiritual life from Him. Perhaps he meant all humanity, for no one can keep himself alive, because it is appointed for men to die. Christ, however, promises them everlasting life, therefore they worship God in gratitude.

      3. The coming generation: "A posterity shall serve Him. It will be recounted of the Lord to the next generation, they will come and declare His righteousness to a people who will be born, that He has done this"(verses 30,31). The present generation that experienced the divine grace will tell of it to the coming one. This is our responsibility toward the next generation, for those who received the torch of light and the gospel from their forerunners should hand it over to the coming generation brighter and more brilliant. This is the hope of the world today and tomorrow.

   4. The reason the psalmist praises: "He has done this"(verse 31). These are the same last words Christ uttered on the cross: "It is finished!" Salvation has been completed, hallelujah. Praise the Lord.

      Now let us remember the suffering of Christ, and His triumph on our behalf. Let us be satisfied by His heavenly banquet to which He invites us, expecting each of us to say, "I will declare Your name to My brethren; in the midst of the congregation I will praise You."

	Questions

1. Psalm 22 is a prophecy of Christ's crucifixion and resurrection. Why can't it be about David, the author of the psalm?

2. In verses 29-31 the psalmist mentions three kinds of worshippers. What is the difference between them?

The Psalm of the Shepherd

A Psalm of David. 1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. 3 He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name's sake. 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever.

This psalm has filled our world with overwhelming joy, the joy of trusting the Lord who shepherds His people. It is also the joy of feeling secure in God's faithfulness with those who follow Him in confidence, love and obedience. For when we follow the Lord the shepherd we need nothing and fear nothing, because He meets all financial, spiritual, mental, psychological and emotional needs, today and every day. He "is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us" (Ephesians 3:20).

This psalm was written all in the singular; the psalmist spoke of himself and of his relationship with his God: "The Lord is my shepherd." It is a personal psalm, for every lamb in the flock can speak in a personal way about what the Lord does in the whole flock.

How many suffering believers found comfort in the words of this psalm, how many poor people were consoled by them, how many sick persons were anointed by its healing balsam, and how many believers went on to his eternal rest in peace singing the verses of this psalm! It has broken the bonds of thousands of people, just as the angel broke the bonds of Peter in prison!

Saint Augustine said that Psalm 119 is like a big shady tree, while Psalm 23 is like a beautiful blossoming rose that fills the atmosphere with fragrance. Martin Luther called this psalm "the nightingale". Each word of Psalm 23 is like a sparkling precious pearl, filling all that surround it with light and radiance.

Most probably David wrote this psalm after conquering his enemies, established the rules of his kingdom, and enjoyed rest and security. It speaks in the language of deep experience which none can record but an honourable old man, who has come to know and experience the Lord deeply for many years. He has experienced His goodness in times of triumph and joy as well as in times of defeat and sorrow. He has come to know God's goodness for himself. David must have been recalling his beautiful memories while he was keeping watch over the sheep among running rivers of water in the midst of green pastures.

One who reads Psalms 22 and 24 discovers a great meaning; for Psalm 22 describes the Mount of Calvary, and Psalm 24 describes the Mount of Glory. Psalm 22 begins with the words Christ uttered on the cross: "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" and ends in saying, "He has done it", or "It is finished!" Psalm 22 is the psalm of the cross.

Psalm 24, however, depicts the triumphant King coming into His kingdom: "Be lifted up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in. Who is the King of glory? The Lord of hosts, He is King of glory." It is the psalm of the coming of the kingdom of glory!

In between the two psalms comes Psalm 23, the psalm of the green valley with still waters, where the good shepherd leads His flock, to whom it is the good pleasure of the Father to give the kingdom!

The psalm includes the following:

• First: The picture of the good shepherd (verses 1-4)

• Second: The picture of a generous Host (verses 5,6)

	First: The Picture of the Good Shepherd

(verses 1-4)

It is the shepherd who supplies all the needs of His people; giving food and drink, restoring the lost, guiding the perplexed, protecting the fearful, and encouraging the weary. The sheep are precious to the shepherd, because He bought them at a huge price, and they are His own cherished flock.

1. The relationship between the shepherd and His flock is personal: "The Lord is my shepherd"(verse 1). The Lord is the shepherd and we are the sheep of His pasture. Now sheep are known for their weakness and stupidity. They know how to get lost, but they don't know how to return back, much less protect themselves! The shepherd is everything for the sheep: the provider, the protector and the leader.

   David says with all confidence, "The Lord is my shepherd" (verse 1). He did not say, "I hope He is my shepherd", or, "Sometimes He is my shepherd", but "The Lord is my shepherd." It is a statement of an actual, certain and constant fact. "For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:38,39). "For I know whom I have believed, and I am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that day" (2 Timothy 1:12). How beautiful this trust is! There is no fear of rejection from the shepherd, because He loves us. The believer is in the hand of his shepherd always and continually "that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).

   Christ said, "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep...I know My sheep, and am known by My own. As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father...My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand" (John 10:11,14,27,28). No one has the right to say he is of Christ's sheep until he is born again and has become a new creation in Christ, having received a new nature from Him. Everyone who has not received this new nature is described by the Bible as "goats" and "wolves".

   Saying "The Lord is my shepherd" shows us the deep experience and total trust of the psalmist. "My shepherd": He is mine, and I am His. He really keeps watch of the whole flock, but the psalmist feels that the shepherd is his alone. He seems to be saying, "I feel Your loving care and concern for me, Lord, as if there is no one on earth who needs Your care but me!" Hasn't the good shepherd said, "For their sakes I sanctify My self" meaning dedicate Myself (John 17:19)? So He is mine. Yes, My beloved is mine!

   There is a personal relationship between the shepherd Lord and the following believer, for the Lord is not far away from us. He is love that descended to us and has not kept Himself away from us. The believer says, "The Lord is my shepherd" because the loving God lives in his heart. Jacob, the father of the tribes, called Him, "The God who has fed me all of my life long to this day" (Genesis 48:15).

   "The Lord is my shepherd."He is mine. He was mine yesterday, He is mine today, and will continue to take care of me until the end of the age! He is all-loving, all-powerful and all-wise. Not a single day will pass by without Him taking care of me. This sweet care is continual; during the day and by night. During the day He feeds and nourishes, and by night He leads His flock into the fold. It is surrounded by four walls, with only one "door" through which the flock goes in to sleep with the shepherd. Therefore He says, "I am the door" (John 10:9). No sheep leaves the fold without Him knowing it, and no stranger will come in except on His body, for whoever touches His flock touches the apple of His eye. When a sheep is in perfect shape it walks by the side of its shepherd, and when it falls ill the shepherd carries it on his shoulders. The sheep is the centre of continual and unending concern.

2. The relationship of the shepherd with His flock is one of provision for all needs: "I shall not want"(verse 1b). The psalmist lists five things the shepherd provides for the sheep. First: food; he says, "He makes me to lie down in green pastures." Second: water; "He leads me beside the still waters." Third: stillness; "still water." Fourth: healing from being lost; "He restores my soul." Fifth: guidance; "He leads me in the paths of righteousness."

   "The Lord is my shepherd."The inevitable result of this is that "I shall not want", neither today, nor tomorrow, nor any other day! Moses said to the people about their wandering in the desert, "These forty years the Lord your God has been with you; you have lacked nothing" (Deuteronomy 2:7). Then he said about the land which they would move to, "a land...in which you will lack nothing" (Deuteronomy 8:9). Sometimes we desire certain things, but in fact we do not need them, so the Lord does not find them necessary enough to give to us. But He always gives us what we need. The thing we desire might cause us harm or hurt us, or perhaps it is less in quality and quantity than what our heavenly Father would give us. Our prayer should be: "Let Your will be done" because we do not know what to pray for as we ought, and He chooses our good portion for us. Certainly we will lack nothing then. "And did not withhold Your manna from their mouth, and gave them water for their thirst. Forty years You sustained them in the wilderness, so that they lacked nothing; their clothes did not wear out and their feet did not swell" (Nehemiah 9:20,21). The believer discovers continually that Christ Himself is his food and water, as Christ gives Himself to him, saying, "He who feeds on Me will live because of Me" (John 6:57). Christ asked His disciples, "'When I sent you without money bag, sack and sandals, did you lack anything?' So they said, 'Nothing'" (Luke 22:35).

   "Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him. Young lion lack and suffer hunger; but those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing"(Psalm 34:9,10). "My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19). He feeds the ravens and clothes the lilies in the fields; how much greater is His own flock!

   "He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters"(verse 2). He takes us to the fertile, opulent, plentiful, evergreen pastures; to the word of God that nourishes, satisfies and strengthens; to the still, undisturbed waters. The Lord calms down the waves of the sea before His beloved ones; He leads them to the delights of the Holy Spirit, who gives the soul rest, security and stability. He leads them to perfect peace and glorious joy. He leads us to the still waters that quenches our spiritual thirst, puts an end to it, then flows from us to fill many others. Thus Christ's words are fulfilled in us: "Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life. If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water" (John 4:14; 7:37,38).

   The responsibility of the believer, however, is to lie down where his shepherd makes him to lie down and wherever He leads him. This means surrender and submission to able, wise and sensible leadership, for no one can lie down unless he is sure, secure and not afraid. All our needs are in Him. The more we surrender to His loving care the more we get released from anxiety and fear, because He is the "door", by whom if anyone enters, he will be saved and find pasture (John 10:9).

   Are you inside the Lord's fold? Can you say with assurance, "The Lord is my shepherd"? If you are far come closer to Him, and you will receive care, protection and satisfaction.

3. The relationship between the shepherd and the flock makes Him restore the lost: "He restores my soul"(verse 3a). What a sorry mistake the believer makes when he goes astray from his shepherd! Sheep are known for their stupidity and short-sightedness; they see only a short distance ahead, and depend mainly on hearing. Many a time a sheep would go on a wrong path and all the flock would follow suit without thinking at all. When they come up against a dangerous area they don't know how to turn back! What a similarity between the believer and the sheep! Both are slow to understand what the Scriptures taught and the goodness they experience in the shepherd. Therefore the evangelistic prophet Isaiah says, "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one to his own way" (Isaiah 53:6).

   How often have we walked beside the good shepherd, enjoying His excellent care, lacking nothing, and suddenly we swerve to a way that Solomon describes: "There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death" (Proverbs 14:12)!

   I wonder what is it that attracted our attention? Have we thought that there is a pasture greener than the one our shepherd led us to? Have we imagined a spot more secure and restful than the spot where He made us to lie down? Have we followed a wrong leadership that led our feet to dangerous, slippery paths without really considering the results of this deviation?

   There isn't a reasonable way to account for our deviation from the shepherd; we are inexcusable! But it is really unfortunate that we do go astray from our shepherd!

   Perverse and foolish oft I strayed, But yet in love he sought me, And on his shoulder gently laid, And home rejoicing brought me.

   The lamb that gets lost sometimes reaches a place where there is another shepherd. The other shepherd would partly slaughter it, leave it for a while until the other shepherd comes and finds it, binds up its wounds, carries it on his shoulders and takes it back where it can get healed. But if a lamb goes too far away from its shepherd, and the shepherd cannot find it soon, the strange shepherd would eat the flesh of that lost lamb! We go astray, but the good shepherd hastens to look for us, and keeps looking for us until He has found us. This is what Jesus reveals to us in the parable of the shepherd who went out looking for the one lost sheep until he found it (Luke 15:1-6). The lost one does not look for his shepherd; it is the shepherd who looks for him, and thus fulfils the written word: "For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls" (1 Peter 2:25).

   Have you had a sweet relationship with the Lord that waned and dwindled? Have you had a remarkable ministry that stopped? Do you lead a life of open rebellion? The Lord wants to restore you to where you have been, to a deeper fellowship, a more successful ministry and more obedience. His desire is to bring you back to the best you have been in. Do not despair; remember where you fell and repent, and go quickly to the fold of your shepherd, saying, "He restores my soul." When you sin He cleanses you; when you become weak He strengthens you; when you become afraid He reassures you; and when you grieve He comforts you.

4. The relationship between the shepherd and the sheep makes Him lead them in straight paths: "He leads me in the paths of righteousness"(verse 3b). Out of love, the good shepherd not only restores your soul, but also leads you on. Leading has a sense of tenderness and care: "He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those who are with young" (Isaiah 40:11). He knows that you are prone to stumbling because of your human frailty and because of the devil's temptation. Therefore He leads you in the paths of righteousness where the lame does not stumble and the weak does not fall down.

   In winter the roads become muddy, and when wagons travel on them they leave big groves or ruts in them that go up and down. Once they dry up the sheep find it hard to walk in them, so the shepherd picks out an easy road for them, or smooths out the difficult one. This is what our good shepherd does, who leads our feet in the path of righteous. Now righteousness is uprightness, and the paths of righteousness are the upright and straight paths. These paths are many, as many as the ways of ministering to the Lord are. He says of these, "I have taught you in the way of wisdom; I have led you in the right paths" (Proverbs 4:11). Which paths will you take to serve the Lord? And in which way will you walk to do His will? God gives the believers many gifts, all of them are upright and must be used fairly. As we walk the paths of righteousness, we give everyone his due; so we give the Lord the obedience, love, trust and tithes that we owe Him, as well as giving others the service and kindness that we owe them. Also we give our souls what we owe them, namely work out our salvation in fear and trembling, receiving the end of our faith- the salvation of our souls, and compete according to the rules, that we may lay hold of the that for which Christ Jesus has laid hold of us and saved us (Philippians 3:12).

   Many people have no meaning in their lives, and wonder, "Why am I here?" The answer is that you are where you are because God leads you in the paths of righteousness. Seek to know His will and do it, then you will experience the better life which Christ came to grant you (John 10:10).

   How much we are grateful to the good shepherd for doing all that "for His name's sake" not for our sake. He names us after Him, and we became His and belong to Him. We have been called Christians after Christ, our great Shepherd, which is our best guarantee. If God was prompted to lead us due to the good in us, he would stop leading us as soon as we stop being good! But we thank Him because His leadership of us never stops, because it is "for His name's sake". And His name is unchangeable!

5. The relationship between the shepherd and the flock goes on even in the dark valley: "Yea, through I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for Your are with me"(verse 4a). The valley of the shadow of death is a very dark valley, in which the good shepherd allows us to walk sometimes. Not all the ways with are green pastures, neither are there still waters the whole time, but in the world we will have tribulation, yet we are sure that Christ has overcome the world (John 16:33). "For to you it has been granted in behalf of Christ, not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for his sake" (Philippians 1:29). Nevertheless, in the midst of all these troubles, we find His loving care and compassionate heart engulfing us. We do not walk the valley of the shadow of death alone, because the good shepherd is always with us.

   The psalmist says, "Though I walk." He does not run in panic and terror, but walks in assurance and peace. When one is terrified he runs, but the one who is confident "walks" deliberately and fearlessly, because he knows his way. He also knows that the way of man is not in himself, and that it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps (Jeremiah 10:23). On the other hand, he is sure that the Lord orders his footsteps. "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way" (Psalm 37:23).

   The believer walks in the valley of the shadow of death fearlessly because he knows the end of his way, and because he knows that he is only passing by. After he enters a dark tunnel he goes out into the light of the Lord, trusting that the One who leads him is able to keep what he has committed to Him until that day, because no one can snatch away the believer from the hand of his good shepherd who keeps his safe until he reaches the harbour in peace (2 Timothy 1:12; John 10:28).

   But why does the psalmist call it "the valley of the shadow of death"? The answer: The valley to so low. When the sun sets the bottom of it becomes dark, and then the darkness creeps up to the high tops. The valley is very narrow at most places, and hence the expression "the valley of the shadow of death".

   Often times we meet difficulties that deprive us from seeing Christ "the sun of righteousness", so we cry out, "How long, O Lord, will you forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me? How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily?" (Psalm 13:1,2). He is like the weeping Mary Magdalene, who was unable to see her risen Master because of the tears that filled her eyes! But the psalmist, whose heart is brimming with hope, says, "O My God, my soul is cast down within me? ...I will say to God my Rock, why have You forgotten me? Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall yet praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God" (Psalm 42:6-11).

   The believer's heart is calm because he is walking in the valley of the shadow of death, not in the valley of death itself! Inasmuch as the shadow of the lion does not tear someone to pieces, and the shadow of the sword does not wound, likewise the shadow of death does not put to death! It is a mere shadow!

   How fortunate we are! The Lord stands beyond our troubles lighting the way, and the dark will soon be dispersed and replaced by the perfect daylight. "God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it" (1 Corinthians 10:13).

   Christ, our Good Shepherd, has already crossed the valley of the shadow of death before us, defeated death and the grave, and given us the right to say triumphantly, "O death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?" We are going to get out of the dark valley, and keep on walking and progressing. We are going to get out from the straits into a broad place, as Elihu said, "Indeed He would have brought you out of dire distress, into a broad place where there is no restraint" (Job 36:16). For this reason the psalmist says, "Let Your mercies come also to me, O Lord- Your salvation according to Your word. So I shall keep Your law continually, for ever and ever. And I will walk at liberty for I seek Your precepts" (Psalm 119:41,44,45).

   The psalmist goes on to say that he walks slowly and fearlessly in a narrow and dark valley, in the shadow of death, but fears no evil "for You are with me." God said to Joshua, "As I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and of good courage" (Joshua 1:5,6). The company of the good shepherd does not, and will not, ever leave you. He is with you all the days until the end of the age. He is unchangeable; He is the same yesterday, today, and forever!

   In death's datk vale I fear no ill, With you, dear Lord, beside me: Your rod and staff my comfort still, Your cross before to guide me.

   "Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; For YAH, the Lord, is my strength and my song; He has also become my salvation"(Isaiah 12:2). He says to us emphatically, "Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand...For I, the Lord your God, will hold your right hand, saying to you, 'Fear not, I will help you.'" (Isaiah 41:10,13). When the Lord walks by your side He turns the shadow of death into morning: "He made the Pleiades and Orion; He turns the shadow of death into morning" (Amos 5:8), so you get out from the shadow of death into the light. "He uncovers deep things out of darkness, and brings the shadow of death to light" (Job 12:22). Then your heart will overflow with thanksgiving and you will say, "Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning" (Psalm 30:5). "I will fear no evil; for You are with me."

   No doubt you've noticed that the psalmist spoke of the Lord in the third person: "The Lord is my shepherd...He makes me to lie down...He leads me." Yet no sooner he spoke of the valley of the shadow of death, he switched into the second person as he spoke directly to God, saying, "For You are with me." The psalm follows a descriptive style till it comes to where the writer goes into "the valley of the shadow of death". Then the speech about God turns into a speech to God. The sufferings of life cause us to kneel down in prayer. The two disciples on the way to Emmaus were gloomy and downcast because Christ had been crucified, died, and was buried. As soon as they began talking with Christ, however, the cloud of despair and sorrow lifted, and was replaced by hope and joy. In your time of fear and sorrow, turn from speaking about God to speaking to God, and your heart will be filled with assurance and peace.

6. The relationship between the shepherd and the flock involves using the rod and the staff: "Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me"(verse 4b).

   1. The rod and the staff make the flock feel that the shepherd is walking with them:the sheep fear when they walk through a dark valley because they do not see the way that lies ahead of them, nor the shepherd with them. But out of love, the shepherd wants to reassure the sheep and make them aware of his presence with them, so he stretches out his rod or staff and touches their backs slightly.

      Are you aware of the loving touch of the shepherd? He wants you to feel His constant presence with you. "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me."

      I don't know how His tender and sympathetic touch will make itself felt to you, but you will feel it nevertheless, and you will recognise it from your previous experience and know in the dense darkness that you are in His company.

   2. The rod and the staff are used to count the sheep:The fold always had one door, across which the shepherd would put his rod or staff at a low height and let the sheep in. When they pass under the rod he would be counting them, and, at the same time, checking their physical health: whether any of them has a broken limb or a sickness. If he finds any he hurries to give them the necessary first aid. Now if he finds out that one is missing, he goes out into the fields and mountains on which he led his sheep to graze during that day to seek out the missing sheep. He keeps on looking for it till he finds it. The Old Testament speaks of counting by the rod, for we read in Leviticus: "And concerning the tithes of the herd or the flock, of whatever passes under the rod, the tenth one shall be holy to the Lord" (Leviticus 27:32). The prophet Jeremiah says of the Lord, "He is the Maker of all things, and Israel is the tribe [literally: rod] of His inheritance" (10:16). We gather from all this that the rod and the staff were used in counting all the herds a man had. What a reassuring thought it is for the believer to know that his good shepherd knows him and knows his condition by using the rod and the staff. The Lord has counted all our bones while we were yet in out mothers' wombs: "My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest part of the earth" (Psalm 139:15). "Does He not see my ways, and count all my steps?" (Job 31:4). How wonderful is Christ's statement: "But the very hairs of your head are all numbered" (Luke 12:7).

   3. The rod is used for guiding the sheep and maneuvering them around ditches:When the shepherd sees the foolish sheep straying away from him, he stretches out his rod to bring it back to the path of righteousness, the straight path. "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one to his own way" (Isaiah 53:6) but the Lord brings us back to where we should be. This implies that we are dear to Him, and that He counts us precious and valuable in His sight.

   4. The rod chastens the lost:A sheep can get lost, which does happen very often! Then the shepherd beats that lost sheep to chasten it. "Before I was afflicted I went astray" (Psalm 119:67). Moreover, the shepherd sometimes breaks a leg of the sheep that is accustomed to going astray, and binds up its leg again so that it begins to readapt and stick to the shepherd and stay beside him all time of its brokenness and weakness.

      Although the shepherd's chastisement seems painful to us, yet it leads to peace, because we know that whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives (Hebrews 12:6). This is what happens in our daily lives; for if you walk somewhere and hear a little boy uttering some swear words, you usually walk on and pay him no attention. But if you happen to know that it is your son who is using such bad language, surely you will be interested enough to stop and chasten him, out of love for him, because he belongs to you and you care for his good! He is your own, unlike a strange boy who does not concern you at all. It is really comforting to know that our good shepherd is concerned enough to chasten us, for by this we know that we are His.

   5. The rod and the staff urge the sheep on:We do not count ourselves as having already attained maturity, but we must urge ourselves on in order to do so. The rod and staff of the shepherd urge on to fulfil the Apostolic commandment: "Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 3:18).

      The Christian is like a bicycle rider who can only go forward, because he will fall down if he stops. Therefore we need the encouragement of the rod and the staff that urge us on to where we should be.

   6. The rod and the staff are used for defending the sheep:The weak and helpless sheep suffer many attacks. A hired shepherd may try to harm them, the thieves will try to snatch them away, and the wolves and wild animals will attack them to prey on them! But a good and alert shepherd will protect them with his rod and staff. The Lord says, "I will make a covenant of peace with them, and cause wild beasts to cease from the land; and they will dwell safely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods" (Ezekiel 34:25). The rod of the shepherd strikes the wild beast or the thief that comes to steal. So do not fear, you little flock, for the good shepherd protects you, and no one will attack you to hurt you, for in His rod and staff is perfect protection.

   7. There is a way to use the staff that is different from that of the rod:The rod has a piece of iron at its end, but the end of the staff is curved, therefore the shepherd uses it to draw out a fallen sheep from the hole into which he fell. The shepherd may hold it by the leg or the neck and pull it up. The sheep must suffer, but its temporary suffering saves it from certain destruction. I wonder if you have gone far and fallen into a hole? Rest secure in the love of the shepherd who uses His rod and staff to protect you, care for you and rescue you.

	Second: The Picture of the Generous Host

(verses 5,6)

David spoke about the Lord as the great and good shepherd, then he moved on to speak of Him as a generous Host, who prepared a table for him.

The hearts of the New Testament believers are filled as they sit around the table of the Lord's Supper, partaking of the elements, realising that the true fulfilment of their lives is in Christ, who said, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst...I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world" (John 6:35,51).

As we consider this hospitality we can see the following:

1. God offers it with His own hand:How gracious is the hand that gives in love and generosity and does not reproach! In His presence there is fullness of joy; at His right hand are pleasures forevermore (Psalm 16:11). The psalmist says to the Lord, "You meet him with the blessings of goodness" (Psalm 21:3), and to his fellow believers, "Oh, taste and see, that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him! Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him. The young lions lack and suffer hunger; but those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing" (Psalm 34:8-10).

   How happy is the believer who fills his heart with the banquet of his Lord! God Himself has invited His people to this banquet: "Eat, O friends! Drink" (Song of Solomon 5:1). The King has led us into the banquet house and His banner over us is love. We shall eat of the hidden manna whose eater never hungers, and drink of the spring of living water whose drinker never thirsts.

   We will stay in the presence of that great King as guests, until we reach His eternal kingdom, just as Joseph's tired brothers reached his royal house, where he fed and honoured them even though they had cast him down into a pit! As we walk through the wilderness of this life, we get weary and lie down in exhaustion. The angel of the Lord comes and touches us, offers us food and drink prepared by the hands of the King Himself, and tells us words of encouragement: "Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for you" (1 Kings 19:7). Blessed are all those who accept the invitation of the generous King and always eat at His spiritual heavenly table!

2. God protects His guests:The royal palace is a sanctuary for all those who take refuge in it. It serves the same purpose as "the cities of refuge", where the Mosaic law commanded every accidental manslayer to take refuge until the judges looked into his case and pronounced him innocent. The law specified six cities for refuge which any accidental killer may flee to (Numbers 35:15). When the avengers of blood would come to seek the blood of the killer, and the investigation proved that he did not mean to kill, the judges would sentence him to serve a term in the cities of refuge until the high priest, in whose time the killing happened, dies. When the accidental killer returned to his home town, the folk of the victim could do him no harm.

   Now the six cities of refuge were enough when the population was little, but after the population increased, the people had to use the tents of the shepherds as cities of refuge. Whoever kills a person accidentally would flee to a shepherd's tent, where he would find food and safety, while his enemies stand outside the tent unable to kill him. They see each other, but he is a guest at the shepherd, eating his food in safety, and say, in effect, "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies" (verse 5a).

   Let us go to Him in repentance, taking refuge with the great King, the generous Host and the Good Shepherd, where we can find forgiveness, safety, satisfaction and protection. He is the refuge that offered the blood, so let us be diligent to praise Him with our hearts and mouths. He is Christ, our Refuge, to whom we run to be safe (Proverbs 18:10). All we like sheep have gone astray, and He carried the iniquity of us all.

   Charles Wesley was looking out the window of his room on a very cold and snowy day when a robin rushed in- into Charles Wesley's bosom, all wet and shivering with cold. The famous Christian singer took it and put it closer to the hearth, dried its feathers and made it warm and comfortable. When the storm subsided, he released it.. Wesley saw himself in that robin and wrote down the words of this song:

   "Jesus lover of my soul, let me to thy bosom fly While the gathering waters roll, while the tempest still is high. Hide me, O my saviour, hide, till the storm of life is past. Safe into the heaven guide, O receive my soul at last. Other refuge have I none, hangs my helpless soul on thee. Leave ah, leave me not alone, please support and comfort me. All my trust on thee is stayed, all my help from thee I bring. Cover my defenceless head with the shadow of thy wing. Plenteous grace with thee is found, grace to cleanse from every sin. Let the healing streams abound, make and keep me pure within. Thou of life the fountain art, freely let me take of thee. Spring thou up within my heart, rise to all eternity."

3. God celebrates the victory of His guests: "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies"paints a portrait of a king who won the battle against his enemies, and sat down with the senior men of his country to celebrate the victory around a royal banquet, having tied his enemies to the pillars of the royal palace. The victor eats with his men in the presence of his captured enemies who can't rise against him any more.

   In saying "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies" it means that God's grace triumphs over our adversary the devil, who prowls around seeking someone to devour. He only devours those who listen and surrender to him. But the person who refuses to be tempted by him gains victory and the Lord grants him the privilege of sitting in His presence, eating of His spiritual table, while his enemies are tied up before him unable to do him any harm.

   If you run to God and obey His commandments, He will satisfy you with the abundance of His grace, tie up your enemies so that they can't hurt you, and cast Satan under your feet. If God is for you who can be against you? If an army rises against you, do not fear; feel safe. They won't get at you, or hurt you, because the Lord is you victory and preservation. The Lord Himself will prepare a table in the presence of your enemies and make them unable to hurt you. "Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent; for I am with you and no one will attack you to hurt you" (Acts 18:9,10).

   "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies"also means enjoying a banquet of the victorious shepherd, who sometimes shepherded his sheep in green pastures, as well as in lands with serpents hidden in the crevices of the rocks, where his helpless sheep graze. The wise and experienced shepherd would boil water and pour it on the crevices of the rocks to kill the serpents, and allow the sheep to graze in safety, because the shepherd has prepared a table before them in the presence of their enemies!

   It is a true saying that "he who touches you touches the apple of His eye" (Zechariah 2:8). But the third person in "His eye" may refer to the enemy as well as to God. If it is the first, then it would mean that the enemy who touches us would actually be touching the apple of his own eye, to hurt himself, like an ox that kicks against the goads. The cunning enemy must fall in the ditch which he dug for the beloved of God, even if he is as cunning as serpents. If the third person in "His eye" refers to God, it would mean that whoever touches us touches the apple of God's eye, who is afflicted in all our afflictions, and sends the angel of His presence to save us (Isaiah 63:9). Far be it from the enemy to implement his plans!

   How generous God's mercy is! He Himself prepares a table in the presence of our enemies, and renders them powerless to hurt us. When they mean evil to us, He turns the evil into good.

4. God honours His guests: "You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over"(verse 5b). This generous Host does not only feed us, but also anoints our heads with oil, and fills our cups till they run over!

   1. Through perfumes:When a rich and generous man wanted to honour a guest at his table, he would pour aromatic oils onto his head, so the sweet smell would waft over the guest and all those present. Concerning this the psalmist said to the King, "You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness" (Psalm 45:7). Through this the Host wants to convey to the guest that he is an honorary guest, held dear, loved, and honoured. What an honour God bestows on the believer He loves!

      Anointing with oil is a symbol of the anointing with the Holy Spirit. "But you have an anointing from the Holy One" says the Apostle John (1 John 2:20). The condition for receiving this anointing is total surrender to God, for the Lord gives the Holy Spirit to those who obey Him (Acts 5:32). Also we need the anointing of the Holy Spirit at the beginning of every new day, otherwise we can't fulfil our spiritual duties. For this reason we turn to God at the beginning of every new day to anoint our minds and hearts with the anointing of the Holy Spirit to be able to serve Him as we should.

      As anointing with aromatic oil prepared the honoured guest for the food, so will the Spirit of God prepare us to recline at the heavenly banquet when Christ comes again to those who love Him.

   2. By filling up his cup as soon as it becomes empty:Thus the guest's cup remains full all the time. This means that God fills one's needs, and even a bit more. It brings to memory what the Apostle said of God: "He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?" (Romans 8:32).

      The full cup that runs over is a natural result of our being filled with the Spirit to capacity, for when the Holy Spirit fell upon the disciples their cup of joy ran over to the degree that everyone present thought they were drunk. In fact they were not drunk with the wine of the world, but they were filled with the Spirit of God, which made their cup run over with joy over the listeners. As a result, around three thousand people believed that day, and found their eternal salvation in Christ.

5. God assigns two angels to guards His guest: "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life"(verse 6a). Whoever sits at the King's table will be followed by two guardian angels; namely goodness and mercy. The Jews believed that a true believer always walks in the company of these two guardian angels. There are no greater goodness and mercy than when we walk in the company of the good shepherd, who guides us to the paths of righteousness and walks with us through the valley of the shadow of death all the days of our lives.

   The psalmist begins this sentence with the word "surely". It is a word of emphasis. It removes all doubt in the fact that goodness will follow the King's guest, and that mercy will overtake him. What a great difference there is between the state of the King's guest and that of His enemy; for the wicked shall be pursued by the angel of the Lord (Psalm 35:6), and evil will hunt the violent man to overthrow him (Psalm 140:11).

6. The guest stays in the house of the Lord: "And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever"(verse 6b). The generous Host welcomes His guest, who has eaten at His table, to stay in His palace forever. Naturally the spiritual sense is intended, for no man can stay in the place of worship all the days of his life. What is meant here is that the heart of man becomes a temple for the Lord, so that the whole man turns into a living, mobile church, through which people would see Christ and hear the word of God. His entire concern should be the worship of the Lord, so that he may experience what Moses did, whose face shone because he stayed in the presence of the Lord (Exodus 34:30,31). Then God would say, "How precious is Your loving-kindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings. They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house" (Psalm 36:7,8). Christ said, "A slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever" (John 8:35).

   There is another spiritual meaning of dwelling in the house of the Lord forever, which is the blissful eternity a believer enjoys in the Lord's presence. The psalmist has transported us in this last verse from the present world to the one to come, as though we hear the saying: "I go to prepare a place for you...that where I am, there you may be also ...I am the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:2,3,6). "And thus we shall always be with the Lord" (1 Thessalonians 4:17).

These are also the words of David: "My flesh also will rest in hope. For You will not leave my soul in Sheol...You will show me the path of life. In Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore" (Psalm 16:9-11).

You will enjoy all the blessings of the psalm of the Shepherd, if you say, out of experience, "The Lord is my shepherd." What kind of relationship do you have with Him?

	Questions

1. What are the uses of the rod and staff mentioned in verse 4?

2. How does the host honour his guests?

The Coming of the King of Glory

A Psalm of David. 1 The earth is the Lord's, and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein. 2 For He has founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the waters. 3 Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His holy place? 4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, nor sworn deceitfully. 5 He shall receive blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. 6 This is Jacob, the generation of those who seek Him, who seek Your face. Selah 7 Lift up your heads, O you gates! And be lifted up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in. 8 Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. 9 Lift up your heads, O you gates! Lift up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in. 10 Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory. Selah

King David took the stronghold of the Zion after defeating the Jebusites, not by his own strength, but by God's help. Later the city of Jerusalem was built on that stronghold, and it was called "the City of the Lord of hosts" (Isaiah 8:18; 18:7). God, the real owner of the stronghold, was supposed to enter into His city, represented by the ark of the covenant. It was on this happy occasion that David wrote down this psalm.

The ark of the covenant was a box of gold-plated acacia wood, and was one the most sacred things the Jewish temple contained, because it contained the two tablets of the law with the ten commandments carved on them (Exodus 25:16), the golden pot that had some of the manna God fed Israel with during the forty years in the desert of Sinai (Hebrews 9:4), as well as Aaron's rod that turned green and budded (Numbers 17:10).

The ark was a symbol of God's presence in His temple (Exodus 40:34), His revelations to His people (Exodus 25:22), and His care for them (Numbers 10:11,33). Besides, it was a symbol of atonement, for in the day of atonement Aaron used to sprinkle blood with his fingers seven times on the cover of the ark, first for himself, and then on behalf of the people so that they might be cleansed from all their sins (Leviticus 16:2-19).

The priests of the children of Israel would carry the ark of the covenant during their travelling through the desert of Sinai. When they came into the promised land the ark settled in Gilgal (Joshua 4:19). Later they moved it to a medial place in Shiloh (Joshua 18:1), and to Bethel (Judges 20:18). As the Israelites fell away from worshipping the Lord, the Philistines defeated them and took the ark of the Lord's covenant with them to their capital Ashdod and later to Ekron for seven months. As the Lord continued to plague them they returned the ark to the village of Beth Shemesh on the north-western border of the land of the tribe of Judah (1 Samuel 6). Afterward the ark was moved to the house of Abinadab in the village of Kirjath Jearim where it stayed twenty years (1 Samuel 7). In 1003 BC David took the stronghold of Zion from the Jebusites and wanted to move the ark to it on a cart pulled by oxen, although the law stated that it should be carried on the shoulders of the priests. Perhaps David wanted to transfer the ark in a modern way, up to the standards of development of his time, assuming that he was honouring God. God, however, gave him a push in the right direction, as costly this push was, by putting Uzza the son of Abinadab to death when he tried to hold up the ark on the cart as the oxen stumbled (2 Samuel 6). On this account David left the ark in the house of Obed-Edom, which was near the place of the accident. Three months later he returned to move it to the stronghold of Zion in the right way. We learn from this that God wants us to listen to His instructions, not follow our personal preferences, and to steer and adjust our lives in the way He wants (2 Samuel 6; 1 Chronicles 15).

The ark of the covenant was a symbol of God's presence in the midst of His people. Therefore as the ark came into Jerusalem all the people shouted for joy at the owner of earth and the things on it. Let the gates be lifted up so that "the King of glory" should come in, and let the worshipers be up to their worship:

The psalm includes the following:

• First: God the owner (verses 1,2)

• Second: God the object of worship (verses 3-6)

• Third: God the victor (verses 7-10)

	First: God the Owner

(verses 1,2)

1. God's universal ownership: "The earth is the Lord's, and all its fullness"(verse 1). He owns the earth and all that is upon it, whether mankind, birds, beasts, or plants. They are His by virtue of creation, for "All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made" (John 1:3). He ensures the continuation of the universe, for He is "upholding all things by the word of His power" (Hebrews 1:3), and "of Him and through Him and to Him are all things" (Romans 11:36). For this reason He said, "All the earth is Mine" (Exodus 19:5), and Moses said to the people, "Heaven and the highest heavens belong to the Lord your God, also the earth and all that is in it" (Deuteronomy 10:14). He owns us and all we have; we are just stewards in charge of the children, finances, time, health, intelligence and educational degrees. No one can say of anything that it is his, because all things belong to the God.

2. God's ownership is lawful: "For He has founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the waters"(verse 2).

   1. God is Creator: "He has founded it upon the seas." "God said, 'Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear'; and it was so. And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas"(Genesis 1:9,10). The psalmist also said that He "laid out the earth above the waters, for His mercy endures forever" (Psalm 136:6), and the chief philosopher said of the Lord, "He assigned to the sea its limit, so that the waters would not transgress His command" (Proverbs 8:29).

   2. God is the upholder and guarantor: "And established it upon the waters."He created it and He guarantees its continuity. "For You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created" (Revelations 4:11). "For in Him we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28).

	Second: God the Object of Worship

(verses 3-6)

This great God, who upholds all things, is worthy of our worship. Worshippers should be up to their worship, since worshipping the great God requires us to be humble, and worshipping the holy God requires us to be godly and holy. In these four verses we can find four descriptions of worship:

1. Worship is a privilege: "Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His holy place?"(verse 3). Worship is a privilege because it is "ascension" into the hill of Lord. It is also "standing" in the presence of the Lord in His holy place. Ascension is difficult because it involves climbing up, which requires effort and will-power. On the other hand, standing requires wakefulness, alertness, determination and perseverance. Descending and sitting, however, are easy! Christ said, "Wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it...narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it" (Matthew 7:13,14).

   Spiritual life requires ascension above the level of the world. When Moses prayed to God to give victory to His people against their enemy Amalek he had to hold up his hands to God all the time, because whenever he let his hands down the enemy prevailed! As he grew weary Aaron and Hur came to his aid and propped his hands up, one on one side and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until sunset when his people won victory (Exodus 17:11,12).

2. Worship is a responsibility: "He who has clean hands and a pure heart, he who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, nor sworn deceitfully"(verse 4). David was afraid as He saw God putting Uzza to death because he dared to touch the ark of the covenant with his hands, which was prohibited by the law. David realised the necessity of obedience and harmony with the divine will. So worship is a privilege, as well as a responsibility that requires three things of us:

   1. Cleanness of outward conduct: "He who has clean hands"(verse 4a). That means refraining from taking things that are not his own, nor doing violence. He could say, "The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he has recompensed me" (Psalm 18:20).

   2. Purity of the inward heart: "And a pure heart"(verse 4b). A pure heart has only good intentions. Christ said of those who have such heart, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God" (Matthew 5:8).

   3. Cleanness of thought and speech: "He who has not lifted up his soul to an idol", nor sworn deceitfully (verse 4c). He is faithful to the Lord; lifting up his hands and directing his thoughts honestly toward heaven, leaving behind useless idols, seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and pursuing everything that pleases God. If he swears promises he is always as good as his word, because he who spends his lifetime lying will never enjoy fellowship with a truthful God. Job, our example of patience, described his righteous walk by saying, "If I have walked with falsehood, or if my foot has hastened to deceit, let me be weighed in a just balance, that God may know my integrity. If my step has turned from the way, or my heart walked after my eyes, or if any spot adheres to my hands, then let me sow, and another eat" (Job 31:5-7).

3. Worship is a blessing: "He shall receive blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation"(verse 5). The Lord blesses a loyal worshipper of Him as He blessed the house of Obed-Edom when the ark of the Lord's covenant stayed in it for three months, so much so that David heard of that abundant blessing. It was such a beautiful statement that Mary said, "He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He has sent away empty" (Luke 1:53).

   A loyal worshipper will receive righteousness, just as Abraham believed in the Lord and it was accounted to him for righteousness (Genesis 15:6). Christ's statement will also fit him: "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled" (Matthew 5:6).

4. Worship is continual: "This is Jacob, the generation of those who seek Him, who seek Your face"(verse 6). They seek Him always. He who seeks Him will say, "I was glad when they said to me, 'Let us go into the house of the Lord.'" (Psalm 122:1). He will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever (Psalm 23:6). He who seeks His face seeks Him with all his heart; whether in his place of work, or in a prayer-chamber. This persistent seeker resembles Jacob, the father of the tribes, as he should be, and he is "The Israel of God" (Galatians 6:16).

   So let us seek the Lord and His face always and eagerly. A scientist may spend all his life trying to develop a certain machine to serve mankind better. Will the believer be less zealous? Believers should spend their lives developing and deepening their spiritual lives by seeking the Lord and His face. Then God will bless their lives and make them a blessing to others, as He said to Abraham, "I will bless you...And you shall be a blessing...And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed" (Genesis 12:2,3).

	Third: God the Victor