Sabbath Sanctuary

Rest in God this Sabbath; rest in His faithfulness to accomplish His promises in your life....It is accomplished....Rest in the victory that Jesus won on our behalf....

Rest in God this Sabbath; rest in His faithfulness to accomplish His promises in your life....It is accomplished....Rest in the victory that Jesus won on our behalf....

 

Rest in His Grace,

Psalms To See Me Through: Psalm 5—Uttered Groanings

For the choir director; for flute accompaniment. A Psalm of David.

Give ear to my words, O Lord, Consider my groaning. Heed the sound of my cry for help, my King and my God, For to You I pray.  In the morning, O Lord, You will hear my voice; In the morning I will order my prayer to You and eagerly watch {vv. 1-3}.

Life can throw some daunting circumstances; the process of being changed into His image can be likened to the olive press, all the dross burned out to reveal pure gold. Maybe an enemy torments ruthlessly, and the fight for breath becomes desperate. Perhaps you have suffered a betrayal as brutal as David’s—at the hand of his own son, and all breath has left you like you have been kicked in the stomach. David asked God to consider his groaning as a prayer. Groaning is a desperate word and speaks to a desperate place, a dark place where the trial seems to be getting the best of us. Groanings rise up to God to whisper that the pain of the present trial is just too much to endure and beg for relief. Then, when we approach the Throne of Grace with our groanings, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us with groanings that can’t be uttered…

“In the same way, the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words” {Rom. 8:26 emphasis mine}.

Sometimes the pain is overwhelming—so overwhelming you can’t muster the words. David endured many trials, but he is drawn to the only One that can ease his suffering. David implores the Lord to turn His ear and consider the groaning in his spirit, the sound of his cry for help. He first acknowledges God as his King and God—the Lord is His Master and Deliver—this lures the King to turn His ear toward the cry of His children. In the midst of the hard times, David orders his prayer in the morning and then eagerly watches for God to deliver Him.

This is pivotal in a walk of faith—to continue to eagerly watch for God to answer once we have prayed. He is faithful and will answer.  

For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness; No evil dwells with You. The boastful shall not stand before Your eyes; You hate all who do iniquity. You destroy those who speak falsehood; The Lord abhors the man of bloodshed and deceit {vv. 4-6}.

Have you been betrayed? Have you wanted to call fire down from heaven on your enemy? Me too. But the Lord abhors bloodshed. David had all these feelings wrapped up in the bitterness of the betrayal of not only his son but those that followed him and attempted to wipe out David’s name; he poured out his feelings, his hurt to God. When we hurt and suffer betrayal, we are flooded with emotions, and all those incredible feelings need to be left at the feet of Jesus. We cannot allow them to go anywhere past the foot of the Cross. God will handle the enemy—we just need to rest in Yahweh Tsuri—the Lord our Rock, trusting in Yahweh Tsideqenu—the Lord our Righteousness.


But as for me, by Your abundant lovingkindness I will enter Your house, At Your holy temple I will bow in reverence for You {v.7}.

David acknowledges God’s holiness—no one will stand before God that is wicked. In the face of betrayal and deceit, if we are close to God, we will bow before Him, the only one that is able to deliver. All things are subject to Him, and when we bow, we are showing God that we are surrendering the whole situation to Him, thanking Him for all the good things he has performed on our behalf, and everything He will perform. God is so faithful.

O Lord, lead me in Your righteousness because of my foes; Make Your way straight before me. There is nothing reliable in what they say; Their inward part is destruction itself. Their throat is an open grave; They flatter with their tongue. Hold them guilty, O God; By their own devices let them fall! In the multitude of their transgressions thrust them out, For they are rebellious against You {vv. 8-10}.

God is righteous, and David prays that God will lead him in righteousness so that he will not be like those who sinned, those who attack, and those who betray. He prays that God will keep him on the right path. Those that lie and deceive you, they will live in their sin and remain rebellious. You can’t control their actions, only the way you react to them.  

But let all who take refuge in You be glad, Let them ever sing for joy; And may You shelter them, That those who love Your name may exult in You. For it is You who blesses the righteous man, O Lord, You surround him with favor as with a shield {vv.11-12}.

God is a tower, a refuge from all the hurt and pain. In the storm of betrayal, the wind smiting your face with gale-force swiftness, the tossing and the turning, the writhing of the hands, stands a Lighthouse guiding you home. Those who love God will see the shelter in the storm and run to Him. He is our Maon—Dwelling Place; Machseh—Refuge; Migdal-Oz—Strong Tower and our Magen—Shield. Run to Him and let Him shelter you from the storm. God is working on your behalf. Leave the betrayers to God. Pour yourself out to God as an offering, and you will find the grace to endure, even if you can’t find the words to pray. The Holy Spirit exchanges your groanings for His and intercedes with groanings for you before the Throne of Grace. 

To read all the Psalms in this series, click here: Psalms To See Me Through

Psalms To See Me Through: Psalm 4—To The Victorious One

For the Choir Director; On Stringed Instruments. A Psalm of David.

Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have relieved me in my distress; Be gracious to me and hear my prayer. O sons of men, how long will my honor become a reproach? How long will you love what is worthless and aim at deception? Selah. But know that the Lord has set apart the godly man for Himself; The Lord hears when I call to Him. Tremble, and do not sin; Meditate in your heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah. Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, And trust in the Lord. Many are saying, “Who will show us any good?” Lift up the light of Your countenance upon us, O Lord! You have put gladness in my heart, More than when their grain and new wine abound. In peace I will both lie down and sleep, For You alone, O Lord, make me to dwell in safety. {Ps. 4 }.                                                                                                                         

The choir director does not impart the full implication of this song. The Hebrew word means conductor, the head of the entire Temple Orchestra.[1]  David desired a beautiful instrumental that would sear the song upon the hearts of people for generations to come,

“The subtleties and intricacies of the Temple music stress that the art of musicology is an essential wisdom, for melodies have the power to arouse the soul as nothing else.”[2]

The root of the word, natsach (naw-tsakh') can be translated in two ways. One is eternity, and the other is victorious. This is so powerful. The first meaning speaks to David’s intentions with his songs; they had eternal implications. The second interpretation is quite fitting; David was no stranger to victory; God fought many battles on his behalf—and handed him the victory. 

The Talmud interprets this word as a reference to God; “To Him who causes victory, a song unto David.”[3] David had complete confidence in the God that fought and won many victories for him. He trusted that he could cry out to God again and that the Lord would deliver him.  

You have relieved me in my distress; be gracious to me and hear my prayer {v.1}.  

The Tehillim translates the verse:

When I call, answer me, God of my vindication, You have relieved me of my distress, be gracious to me and hear my prayer {v. 2}.[4]

When David called out, he knew he stood righteous before God, When I call answer me—God of vindication.  The word used here is literally my righteousness. When we stand righteous before God and cry out to Him in trouble, He will vindicate us—set a table for us in the presence of our enemy. Your enemy may be a circumstance and not a person; God will be your vindication. This does not necessarily mean you will get the outcome you are asking for, but righteousness is on your side. When David presented this psalm to the conductor, it was for all generations to come. We can find encouragement and trust that the same God that saved David and gave him the victory will fight on our behalf and give the victory. He is fighting for you. 

David speaks out to his enemies;

 O sons of men, how long will my honor become a reproach? How long will you love what is worthless and aim at deception? Selah. But know that the Lord has set apart the godly man for Himself {vv. 2-3}. 

The righteous can always stand before the Lord in confidence {see Heb. 4:16}. David knew that Absalom was being deceived by someone and being used as a pawn in a much bigger scheme in this attempted coup; but David trusted God and knew that he would be given the victory.

David is our teacher in challenging times, “This declaration is an eloquent expression of one of David’s most cherished credos. Never be discouraged by the terrible burdens and pressures of life. Every frustrating enfeebling situation is, in reality, a divinely given opportunity to overcoming adversity.”[5] When we learn to overcome adversity, it empowers us to persevere. 

But know that the Lord has set apart the godly man for Himself; the Lord hears when I call to Him {v.3}.

I love the rendering in the Tehillim Commentary; 

“Recognize that just as Hashem distinguished His devoted one, Hashem will listen when I call upon Him.” 

This is a direct warning to his enemies, tread carefully. I will call on the Lord, and He will answer me. God has called us to be a peculiar people, not to be like the nations. When you are devoted to God, He will be devoted to you, and He will answer when you call. 

Tremble, and do not sin; Meditate in your heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah. Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and trust in the Lord.” {vv. 4-5}.

David repeatedly admonishes the righteous to trust the Lord. This is one of our secrets to enduring trials. Sleep is one place where God speaks to us; there are no distractions. Many times, our dreams are the illustration of our soul, it is a way of working through issues we face. When David admonished through his song to tremble, “The Sages of the Talmud interpret this…A person should constantly arouse his good inclination, to battle against his evil inclination.”[6] When we lay down those things that bring us trouble, we can be still and at peace, trusting in God, whose banner of righteousness is over us. 

Lift up the light of Your countenance upon us, O Lord! You have put gladness in my heart, More than when their grain and new wine abound. In peace I will both lie down and sleep, For You alone, O Lord, make me to dwell in safety. Many are saying, “Who will show us any good? {vv.6-8}.

Nothing in the world can bring true contentment. Without God, all our treasures, and all the plans we have, do not bring happiness and contentment. When we have laid aside our trouble {cast your cares on Him 1 Pet. 5:7} and find our contentment in the Lord, He enables us to sleep in peace, no matter the depth of trial we are facing. When we live right before Him, He is Jehovah Tsidqenu—the Lord our Righteousness; and He reigns as Jehovah Shalom our peace, and we can rest in Him our Shiloh.

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[1] Unless otherwise noted, all biblical passages referenced are in the New American Standard Version (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995).

[2]Avrohom Chaim Feuer, trans., Tehillim, The Book of Psalms, “Psalm 4” (Brooklyn: Mesorah Publications, 1995), 82.

[3] Ibid.

[4] This translation’s verses differ; the translators regard the heading as verse 1. This is translated verse 1 in major translations.

[5] Ibid., 83.

[6] Ibid., 86. 

Psalms To See Me Through: Psalm 3—The Conversion of Language

Psalm 3: A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son.

O Lord, how my adversaries have increased! Many are rising up against me. Many are saying of my soul, “There is no deliverance for him in God.” Selah. But You, O Lord, are a shield about me, My glory, and the One who lifts my head. I was crying to the Lord with my voice, And He answered me from His holy mountain. Selah. I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the Lord sustains me. I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people who have set themselves against me round about. Arise, O Lord; save me, O my God! For You have smitten all my enemies on the cheek; You have shattered the teeth of the wicked. Salvation belongs to the Lord; Your blessing be upon Your people! Selah.


The third Psalm is the first offered prayer in this prayer book. It is a conversion of language. Eugene Peterson in Answering God explains that the conversion of language is a change from talking about God to talking to God.[1]

David is in trouble, and he is suffering from the worst betrayal; that of his own son. His very own flesh and blood. It was not a sudden attack but a slow, thought-out, well-planned betrayal. Absalom turned the hearts of the people away from David by usurping his father’s throne (2 Sam. 15). David, his family, and a few that remain loyal to the anointed king escape—he must hide from his son Absalom—one that he thought he could trust. He raised this boy in the palace and offered him the best of everything, and he is repaid with betrayal. 

The language of prayer is forged in the crucible of trouble. Eugene Peterson

 David laments his pain to God, illustrating the conversion of language. He is not crying out about God, he is crying out to God. He cries out to God as if God is listening, as if he has a relationship with God. His pain is such that he does not name his enemy—he can’t speak the name of his son, and he can’t bring himself to speak of his son as the enemy. He stutters as he attempts to name him, but he can’t breathe through the pain.  He must still cry out to God for help because this unnamed enemy will kill him if he should catch up to the exiled king. His enemy is mocking him, laughing, “There is no help for him in God!” (v.2 NASB).  

How many times have we felt this pain in our hearts—our enemies mocking our trust in God? Maybe it is not a physical enemy, perhaps it is a circumstance or situation; the devil wants us to believe we have no hope, forcing us to run into exile for our lives. Maybe your exile is bitterness, depression, discouragement, addiction, and anger. The pain is a cruel darkness. The blade of betrayal and hurt brutally impaled into our broken bodies, leaving our hearts skewered. 

David cries out to God, and he is answered. God did not only answer him, but His answer echoed from God’s holy mountain, the place where God’s presence rests. It is hard not to talk about our troubles, we just want to know that someone on the planet knows the pain we are in. We hear the voice of the enemy ringing in our ears “There is no hope!” but the enemy has come to kill, steal, and destroy—and he would see you destroyed if he had his way. But God…though David cries out to God about the enemy he is facing, he does not stay in the place of discouragement that seeks to entrap and defeat him. He turns from the trouble to trust in His mercy and faithfulness as He hears God answering from the mountain. David is not alone. You are not alone. God hears you when you call.   

How can you trust God? David turned from the trouble and remembered the promises God had made to him. God has already proven Himself faithful to deliver David from his enemies, and David trusts that God will do it again, even now. David is so confident that the Lord will deliver that he is able to sleep and wake in peace with God as his shield. David changed his perspective. His eyes shift off the enemy onto God, and His faithfulness and the discouragement and pain have to cower in the presence of God Almighty. David is still in pain, who would not be at the betrayal of a son? Regardless, he places his trust in El Shaddai—God Almighty. Choosing to trust changed David’s perspective and his heart and gave him peace.

The entire theology of prayer, that the world and I can be changed and that God is the one to do it. Eugene Peterson

 

Prayer changes everything. Prayer changes the one who prays when they put their trust in God. The enemy is going to keep trying to discourage you. Trouble will scream through the dark. The night can prove tormenting. The pain reeling in your head and heart, robs you of sleep; it robs you of peace; robs you of joy. The enemy is overwhelming; he will screech and holler and back you into a corner until it seems that all hope eludes you. This is where you need to make the conversion of language. 

God is not someone to talk about, He is someone to talk to. He desires relationship more than you can ever imagine. He loves you. He wants you to turn from trouble and trust in Him. Jesus assured believers that in this world there will be trouble, but God will always deliver you. He may not take the trouble away, but when you rest in His presence, He will be your Shield and protect you; He will be your glory and raise you up. He will hold your head up high in the face of the enemy. And you will be stronger for it—for enduring the trial. God is faithful.  He will prove faithful to you too. Change your language; change your perspective. Turn from trouble to trust. This is the theology of prayer. 

[1] Eugene Peterson, Answering God: The Psalms As Tools For Prayer (New York: HarperOne, 1989), 42.