Psalms (Program #19) – The Mixed Expressions of the Psalmist’s Sentiment in His Enjoyment of God in God’s House (6)

The Psalms are beloved by Bible readers universally. In part, maybe because for the mot part, the Psalms seems easy to understand and identify with. For example, when David or the other Psalmists were suffering, they would cry out to God for comfort, deliverance and help. We can readily identified with these. But actually some of the Psalms are mysterious to the uttermost. Consider Psalm 40, in this Psalm, on of the highest prophecy concerning the coming Christ, David appears to say to Jehovah “You do not delight in sacrifice in offering. You do not require burnt offering and sin offering.” Well, the question that must be asked is “how must the Old Testament scholars have understood such a verse?” or even more importantly how do we, as God’s New Testament believers understand such a verse?

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Psalms (Program #18) – The Mixed Expressions of the Psalmist’s Sentiment in His Enjoyment of God in God’s House (4 & 5)

The Bible is The Book.  It is one book yet it is made up of 66 books.  All of God’s people love this book and yet to one person it may be a book of laws, to another a book of ethics and morality, to others it is just a book of stories and metaphors.  Actually, the kind of book it is to us depends mainly on what kind of person we are as we read it.  May we be those who have come to the end of keeping the law, the end of human ethics and story-telling.  May we be those who had been brought to the end of ourselves and have discovered that we truly have been crucified with Christ and that it is no longer I that live but Christ who lives in me.

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Psalms (Program #17) – The Mixed Expressions of the Psalmist’s Sentiment in His Enjoyment of God in God’s House (3)

The Bible is a book of two’s.  In it we have two trees, two men, two creations and two purposes or plans, represented by two mountains.  All of which become two lines that run through entire Scripture resulting eventually in two outcomes or two consummations.  The book of Psalms clearly shows these two lines often giving us stark contrasts between the two, helping us to bring into sharp focus that God desires all His people to always be occupied with the central line, the line of Christ, the line of life.

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Psalms (Program #16) – The Mixed Expressions of the Psalmist’s Sentiment in His Enjoyment of God in God’s House (1 & 2)

One reason that the Psalms may be so beloved among Bible readers is that for the most part that the Psalms were written very simply and they are easy to understand. The Psalmists often had problems and distresses we can relate to and they came to seek the Lord out of these troubles. But if you contrast this to the way the New Testament is written, there is a big difference. Take the apostle Paul for example, he also had problems and was frequently in distress. But he didn’t speak of these troubles in the same way. His language was on a higher plan. “Great is the mystery of Godliness”, Paul writes, “Who was manifested in the flesh.” Well, surely this was referred to Christ and Paul’s focus was always, always, always on this Christ, who not only manifested God in His own flesh, but is waiting to manifest Himself in our flesh, even through the most difficult of circumstances.

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Psalms (Program #15) – The Enjoyment in the House of God

In the Old Testament, God dwelt among His people in the tabernacle and later in the temple.  The tabernacle was the place that God and man could meet.  And in this meeting place God found His delight, His enjoyment.  The New Testament began with this expression in John chapter 1 “And the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us.”  Of course, we all realize now that this refers to Christ in His incarnation.  But the deeper realization is that Christ became the tabernacle, the House, the very place where God and man could meet and eventually mutually enjoy one another.   The book of Psalms unveils the same lovely portrait of the enjoyment of both God and man in the House of God as we will see in today’s program.

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Psalms (Program #14) – Christ as the Shepherd in His Resurrection and Christ as the King in God’s Kingdom

Psalms 23 is a precious and popular Psalms, “The Lord is my shepherd” immediately brings comfort along with the six short and lovable verses in this wonderful Psalms.  We have a sweet radio program today.

Psalms 23 is one of those Psalms and portions in the Bible that is read a lot and is quite popular.  We are going to see it in the view of God’s economy and in the context of the group of 3 Psalms that it is in; Psalms 22, Psalms 23 and Psalms 24 in a group.

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Psalms (Program #13) – The Christ Who Has Passed Through the Redeeming Death and Entered into the Church-Producing Resurrection

Isaiah 53 spoken prophetically some eight centuries before Christ, provides us with one of the most remarkable accounts of His suffering on the cross for our redemption.  Beginning in verse 5, “He was wounded because of our transgressions; He was crushed because of our iniquities; The chastening for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we have been healed.  We all like sheep have gone astray; Each of us has turned to his own way, And Jehovah has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him.”  Of course, this is just a small portion from this tremendous chapter but this chapter is matched by another portion from the Old Testament book of Psalms.  Psalms 22 gives perhaps even more graphic details of the Savior’s all-redeeming death and life-imparting resurrection.

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Psalms (Program #12) – David’s Concept Concerning David’s Kingship Before God Based upon the Keeping of the Law and the Principle of Good and Evil

Psalms 19:7 says, “The law of Jehovah is perfect, Restoring the soul; The testimony of Jehovah is faithful, Making the simple wise;” In the whole Bible there is no other portion which uplifts the law as highly as Psalms 19:7-11. Many Christians today also uplift this portion in Scripture; yet even if we could fulfill the law in the prayer expressed here about being clear of secret faults and presumptuous sins, God would still not be happy.

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Psalms (Program #11) – The Lines, the Principles and the Spirit of the Bible Concerning Christ and the Law

In order to understand, that is to really understand the Bible, we need several things. First, of course, we need light from God for we simply cannot apprehend the real spiritual significance with our natural understanding. But practically, there are some helpful points to bring us into that light. First, we need to see the lines or the threads that run throughout Scripture. Then there are the principles that govern Scripture. And finally, there is the Spirit of the Bible. If we see the lines, the principles and the Spirit of the Bible, we will begin to enter into not just a superficial knowing of God’s word but we will begin to enter into the depths of His words.

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Psalms (Program #10) – What Kind of Man May Dwell with God for His Heart’s Desire and Good Pleasure?

In the gospel of Mark in chapter 8, there’s a marvelous account of the Lord Jesus healing a blind man. After laying hands on the man, the Lord asked him if he could see anything. The man responded by saying that he could see man, but as trees walking. Well, his sight was partially restored but not yet cleared. So the Lord touched his eyes again and this time the Bible says, ‘And he began to see all things clearly’. This is how we are in our spiritual seeing. We need the Lord’s continual touch and healing of our spiritual eyes, especially when we come to His word. Take a book like Psalms. It’s quite easy to see something on the surface, but do we see all things clearly? Do we see Christ unveiled, magnified and exalted? Lord be merciful to us all, touch our seeing again and again.

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