Steve Webb: That's security, beloved.
It's a Wednesday edition of the Lifespring one year Bible coming
to you from Riverside, California and podcasting since
2004. I'm your og Godcaster. Steve Webb. This is the daily
podcast where we're reading through the entire Bible in a
year. How's your week going? Since it is Wednesday, this is
the day we read from the songs. Today's reading is chapters 63
through 65. I'm calling the episode safe in God's strong
hand. As always with the Psalms. I'll give you a brief
introduction before reading each chapter and I'll end the reading
with some comments. Also, as you know, Wednesday is the day we
have a time of prayer together. And now let's begin our reading
with a prayer. Our Heavenly Father, we thank you for the
songs and we ask that You would bless our time of reading today.
pray this in Jesus name, amen. Okay, time to get started.
The title of Psalm 63 is a Davidic song when he was in the
wilderness of Judah. Commentators have two primary
ideas as to when David wrote this song Many believe that it
was before he became king of Israel. Others believe it was
when he was fleeing Absalon and still other commentators think
that the Psalm was written when King Saul was pursuing David
Charles Spurgeon said that the very early church Father John
Chrysostom, tells us that among the primitive Christians it was
decreed and ordained that no day should pass without the public
singing of this song. John, Chris Austin was a very early
church father, he lived from ad 347, to ad 407.
Psalms chapter 63. God, you are my God, I eagerly seek you. I
thirst for you. My body faints for you in the land that is dry,
desolate and without water. So I gaze on you in the sanctuary to
see your strength and your glory. My lips will glorify you
because your faithful love is better than life. So I will
praise you as long as I live at your name, I will lift my hands.
You satisfy me is with rich food. My mouth will praise you
with joyful lips. When I think of you as I lie on my bed, I
meditate on you during the night watches because you are my
helper. I will rejoice in the shadow of your wings. I follow
close to you. Your right hand holds on to me. But those who
seek to destroy my life will go into the depths of the earth.
They will be given over to the power of the sword. They will
become the jackals pray. But the king will rejoice in God. All
who swear by him will boast for the mouths of liars will be
shut.
The title of Psalm 64 is for the choir director of Psalm of
David. In this Psalm David is pleading with God. And we have
no information as to when the Psalm was written or the
circumstances surrounding the Psalm.
Psalm chapter 64. Oh God, listen to my complaint. Protect my life
from my enemies threats. Hide me from the plots of this evil mob
from this gang of wrongdoers. They sharpen their tongues like
swords and aim their bitter words like arrows. They shoot
from ambush at the innocent, attacking suddenly and
fearlessly. They encourage each other to do evil than plan how
to set their traps in secret. Who will ever notice they ask?
As they plot their crimes they say we have devised the perfect
plan. Yes, the human heart in mind are cunning. But God
Himself will shoot them with his arrows suddenly striking them
down. Their own tongues will ruin them, and all who see them
will shake their heads in scorn, then everyone will be afraid.
They will proclaim the mighty acts of God and realize all the
amazing things he does. The godly will rejoice in the Lord
and find shelter in him, and those who do what is right will
praise Him.
The title of Psalm 65 is for the choir director, a Davidic Psalm,
a song it's rare for a psalm to have both Psalm and song in the
title. Charles Spurgeon had this to say, the Hebrew calls it
assure in images more a combination of Psalm and song,
which may best be described by the term, a lyrical poem. In
this case, the psalm may be said or sung, and be equally
suitable. Beloved, this psalm does not tell us when or why it
was written, but with its message of thanksgiving and
praise and referencing flocks and grains. Some think this
Psalm was written for a harvest festival.
Psalms chapter 65. God in Zion We praise you and give you what
we promised. Anyone can come to you and you will listen to their
prayers. When our sins become too heavy for us, you wipe them
away. Oh how wonderful it is to be the people you chose to come
and stay in your temple. And we are so Happy to have the
wonderful things that are in your temple, your holy palace.
God, you answer our prayers and do what is right. You do amazing
things to save us. People all over the world know they can
trust in you, even those who live across the sea. You made
the mountains, we see your power all around us. You can come the
roughest seas or the nations raging around us. People all
around the world are amazed at the wonderful things you do. You
make all people east and west sing with joy. You take care of
the land, you water it and make it fertile. Your streams are
always filled with water. That's how you make the crops grow. You
pour rain on the plowed fields, you soak the fields with water.
You make the ground soft with rain and you make the young
plants grow. You start the new year with a good harvest. You
end the year with many crops. The desert and the hills are
covered with grass. The pastures are covered with sheep. The
valleys are filled with grain. Everything is singing and
shouting for joy.
Alright, beloved, let's back up all the way to Psalm 63. It
begins with a declaration of devotion. It says God, you are
my God, I eagerly seek you. Many scholars believe that this was
written by David during the time that Absalon was pursuing him.
This is a time when David had been betrayed by those who
trusted Of course, and he feared for his life and he felt all
alone. And yet, this is a beautiful psalm of devotion and
praise. It's as if David said, God, you are my God, I will have
no other God. You are my God, God, you are my God. The
translation I read from today was the Holman Christian
Standard Bible but I have to be honest, I much prefer verses
three and four in the King James because in 1974, Calvary
Chapel's Maranatha singers had a song called thy loving kindness.
Based on these verses, I can't read these verses without
hearing the song in my head...
Maranatha! Singers: Thy loving kindness is better than life.
Thy loving kindness is better than life. My lips shall praise
thee. Thus will I bless thee. I will lift up my hands unto thy
name.
Ths song was from the very first album of the worship music of
the Jesus movement. And the songs from this album were sung
for many, many years by churches and youth groups around the
world. Matter of fact, I still have my copy of the vinyl album
from 1974. But I digress. We were talking about David's Psalm
weren't way. He says that night as he lies in his bed, he
meditates on the Lord. Remember, this is during the time that
Absalom is after him to kill him. But instead of worrying
about that David meditates on the Lord, how many of us lie in
bed and worry about the bills, whether we'll be able to keep
our jobs or if our kids will be okay and on and on and on? First
Peter five seven says, Give all your worries and cares to God,
for he cares about you. Easier said than done. I know. But when
we put this in context with the way we started, God, you are my
God. The focus shifts from us to him. And then we can like David
meditate on the Lord. And then dropping down to verse eight.
David says, Your right hand holds on to me. The right hand
in Scripture represents the hand of strength. And so David is
saying that God's strong hand holds on to him, he is safe, and
nothing can take him from God's strong grip, that security
beloved, he talks about how his enemies will be destroyed. But
the King David himself will rejoice in God and all who swear
by him or who believe in Him will boast for the mouths of the
liars will be shut. Those who trust in God will be vindicated,
while their enemies will be shown to be liars, and they will
be silenced. Beloved, when God is on your side, what is there
to worry about? Or as Paul said in Romans 831, if God before us
who can be against us? Is it hard for you to leave problems
with the Lord do you have tendency once you pray and say,
Lord, take this from me. Oh, like so many of us do tend to
take it right back as soon as you close your prayer, tell me
about it. Call the Lifespring family Hotline at plus
1-951-732-8511. Or you can comment at
comment.lifespringmedia.com or do it like the cool kids do and
then your comment via boostagram. Tomorrow is poetry
Thursday and we'll begin the book of Proverbs by reading
chapter one.
Steve Webb: Let's pray. Our heavenly Father, you are holy,
righteous and faithful. You've given us your word so that we
can know you. You want us to know you, which is an awesome
privilege. Thank you for that, Lord. You're loving a merciful
God who delights not in judgment, but in forgiveness
when we accept Jesus as our Savior. I pray Lord, that today
you would bless the Lifespring family. Thank you for bringing
each one here. Be with them today. I pray this in Jesus
name, amen. Send your prayer requests and praises in at
prayer.lifespringmedia.com.
Today's show art is by Scott Snider. Thank you, Scott. And
also Thanks to Sister Denise Michael Haner. Jason Paschall
and Brittaney You know who they are? They're the Lifespring
Media Team. Thanks, guys. God bless you. And beloved thank you
for allowing me to be a part of your day until tomorrow may God
bless you richly. My name is Steve Webb. Bye.
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