Failing but Not Forgotten

Berean Baptist on March 13, 2017

Psalm 78

Psalm 78 is a record of Israel’s history from their deliverance from Egypt to the reign of David. This psalm describes Israel’s often rebellion but also records how God would never let them go too far away to the point He would forsake them forever. The reading of this psalm might have been a little more appropriate in conjunction with next week’s study in Matthew, so you might catalog these comments in your mind and use them as an introduction to the disciples’ denial of Christ in Matthew chapter 26.

The Bible is an amazing book for many reasons, not the least of which is God’s way of exalting Himself from what seems to be an upside down position. If we were trying to convince people to follow a God they never desired, and if we wanted to preach His ability to change lives for the better, we would surely pick examples of His followers’ successes and leave the rest untold. Moses parting the Red Sea would be enough without telling how God kept him out of the Promised Land because he disobeyed by twice striking the rock. Joshua’s great victory over Jericho is enough without telling the story of Achan’s sin and the defeat at Ai. Samson carrying the gates of a Philistine city to the top of a hill is enough without telling of his terrible weakness of lust in falling prey to a conniving woman. And of course, David’s victory over the giant Goliath is enough without telling how he betrayed a trusted friend by committing adultery with his wife and then having him murdered in the cover-up.

The complete details of these fallible men’s lives would have been better left untold if we wanted to preach the marvelous virtues of our great God. However, God seeks glory in uncommon ways. The revelation of all the details shows how exceedingly gracious and merciful He truly is. How much love is needed to love someone who loves you? Jesus said if you love those that love you what thanks do you have? Even sinners love those that love them.

It would be enough to tell of God’s salvation of sinners who did not love Him if we wanted people to see how superior God’s love is. But what if God should add more details? What if after sending His Son to die for them and saving them those He loves are terribly ungrateful? How much more love does it take not to obliterate them in anger? It takes even greater resolve to love those that multiple times turn their backs on Him after receiving His rich benefits. God’s love is magnified as He promises to preserve His people despite their constant failures. This is the way God works. This is the way He wrote His book. Tell the whole story and God will be glorified in most uncommon ways.

After many verses of Israel’s obstinacy, the psalm ends on a note of peace. God gave Israel her greatest king. David, the shepherd king, brought Israel to prominence as he led them with a gentle hand. David symbolizes the last king of Israel. He is also a shepherd that feeds His flock and gently cares for those that are with young (Isa. 40:11). Christ is the great King. He loves us with unconditional love. He will never leave us or forsake us. Tell the whole world the story of Him and they will never find failure in Him. He came to make up for failures. God accepts us because of Him.

Thank God for His book. We see ourselves reflected in stories like Psalm 78. All too often they are tales of failures, yet we can still claim His promise that He will bring us home to glory.

 

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Do You Hate Him?

Berean Baptist on December 5, 2016

They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of mine head: they that would destroy me, being mine enemies wrongfully, are mighty: then I restored that which I took not away. (Psalms 69:4)

When commentators comment or preachers preach on the death of the cross, they write and speak with an outsider’s view. We speak without personal experience because we have not been through the great pain and suffering the Saviour endured. In this psalm, the story is not told from a commentator’s view, but from the mind of the precious Saviour Himself. This is one of the fascinating pre-manifestations of Christ as He speaks personally through the pen of David. His story concerns the terrible anguish He must endure.

The psalm begins with the analogy of a flood. Calvary is the place where the torrent of God’s judgment was unleashed upon Christ. Like a flood that completely overwhelms, the Saviour was engulfed with both the sins of the world and God’s’ wrath against it. I can imagine these statements may well have been a part of Jesus’ prayer in Gethsemane as He contemplated the death of the cross. Luke records His anguish was so great that His sweat was as it were great drops of blood. The mental anguish was so great that capillaries burst pouring blood into His sweat as it beaded and fell to the ground.

There is much to consider in this psalm, but today I am drawn to verse 4 and this phrase: “They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of mine head…” Jesus quoted this verse in John 15:25:  “But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause.” They hated Him without cause is probably the most perplexing statement ever spoken. For what good reason should we turn our backs on the one who offers forgiveness, who saves us from certain destruction, and who promises the unfathomable blessings of heaven? Why are we not rather lost in wonders of ceaseless praise? And yet, we are not—none of us would have saved Jesus from the cross because we also hated Him without cause.

In the Lord’s Supper, we picture what men did to Christ. The bread is broken to symbolize the beating of His body. The cup is poured to reflect the blood pouring from the wounds in His head, His back, His hands, and His feet. As we solemnly partake of the symbols, we no longer hate Him. We are reconciled to Him by the cross, and the one we hated becomes precious. The contrast of the before and after picture is demonstrated by Peter: Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,  And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed. (1 Peter 2:7-8)

We are humbled by the marvelous grace of our loving Lord who has made us partakers of the divine nature. Our sins are the cause of His torturous death, and His love is the cause of His triumphant redemption. The agony of Psalm 69 leaves us no excuse for any longer hating Him. When we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Rom. 5:8).

Which side of the psalm are you on? Have you trusted Him? If not, you hate Him without a cause. If you are not with Him, you are against Him (Matt. 12:30). I sincerely hope you will trust Him today. The only way to find out why He is truly precious is to see Him from the safety of His mercy, love, and grace.

Pastor V. Mark Smith