Psa 128:1 A Song of degrees. Blessed is every one that feareth the LORD; that walketh in his ways.

This psalm can be entitled, The Blessings of a Man Who Fears God. The psalmist lists six blessings for the man who fears God. 1. “Blessed is every one that feareth the LORD; that walketh in his ways” (v.1). If the word “blessed” means “happy”, he is a happy person because he has God. This is because he knows God is with him. 2. “For thou shalt eat the labor of thine hands” (v.2a). He shall enjoy the fruits of his own labour. 3. “Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house” (v.3a). He shall be blessed with a good wife. Solomon agrees: “Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the LORD” (Proverbs 18:22). A good wife is from God. This is not to say all who fear God will get married, but when he /she does, he/she will certainly find one who is godly. And, a marriage in which two persons fear God will be a happy marriage. 4. “Thy children like olive plants round about thy table” (v.3b). His children will be like olive plants, fruitful which bring honour to him. Psalms 127:3 confirms children are God’s reward: “Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.” The godly man will be blessed in his children. May our children be as fruitful olive trees. 5. “The LORD shall bless thee out of Zion: and thou shalt see the good of Jerusalem all the days of thy life” (v.5). To the Israelite all blessings came out of Zion. The "good of Jerusalem" refers to the "good fortune," or "prosperity," of Jerusalem. The blessed Israelite would see the blessings of God. The Christians has a new Zion (Zion is Jerusalem). The faithful Christians will see the New Jerusalem, the holy city, “coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband” (Revelation 21:2). It will be a most magnificent sight. 6. “Yea, thou shalt see thy children's children” (v.6a). This is mentioned as the crowning blessing granted to Job in his second period of happiness (Job 42:16). Solomon says: “Children's children are the crown of old men” (Proverbs 17:6). If having children is blessing from God, then, having grandchildren is double blessedness. Blessed are the grandparents. It is quite certain that the true and loyal servant of God will be abundantly rewarded. God will reward His children in the ways mentioned in this beautiful psalm. But someone may ask: “But God did not bless me with a spouse” or “God did not bless me with children.” Well, perhaps God thinks you are not ready for such commitments. Perhaps, He has some better plans for you: “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11, ESV). God did not bless His faithful apostle Paul with a wife too. But God blessed him with a great spiritual family. He did not have children of his own but he had children in the gospel (2 Timothy 2:1; Philemon 1:10). Our faithful dear sister Baby often says: “I’m never alone; I have a big spiritual family wherever I go.” God has been good to me too. I am happy. I’m retired. I have a wonderful wife and faithful Christian children. I am also a grandfather. I have already five out of the six blessings in this psalm. The final blessing I will receive when I meet the Lord. How about you? Walk with God and you will be blessed. He promised: “I will look with favor on the faithful in the land, that they may dwell with me; he who walks in the way that is blameless shall minister to me” (Psalm 101:6, ESV). A faithful man will have God’s favour.

Psa 129:2 Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth: yet they have not prevailed against me.

Faith is a lifelong struggle. From the moment anyone hears the gospel, Satan wants to snatch away the seed that is sown in the heart lest it produces faith: “Then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart” (Matthew 13:19). And when he believes, Satan will still try again to take away his faith in God. He will use afflictions: “For when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended” (Matthew 13:21). Afflictions have caused many to fall away from their faith. Satan will also use distractions. He will lay out temptations in his paths to lure him back to the world: “And the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful” (Matthew 13:22). And, only the ones who overcome will become fruit bearing Christians: “Which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty” (Matthew 13:23). The psalmist in this psalm talks about the struggles of the nation Israel from the days of its youth. As a young nation evolving in the land of Egypt, they faced many struggles, especially from the slavery in Egypt. They struggled in the wilderness as they battled hunger and thirst. They also had to contend with the enemies. The Promised Land, though a land flowing with milk and honey, was not without troubles; they struggled to keep the land and fight the enemies. They struggled with keeping on to their faith. Their faith was tested. They failed the tests not once, but many times (Judges 2:10). Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth – Youths from their teens upwards are the most vulnerable to Satan’s attack. The three most common tactics of Satan are these: 1. Lust of the Flesh – They are the sensual and impure desires which seek their gratification in sex, strong drink, gluttony, and the like. In the Garden of Eden, Eve took of the forbidden fruit when she saw that the tree was good for food. She thought about how good the fruit would taste, how it would satisfy her flesh. She went after the lust of the flesh (Genesis 3:6). Paul warns Timothy to “flee youthful lusts” (2 Timothy 2:22). Youths for generations are tempted to experiment sex, drugs, and strong drinks. The Christian youth is to flee such lusts and to “follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” 2. Lust of the Eyes – Solomon says: “Hell and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied” (Proverbs 27:20). It is true that “the eyes of men are never satisfied.” Look in your house; why is it filled up with things so quickly? Eve took of the forbidden fruit when she saw that the fruit was pleasant to the eyes; she saw how pretty and desirable it was. “Pretty and desirable”; that’s how Satan tempts us. We buy things that caught our eyes attention. Which youth will not want to change his/her handphone as soon as a newer model arrives in the market? Job made a covenant with his eyes that he would not look at another woman (Job 31:1). We need to make a covenant with our eyes too that we will not look at another Sales or another new gadget. 3. Pride of Life – Recognition and success; who does not want them? Why you must have the latest handphone? Well, it’s the pride of life. Nobody wants to be left out. Pride is the cardinal sin. Yet they have not prevailed against me – This is the psalmist’s victory: he did not fall into those temptations. He was able to flee those youthful lusts. It is an encouragement to us that we too can overcome. Satan is not invincible are we are not ignorant of his devices (2 Corinthians 2:11). Since we know his tactics, we can be prepared for them and overcome them. Let us be able to speak the same as the psalmist: they have not prevailed against me.

Psa 130:6 My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning.

This psalm can be entitled “Waiting For The LORD.” We see the psalmist’s love for the LORD and how he waited daily for Him. He said: “My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning” (v.1). My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning – He meant he waited more intensely, more anxiously than the watchmen who waited for the morning to come so that they can be discharged of their duties and go back home to rest. To the watchmen the night seems long and the time passes so slowly. They are weary, and want to quickly go home to sleep. Yes, it is a painful waiting to the watchmen who waited for the sun to rise but the emphasis by the psalmist is on the intense desire. Just as the watchmen desire for the morning to break, it is how he desires God. How much did David desire God? He wrote: “As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God” (Psalm 42:1). The word “pants” expresses an intense desire. The deer is suffering from intense thirst; it desires water. Such is the David’s desire for the worship of God. Nothing can give him more pleasure than to worship God. We do not like to wait. But oftentimes we are made to wait. And God sometimes finds it needful to put His people into this hard discipline. Whether we like it or not, we must wait. I came across this quotation: “Patience is not the ability to wait but the ability to keep a good attitude while waiting.” For example, how do you wait for a bus? First few minutes you wait patiently. Then, you become impatient. You begin to get irritated and start scolding the bus company for the poor service. Half an hour later, you say: “The bus is not coming.” So, you leave the bus stop and start walking. Suddenly, the bus zooms by. More scolding from you! God wants us to wait for Him patiently (Psalm 37:7). If we quit waiting, we will be like the man who quit waiting and misses his bus. The thing that we will be missing is far worse than missing a bus; we will miss eternal life (Matthew 24:50-51). How does the watchman wait for the morning to break? He waits: 1. Patiently. If he has been in this job for long, he knows it’s no use getting impatient. 2. Earnestly. He keeps waiting and as each hour ticks away, he knows it’s getting nearer. 3. Expectantly. He knows the sun will rise and he looks forward for it to rise. 4. Joyfully. How glad he will be when morning comes. James exhorts us to wait patiently for the coming of the Lord (James 5:7, 8). There were some at that time who quit waiting and were telling others that Christ is not coming again (2 Peter 3:4). They were like the man who quit waiting and said the bus is not coming. Peter said the Lord will come (2 Peter 4:10). Wait on the Lord. Those who wait patiently are like this eagle: “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31). Just ask anyone who has been working the night shift. They will tell you it gets easier each time. They don’t keep looking at the time. They look for the morning. Therefore, we must do the same: Don’t count the time we have been waiting for the Lord; just look forward to it – like a bride looking forward to the wedding day; she waits joyfully.

Psa 131:1 A Song of degrees of David. LORD, my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty: neither do I exercise myself in great matters, or in things too high for me.

This psalm seems to me was written when David was charged for being a proud person. He put forth his case to the LORD who knows all men and defended his innocence: “LORD, my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty: neither do I exercise myself in great matters, or in things too high for me” (v.1). Lord, my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty - Where there is a proud heart there is commonly a proud look (Proverbs 6:17). We recall the prayers made by two men, one a Pharisee and the other a publican (Luke 18:9-14). The Pharisee prayed standing up (probably his haughty eyes looking up into heaven in a proud look of self-righteousness) and boasted of his righteousness. Whereas, the humble publican was kneeling down and would not so much as lift up his eyes. God knows the hearts of men and He declares the publican went down to his house justified by God. It means his prayer was approved by God and He granted his petition. The Pharisees, with his proud look and haughty eyes, was condemned. The publican was humble.                                                                              When a young David volunteered to fight Goliath, his eldest brother accused him of haughtiness. He said: “I know thy pride, and the naughtiness of thine heart; for thou art come down that thou mightest see the battle” (1 Samuel 17:28). We know it wasn’t pride in David; just pure patriotism. David gives evidences to show he isn’t a proud person. He said: “Neither do I exercise myself in great matters, or in things too high for me” (v.1b).  What he meant was he was not ambitious. He neither aimed for high position, nor was he desirous of making a figure in the world. He was contented to be a shepherd boy. It was God who called him to a higher order. Things too high for me- Some men’s ambitions are greater than their ability. Would you apply for the position of CEO after only having one year of experience after graduation? Some might! Solomon says “the eyes of man are never satisfied” (Proverbs 27:20). And the haughty eyes are never satisfied at remaining at the bottom of a hierarchy. This is not to say that one should not aim for promotion. The proud person is overly ambitious. We see it in two of the disciples of Christ, well, maybe it was their mother. She came to Jesus and made this request for her sons: “Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom” (Matthew 20:21). It’s a mother asking a king that her sons should hold the post of prime minister and deputy prime minister. The Scripture speaks about contentment as a Christian virtue (Luke 12:15). We need to search our heart. If we were to lose everything we own, but have food and covering, will we be content, thankful, and happy? I’m not trying to discourage God’s people from setting goals, or seeking to improve their quality of life. However, we should take a hard look at the heart, and honestly evaluate what is really important to us. Because, as a result of trying to upgrade our standard of living, our lives can become filled with stress about things that are totally insignificant! And the root cause is pride: we don’t want to lose up to the masses. We call it “Keeping up with the Joneses.” David said his contentment was his proof he was not proud. If all in your graduating class are now at the top of their career while you are still at the middle management level; be content. If they are living in their big houses and driving big cars while you are in your HDB flat and taking public transport; be content. Paul says: “But godliness with contentment is great gain” (1 Timothy 6:6). And the greatest gain is eternal life. What do you prefer? Gain the world and lose your soul or lose the world and gain the soul? (Matthew 16:26).

Psa 132:5 Until I find out a place for the LORD, an habitation for the mighty God of Jacob.

Why is David a man after God’s own heart? It is because he has a heart for God. David would not think himself housed till he had built a house for the LORD. He says in this psalm: "I will not enter my house or get into my bed. I will not give sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids, until I find a place for the LORD, a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob" (v.3-5, ESV). David could not enjoy sleep till he had done his best to provide a place for the ark of God. It smote his heart to see the ark of God had to be housed in tents while he lived in his house (2 Samuel 7:2). He resolved he would not rest until he has found a place for the ark of God to dwell. David’s first priority in life was to build a temple for his God. In the New Covenant, God no longer is restricted to a fix location where men go to worship. Our Lord said to a Samaritan woman: “Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father” (John 4:21). God no longer is worshipped in temples made with hands (Acts 17:24). Where is God’s temple today? It is anywhere where Christians meet: “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16). The pronouns “ye” and “you” are in the plural form. It means that individually, a Christian is not a temple of God. The “temple of God” refers to the community of Christians, or of the church, as being the place where God dwells on the earth. Paul writes in Ephesians 2:22: “In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.” Paul is referring to the collective body of Christians, the church, as the habitation of God. In the Old Covenant, God did not dwell in every individual Israelite; He dwelt in the temple. In the New Covenant, God dwells among Christians; they are His temple, the place of His abode. Our Lord says: “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20). Since the church is the spiritual temple of God and God dwells in this temple, our priority in life should be as David – to build the temple of God. We should desire the church be the place where God’s name is glorified. How can we go about doing it? 1. By being the best Christians we ought to be: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). 2. By being the most loving persons in the community: “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another” (John 13:35). 3. By holding on to the word of truth: “That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me” (John 17:21). Paul says the house of God is the church (1 Timothy 3:15). Peter says every Christian is a lively stone that build up a spiritual house of God (1 Peter 2:5). Individually, everyone is a stone. But together, we are a house of God. Let our ambition in this life be to build up the house of God: “In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord” (Ephesians 2:21). A great congregation can become a greater congregation. What are you doing to make this congregation a greater congregation? Yes, YOU can make a difference!

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Worship – Dull or Dynamic?

     What comes to mind when I say the word "worship?" In Playing Marbles With Diamonds (Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, MI, 1985; p 49), Vance Havner commented on the low quality of much "worship" in modem America: "God forgive us for gathering in His name, not expecting much to happen, praying for rain but not carrying our umbrellas. We pay church staffs to do church work and then gather on Sunday to watch them do it! It is a performance, not an experience. When the preacher stands up to preach, the attitude is, 'All right, preacher, let's see what you've got.' When he finishes we say in effect, 'I move we accept this as information and be dismissed.' No wonder we meet at eleven o' clock sharp and end at twelve o' clock dull." A lot has changed since Havner wrote those words. Many worship services are now anything but "dull." Churches have left no stone unturned in trying to fill the pews and keep people coming. Many church services are built around high-production music performances, drama and so-called "sacred dancing," give-aways, and preaching that seeks to be upbeat and assure you God wants you to be happy, healthy, wealthy, and to always feel good about yourself. But The New Testament hasn’t changed. It still directs every worshiper to worship God "in spirit and truth" (John 4:24). Jesus warned, "These people draw near Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men" (Matthew 15:8-9)." A careful study of these passages on worship reveal that we ought to be concerned to do what God wants in worship, but also with the way we go about doing it. We who worship are, in the final analysis, in charge of the quality of our worship. If we are dull, worship will be dull. If we as worshipers are dynamic, worship will be dynamic too.

Revelation 4:8-11 describes a worship scene in heaven – "Four living creatures ... do not rest day or night, saying: 'Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!' Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying: 'You are worthy, O’ Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created.' " Worship in Heaven is not dull. And it is not about me and it is not about you. No one there is saying they don't get anything out of the worship. No one is bored or calling for "worship renewal." No one is asleep, texting, wandering the halls, talking in the foyer, or in a hurry to get out and leaving during the closing song. No one is engaged in any of the many distracting things some people do during worship here on earth. In Heaven the congregation is not worshiping praise or praising worship. They are worshiping and praising and thanking and adoring God for who He is! The worship there is dynamic – not dull. Not empty ritual, mindless habit or grudging obligation. Not about being entertained. The focus is on the Almighty, eternal, creator God. If everyone worshiped the way you do, would worship be dull or dynamic? Let us worship according to God’s word, and do it in spirit and truth.

  Dan Gulley, Smithville, TN