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Christian camping is a great pursuit for any Christian interested in encouraging and securing the faith and dedication of our youth, the future movers and shakers of the church. Today ends the last day of the regular season of Gander Brook Christian camp for 2011, and I thought that you might want to rejoice with me about the success of the program. Over 20 young people were baptized into Christ this summer — none of these decisions being overly emotionally motivated or taken lightly. Though it is certainly the outcome of God’s convicting and powerful Gospel, it is also greatly the result of an outstanding directing staff (Shawn and Donna Daggett and James and Becky Clark) and a mature and committed counseling staff. I know I’m prejudiced in this regard, but I am quite convinced that the program at Gander Brook is second to none and maybe the best of its kind in our brotherhood.

Well, having gotten that off my heart, let’s dive into the psalms — 130 through 133.

Abundant redemption (Psalm 13:7) — Reading through this psalm I was impressed with the writer’s sincerity and thoughtfulness. The psalmist realizes that there is no obligation on God’s part to even hear his prayer, so he pleads. He realizes that as sinful human beings we have no reason to expect that the LORD would allow any of us to stand. But despite these situations, the psalmist (and we) can fall back on God’s great forgiveness, and he says something that ought to be given more thought to: “That You may be feared.” Did you ever think about God’s forgiveness being at least in part something that should bring us back to Him in fear and reverence? It does, of course; think about the last time that you were so profoundly convicted about your sin and how you prayed to the LORD in repentance committing to do much better from now on — you did, didn’t you? Think about how you watched and prayed “More than the watchmen for the morning.” But with the LORD there is great hope. He is full of love and abundant redemption.

A Simple faith (Psalm 131) — What a wonderful psalm! You can see why it might have been a favorite of pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem. Imagine farmers and shepherds and other humble men and women making their way to Jerusalem, desiring to express their faith and hope in the LORD’s provision. It points to a simple, childlike faith and trust that we all should aspire to: ““Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.”” Mark 10:15, NAS95.

Focus and follow-through (Psalm 132) — Although we could easily talk about the request for the LORD to continue bless David’s house, what I thought might be even more helpful to us might be the focus and follow-through that David committed himself to. You know, sometimes when we make promises to the LORD we lose our fervor and zeal and begin putting our promise to Him on the back burner. David’s commitment was different — God’s stuff came first. Maybe that’s part of the reason why he’s called the man after God’s own heart.

See you tomorrow, Lord willing.

Today’s reading continues the the Songs of Ascents, the psalms traditionally sung on the trip to Jerusalem for the holy days. They are upbeat themes except for the one calling upon God to punish those who hate His people, but even here, if you’re one of God’s people, it’s still sort of upbeat as it anticipates a time when persecutors will repaid. Let’s dive in…

Blessed while you sleep (Psalm 127:2) — What a great reminder about the real source of the good things in our lives. Although we may contribute to obtaining good things with our jobs and efforts, the reality is that every good thing comes from God. Unless the LORD builds the house, unless the LORD guards the city, all human effort will be in vain. You can rise up early and work late, the psalmist declares, but you will never be any better blessed than the man that the LORD favors, because God will bless that person while he’s sleeping, doing nothing. Solomon observed this, when he said, “I again saw under the sun that the race is not to the swift and the battle is not to the warriors, and neither is bread to the wise nor wealth to the discerning nor favor to men of ability; for time and chance overtake them all.” Ecclesiastes 9:11, NAS95. The blessings go to God’s choice. The secret then is to be favored by the LORD. Having said this, it is important to realize that blessings come in lots of other forms than money — close family, children, real friends, meaning in life, spiritual treasure, opportunities, and more. The trick here is seeing the blessings for what they are, isn’t it? The definition of blessing is not just “what I want” — frequently blessings are really more about what I really need or what adds value to my life or my eternity. And for the man who God seeks to bless, He gives grace upon grace, even while he sleeps.

And by the way, let’s not overlook the section here about children; they are a part of what the psalmist is talking about as he speaks of blessings. Sadly, we tend to see money as blessings, not children. In our urban culture, we tend to see children as a liability rather than an asset; in an agricultural culture it was the other way around. Consequently we, in urban settings, usually seek to limit our family size. But children are an asset whether in the city or the farm. Let’s never lose sight of this important truth — “How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them (children).”

A weekly Sabbath blessing for children (Psalm 128) — This psalm continues to often used by Jewish parents at the Sabbath evening meal, and what a great blessing it is. It contains two parts. The first part teaches and the second part offers a blessing. It begins by telling the hearer (Jewish children at Sabbath) to fear the LORD and walk in His ways, and then when you eat the fruit of your hands (you have to live with what you’ve done), you’ll be happy and well. You’ll be blessed to have plenty of children and grandchildren (see the above psalm). And then it calls upon the LORD to bless from His footstool, Zion, His holy temple. It offers a hope that the hearer (the Jewish children at Sabbath) see nothing but Jerusalem’s prosperity as you live to a ripe old age and see your children’s children grow up.

Shame on those who despise Zion (Psalm 129) — There will always be people who hold the good in contempt, who want to see good defeated and evil triumph. In some of the Old Testament stories they were simply greedy nations who wanted to plunder God’s people; in other cases, they simply despised the moral commands and choseness of God’s people; and in some New Testament stories they simply lusted so much after power and money that they were willing to attempt to cover up or erase the truth. I’ll leave the motives for such people alone for another discussion right now; the focus of this psalm is that one day they’ll be find the judgment that this psalmist calls down up them. This isn’t about revenge; it’s about not letting evil triumph against God or His people — Israel at one point and the church at another. Happily God is still giving those who persecute His people a chance to repent (“The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9, NAS95.), but a day is coming when their arrogance, pride, and bravado will be turned to shame and profound regret.

See you tomorrow, Lord willing.

The next several psalms (Psalms 120-134) are a special group of psalms that were traditionally sung on the pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Because Jerusalem is seated at the top of the mountain range that runs north and south through Israel, it was a steady climb upward all the way to worship the LORD in Jerusalem, and therefore, the psalms are called, “Songs of Ascents”. Now, one might suspect that this would be a time for sheer joy at each festival, yet there is a note of lamentation in many of them. Why? Although there is always joy in worship and in gathering God’s people together, there is also the reality of (1) the sin that I bring with me, and (2) the troubles that continue to weigh on me, in spite of my time in a festal situation. Consider your own life as you come to worship: a certain sorrow for known failings and sins and also a weight of trouble that life is full of. These were on the minds of the pilgrims approaching Jerusalem, too.

I am for peace, but they are for war (Psalm 120:7) — We’ve probably all met folks like these. Never quite ready to bury the hatchet, unless it’s in your forehead. The psalmist asks God’s help against them, and He will certainly mete out justice to those who seem to seek constant conflict, but in the meantime, Paul gives us some inspired advice: “If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.” Romans 12:18, NAS95. Enemies hold grudges and usually will have no part in forgiveness; revenge, conquest, and winning are their only interests. So kill ’em with kindness, do them good, operate in their best interests, and pray for their repentance. Sometimes hearts are eventually melted and softened by Christian living.

From where shall my help come? (Psalm 121:1,2) — People look for their help in many places. In the ancient, pagan world there was the world of gods who were thought entities who could called upon to help. But the usual outcome (except for Satan’s allowances or coincidence) were like that for the prophets of Baal in the famous story of the challenge of Elijah on Mt. Carmel (1 Kings 18) — a big fat nothing. People today look to money, prestige, power, looks, technology, and other stuff for help. But the best source of help hasn’t changed over the millennia, the LORD — who made heaven and earth, who will not sleep or slumber, who is our Keeper, our Shade on our right hand (the south), our Protection from all evil, Keeper of our souls, and our great Guard.

A reason to be glad (Psalm 122:1) — Is this how you think: “I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the LORD.” (Psalms 122:1, NAS95)? Sometimes we view it as less a reason to be glad and more as a duty. There’s so much to be thankful for in worship; so much to praise God for, so much fellowship of good people to enjoy, so much great singing to be done, so much remembering the important and deep things to do — so much! So don’t grump at the Sunday morning alarm clock! Greet it with a smile, it’s the Lord’s Day!

May they prosper who love you (Psalm 122:6) — This is closer to the end of the psalm about gladness of coming to worship and it urges a special affection for God’s people — in the psalmists day, Israel and Jerusalem; but in our own day the church. There’s way too much complaint and griping done about the church these days, in my opinion — and here, let me specify, I’m talking about the Lord’s church. Are there problems? Well, sure, and there always will be as long as we remain human. Someone has well said that if you ever find the perfect church, do them a favor and don’t join them, you’ll probably mess things up. The only perfect one is in God’s mind. But like the Israelites of old in the wilderness, some seem to find nothing right about anything. But the church is like any family, there’s always a few squabbles, but we’re family. Let’s kiss and make up and listen to the Father on how to make things right. And may all who love the Lord’s church prosper!!

Our eyes look to the Lord (Psalm 123:2) — This wonderful psalm expresses the proper humility that we ought to have toward the Father in Heaven. Like a servant who is completely dependent upon the Master to fill our needs, so we look to the LORD. So be gracious to us all, Gracious LORD.

See you tomorrow, Lord willing.

Today’s reading winds up the longest chapter in the Bible, Psalm 119, which holds 176 verses of praise for God’s word. It has been, I think you have seen, a tour de force of devotion, teaching, and prayer on the blessings of God’s word. These last 4 sections (remember that this chapter is sectioned off according to the Hebrew alphabet as an acrostic poem) hold important truths for our consideration, so let’s look.

Your testimonies are founded forever (Psalm 119:152) — Despite the constant modern drumbeat of repetition that the Bible is outdated for our 21st century world, there is really no foundation for such a claim — the truth of the matter is very different from the modern claims. The problems that 21st century men and women have are essentially the same that ancient people experienced; the temptations, the trials, the challenges, the lusts, and the general human nature all remain the same. Yes, yes, I’m familiar with some of the new ethical issues that we wrestle with: DNA, cloning, and a few reproductive issues. But even these issues are quite well addressed in principles found in the Bible. Right and wrong remain the same; truth remains the same.

But what about the differences between the Mosaic Law and Christianity. Doesn’t that prove that things have changed. No. The foundational matters of right and wrong and truth remain immutable, because they are founded on God Himself, who remains unchangeable. The changes referred to here are covenant changes — changes in the established agreements between God and His people. Ceremonial requirements, occasions, and commands are part of what did change between Judaism and Christianity — Judaism’s covenant was rendered obsolete (“When He said, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to disappear.” Hebrews 8:13, NAS95.) by (1) Israel’s breaking of covenant with God, (2) Jesus’ once for all sacrifice on the cross, (3) and the establishment of a new covenant in Christ’s blood (“And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood.” Luke 22:20, NAS95.). But the essentials of righteousness and truth remain the same.

Indeed God’s precepts and testimonies and founded forever.

The sum of Your word is truth (Psalm 119:160) — It is not now, nor was it ever true, that the complete truth of God on any subject was expressed in one verse. There are plenty of folks that have proof-texted their doctrine over the years, by quoting one or even a few verses on a topic while conveniently ignoring others. Arriving at the truth comes by examining all the reliable information on the subject and then arriving at a conclusion. I’ve heard it put this way succinctly: We must use the SUM of the Scripture, not just SOME. The passage here reminds us that the sum of God’s word is truth. We must put it all together to arrive at the truth.

Peace to those who love God’s law (Psalm 119:164, 165) — Peace in Hebrew is “shalom” and it means more than merely absence of conflict (the English definition). It means completeness, wholeness, health, peace, welfare, safety soundness, tranquility, prosperity, perfectness, fullness, rest, harmony, and the absence of agitation or discord. So when Psalm 119:165 tells us that those who love God’s law have great “peace”, we know it is saying a mouth-full! And to those of who know God’s word well, not just through reading it but through experiencing it, we all say Amen! It does bring wholeness, rest, harmony, soundness, and all the rest! Do you have God’s shalom? Put His word into action.

The way back (Psalm 119:176) — This last verse of the psalm seems almost out of place. After all this lauding of the word of God, this writer finds himself lost like a straying sheep! He calls for God’s rescue. And then he says that he hasn’t forgotten God’s commands. How can this be? Well, it happens all the time. As the bumper sticker I’ve sometimes seen says, “Christians are perfect, just forgiven.” Despite the fact that we know how good life is when we follow God’s word, we all inexplicably fail to follow it sometimes. There’s a book by Robert Fulghum I’ve liked and read a number of times It Was On Fire, When I Lay Down On It.” It’s a funny title and first stunning story. Fulghum read a newspaper article about a fire department that had put out a fire that they had determined had started in a bed that a man was lying in. They rescued the man and later, questioning him about the origin of the fire, they asked him something like, “Did you fall asleep smoking?” “Oh no,” the man replied, “it was on fire when I lay down on it.” Huh? But as Fulghum points out, change the name and the story could be written of me and you. We often see the trouble and walk right into it anyway. But the major point here that I’d like to get to is that when we fall, there is a way back — it is the Scripture. Lost? Turn to God’s word and apply it. It is the road map to Heaven.

See you tomorrow, Lord willing.

We all would like to have an advantage, an edge, a leg up. Did you ever think about God’s word as that advantage? It is, and the reading today talks about it — and more.

Your commandments make me wiser (Psalm 119:98-100) — Bible believers are often looked down upon as being a little backward, ignorant, and behind the times. But honestly nothing could be further from the truth. God’s word is truth, the essence of truth, the eternal truth. It never goes out of date, although it seems to often go out of fashion. And truth puts us who read, understand, and live the truth ahead of the curve. Ahead of enemies, who think that oppression, revenge, and hate are wisdom; because the Bible has given us us the know-how to deal rightly and well with those who hate us. Ahead of teachers (no matter how many PhDs. they might have), with all the latest knowledge; because God’s word gives the discernment of what is really right and wrong. Ahead of even those with lots of experience (the aged), because God’s experience and wisdom is greater. And it doesn’t end there; the bottom line is that God’s truth is superior to any worldly wisdom or education or science. In Colossians Paul encourages the brethren there to share his letter with the church in Laodicea “that their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in love, and attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ Himself, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” Colossians 2:2, 3, NAS95.

Light for the journey (Psalm 119:105) — We all know what it’s like to walk in the dark, especially when you don’t know where you are. It’s a good way to stump your toe and stumble, and probably fall into who knows what. Walking into the future is sort of walking into the dark isn’t it? You never know what’s around the next corner, what temptation may jump and bite us, what tragedy might befall us or someone we love, what trial might be hiding in the shadows. Not that God’s word allows a light into the future, but it does give us light enough, wisdom enough, to not stump our toes, stumble, and fall. Although we sometimes think we’d like a crystal ball for the future, what God gives to us in His word is better, much better; truly a lamp unto our feet and light to our path.

Hating double-mindedness (Psalm 119:113) — This is a Hebraism for being luke-warm or uncommitted. And this verse is a call for commitment, and it makes lots of sense. Either God’s word, the truth, and the eternity that He calls us to is worth everything or it’s not — it’s not sort of worth it. The question and challenge to believers is to keep zeal and love burning bright. Perhaps that starts with hating double-mindedness, half-in-the-world-ness. Do you hate it or feel sort of ambivalent toward it?

See you tomorrow, Lord willing.

Another example of how faithful men have bent every effort to have and hand down God’s holy word is the Dead Sea Scrolls. Rightfully fearful of a Roman army that would have had no respect for the Scriptures, a Jewish commune near the Dead Sea hid their precious scrolls in earthen jars and hid the jars among the hundreds of caves in the area about A.D. 70-73. The commune was swept away by the Romans and the jars were left undiscovered until the late 1940’s, when a bored shepherd boy, throwing rocks into caves in the area, heard the sound of shattering pottery and went up to see what he might have broken. It turned out to be the hidden jars and over the next several years additional and very important scrolls continued to be found. This picture is one of those caves in the Qumran settlement. The Dead Sea Scrolls have verified the correctness of the text (e.g., the book of Isaiah) that we have had handed down to us over the years — copyists have been meticulously careful to transmit only God’s words down to future generations. Thank you, God.

In faithfulness You have afflicted (Psalm 119:75) — We don’t often think about affliction as being an act of faithfulness — and yet here it is in black and white for us to read and ponder. Yet, the more we do ponder it, the clearer it becomes that faithful fathers discipline their children.

“and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, “MY SON, DO NOT REGARD LIGHTLY THE DISCIPLINE OF THE LORD, NOR FAINT WHEN YOU ARE REPROVED BY HIM; FOR THOSE WHOM THE LORD LOVES HE DISCIPLINES, AND HE SCOURGES EVERY SON WHOM HE RECEIVES.” It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.” Hebrews 12:5-8, NAS95.

No one likes it, but everybody benefits from it; and we’d believe that our fathers didn’t love us, if they merely enabled us permissively to do our own thing — be weak, undisciplined, lazy, foolish, uncivilized, immoral, and often criminal. So, yes, He does afflict us in faithfulness and teaches us why in His holy word.

Sticking to your guns (Psalm 119:87) — Here’s the real test of our discipleship, isn’t it? When persecutors, enemies, push us and push us and push us — tempting us to return their evil in kind — but to stick to your faith and do what’s right. In this verse the psalmist tells of the pressure put on him by those who hate him — unless this is hyperbole, they almost managed to persecute him to death! But he holds on to his integrity, not forsaking God’s commands and precepts. How often have you been severely tried? How often have you succeeded in remaining faithful? Job did, but it wasn’t easy. How often have you fallen short? Peter did, and then, according to the Scripture, went outside the walls of Caiaphas’ house and wept bitterly. It’s hard, really hard sometimes — whether it’s physical threats or social pressure. But remaining faithful is not only a matter of integrity, it’s actually to our benefit — after all, God’s way is best, and it shines brightest, showing itself to be the best thing, when it’s hardest to do.

Better than perfect (Psalm 119:96) — Have you ever seen perfection? A perfect device, a perfect apple, a perfect day, a perfect circle? No flaw, no scratch, nothing that you could improve — perfect. But there’s something that better than perfect, God’s word. Even perfect things in this world will grow old, get dented, begin to rust, or ultimately fall apart; it’s the nature of this world. But God’s word in all its flawless perfection is eternal! It’s truth in its purest form and will last beyond time, beyond the laws of nature, beyond this universe. For those who appreciate perfection, there’s something even better than perfect, God’s word.

See you tomorrow, Lord willing.

This picture is (I was told) one of the oldest known complete copies of the Gospel of Mark. We have such incredibly easy access to God’s word that we often take it for granted, but Christians and Jews spent incredible amounts of

The Gospel of Mark

time and gave painstaking efforts at making and obtaining one good copy of God’s eternal word. Some believers who held their Bibles in spite of national laws to the contrary risked (and lost) their lives for the privilege of owning and reading the inspired Scriptures. All of which reflects the sentiments and meaning of so much of what we’re reading in Psalm 119 now and the next few days.

Your statutes are my songs (Psalm 119:54) — What’s the soundtrack of your life (pilgrimage)? If your life were a movie, what would be the soundtrack? There are few folks I’ve met and known that “Highway to Hell” would be appropriate — not that I wished it for them but rather that it seemed like they were dead set on heading there with every decision they made. But what of your life and mine? Would God’s statutes be your soundtrack? The psalmist would like his soundtrack to be God’s words.

Don’t delay (Psalm 119:60) — One of the quickest ways we can sabotage ourselves in our spiritual lives is just to delay, when we’re confronted with doing right or wrong. The psalmist points us in the right direction, when he tells us that he didn’t delay obedience to God’s command. You can do that, you don’t have to think about it, when it comes to obeying God’s word. It’s good, it’s wholesome, and it’s always right! The psalm even says that the writer hastened, hurried, in obedience. That’s something you do when you’re confident and see the counsel as valuable. Do you delay? Think about it? Drag your feet? Hasten to obey!

What He is and what He does (Psalm 119:68) — This portion of Psalm 119 mentions a couple of times that the psalmist was afflicted and learned something from it. Part of the lesson learned is apparently that God has our best interests at heart — “You are good and do good, teach me Your statutes!” And that’s a tremendous realization, especially when we suffer and might find ourselves wondering why. It isn’t a direct answer, but God is good and He does good — so we can rest confidently in the tempests of life, knowing that our God is in control.

See you tomorrow, Lord willing.

I’m impressed, and I hope you are, at the way that Psalm 119 looks at so many aspects of God’s word and its application to our lives. That is, in fact, another of the reasons for this alphabet acrostic style of this psalm. It’s as if to praise the word of God to us from A to Z. So, let’s take a look at a few more aspects of God’s word in today’s readings.

 The way to revival (Psalm 119:25) — The psalmist says that he’s in the dust, low down, but that he expects God’s word to revive him. Where do you go for revival, to pick yourself up? TV? The movies? A video game? A shopping spree? A phone conversation with a friend? A vacation? A spa? How about God’s word? It gives us hope; it gives us light: it gives us assurance of forgiveness after we repent; it tells us of a fresh start; it tells us that God is on our side; and it gives us a better way — just to name a few things. Do your spirits need a lift? Turn to Scripture, read, meditate on it, and let the Lord’s word revive you. You might be surprised. It’s like fresh, cold water on a hot, thirsty day.

 God’s ways rather than vanity (Psalm 119:37) — Here’s a good piece of advice, keep your eyes on God’s ways rather than vanity. “So, what’s vanity exactly?” you might ask. Solomon in Ecclesiastes tells us that is most everything around us — you know, those things we tend to pay so much attention to, invest in, and believe to be so important most of the time, because the world says that they’re important. Of course, you can’t ignore some of these things; you’ve got to pay the bills and take care of family. The psalmist (inspired by God) is simply urging us to make sure that we have the right price tags on the right things, that the eyes of our hearts are set and focused on things above rather than the things below. The things below offer nothing permanent; that’s why they’re called “vanity”. God’s ways, on the other hand, are good, eternal, and lead to eternity.

Freedom in God’s commands? (Psalm 119:45) — Despite the fact that people often think of God’s word as “freedom”, it is real liberty indeed. In Genesis 3 the serpent hissed that Eve should take God’s command as a restriction, a barrier to her real freedom; and since it worked so well, Satan has continued (with good effect) to whisper it into the ear (heart) of every human being ever born. But look at the result: is this fallen world really free? Reality is that we are enslaved to its mortality, its brokenness, and its futility. I don’t know if you ever thought about it, but anything good has its rules — from music, to poetry, to art, to engineering, to math, to medicine. It is within the parameters of the rules that art, music, science, and literature are made beautiful; without the rules it merely becomes chaos. It’s the difference between unremarkable trash and something valuable. So also in our lives. Freedom, real liberty, is found in God’s commands. “So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, ‘If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.’” John 8:31, 32, NAS95.

See you tomorrow, Lord willing.