A lot of people look at God as simply angry and judgmental – a sort of cranky jurist ready to pronounce a punishment upon any and every offender. And it is true that God is righteous and just, and that he will judge sin.

But God is along with everything else the very model of grace and forgiveness. That forgiveness is granted of course based upon a just payment – ultimately in the blood of Christ.

God’s desire is to be gracious, even as the bulk of mankind refuses to trust in him and receive the gift of life in Jesus Christ.

This short Psalm 130 today speaks of God’s heart of forgiveness. He didn’t have to be this way; he could have justly held mankind’s sins against them. But he made the ultimate provision.

There is forgiveness with God, and with that secured we can “reverently” (verse 4) serve him and find a life of satisfaction.

This is a great truth for use to remember during those times of waiting … and there are lots of times of waiting in the Christian life. There are some long and dark nights; you know the daytime is going to come, but the night seems like it will never end.

I could quickly identify for you several items in life that I have waited for, and continue to wait for, now for years. I don’t know why the night is so long, but I know that God is in control and that on the other side of it I will be able to look back with thanksgiving for God’s perfect timing… again!

The final two verses call upon the original singers of this song – Israelite pilgrims – to put their hope in the Lord because of his “unfailing love.” This references that big idea of God’s special covenant love for the nation. And we have such a covenant of grace through Jesus Christ.

So, whatever you’re dealing with, hope in the Lord – there is nothing better.

As we end with this devotional – the 65^th in the God’s Playlist series – on Sunday we begin with a new four-week sermon series on the Scriptures. Along with it will be a total of 15 days of devotional readings, beginning this coming Monday.

If you have been getting these devotionals automatically sent to you, it will be there for you on Monday morning, though under the name of “Framework.” The page will have a different look and graphics, but it is all the same webpage – and you can look back through all the 340 devotionals written in the past two years that accompany eight different sermon series. Actually, reading all of them would take you approximately one-third of the way through the Bible.

Psalm 130

A song of ascents.

1 Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord; 2 Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy.

3 If you, Lord, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand?

4 But with you there is forgiveness, so that we can, with reverence, serve you.

5 I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope.

6 I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning.

7 Israel, put your hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is unfailing love and with him is full redemption.

8 He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins.

It seems that every day I hear of another story, either in the news or within the relatively small circle of people with whom I’ve been familiar over six decades, of someone who has given up on life – even done something desperate.

What is the secret to a happy and contented life?

Most people seem to believe this to be an elusive goal that can only be achieved through extraordinary accomplishment and accumulation of worldly gain. Such gain could possibly accompany happiness as a byproduct, but it is never the source of the contentment.

Though the old hymn “Trust and Obey” is a trite little ditty, it actually does sum up the essence of what it takes to experience a successive life of contentment – and that is to trust and obey, for there’s no other way.

That is essentially what this Psalm taught – to the adults who would sing it on the pilgrimage roads toward Jerusalem, within the ears of younger generations travelling along.

Here is a quick summary of Psalm 128 today:  Even in an imperfect world, the general pattern of life is that those who trust in God and keep his commandments find the Lord’s provision to be sufficient through their work; and their home life is largely blessed through several generations that in turn are a blessing to the nation and others around them.

Though there have been a few Buchman renegades over the years, this general truth has proven itself for as many generations as I can trace it back to the Swiss Reformation, and I believe I am living to see it pass on to grandchildren – who are a great blessing and lots of joy.

But let me talk about another family of my lifelong acquaintance. Among my parents’ best friends was a couple who were about the same age. The husband was an insurance agent and the wife the mother of six children. They were faithful in serving in the church on a weekly basis and shared their faith with their children. Though there were a few circuitous routes of life of the six kids (the youngest being my age), they all eventually (and continue each one to this day) to live lives of service: a pastor, a Christian college president, directors of several ministries including World Vision, Christian school educators, etc. At the time of the deaths of this couple a few years ago, every last child, grand child and beyond … they all knew the Lord.

There are no guarantees that this will work perfectly for every family, but there is a principle that a long, long, consistent life of trust and obedience largely yields personal and family fruit of this sort. It’s not complicated actually. It just requires the work of yielding to the Spirit rather than the flesh. No tricks. No gimmicks, no hidden secrets for success. Just do it!

The blessing at the end of a “boring” life of faithfulness is worth it all. Let’s make generations of people like this at TSF! That is our church vision.

Psalm 128

A song of ascents.

1 Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in obedience to him.
2 You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours.
3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table.
4 Yes, this will be the blessing for the man who fears the Lord.

5 May the Lord bless you from Zion; may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life.
6 May you live to see your children’s children—peace be on Israel.

The big craze that has swept the country like few things I’ve ever seen is the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. Along with the fund-raising component, it serves to bring awareness to the awful Lou Gehrig’s disease. People essentially baptize themselves in identification with this worthy cause of researching for a cure.

In today’s brief little Psalm of only three verses, there is a statement of the blessing of God’s people living in unity, with two illustrations that may seem to us in our modern age as rather unusual … of a downward flow of oil and water.

Psalm 133

A song of ascents. Of David.

1 How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!

2 It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron’s beard, down on the collar of his robe.
3 It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the Lord bestows his blessing, even life forevermore.

This final week of studying Psalms: God’s Playlist we are looking at a category of psalms known as Songs of Ascent. This is helpful in understanding the meaning. Again, these are pilgrim songs – sung by the Jewish people on their travels in “going up” to Jerusalem for the three big feasts of Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles.

These feasts were a time when all of the nation came together before God in worship at the Temple in Jerusalem. We’re speaking of the 12 Tribes of Israel … and what are the tribes? They are the families of the 12 brothers who were the sons of Jacob (Israel). Many translations use the term “brethren” in verse one to translate the Hebrew שֶׁבֶת אָחִים גַּם יַחַד (that was fun to put that in there)… like the American Standard Version “how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!”

Diana and I always liked it when the “brethren” of our five boys dwelled together in unity! They really do like to get together and do things with each other now, but it wasn’t always that way!

So when the nation came together for these feasts, the assembled pilgrims were essentially a gigantic family reunion. It was an opportunity for them to have a renewal of their unique relationship with each other and with God through the Covenant made together.

But families don’t always get along, and bitterness from past wrongs and conflicts get in the way of unity. Over my years of preaching there is one sermon that I have given now three separate  times at the Christmas season called, “Dealing with the turkey at your table and the sap in your family tree” … and is about a godly model of dealing with the crazy relatives at the holidays. Without any doubt, this is by far, far, far, far the most commented-upon sermon I’ve ever done!

There were some bad feelings here and there in the family of Jacob (Israel). It went all of the way back to that time the brothers threw Joseph into a pit and sold him to slave traders. Though he would save the family from destruction and all would be reconciled, it was far from the last time there would be national/family strife.

The picture in verse two of the oil flowing over Aaron’s head looked back to his consecration as the high priest at the outset of the sacrificial system. In Leviticus 8:10-12 it says, “Then Moses took the anointing oil and anointed the tabernacle and everything in it, and so consecrated them. He sprinkled some of the oil on the altar seven times, anointing the altar and all its utensils and the basin with its stand, to consecrate them. He poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron’s head and anointed him to consecrate him.”

So the picture in Ps. 133 is of this oil running down and off his beard and onto the priestly garments that included the breastplate – which represented the 12 tribes. In Exodus 28:29, this article of clothing is spoken of, “Whenever Aaron enters the Holy Place, he will bear the names of the sons of Israel over his heart on the breastpiece of decision as a continuing memorial before the Lord.” Putting this all together it pictures the unity of the nation in covenant relationship with the Lord.

In verse three is another sort of “running down” picture of water coming off Mount Herman in the north of Israel. Heavy dews bring the life-giving water for the otherwise arid areas of Palestine.

The idea of “brethren” was a part of the earliest days of the church. For example, it says this in Acts 16:40, “After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia’s house, where they met with the brothers and sisters and encouraged them.” And then Paul writes to the Corinthians, “I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought.”

Unity is a big deal; it is important. Discord should not be an acceptable pattern of behavior in the church community. One of the ideas involved with communion is that of a coming together of the family to be reconnected and restored to one another in the body of Christ – to put away divisions and conflicts … because it is good for brothers to dwell in unity.

I stole today’s title from Bob Shelly. Only those of you who are in the era of 15-20 years at Tri-State Fellowship will remember our friend Bob, who served the church well as an interim pastor. He lives in York, PA and has been involved in discipleship ministries and teaching at Lancaster Bible College. He used the “Providence” title in a sermon he did at TSF sometime shortly before I came here 20 years ago, and I’ve always remembered it.

The famous Bible teacher of a few decades past – J. Vernon McGee – gave this definition of “God’s Providence.”

Providence is the means by which God directs all things — both animate and inanimate, seen and unseen, good and evil — toward a worthy purpose, which means His will must finally prevail. Or as the psalmist said, “his kingdom ruleth over all” (Psalm 103:19). In Ephesians 1:11 Paul tells us that God “worketh all things after the counsel of his own will.” Our God is running the universe today, friends, even though there are some who think that it has slipped out from under Him.

There are Christian people who chafe under this sort of view of God’s providence, as it seems to them to make the world too mechanical or too predetermined. I am convinced that, at the end of the day, those who are annoyed by this are really irritated with the notion that they are not the God of their own lives.

I understand that those who resist a high view of God’s sovereign control into all the details of life do so because it smacks of irresponsibility … of a sort of “why bother working hard if it doesn’t matter, because God is going to do whatever He wants to anyhow.” But the whole of Scripture teaches much on the value to responsibility, yet also of the bottom line nature of God’s authority over everything.

Arriving at a high view of God’s sovereign hand in all affairs of life, down to the smallest of things, is one of the great and calming moments of my life. I would put it together this way: I will be as fully responsible as humanly possible with everything that I am able to do in a given situation, and then I will seek to no longer worry about, giving it over to God for a final resolution that is for His glory, and my good.

The 127^th Psalm speaks of God’s providential involvement in all things. It is He that will bless and prosper any endeavor … like building a house. The second verse has the idea that it is vain to work in human effort apart from God’s strength and blessing.

The second section of the Psalm goes on to talk about the blessing of families. Children are indeed a gift from the Lord.

This was especially true in an ancient culture where large families provided extra hands for the tasks of life, including security in dangerous times. There is a picture also of a man going to the gates of the city – the place where business transactions were done publically. And it pictures a guy standing there with a posse of big ole boys who are his sons! I like that picture!

As I have written these devotionals, you’ll not be surprised that I will often (though not always) reference a couple of nearby commentaries to see what some previous writer has said about a particular Psalm. Many commentaries are pretty geeky and go into extensive remarks on variant Hebrew constructions with alternate meanings, etc.  So it cracked me up and I did laugh out loud when a classic commentary on Psalms by Derek Kidner – an Anglican scholar at Cambridge University – wrote:

“And it is not untypical of God’s gifts that first they are liabilities, or at least responsibilities, before they become obvious assets. The greater their promise, the more likely that these sons will be a handful before they are a quiverful.”

As a father of five boys, I can say “Amen” to that.

Psalm 127

A song of ascents. Of Solomon.

1 Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain.

2 In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat—for he grants sleep to those he loves.

3 Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him.

4 Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one’s youth.

5 Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their opponents in court.

This short Psalm for our reading today is the first of a series of songs from 120-134 that are called Psalms of ascents. These are psalms of particular interest and use by the people of Israel as they made their regular pilgrimages to Jerusalem to worship and join with others of the nation at the Temple there.

It is a song where the writer speaks of being in distress against enemies—amongst whom he lived. He talks about desiring peace, though they wanted war.

The writer is certain that God will judge and that His punishment will prevail. The tree that is spoken of—the broom bush—is one that was especially long-burning and used for firewood.

When we read this song and understand that the two areas spoken of in the Psalm—Meshek and Kedar—were areas to the north and south of the land of Palestine, we cannot help but think of the ongoing struggles in this region. Like this Psalmist who lived near and among people who hated him and were enemies of God, so also does Israel face the same situation today. There is a lack of truth, and there exists rather the prevalence of complete lies that come out of these people who make claims that have no basis in fact or historical reality. These people simply want the destruction of the Jewish State.

God will prevail. God has a plan for this nation, and it is one that will come to final fruition in the last days.

Psalm 120

A song of ascents.

1 I call on the Lord in my distress, and he answers me.
2 Save me, Lord, from lying lips and from deceitful tongues.

3 What will he do to you, and what more besides, you deceitful tongue?
4 He will punish you with a warrior’s sharp arrows, with burning coals of the broom bush.

5 Woe to me that I dwell in Meshek, that I live among the tents of Kedar!
6 Too long have I lived among those who hate peace.
7 I am for peace; but when I speak, they are for war.

With today’s final look at our week-long category of Heavenly Enthronement Psalms, I have to marvel at the timing of our consideration of these concepts in the light of current events.

Knowing that these devotionals will be online for perhaps years, for those in the future who will read these words, let me tell you that they are written the day after an American journalist was beheaded on video by the ISIS fighters in Iraq for all of America to see. The country is enflamed with righteous indignation and anger at such barbaric behavior. There is a palpable feeling of desiring revenge.

Sadly, atrocities are not new on the human landscape. What would be considered war crimes by international standards over the past century were the common fare of nation versus nation conflict in the era of the writing of the Psalms. The practice of making human popsicles out of enemies by impaling them on a stick was invented by the Assyrians—the people who would take captive the northern tribes of Israel.

Without doubt, those who do such things – either 700 BC or AD 2014 – deserve to be eliminated from the planet. The problem is that, even when we are capable of making a perfectly moral and accurate judgment, we are incapable of executing it with flawless effect and perfect results. We can labor toward justice, but we will never be able to establish it in a world that remains under the curse of sin.

And so we live in a suspended state of inability and futility to bring about the righteous desires of our hearts. Paul says in Romans…

Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.

Though we may want revenge, it is better to desire justice. And justice can only be fully and perfectly realized with the coming of the Lord as the judge upon the earth.

Put all of this together, and you have the spirit and feeling of Psalm 98 …

1 Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things; his right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.
2 The Lord has made his salvation known and revealed his righteousness to the nations.
3 He has remembered his love and his faithfulness to Israel; all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

4 Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music;
5 make music to the Lord with the harp, with the harp and the sound of singing,
6 with trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn—shout for joy before the Lord, the King.

7 Let the sea resound, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.
8 Let the rivers clap their hands, let the mountains sing together for joy;
9 let them sing before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples with equity.

It is one thing to write about the Scriptures as Chris and I do in these regular devotionals to accompany our preaching series. But it would be quite another thing to have to write the original material … although being under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit would certainly help one write even better stuff than we do here!! Imagine that!

Some of you may have, or may have had some years ago, a Ryrie Study Bible. There are many study Bibles out there, but in the late 70s Charles Ryrie sort of established the first of these modern guides to the Scriptures with annotated footnotes throughout – with charts, indices, and maps in the back. Another Dallas Seminary couple along with Diana and I invited he and his wife to dinner one evening in that era when I was a student there (78-82). His first full version of the Bible had just been published and he was telling us about some of the odd mail he was receiving with varied criticisms of his notes. He told us that when he did choose to write back to some of them that he reminded these critics that he “only wrote the stuff below the line, and the Holy Spirit wrote what was above” … which is what the folks were really having a problem accepting.

This enthronement Psalm portraying the greatness of God in his coming to the earth as a judge presents the writer (and the interpreter) with the challenge of picturing and describing something that is beyond comprehension. Nothing like the return of Christ has ever happened before, and even picturing the grandest scene that is imaginable – something like an epic storm or all the mountains melting like a chain of volcanos – still falls well short of this future reality.

I remember as an elementary child going on a local field trip to our area newspaper, where they showed us around the place and how a newspaper was produced (I would later work for this newspaper as a sportswriter – the first place I ever used a computer keyboard when they were first invented). This was in the era of metal type setting, and it was fascinating to see it put into place letter by letter.

It is my understanding that newspapers at that time had a font type and size that was sometimes called something like “the second coming text.”  This was a largest possible metal print font that was essentially held in reserve for the biggest possible news. I also recall that in 1963, when JFK was assassinated, newspapers were said to be tempted to break out this font size.

Again, this is the challenge of the writer – to talk about the magnificence of the coming of God in judgment. What would be the effects upon the natural world? How would the peoples of the world at that time react? Of this latter question, the Psalmist pictures all of them bowing before God, including the evil and wicked folks who did not honor the Lord – even to the extent that their dead and meaningless idols would acknowledge the true God.

The people of God, on the other hand, would rejoice. This would bring about justice and righteousness and the ending of all things that are wrong and futile.

Do you find that you live with a longing … a hope or anticipatory expectation of such a day? If we lived in a more difficult context than modern America, we might have an enhanced longing. I know that aging brings it more to the front of our minds, as the accumulation of years of seeing pain in this world, and feeling more and more the effects of physical decline, cause us to have a greater sense of longing for ultimate things. And that is good.

Psalm 97

1 The Lord reigns, let the earth be glad; let the distant shores rejoice.
2 Clouds and thick darkness surround him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
3 Fire goes before him and consumes his foes on every side.
4 His lightning lights up the world; the earth sees and trembles.
5 The mountains melt like wax before the Lord, before the Lord of all the earth.
6 The heavens proclaim his righteousness, and all peoples see his glory.

7 All who worship images are put to shame, those who boast in idols—worship him, all you gods!

8 Zion hears and rejoices and the villages of Judah are glad because of your judgments, Lord.
9 For you, Lord, are the Most High over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods.
10 Let those who love the Lord hate evil, for he guards the lives of his faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked.
11 Light shines on the righteous and joy on the upright in heart.
12 Rejoice in the Lord, you who are righteous, and praise his holy name.

We hear much in our world today about the desire for justice. This day, in the central part of our country, there is much civil strife going on in a Missouri town due to the outrage that an injustice has been committed.

The governor of Texas was indicted yesterday, fingerprinted like a criminal, all in a political stunt of grave injustice to give the public appearance of wrongdoing for an act that was the simple execution of his constitutional prerogatives.

Over the years there have been occasions in the news where we hear of a court verdict that leaves one shaking his head in amazement. Yet other occasions have the residual confusion of not knowing what really happened in a “he said, she said” presentation of contradictory facts where no witnesses were present.

I have a friend right now who is being unjustly treated in the workplace – having been set up to fail with impossible criteria that will be presumably used for job removal. Truth and justice do not seem to be nearby whatsoever.

We could go on and on with such examples, even in our own lives where we have all been hurt by the aspersions of others.

Wouldn’t it be great if the truth would always prevail! That would be something to celebrate and be joyful about, wouldn’t it?

Well, that is the very spirit of Psalm 96. Here in this enthronement Psalm, God is declared as the sovereign over all things, all nations and all peoples. There is no higher authority.

God will ultimately judge all things and all nations and all people. This is something to be joyful about, because justice will prevail. And at the same time this is something to be fearful about, because justice will prevail.

Though evil people and nations seem to too often get away with injustice and oppression, it will not always be this way. We can be pleased with that!

But we are sinners, and if God is to be a just judge, we are really in trouble, right? And that is fearful. Yet as we stand before Him, not in our own “goodness” but rather in the righteousness of Christ who paid the price by dying for us, we have no reason to fear God’s wrath … because it has already be spent on His only begotten Son. That is amazing!

There in the ground His body lay

Light of the World by darkness slain

Then bursting forth in glorious Day

Up from the grave He rose again

And as He stands in victory

Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me

For I am His and He is mine

Bought with the precious blood of Christ

No guilt in life, no fear in death

This is the power of Christ in me

From life’s first cry to final breath

Jesus commands my destiny

No power of hell, no scheme of man

Can ever pluck me from His hand

‘Til He returns or calls me home

Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand

Psalm 96

1 Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth.
2 Sing to the Lord, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day.
3 Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples.

4 For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods.
5 For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the Lord made the heavens.
6 Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and glory are in his sanctuary.

7 Ascribe to the Lord, all you families of nations, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
8 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering and come into his courts.
9 Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness; tremble before him, all the earth.
10 Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns.” The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity.

11 Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all that is in it.
12 Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them; let all the trees of the forest sing for joy.
13 Let all creation rejoice before the Lord, for he comes, he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his faithfulness.