PSALM 25 “Good Theology and Prayer”

 

SUPERSCRIPT:  A Psalm of David. 

Good theology is fundamental to prayer. God  responds to His own handwriting. Show God His handwriting!

This Psalm, like so many Psalms is a personal prayer to God. It clearly is a prayer attributed to his later years, for he prays in 25:7 “Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions…”. 

This is  an acrostic poem.[1] The 22 verses of this Psalm in the original begin each begin with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet. This is an aid to memorisation.

We are not sure what the occasion is. He has to deal with his enemies (vv.2,19) as well as his own sin (vv.7,11,18) and  vulnerability (let me not be put to shame vv.2,20) and  personal trials  such  as  a sense of loneliness, affliction, a troubled heart, distress (vv.16-18).

We do not discern a particular structure in this prayer.  If we follow the Psalm we   see the following …

1.   25:1-3  David confidently trusts in God when assailed by  his enemies.

2.  25:4-5 David desires to be led in the way of truth.

3.  25:6-7  David desires that God would deal with him in mercy.

4.  25:8-9 David reaffirms his belief that God will guide those who trust Him.

5.  25:10  David  affirms God’s covenantal kindness

6.  25:11  David asks to be pardoned of  his sin.

7.  25:12-15 David affirms that God will instruct and guide those who fear Him.

8.  25:16-21  David pleads  with God for deliverance from all trouble.

9.  25:22 David pleads for God’s redemption of Israel, the people of God.

If we stand back and survey the Psalm as a whole, this is actually a wonderful study in praying the attributes of God – reminding ourselves of who God is and what He is like. God’s attributes are the characteristics which define God, which explain what God is like.  

The attributes of God gleaned from this Psalm are the following….

1.      God can be trusted. (v.2)

2.      God is faithful (v.3)

3.      God speaks truth (vv.4-5)

4.      God is  a Saviour (v.5)

5.      God’s  is merciful and  covenantally loving (vv. 6,11)

6.      God is good and upright (v.8)

7.      God is forgiving (vv.11,18)

8.      God is  the instructor of the  God fearing (vv.12- 14)

9.      God is our deliverer (vv.15,17)

10.  God is gracious (v.16).

11.   God is the guardian of our soul and our refuge (v.20)

In prayer  remind  yourself of  God’s attributes. The better you know God the more confidence and boldness  you will  show in  your prayer. There are a number of subjects, which flow freely from David’s heart. Remember that this is a prayer, and prayer does not always follow a structure. It is like water gushing from a spring and running from the heart and the lips. This is a wonderful study in heartfelt prayer to God. Let’s learn from David. Let’s see how this Psalm helps us to find our rest in God when we travel on this highway called life, through many perplexities and against the background of our own sinfulness, vulnerabilities and personal trials. 

David  faces  two common sets of troubles: the trouble that comes from  the outside and the trouble that  comes from within. Troubles without and fears within! (2 Corinthians 7:5)

1.   Troubles  without

David is struggling because his life or his reputation is in danger. He is facing real enemies -  See verses 2 &19. David’s life is far from being a tame existence. Your life as a Christian  is not a tame existence. You will be familiar with the pounding heart and the sweaty hands as you must face life in a fallen world.

2.  Fears within

 (i)           David is struggling with loneliness and inward afflictions. See v.16. The trouble is felt in his heart. He feels distressed  v.17

(ii)          David feels the inward weight of past sin  (vv.7,11,18), and  far from  forgetting the sins of his youth he vividly remembers these.  Look at verse 17 again:  "The troubles of my heart are enlarged."

Outward and inward trials have the ability to deeply unsettle our souls. The ground under our feet seems shaky. We feel as if we lose our bearings. We feel uncertain. We feel as if God is far away.  What do we need  most at such a time?

Prayer! 

There are at least 18 petitions in this Psalm.

The definition of  a petition is to make a request. So when we come to God in petition we are asking Him to do something - either for ourselves or others.  [See the petitions in the Lord’s prayer  - Matthew 6:9-13]

Petitions

·         Let me not be put to shame…

·         Let not my enemies exult over me …

·         Make me to know your ways O Lord… teach me your paths; lead me in your truth and teach me…

·         Remember your mercy…  and your steadfast love …

·         Remember not the sins of my youth… 

• etc.

David comes to God with his outer  and inner challenges and he pleads with God to help him, to lead him in His ways, his paths, his truth (vv.4&5) 

WHAT DO WE LEARN FROM  DAVID’S PRAYER ?

David’s prayer rests on...

·         the nature of God’s character (see attributes)

·          but in particular God’s mercy and steadfast love (v.6)

·         The fact that  God  loves and instructs  the contrite sinner (v.8)  in heart – the humble (v.9); those who fear God receive His instruction, friendship  (vv. 12,14).

RESULTS 

Faith in God as expressed in prayer  is the way  to  spiritual stability. Faith is informed by good theology. 

The counsel that you hear in Psalm 25 is . . .

1.     Being a man woman of God does not  exempt you from  outward and inward trouble.

2.    When you are assailed from without and within  you should come to God in prayer  and petition and bring all your struggles with no hesitation.

3.    Be prepared to wait on God for the answer to your prayer (vv.3,5,21) Waiting on God implies acceptance of His timing in His wisdom.

4.    Be  completely humble and transparent  before God. Confess sin.  Fear God

5.    Stand on the revealed character of God. Learn to know His attributes. Pray them.

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[1] Other acrostic  uses are found in Psalms 34; 37; 111:1-10; 112:1-10; 119; 145.  Proverbs 31:10-32;  the Lamentations of Jeremiah, except the last chapter. In the Psalm before us, the general order of the Hebrew alphabet is observed, with the following exceptions: the two first verses commence with the Hebrew letter א ('), the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet; while the second letter, ב (b), is omitted. The Hebrew letters, ו (w) and ק (q), are also omitted, while two verses begin with the Hebrew letter ר (r), and at the close of the psalm, after the Hebrew letter ת (t), the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet - another verse is added, beginning with the Hebrew letter פ (p). We cannot account for these variations.

Ephesians 6:5-9 MASTERS AND SLAVES - EMPLOYERS AND EMPLOYEES

 

The early Christian church, like ours and many other churches today, consisted of a multi-faceted spectrum of people:  male and female, young & old, married and single, rich and poor, Jews and gentile – that is, multicultural. The church in those days was also composed of slaves.  There are millions of slaves in the world today and so we can’t ignore this subject. Global estimates indicate that there are as many as forty million people living in various forms of exploitation known as modern slavery. Mauritania, an African nation  was the last nation to abolish slavery in 1981. However, it did not pass a law criminalizing the practice until 2007. The Global Slavery Index for 2018 estimates that 90,000 people in Mauritania are living as slaves. [1]

Slavery in ancient Rome played an important role in society and the economy. Besides manual labour, slaves performed many domestic services and not a few were employed in  highly skilled professions. It is estimated   that slaves   at the end of the 1^st century BC   consisted of  20 to 30 percent of Italy's population.[2] Roman slaves came from all over Europe and the Mediterranean, including Gaul, Hispania, North Africa, Syria, Germany, Britannia, the Balkans, Greece, etc. Slaves were considered property under Roman law and had no legal personhood. Unlike Roman citizens, they could be subjected to corporal punishment, sexual exploitation, torture and summary execution.

All this raises a major question:  Why does the Bible not condemn slavery ouright?

The Bible does not specifically condemn the practice of slavery. It has a subversive  approach to this problem. 

We find this grand principle in Galatians 3:28: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male or female, for you are all one in  Christ Jesus.”  The Bible sees all of mankind as equal, all having been created in the image of God. Galatians 5:1 says, “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery”. The Bible affirms the  principle  of freedom- although it is freedom from the slavery of sin that is envisaged here. I remind you that this is a greater evil, for its has eternal consequences. 

So the Bible does not  condemn slavery  outrightly,  but it certainly to regulate it [3],and through aprocess of sunversion  eliminate it.  The Bible gives instructions on how slaves should be treated (e.g. Deut.15:12-15; Eph. 6:9; Col. 4:1). What we will see here in our text is that Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, addresses both slaves and masters, showing how their faith should radically change the way in which they relate to one another. Charles Hodge observes that as both sides treated one another in this Christian manner, “first the evils of slavery, and then slavery itself, would pass away as naturally… as children cease to be minors.” [4]  Our Christian faith works different to politics. The Christian faith does not work primarily with outward circumstances. It works with the heart. By changing one heart at a time the Christian faith would gradually and systematically exterminate slavery.

Christianity gave slaves an equal place in the church. Paul’s letter  to Philemon  concerning a runaway slave Onesimus  confirms that. We are not surprised then to read in church history that leaders such as Gregory of Nyssa (c.335- 395AD) and John Chrysostom (347-407 AD) called for good treatment for slaves and condemned slavery.[5] According to tradition, Bishop Clement of Rome (35–99 AD), Bishop Pius of Rome (?-154 AD) and Bishop Callistus of Rome  (?–222/3 AD) were all former slaves. Writing after the legalization of Christianity by Roman authorities, Augustine (354–430 AD), bishop of Hippo in North Africa described slavery as being against God's intention and resulting from sin.[6]   The Gospel brings about a massive change in society. It is the gospel, changing one heart at a time, which led to the abolishment of slavery in the 19^th century.  So we see that Paul  doesn’t begin by crusading against this form of injustice. He begins by spreading the gospel.  The Gospel is the antidote to the virus of sin. Please note that Paul  did not support slavery. He spoke of “enslavers”  as ungodly and sinful  (1 Tim.1:9-10). He told slaves, “If you can gain your freedom, do so” (1 Cor. 7:21).   

Slavery is not a good thing, for it robs people of their God given freedom.  In our own country, Namibia, an unnamed tribe in the 1800’s sold members of other tribes into the hands of Portuguese traders and into slavery and into suffering. The gospel preached by  missionaries like Martin Rautanen (1845-1926)  who lies buried in Olukonda ultimately undid this horrible  social evil.

THE LOGIC OF EPHESIANS

Paul in Eph. 1 expounds the glorious way in which God brings people to salvation. In Eph. 2-3  he shows how Jews and Gentiles are joined by the gospel  into one body- the church. And in Eph.4-6 he focusses on the quality and nature of these relationships in the context of the church.  Having discussed the subject of unity and purity in God's church (Eph.4), he narrows the focus  down to three kinds of relationships, where stresses and  strains are easily felt in God's body:(i) husbands & wives (Eph.5:22–33) (ii) parents & children (Eph.6:1– 4) (iii) slaves & masters (Eph.6:5 – 9).

Slaves/ masters – employer/ employee relationships     

How were Christian slaves to behave, now that they belonged to Christ, and yet often continued to work for harsh masters? And how were Christian masters to behave towards their slaves? Again, the overarching principle is mutual submission out of reverence for Christ (5:21).  And again we see the biblical logic that if a man began to apply his faith, then the inevitable result would be that he would become a better master or slave. Ultimately a master would have to consider whether it could be God's will to own another human being.

1.      6:5 – 8 Duties of slaves/ employees to their masters/ employers

a.        Slaves/ employees are called  to obey their earthly masters/employers.  The word here (Gk. hupakouo) translates literally “to get under and listen”.

b.      They are to do so “with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart”.  Fear and trembling -with respect to whom? There is only one we should fear and before whom we should tremble. It is God! The fear and trembling before man or circumstances is never commended in Scripture.

c.       Why do they do this? Answer: 'as you would Christ'.  All authority is ultimately from Him (read 1 Peter 2:13 - 15;18ff  for commentary). The Bible sees the Lord God ultimately as the One who establishes and tears down authorities. He even allows wicked rulers and masters to rule for a while to accomplish His purposes[7].  Evil rulers/ masters cannot last, and in due course they will be punished for the evil they do. This does also not mean that slaves/ employees must approve of tyrannical methods or that they must  melt with fear before their masters. No! This fear and trembling relates to the fact that they have an assignment from Christ, and in submitting (as long as it does not contradict God’s clear commandments[8]) they actually submit to Christ.[9]  Slaves/employees should recognize that they must conduct themselves properly before their employers because Christ commands them to do so. What about Christian slaves with non-Christian masters? In Titus 2:9-10 Paul taught them to care more about the salvation of their masters than about their own slavery. It would be far worse for a non-Christian master to suffer in hell forever than for a Christian slave to endure a few bad years. The main concern was not just social and political equality but to lead people to salvation and make them brothers and sisters in God’s family.

d.      Paul urged Christian slaves to focus more on the privilege of belonging to Christ than on the problem of being in slavery. The great duty of Christian employees today is not to insist on their human rights (etc.) more than honour Jesus in their work. Teachers should teach with that in mind; Doctors should treat their patients with Christ's compassion; shop assistants should serve customers as if they served Christ; accountants should audit books with diligence and care as if they did that for Jesus – “not by way of eye service, as people pleasers, but as bondservants (slaves) of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, rendering service with a good will as  to the Lord and not  to man… ”(6:6,7)

e.      “…knowing that whatever good one does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a bondservant or free.” (6:8). God is going to reward our work. Remember this principle. If we are not adequately rewarded in our vocation having served for Christ’s sake, remember that we will be rewarded by our heavenly Father.

f.        What is the point of such an attitude?  It certainly is a most unusual. It assumes humility. A humble, Christ-like spirit opens the heart's door to hard hearts. Observe the attitudes of slaves like Nehemiah, Daniel or Esther in relationship to their pagan Kings. These kings thought highly of  them.

 

2.      6:9 Duties of employers to employees

Christian masters/employers are given three principles:

(i)                 Treat your slaves/ employees with respect. If you wish to be respected, respect, them; if you expect service from them – serve them. It is an application of the golden rule (Matt. 7:12-14).

(ii)               Do not threaten them: As parents are not to provoke their children, so masters are not to threaten their servants. A relationship based on threats is no relationship at all.

(iii)             Knowing that Jesus is Master of employer/master and also the employee’s/slaves  Master, and that there is no partiality with Him, levels the  ground for both.

CONCLUSION

The times when Christians had the greatest influence in society were not when they were concerned with politics and social change first and foremost, but when they proclaimed the gospel of the forgiveness of sins and the coming kingdom of God.

The gospel changes hearts. This has great significance for how we conduct ourselves in our respective roles. Slaves/employees serve their masters honestly and ethically. Masters/ employers treat their slaves/ employees kindly, remembering that they are accountable to Christ. When Christ sets individuals free from sin, the impact ripples throughout entire societies and nations. Wherever people trust in Jesus and take to heart his words, “You have only one Master and you are all brothers,” slavery shrivels and discrimination dies.

As new creatures in Christ both should remember that this life is passing. All believers are pilgrims in this world looking forward to their true home in heaven with Christ our Saviour in a new world free of prejudice. This provides a radical new understanding of relationships that is different from anything worldly philosophies have to offer. May Christ’s kingdom come. May His will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Amen!

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[1] https://globaljustice.regent.edu/2021/01/slavery-still-exists-today/

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery_in_ancient_Rome

[3]  In the same way the Bible does not  endorse divorce , but regulates it e.g. Deut. 24 1-4

[4] Commentary on the Epistle to the Ephesians [Eerdmans, p. 370)

[5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery_in_ancient_Rome#Early_Christianity

[6] AUGUSTINE : The City of God (Book 19 ), Chapter 15 - Of the Liberty Proper to Man's Nature, and the Servitude Introduced by Sin. “The prime cause, then, of slavery is sin, which brings man under the dominion of his fellow [sinful man] ... But by nature, as God first created us, no one is the slave either of man or of sin.

[7] as illustrated in the prophecy of Habakkuk

[8] E.g. Acts  4:19.20

[9] Note that this is true for all   three these relationships described here

PSALM 19 “The World Book and the Word Book”

 

The superscript: To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David

Spurgeon writes: “In his earliest days the Psalmist (David), while keeping his father’s flock, had devoted himself to  the study of  God’s two great books –nature and Scripture… he is wisest who reads both the world book and the Word book as two volumes of the same work and feels concerning them – My Father  wrote them both.”[1]

OUTLINE

1.     19: 1-6  General Revelation  – God’s World Book

2.    19:7-11 Special Revelation  –  God’s Word Book

3.    19:12-14 Application  - Revelation brings about conviction  and prayer

 

1.   19: 1-6  General Revelation  – God’s World Book

“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork…”

About three years before I became a Christian at the age of 19, my father and I camped in the desert. As we lay in ours sleeping bags under a stunning Namibian night sky, I was suddenly overcome by the vastness and the grandeur of the Namibian  night sky, and especially and the Milky way which is 100,000 light years in diameter and which consists of more than 100 billion stars. 

Just for context: A light-year is the distance light travels in one Earth year. One light-year is about 9 trillion km. That is a 9 with 12 zeros behind it! Light travels at a speed of 300,000 km per second.  Our Sun is  our  closest star. It is about  150 million miles away. So, the Sun's light takes about 8.3 minutes to reach us. This means that we always see the Sun as it was about 8.3 minutes ago. Being overcome by our night sky, I asked my father, “Is there a God”? His creation was  speaking to me, but I only discovered the  answer  three years  later, when the Word of  God  became clear to me on a Thursday evening on the 22^nd June 1978,  when I met  the Creator of the Universe in a University dining room hall.

David as  a shepherd  spent many  nights  under a  clear sky – and what he saw   is what we see  at night and  in the day, from a northern hemisphere perspective. What  he saw is described in the first  six verses  of this  Psalm.

19: 2-3a “Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge….”   Note - 'pours out speech'!  Not mere subtle hints or suggestions. It's a noisy silence! Ironically, this deafening silence above pours out speech like a bubbling spring -  day after day, night after night, and in never-ending succession.

These all proclaim  the revelation of the glory of God. During the day God is proclaimed in the sun, sky, clouds, rain and rainbows, in the majesty of the mountains, the barrenness of  the southern Namibian  desert, the stunning dunes,  the vastness of the southern Atlantic ocean, the beauty of our savannahs, the rich array of  so many animal species. When the day is done, the night takes over with a display of  moon, planets, stars and galaxies. Day and night they consistently proclaim, God is glorious ! Note where the emphasis lies! This is important, because, according to our fallen human nature we easily shift the emphasis from the Creator to the created. Namibians are tempted to worship creation. They say that they feel closest to God when they  are in the bush or in a desert. They are close, yes, for this is our Creator’s  world. But they are not close enough to God. This is the great sin that the apostle Paul addresses in Romans 1.  Nature is not God.  Nature is God's handiwork. Creation doesn't sing its own praise. It proclaims its Creator’s praise. So, when I am overcome by the grandeur of a Namibian night sky, and the knowledge that the Milky Way I see up there  is so massive, and I a tiny creature on a tiny planet  in a tiny solar system – because there are so many, many more solar systems  each with trillions of stars-then  my heart is not drawn  in adoration to that of which I see a little part. My heart is drawn to the God who made  this universe. 

David was surrounded by nations that actually worshipped the sun, moon and stars. The Christian also looks at creation - the sun, moon and stars, but he does not worship them. The Christian does not believe that the universe evolved by pure chance. The Christian does not get guidance from the stars. The Christian worships the  Creator of the  heavens and the earth -  that same God who was David’s God.

19: 4b- 6  Special mention is made of the sun. "He has  set a tent for the sun"  refers  to the sky - the heavens - probably where the sun goes during the night and then appears  resplendent like a bridegroom  leaving  his chamber… running its course with joy…  bursting with energy - and "like a  strong man” the sun runs its course from one end of the  heavens to the other end. The point is that the sun ( which is set there by God) is not a god. It is God's creation and perhaps  the closest supreme illustration of the glory of God,  whose glory we cannot hope to behold and live. (Paul experienced that in Acts 9!). The glory of God infinitely outshines the sun! As nothing escapes the heat of the sun, so the presence of its Creator is felt by all (19:6).

Now, as stunning and  profound as the night  heavens and the days  may be, the revelation of God in Scripture is much  better. We now see  a transition  from the  beholding  God's WORLD and  WORKS to the witness of His WORD. Both spring from the same source; both declare the same truth—God's Glory. But bothare not equal in their power to bring us to God. GENERAL Revelation is not  sufficient  to save us. We need SPECIAL Revelation.

Now before we move on we must note this: When David described Creation in 19:1-6, he used the name that is commonly used of God  as Creator – Elohim (cf. Genesis1). But now  in  19:7-14, when he introduces God’s Word, he uses the covenant name YAHWEH (capitalised in the ESV) seven times.  When God revealed himself  personally to Moses  in the burning bush (Ex. 3:13,14) he says,  my Name is ”I AM THAT I AM” – the self existent  One – YAHWEH. This is the God of the TORAH to which we are  introduced now.

2.  19:7-11 Special Revelation  –  God’s Word Book

And in 19:7-9   we find  this special revelation - God’s Word – amplified in terms of  six nouns, six adjectives, six verbs. The focus is on the identity (the nouns), the quality (the adjectives), and the function (the verbs) of Scripture.

1.   19:7a  "the law (noun-identity) of the Lord is perfect (adjective- quality), reviving (verb- function)  the soul" (v. 7a). The law is the Torah is the most general term for the law. As a law, it points us in the perfect direction of what is right and away from what is wrong. Its function is to revive/refresh/renew our souls. God’s Word revives us!

2.  19:7b  "the testimony (N)of the Lord is sure (A), making wise (V) the simple" . The written Word is the record of God's testimony to who He is and what He will provide for us in His Messiah-Jesus. This testimony is sure/ dependable/ trustworthy. The Bible gives true wisdom to simple, naïve, gullible people like us. 

3.  19:8a "the precepts (N) of the Lord are right (A), rejoicing (V) the heart" . God's precepts are never wrong. They are true truth and accurate.  God's precepts make us happy and joyful, for they liberate us. God’s  precepts are  God's remedy for a sad, depressed, broken heart. If you are there, then do yourself a favour and read, memorize and meditate over God's precepts. Perspective will return.

4.    19:8b  "the commandment (N) of the Lord is pure,(A) enlightening (V)  the eyes" . That word "pure" may also be rendered "radiant" (NIV). God's commandments are radiant. They bring  light into the darkness of our  human ignorance.  And all of a sudden our eyes see as they have never seen before.  This is specifically the work of the Holy Spirit according to John 14/16. He is given  to illuminate the truth as it is in Jesus.

5.    19:9a  "the fear (N) of the Lord is clean (N), enduring forever (V) " . David has in mind that fear of God that the Bible produces in us. It is clean both in terms of its essence and its impact on our hearts. It endures forever – even into eternity. God's Word does not change with the seasons or with fashions; it  endures forever.

6.    19:9b  "the rules (N) of the Lord are true (A), and righteous (V) altogether" . What God says in his word is never false. It always produces what is right.  The certainty of God's Word is our foundation.

Now if you have all that contained in God’s special revelation, what more do you need? No wonder that  David  writes in  19:10-11  “…more to be desired "than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward".

While  the general revelation of 19:1-6  cause us  to  be in awe of what we see, we are helped  in 19:7-9   to see the Creator. It is like seeing an exquisite artwork, but then meeting the Artist.  There is a satisfaction and joy in knowing that this world and all that we see has an original source – a personal Creator.   

In 19:11  we are reminded... 

(i)   by way of a warning – to ignore the  Word is  at our peril 

(ii) by way of an encouragement  - to heed the Word   revives the soul, provides wisdom for our walk in this world, joy for  the  heart, enlightenment for the eyes, enduring truth you can count on, and the provision of righteousness.

3.  19:12-14 Application  - Revelation brings about conviction  and prayer

19:12-14 Here we see that  David  was overcome  by  God’s truth in its totality, and when that happens there is always  conviction of sin,  leading to prayer. David prays as he becomes aware  of the fact he sinned both consciously and unconsciously. He prayed that God would protect him from both.  He prayed that he might be possessed of a blameless heart.

So this Psalm ends with these words, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer” (19:14). A heart filled to the brim with the  revelation of  God’s work,  both in general and in special revelation is  a precious, mind stretching, sin revealing and soul cleansing exercise. 

 

 

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[1] Spurgeon : The Treasury of David (Vol 1), p. 269