Proverbs 23:1-11

Many thanks to Fred for his commentary on the Psalms over the last few weeks. Now it is September, and that puts us back into Proverbs for a while, which means you are stuck with me again. (Sorry about that…)

When you sit down to eat with a ruler,
observe carefully what is before you,
and put a knife to your throat
if you are given to appetite.

Proverbs 23:1-2

A knife to your throat? Indeed. If a warning like that does not get our attention, I don’t know what would. So heads up! But what is the author talking about?

Do not desire his delicacies,
for they are deceptive food.
Do not toil to acquire wealth;
be discerning enough to desist.

Proverbs 23:3-4

Ah! There it is: bribery — dangling “goodies” in front of us to get us to support the ruler’s schemes. But such delicacies are deceptive, and we should not be taken in by them. They are also fleeting (Pr. 23:5) and ultimately sickening (Pr. 23:8).

Bribes come in all shapes and sizes and at any level of society. Parents bribe their children — and children their parents. Coaches bribe athletes. Criminals bribe law enforcement. Lobbyists bribe politicians, and politicians bribe voters. So be on your guard!

Although it is sometimes difficult to discern the difference between a legitimate incentive (e.g., wages paid for a job well done) and a bribe (e.g., a bonus paid to bend the rules), deep down, we know the difference. So guard against being taken in by the attractiveness of short-term “easy” gains and set your mind on doing what is right.

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written,
   “‘You shall worship the Lord your God
   and him only shall you serve.’”

Matthew 4:8-10

Psalm 103:11-22

Yesterday I posted about God’s mercy (vv. 8, 10). Today it’s about His love: The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love … For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His steadfast love toward those who fear Him … But the steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him… (vv. 8, 11, 17).

Mercy and love; love and mercy. We see those two attributes together in verse 4: …Who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy… And in response to his recognition of these two attributes, David’s response is praise as he closes this Psalm: Bless the LORD…, Bless the LORD…, Bless the LORD…, Bless the LORD, O my soul!

Psalm 103:1-10

The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. … He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. (vv. 8, 10) David (the psalmist) says it better than I can add to it.

Psalm 102:18-28

I’m seldom certain of Biblical interpretation, but today I see verses 18-22 in the context of the Israelites in exile in Babylon. The psalmist first says that he is writing down some details (v. 18) so that future generations (a people yet to be created) can praise the Lord for His deliverance. That deliverance is God’s setting the exiles free to return to Jerusalem (vv. 19-20). There they and nearby peoples will praise the Lord for His deliverance (vv. 21-22). And because the psalmist wrote about it, we can read about it. Nice.

In verse 23 the psalmist returns to his own pain and suffering, the topic he began in yesterday’s reading, asking the Lord not to shorten his life (v. 24), especially as He sees the Lord’s existence for all eternity (v. 24). He then closes this psalm, amplifying that sentiment, that this God who pre-existed all creation will also continue in His existence after all His creation is gone (vv. 25-26): You are the same, and Your years have no end. (v. 27) Finally, he reminds his readers of the deliverance of which he wrote back in verse 18: The children of Your servant shall dwell secure; their offspring shall be established before You. If we look far enough down the road, maybe the psalmist is writing this line to us, about us. Whaddya think?

Psalm 102:1-17

A lament. The psalmist seems to be in personal, physical pain, calling on God to deliver him. There are a few things to note about the psalmist’s pain:

1. He feels it! (vv. 3-5)
2. He is alone and feels that loneliness. (vv. 6-7)
3. His enemies mock him and make him feel worse. (v. 8)
4. He blames God for his condition. (v. 10)

Yet even after getting angry with God, the psalmist quickly repents and acknowledges the Lord’s greatness, His majesty, and His love. (v. 12) He even goes beyond his own condition and seeks the Lord’s favor on all of Israel (vv. 13-14), with confidence that all the world will come to know the Lord when they see His greatness and His glory (vv. 15-16). To me, verse 17 is the key verse for today’s reading; it summarizes the psalmist’s feelings: He regards the prayer of the destitute and does not despise their prayer. (v. 17)

Psalm 101

A note from one of my study Bibles: “A perverse heart (v. 4) and a deceitful tongue (v.7) are root and fruit.” Cute.

It’s easy to applaud David’s intent in this Psalm, but the reality of removing all evil from around him and his reign (or that of Solomon’s) is much more difficult. A leader has a limit as to how many of his subjects are closest to him. He can know those few well; he can trust them to do what is right, but then they have people under them only slightly well known to the leader. You can quickly see the problem. At Freedom Road this past week we had a discussion about control and came up with a simple truth – you can control your activities (and you should do what is right), but you cannot (and should not) try to control the outcomes of those activities. David’s activities (his intent to remove all evil from around him and his reign) and those outcomes (that reality) are most certainly at odds when we consider fallen humanity. Consider Jesus and His three (Peter, James, and John), then the other eight, then Judas. The heart and the tongue, root and fruit.

Psalm 100

This is the final psalm in the “God is king” set of psalms.

For the LORD is good; His steadfast love endures forever, and His faithfulness to all generations. (v. 5) I’m seeing an echo here with “steadfast love” (lovingkindness in the NASB) and “faithfulness”. Those two words/phrases have been repeated in a number of psalms in the past week. You may recall, lovingkindness in the morning and faithfulness in the evening. I’m repeating here – thanking the Lord in the morning for His steadfast love and thanking Him in the evening for His faithfulness. It’s a good pattern to follow.

Psalm 99

Beginning at Psalm 93 we have been reading psalms acknowledging and praising God’s kingship over all peoples, all places, and all things – on Earth and in the Heavens, over all creation. I don’t think any other Psalm reflects that praise as fully as today’s Psalm 99. Like Psalm 97 it begins, “The LORD reigns…” Then Psalm 97 continues with “…let the earth rejoice…” while Psalm 99 continues with “…let the peoples tremble!” (v. 1) Both psalms reflect submissive peoples’ responses to their King – rejoicing and trembling. Both show the love and the fear in the peoples’ hearts, acknowledging the might, the strength of that King.

The LORD reigns…! Holy is He! (vv. 5, 9) and Exalt the LORD our God, and worship…; for the LORD our God is holy! (v. 9) No comment here ; just something to reflect on…

Psalm 98

I saw “steadfast love” (lovingkindness) and “faithfulness” in verse 3 and I remembered a few days back when one of the psalmists called us to consider God’s lovingkindness in the morning and His faithfulness in the evening. And I took a moment to think of God’s love for us, especially so early in the morning when my day has only begun, when all that I’ve done is brewed my coffee. Our Lord has loved us through the night, He loves us first thing this morning, and He will love us the whole day through – no matter what we’ve done by the end of the day. His faithfulness assures us of His love for us.

An echo here on Carol’s comment on Psalm 95 about singing and worship. Today’s Psalm is all about singing and worship! Even the sea, the rivers, and the hills/mountains join in praise to their Creator. Twice the psalmist asks us to “make a joyful noise” (vv. 4, 6). That’s a real encouragement to those of us whom the Lord did not bless with much musical ability. But we certainly enjoy the fruit of that labor of love from those around us who do have those abilities – thankfully they drown out our joyful noises!! And God smiles.