Psalm 139: Search and Know Me

When we consider judgment, as God’s people, we are not exempt from judgment. Just because we have fled to the judge and begged his pardon for our weakness and waywardness does not mean that we get off free if we continue to participate in erroneous behavior.  Psalm 139 is a reminder to be humble when it comes to judgment, and be prepared for it when it comes. 

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.  24 See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. 

David belonged to God and had the Holy Spirit upon him.  David was guided, empowered, and enlightened by the Holy Spirit.  Yet that did not make him perfect.  His stumbling and fall is well documented in scripture in the matter of Bathsheba.  We also see that at other times he was not perfect in all his ways.  His handling of his family issues later in life, the matter of the insult of “the fool” Nabal, and the fact that he had tephilim in his household shows that he did not always “have it all together.” 

That said, one thing David did have was the desire to keep things straight with God. And because he knew how wayward his own heart could be (see for example, Psalms 32 and 51) he knew that he was ever in need of a check up “from the heart up” for his own life. Psalm 139 reminds us to ever submit to God’s search light, in order that we may have our own wicked ways, thoughts, and tendencies revealed.  

If you don’t think you have wicked ideas, ways, thought, etc., just ask for an honest assessment from those who know you best.  Your spouse will know if you have a problem.  So will your kids.  Your co-workers probably do too.  I know of a church near my house where, if you wish to be in leadership, the church puts together a team to go an interview people in your work environment.  May God permit that we should all be able to pass such a test.

But the one who knows and loves us best is God. His desire is to make us more and more into reflections of His own character.  Since our desire ought to be the same, then asking Him to evaluate us is a wise, yes, necessary move.

God will have His way with His people.  Its true.  But things are so much better for us if we participate in the process of growing in Christlikenss with willing hearts.  So David prays, “Search, Test, Lead.”

Search, because often we are so good at hiding wickedness, even from our own selves, deep down in our souls.  Test, because the soundness of our ways and thoughts must be demonstrated, proved, and demonstrated a fail if they weakness and waywardness be found there.  Lead me, because we have a naturally tendency to wander. We, left to ourselves, like to go astray (like sheep!).  

This must be done, for God is a just judge.  This brings us to the difference between Punishment, which is done to the wicked, and discipline which is for His children.  Punishment is final.  Its meant to demonstrate and vindicate the righteousness and holiness of God.  Disicpline is different.  It is meant to correct, reprove, and restore.  Goddoes not leave his people to return to wickedness.  He must discipline if we do.  He works to correct that we may be like Jesus.

Justice and Punishment: it is coming!

19 If only you would slay the wicked, O God! Away from me, you bloodthirsty men!  20 They speak of you with evil intent; your adversaries misuse your name.  21 Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord, and abhor those who rise up against you?  22 I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies.

The next thing that we will reflect on with this passage, is that there will be a day of judgment. There is coming a day when God will settle accounts.  God promises it in his word.

Indeed, our hearts cry out for judgment.  Righteousness and holiness demand it. There must be judgment, or God will have failed in His management of the universe.  And deep down inside, all human beings know that this world is broken and fallen. If it were not so, would we miss justice?  Would we cry out for it when it is absent?  Of course not. We would only seek for power to overcome our enemies in response to their machinations.

That's not to say that people don't respond with evil for evil.  We do. But we would not care about justice and its exercise if there was not some fundamental sense within us that says: "There is a right way for things to work, and what I see happening is not it."

The fact that we continue to live and breathe, despite our many violations of what is right (and we all do it, admit it) is really an act of mercy of God.  Even when we have been violated in our sense of fairness and equity, we turn around and do the same things; like when we "cuss out" a driver for cutting us off in traffic, and then we turn around and do the same thing for someone else. That's just not right.

We decry someone for a theft, and then we steal from an employer by taking what belongs to him, or by "stealing time," by goofing around on the job rather than working.  We decry someone for lying to us, despite our many false representations of self to others.  We cry "justice" against someone who uses his power against us, but then we talk badly about someone behind their backs in order to get others to shun that one. We are all, everyone of us, regular and constant violators of justice, even as we cry out for justice.

So how will we fare on the day of judgment?  Thankfully, God has already provided a court where our sin can be dealt with.  Jesus Christ died on the cross, and in His courtroom, full pardon has been declared for all who will come and receive the free payment he has made.

If we don't accept the payment God has provided, there is only an expectation of judgment. We will have to pay for our own sins.  And if we are honest with ourselves, we fail to keep our own rules well, much less God's. So how will it be that day?

If we refuse God's payment, then we will have to be punished.  And punishment from God is forever. It is separation from him in a place called Hell forever and ever.  And don't believe the lie that in Hell someday you will look up and see that God just wants to love you...and that you'll just be able to walk right out.  When you get there, it is final.  That's what punishment is.  Punishment is the vindication of God's law, His righteousness, His holiness.  And since those are forever things, its a forever violation when we sin against it.

That's not to say that those who receive God's payment are perfected when they do that.  They still sin.  But the difference is they are disciplined.  I'll write about that in the next post.

Heart's Cry

Its been quite a while.  I plead the excuse that I have had a major presentation and major paper due at school!  It ate up a great deal of time and brain power the last two weeks.  But here, at last,  is a post continuing our discussion of Psalm 139.

A fundamental urge for human beings is a need for justice and fairness.  I know this is the case.  I have run a youth group for many years.  The single most common phrase you hear kids in youth group yell is “That’s not fair!” Yes, its true. When you are playing games, and anything seems to smack of the slightest favoritism, or if, as Pastor/Referee you miss some “Obvious” foul, those kids are very quick to point out your error.  “No Fair!”

Why do we worry about fairness or about justice?  What is it that sits inside of us and is moved to cry out “Injustice!” or “Unfair!” or some such?  Entire movements, even nations have been built over the issue of what is fair or not fair, what is just or unjust.  Great social upheavels and reveloutions began over the perception that there are inequities.  Why do we have that feeling?

Injustice also drives people to become judges, or enter law enforcement.  It drives people to become politicians.  We even see people who enter the corporate world with a desire to make things right.  

But who do we appeal to when we try to do the right thing and the “system” still seems to be against us?  Who is our court that we go to when the movement we began shifts focus and itself becomes unjust? 

This is what David does when he finds injustice, wickedness, tyrranny in his presence.  He appeals to God:

19 If only you would slay the wicked, O God! Away from me, you bloodthirsty men!  20 They speak of you with evil intent; your adversaries misuse your name.  21 Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord, and abhor those who rise up against you?  22 I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies. 

I know that we struggle with verses like these when he find them in scripture.  But what do we do with our anger and our outrage when babies are robbed of their right to life? What do we with our pain when we see court decisions that diminish human rights?  When dictators slaughter their people or spray them with toxic gasses?  What do we do when we feel that inner scream rise when a friend stands falsely accused and the system is working against them? 

Of course we pray!  That’s one response. We pray for those who are persecuting, and for their enlightenement in Christ.  But psalms like this also invite us to come and bring our anger, pain, outrage to God. And he does not turn us away.  Its a faith response when we appeal to the highest court of all and beg God for His intervention.

And the amazing thing is, there WILL be justice.  In the end, God will mete out perfect equity and justice.  There will not be anyone who ultimately gets away with murder.  And those falsely accused and judged will also have that made back up to them.  God WILL make it right.  Of course we would like to see Him make it right, now!  But sometimes that does not happen. God will answer our heart cry for that justice. So cry out to Him as David did. But remember also, to pray for a blessing on your enemies, and that they would find Christ.  That is what the New Testament adds to our understanding. Remember, as Paul said:

[O]ur struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms  (Eph 6:12).