Let me first say I apologize for being out of pocket most of last week.  Long story short, my company got audited by the government to make sure we were paying everything we should for goods imported from other countries (the first time in 40 years).  Happy to say everything was fine, but work and sleep was all I accomplished the latter part of the week.  I trust you’re all doing well, and hope you had a great weekend!

There are a couple books of the Bible, that we can admit are just confusing when you first get to them.  Many people get to the psalms, and they do not know what to make of this book of the Bible.  Much of the Old Testament is narrative of the people of Israel, and then you get to this book of poetry and prose, with songs and hymns.  Now I love the book of Psalms, because it engages the heart by painting a picture of the heart emotions of Christians of old, specifically David, called a “man after God’s own heart”.  Many people love the book of Psalms for this reason, but they miss that the book of Psalms is also meant to teach us.  They don’t see that the emotions wrought in the Psalms were a result of what they knew to be true of God.  There is rich doctrine found in the Psalms, and we are meant to be instructed in it, and dig deep to see it.  This is why I love this book so much, because it shows what it means for right doctrine about God to intersect with our hearts in joyful worship to God.

Psalm 28:1-5

^“To you, O LORD, I call; my rock, be not deaf to me, lest, if you be silent to me, I become like those who go down to the pit.  Hear the voice of my pleas for mercy, when I cry to you for help, when I lift up my hands toward your most holy sanctuary.  Do not drag me off with the wicked, with the workers of evil, who speak peace with their neighbors while evil is in their hearts.  Give to them according to their work and according to the evil of their deeds;
give to them according to the work of their hands;  render them their due reward.  Because they do not regard the works of the LORD or the work of his hands, he will tear them down and build them up no more.”

Here I won’t look at all there is to see, but I want to pick out some low hanging fruit to show where doctrine intersects with David’s heart.  First ask yourself – what is David asking mercy from?  David realizes, and this Psalm teaches that before a holy God no one is righteous, and he deserves to be drug off with them.  What is wicked about the people around David?  Is it their behavior?  No, David says outwardly they are speaking peace, but their wickedness is the evil in their hearts.  So we could learn from this, the doctrine of the inability of man to come to God on his own – our being right with God is not about our behavior, but having a right heart, and no man can do anything about the condition of his heart.  It is a work of mercy from the Lord.  How can one appreciate the cross, and have true affections for Jesus, until he realizes that there is no hope for him, apart from the mercy of God?

What comes next is a doctrine I wish more of us could see.  What judgment does David call down on the wicked surrounding him?  Only that God would give them according to their work.  Many people look at the US, and they see murder, extortion, fraud on wall street, millions of abortions, divorce rates higher than most any place in the world, and they ask the question “when is God going to judge us?”  Those things they they just listed off are not the things God is going to judge us for… they are the judgement.  Look at the Psalm, the evil of men is not in their actions, but in the evil of their hearts.  All of these physical manifestations of sin are not man’s sin, they are the judgement of God on man’s sinfulness.  God will give man the desire of his heart.  If your desire is for sin, God will give you what you desire, that is his judgment.  If your desire, by the grace of God is for Him, you can draw great strength and encouragement from knowing that He will reveal more and more of Himself to you.

Psalm 28:6-9

“Blessed be the LORD!  For he has heard the voice of my pleas for mercy.  The LORD is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped;
my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.  The LORD is the strength of his people; he is the saving refuge of his anointed.  Oh, save your people and bless your heritage!  Be their shepherd and carry them forever.”

David’s joy for God flows from His understanding and teaching that none is righteous before a holy God, yet God is merciful, and trustworthy. All of the judgment David has just called down on those around Him is due him as well.  Yet, David is bold in the promises of God.  He trusts that God will not abandon those who seek Him with their whole heart.  It is here, where his trust that God will be his strength, that God will not only be merciful, but will provide protection, strength, even guide and carry those who come to Him, finds hope to exult in the Lord joyfully.

What promises of God do you hold fast in your heart from moment to moment every day?  When your head understands right doctrine about God, your heart will engage right affections for him as well.  My encouragement each morning is to find one thing about God, that you can dwell on throughout the day, that the Word of God would encourage you.  Know that the entirety of God’s Word is meant for this purpose, to teach you about God, yes, but that in your knowing about God, and rooting your heart in promises from God, your heart would overflow with joy to God.

Grace, Peace, and Joy,
Adam