Saturday, September 12, 2015

Nothing can thwart Gods power

Ps 44 17 All this happened to us, though we had not forgotten you or been false to your covenant.
18 Our hearts had not turned back; our feet had not strayed from your path.
19 But you crushed us and made us a haunt for jackals and covered us over with deep darkness.
20 If we had forgotten the name of our God or spread out our hands to a foreign god,
21 would not God have discovered it, since he knows the secrets of the heart?

This Psalm is the prayer of Gods elect for national repentance. When the nation of Israel were unfaithful to Gods covenant they were exiled and made slaves to other nations. A lot of people teach that when God is calling for repentance He is directing it toward His covenant people. But in the Psalms a covenant child is one who stands in a mediatoral before God as a representative of redemption for the nation.  There is never a time where God applies His law in an accusatory fashion toward His own children. In this Psalm we see this clear distinction as we understand the only acceptable words to petition our Father in returning faithfulness to His full substitutionary success in keeping us from judgement. If we were to stray from this disposition then we would be in danger of being cursed ...or being judged by the whole weight of the law. Ive prayed this Psalm for 30 years so that I have not shrunken from living in the full identity of this perfect substitution. 

Again to show you that I am teaching the consistent distinction here as God addresses His people in a national way and speaks of His covenant children as distinct from "his people"60 3 You have shown your people desperate times; you have given us wine that makes us stagger .4 But for those who fear you, you have raised a banner to be unfurled against the bow. "Selah"You have given your people...speaking of those who are circumcised as citizens of Israel and "those who fear you" speaking off  Gods elect within the nation.

And what does Gods elect proclaim? That they"have not strayed from His path." Does this statement mean that Gods people were perfect in all of their behavior? Absolutely not.  In the Psalms there is always a proclamation of moral excellence that is that is put in the context of two kinds of kingdom. In other words in this verse to "lift your hands to an idol" would be to communicate in a way where you show more importance to the thing than to God. This is not talking about being moral as the evidence of faithfulness. Let me show you some other scriptures. In this Psalm that connects perseverance in salvation to Israel destroying all of their enemies is this same distinction.Ps 18 21 For I have kept the ways of the LORD; I have not done evil by turning from my God.22 All his laws are before me; I have not turned away from his decrees.23 I have been blameless before him and have kept myself from sin.....29 With your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall...30 As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him." This is the typical way that the Psalmist proclaims his innocence and his purity. Why does the Psalmist proclaim that he is perfect? There is a consistency that is like a single thread that runs through the whole book.  The Psalms teach that God orders all things by His perfect word. In this way to confess that God has been perfect in the communication that has worked out to the benefit of the elect is to speak of Gods perfect work as evidenced in the elect in His creating and recreating. "The word of the Lord is flawless" 

This is the way that the Psalmist reasons as a representative of Gods creative word. You will see this in Ps 19 where he proclaims that salvation is God being free to speak in creation and in recreation without any opposition that is able to thwart His word. And then the Psalmist acting as Gods creative representative proclaims... 14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer." What is the Psalmist saying here? He is proclaiming that all reality in his life is created by God so that according His word the Psalmist is successful. The name of God as Rock is always talking about Gods unhindered power to overthrow all the enemies of Israel in war. As God is the Rock so we go from one deliverance to another according to Gods free acts in overcoming all of our opposition. The identity of Redeemer is that God does not respond to us according to our obedience but only according to His unfailing love. The cause of our overcoming is simply appealing to Gods unfailing love. So the Psalmist is saying that he is always speaking the laws, covenants, decrees, promises and statutes for the purpose of being fully delivered when facing one opposition to another. This is the same petition as Ps 143 12 In your unfailing love, silence my enemies; destroy all my foes, for I am your servant."Our walk is a communication. 

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