Psalm 11
To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David
1 In the LORD put I my trust: how
say ye to my soul, Flee as a bird to your mountain?
2 For, lo, the wicked bend their bow, they make
ready their arrow upon the string, that they may privily shoot
at the upright in heart. 3 If the foundations be
destroyed, what can the righteous do? 4 The LORD
is in his holy temple, the LORD'S throne is in
heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men.
5 The LORD trieth the righteous: but the wicked and
him that loveth violence his soul hateth. 6 Upon the
wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible
tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup. 7
For the righteous LORD loveth righteousness; his countenance
doth behold the upright.
LESSON 7, JUNE 23, 2004:
I once heard a Preacher say this.
He framed his words in the context of service
for our Lord.
"We attract what we are!"
I believe that just may be true!
Kind people just seem to "draw" other kind
people to them! Grumblers live in a world with other grumblers
too! And ... of course ... godly folks do enjoy the company of
other godly brothers and sisters as well. (That’s one of the
very ideas of fellowship at the House of God!)
And today’s Bible study verse further
illustrates this point.
"For the righteous LORD loveth
righteousness; his countenance doth behold the upright." Psalm
11:7
God Himself loves to be around people who
seek to be like our dear Lord! However, unlike any other, He can
CHANGE sinners into saints through the Blood of Jesus!
The words "righteous" and "righteousness" do
come from the same "root." The Hebrew term "tzsaddiyq" means
correct or even straight in a moral or judicial sense. "Right"
in the light of God’s character.
God is RIGHT and He loves those who also seek
to be right by His standards!
He attracts what He is!
The verb for "loveth" is "ahab" in Hebrew and
means to have affection for. It can involve every level of
attraction from "fondness" to mature dedicated love! (The Bible
context must help you decide ... under the leadership of the
Holy Spirit!) This "loving" of rightness is a decision God has
made ... never to be changed! The action is "perfect" in Hebrew.
Completed! There’s just nothing that can be added to it at all!
He loves the righteous with a "perfect" love! This reminds me of
John 13:1 --- "Now before the feast of the
passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should
depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own
which were in the world, he loved them unto the end."
I got interested in that verbal "string"
("the Lord loveth") throughout the whole Bible. Watch. Psalm
37:28 --- "For the LORD loveth judgment,
and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever: but
the seed of the wicked shall be cut off." And then Psalm
87:2 --- "The LORD loveth the gates of
Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob." Plus (for a
second time) Psalm 146:8 --- "The LORD
openeth the eyes of the blind: the LORD raiseth them that
are bowed down: the LORD loveth the righteous." And get
this one too! Proverbs 3:12 --- "For whom
the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in
whom he delighteth." Paul adds another in 2
Corinthians 9:7 --- "Every man according
as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not
grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver."
I say it again!
He loves what He is!
I am remembering also that He loves old
sinners! (John 3:16 is still in the Book!
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son,
that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have
everlasting life.") BUT He saves redeems (washes) those
old sinners and changes them into people who are going to be
formed into the image of His Dear Son! It is of us believers
Paul speaks when he says we are "to be
conformed to the image of his Son" in Romans 8:29!
Not only does God love the righteous ... He
beholds them lovingly at all times! "His countenance doth behold
the upright!" (Upright is in Hebrew "yashar" and means straight,
level, correct or just!) Again, this is by God’s measurements!
The word’s first Bible use (in Exodus 15:26) speaks of those
things that are "right" in God’s sight. The second Bible use is
in Numbers 23:10 where Balaam longs to
"die the death of the RIGHTEOUS!" (When "pointed"
differently the word casn mean "to please" someone. Here it is
in that sense: Numbers 23:27 --- "And
Balak said unto Balaam, Come, I pray thee, I will bring thee
unto another place; peradventure it
will please God
that thou mayest curse me them from thence." Uprightness
pleases God!
The noun countenance ("paniym") means
literally "face!" But it’s always plural ("faces") in Scripture!
(No doubt speaking of the Trinity!) It is always translated
Singular when referring to God (same with "Elohim")! One God ...
Three "Persons" of the Godhead! 1st Use: Genesis 1:2!
"And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was
upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon
the face of the waters." The FACE of the dark deep (a
picture of lost sinners) attracted the Face of the Almighty God!
And He turned it into Light ... just like Him! Wow!
Lastly the verb "behold," which in Hebrew is
"chazah." It means to gaze at something! It suggests on-going
action! God just keep on looking and looking at the upright! In
its first Bible use it is translated "provide!" (Exodus 18:21)
Provide does mean "to see" (video) "ahead" (pro)!
Let me tell you something. Early this
Wednesday morning (6:00 AM) my heart has been encouraged as I’ve
thought upon this great verse!
Remember, when things get "bad" ... God loves
you!
Through His marvelous Grace you are being
made more and more like Him in character!
Praise His dear Name!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 6, JUNE 22, 2004:
The sixth
verse of Psalm 11 is unusual.
It speaks of
the Lord and says ....
"Upon
the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an
horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup."
(Psalm 11:6)
That sounds
like Sodom and Gomorrah, doesn't it? And yet we know that in
the dark days ahead (after the Rapture I believe) God will do it
again!
In Scripture
God is the Sender of the rain! Here the first use of the verb:
"And every plant of the field before it
was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew:
for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and
there was not a man to till the ground." (Genesis
2:5) The "time" sense of our verb "rain" (in Hebrew = "matar")
is one of on-going action. God sends this fire-rain on the
earth for a while! Read Revelation 8:7 ---
"The first angel sounded, and there
followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast
upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and
all green grass was burnt up."
God plans to rain 4 things on the wicked:
snares, fire, brimstone and an horrible tempest!
The noun "snares" translates "pach" and is
from the basic word for "a net with which to catch animals!"
It's a trap to catch the wicked! The very SAME verb is also
used for beating pure gold into this plates so it can be used
(at the Tabernacle) for the Glory of God! (One verb represents
curses for the wicked and blessings for the godly!)
"Fire" just means fire! "Esh" means burning,
flaming and hot! I take this to mean literal fire too.
"Brimstone" is a word the Hebrews used for
the resin of a certain tree. It was sticky (gooey) and adhered
to one's body. It came to be used for sulphur also. It is a
burning substance that fastens itself to human flesh and can't
be removed! (What pain!) I've had this to happen to me (in a
high school chemistry lab)! It is terrible. (Only my finger was
involved ... but it HURT!)
The adjective "horrible" comes from a verbal
root that means "to boil up!" It depicts great intensity!
And "tempest" is the word for wind ("ruach")!
It is also the word for Spirit! This well could be God the Holy
Spirit in judgment upon the wicked! (He can be a Gentle Breeze
or a Terrible Storm!)
These 4 characteristics describe the coming
end (really, just the beginning) of the wicked man's life! Hell
never ends either!
It is his "portion." In Hebrew "menath"
means "to weigh out" to someone their share! Wicked folks
inherit such punishment! Righteous folks (via the Blood of
Jesus) inherit eternal life in heaven! It all depends on what
one does with Jesus!
Cup is from a verb that means "to hold
together." An cup holds 8 ounces of juice together so one can
drink it! It is so sad that the ungodly here have to drink this
cup of wrath ... even after Jesus has consumed THE Cup of God's
wrath on Calvary!
Dear reader, if you've never been saved, take
these words as a warning from God!
Listen to Jesus in John 5:24 ---
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that
heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath
everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is
passed from death unto life."
Thank God for salvation!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 5, JUNE 21, 2004:
All through Scripture the "righteous" and the
"wicked" are contrasted!
This contrast is seldom any more visible than
in today's Bible verse:
"The LORD trieth the righteous: but the wicked
and him that loveth violence his soul hateth." Psalm 11:5
The verb "trieth" is interesting!
In Hebrew it's "bachan" and means to
investigate (especially) metals in order to determine their
genuineness! (To examine, to prove, to scrutinize!)
Job 23:10 gives us a classic statement using
our little verb here! "But he knoweth the way that I take: when
he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold."
Here are three different verbs ... all
describing God's scrutiny: "Examine me, O LORD, and prove me;
try my reins and my heart." Psalm 26:2 And again notice: Psalm
66:10 --- "For thou, O God, hast proved us: thou hast tried us,
as silver is tried." And in Psalm 139:23 David asks the Lord:
"Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my
thoughts."
Of course the "righteous" are (in New
Testament terminology) the "saved" of God! Those who have been
so examined and found straight (judicially) right before the
Almighty God!
Job actually thought (at least once) that God
was never going to quit testing him! Job 7:18 --- "And that thou
shouldest visit him every morning, and try him every moment?"
BUT the wicked are next introduced to our
minds.
That word wicked ("rasha") means "morally
wrong or actively bad!" (To be wrong in God's eyes! To disturb!
Even to violate!) It's a pretty strong word! This is aggressive
("activist") wickedness!
Parallel to the wicked are those who "love
violence!" The noun violence is in Hebrew spelled "hamas." Did
you get that? HAMAS! (The name of one of the terrorist groups
that daily harasses and murders Jews! They named themselves the
"violent" ones!)
God, just before the Flood of Noah's day, saw
the whole earth filled with violence! Genesis 6:11 --- "The
earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with
violence."
And the verb "hateth" translates "sane" in
Hebrew. It carries a wide range of meaning: from outright hatred
to being "set against" someone! (This is according to Vine's
Expository Dictionary) The Bible "context" of a verse and the
leading of the Holy Spirit must help one interpret each
individual usage of the word. But let me tell you clearly: God
hates sin! (Proverbs 6:16 --- "These six things doth the LORD
hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him ....")
Now look at what the verse both directly says
(and then implies)! God hates wickedness! God hates violence!
Then ... God tries the righteous!
Is this not teaching us that the wicked (at
least eventually) draw God's wrath ... and the righteous (of
necessity falling into the opposite category) draw His Love?
If so ... then God's TRYING a man or woman
may be PROOF of His LOVE ... not His unconcern! (Not even always
of judgment for sin either!)
In fact, it is exactly that!
Listen to Revelation 3:19 where God says: "As
many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and
repent." Or Hebrews 12:7 --- "If ye endure chastening, God
dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the
father chasteneth not?" And God does love His sons (and
daughters)!
You will not hear many "health, wealth and
success" preachers deal with Psalm 11:5! No sir! They're not
going to preach that the Lord TRIETH the righteous! They only
will tell us that God prospers the righteous!
HOWEVER ... both these truths must be
balanced! Sometimes God's WAY to blessing is through TRIAL!
That's taught both in the Old Testament and
the New! David proves this in Psalm 119:71 where he says: "It is
good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy
statutes." Look what happened in Psalm 4:1 --- "Hear me when I
call, O God of my righteousness: thou hast enlarged me when I
was in distress; have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer." Then
James (in James 1:3-4) tells us "Knowing this, that the trying
of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her
perfect
work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting
nothing."
Christian, this Monday HE LOVES YOU!
Rest in that truth!
Even in the hard times (when the very
foundations are being destroyed ... Psalm 11:3) our verse today
brings encouragement! Here it is again: "The LORD trieth the
righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul
hateth."
Praise His Name!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 4, JUNE 20,
2004:
As a young preacher I once heard an older man
of God quote this verse of Scripture in mockery. He was saying
that God can’t do everything ... and we ought to get involved in
the work of God ourselves. (But the context of the verse says
there's not much left that the righteous can do! The
"foundations" have been destroyed!)
It wasn’t long after that incident that I
preached in a church for a dear Pastor (in College Park,
Georgia) who had the very same verse stretched across the front
of his Church sanctuary ... in big bold letters! He was
praising the verse (as expressing a great and encouraging truth
for us Believers)!
Needless to say, the "Bible" displaying
Preacher impressed me the most!
What verse, Brother Bagwell?
"The LORD is in
his holy temple, the LORD'S throne is in heaven: his eyes
behold, his eyelids try, the children of men." Psalm
11:4
The previous verses of this Psalm draw a dark
picture. Things are bad. The wicked are apparently in control
worldwide. The godly folks are being urged to "flee!" The vile
prepare to attack the righteous! What the righteous man can do
is rather limited it seems!
BUT ... God is not dead! He is watching every
move on earth! The omniscience (and really His omni-presence
too) of God here greatly encourage the Psalmist!
"The Lord is in His Holy Temple!"
Here heaven is called a temple! The word is "heykal"
in Hebrew and means a palace or a sanctuary. (Eighty times the
word occurs in the King James Bible. It’s "temple" 70 times and
"palace" 10 times.) It is derived from a verb stem that means
"to be able!" So now we have God’s Omnipotence highlighted as
well! Kings live in Palaces and Priests live in Temples!
Our God is Both!
This Temple is "holy" (in Hebrew = "qodesh"),
an adjective meaning clean (or even separated, different)! God
is a Holy God! (Thrice Holy! Isaiah 6:3) Now we learn that His
Home ... is also holy! One’s "home" takes on the very traits of
its "occupant," doesn’t it?
The little preposition "in" literally means
in the middle of ... in the midst of! God is the very Center of
Heaven! He is what makes Heaven into Heaven!
Habakkuk knows this truth also. "But the LORD
is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before
him." Habakkuk 2:20
Next we learn that no matter what’s happening
on earth ... God has a Throne in Heaven too! And He occupies it
at this very moment!
"The Lord’s Throne is in Heaven!"
The Hebrew noun "throne" ("kisse" but
pronounced kis-say’) means seat of honour or stool or (of
course) when a King is involved ... a throne!
The word "heaven" is from a root word that
means "to be lofty!" The heavens above are God’s abode! Listen
to Psalm 2:4 --- "He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh:
the Lord shall have them in derision." Or Psalm 103:19 ---
"The LORD hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his
kingdom ruleth over all." And God Himself adds in Isaiah
66:1 --- "Thus saith the LORD, The heaven is my throne, and the
earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me?
and where is the place of my rest?" When Jesus taught us to
pray, He mentioned His Father Who was in Heaven too! (Matthew
6:9)
God’s Eyes behold!
The verb here means to behold, to look with
intensity or to gaze upon! It suggests constant action too! "Chazah"
(to behold) is translated once "to provide!" Exodus 18:21 ---
"Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men,
such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place
such over them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of
hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens." God is not
only watching ... He is caring for His Own!
The little noun for "eyelids" translates a
word that (in its root) means "to cover!" That’s exactly what
the eyelids do, isn’t it? Hebrew is such a logical language.
And the verb "to try" (in Hebrew = "bachan")
means to examine or to prove or to test or scrutinize! (To
investigate!)
Sounds like Proverbs 15:3 where Solomon says:
"The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and
the good." Or Psalm 33:13 --- "The LORD looketh from
heaven; he beholdeth all the sons of men."
The phrase "Children of men" in Hebrew looks
like this: ben adam! (sons of adam!) It includes every human on
earth.
Remember today ... when it looks like you can
do absolutely nothing ... God is on the Throne!
When all the very foundations are destroyed
... let God be God!
He has a plan!
What comfort this verse provides!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 3, JUNE 19,
2004:
The verse is absolutely astonishing! (That
word comes from a Latin noun that means "thunder!") I fear it
describes the conditions of our day quite well!
It’s found in Psalm 11:3.
"If the foundations be destroyed,
what can the righteous do?"
The opening "if" is a conjunction (in
Hebrew), not a preposition. It "joins" the preceding thought
(the wicked are preparing to "shoot" at the righteous) with the
current truth (the foundations are destroyed)! It can mean "for"
or "when" or "that" as well as "if." It indicates "causal"
relations. (The reason the wicked can mistreat the righteous is
due to the fact that the very foundations of law and faith are
destroyed!)
The noun for "foundations" translates the
Hebrew word "shathah." It means the basis or support or
substructure of something. Yes, our word here is plural also. It
is related to another word (a verb) that means "to appoint!"
That’s the way it is translated in its first Bible appearance
where Eve said: "And Adam knew his wife
again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God,
said she, hath
appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain
slew." Genesis 4:25 From
this it looks like you can "appoint" away the very foundations
of a society! (Like maybe appointing wicked judges and electing
wicked leaders throughout a land!) The noun, when "pointed"
differently (yet with the same basic consonant spelling) is
rendered "buttocks" in the King James Bible (2 Samuel 10:4 and
Isaiah 20:4)! How so? That’s the part of one’s body on which he
sits (the foundation)! And once the word is translated
"purposes"... in Isaiah 19:10 --- "And
they shall be broken in the
purposes thereof,
all that make sluices and ponds for fish."
By the way, though it is a different language
(Greek) ... when Paul says in Hebrews 11:1 that
"Faith is the SUBSTANCE of things hoped
for ...", he is using the same basic thought! Our faith
is that which "stands under" all our other beliefs and
behaviors! The Greek verb is "hupostasis" --- a standing under!
In America today with almost every additional
court ruling or governmental vote or even general election ...
our Christian moorings are slipping!
The verb "destroyed" is "haras" and means to
tear down or break down or overthrow, to ruin or destroy. The
verb is in the Niphal stem ... being in a simple passive voice!
The "foundations" didn’t simply destroy themselves. Something
attacked them! (And they were apparently not maintained and
defended either!) The word is found in 43 verses in the Old
Testament. It’s first use: "And in the
greatness of thine excellency thou
hast overthrown
them that rose up against thee: thou sentest forth thy wrath,
which consumed them as stubble." Exodus 15:7
Subsequently in Exodus 19:21 it is rendered "break through."
Read it here: "And the LORD said unto
Moses, Go down, charge the people, lest they
break through
unto the LORD to gaze, and many of them perish." And in
Exodus 23:24 it is used of overthrowing the false gods of the
heathen: "Thou shalt not bow down to their
gods, nor serve them, nor do after their works: but thou shalt
utterly overthrow
them, and quite break down their images." In Hebrew
"utterly" and "overthrow" are "haras" followed by another "haras"
(doubled)!
Nevertheless ... when such things happen ...
"what can the righteous do?"
Obviously the "righteous" are the saved of
God. The "just" or the "lawful" (in Hebrew = "tzsaddiyq")! Those
who are right in God’s eyes. (To be right in a forensic sense, a
legal sense)
And the verb "do" translates "paal," a verb
meaning to make or work or even ordain. (It carries the idea of
doing so much that it becomes a "practice.") To act or to
function!
The implication is that if the foundations
are ever destroyed ... even the righteous will be greatly
hampered in what good they can do!
I fear America is rapidly approaching this
state!
With the national election getting closer and
closer (in November, 2004), our population seemingly is shifting
yet again a little more to the liberal side! It does so every
four years! (As more and more anti-Christian politicians are
elected ... or anti-Christian judges appointed ... the
foundations crumble bit by bit. One day they may fall!)
Did you think you would ever see the day when
"in God" would be questioned as part of our Pledge of
Allegiance?
Or sexual perversion allowed on our streets?
Or the Bible mocked in such a widespread
fashion?
What’s that I hear "cracking?"
We’d better check! It MAY BE the very
underpinning of our faith and way of life!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 2, JUNE 18,
2004:
The "word
pictures" of the Bible are thrilling!
We have one
today from Psalm 11!
"For,
lo, the wicked bend their bow, they make ready their arrow upon
the string, that they may privily shoot at the upright in
heart." Psalm 11:2
The Psalm is describing for us the battle
between godliness and wickedness! (Much as Psalm 1 does!)
The opening interjection, "Lo," means to
behold! Look! It suggests an urgency about the whole matter.
It also inserts some emotion and surprise to the verse. It is
here for emphasis! In Hebrew it is "hinneh."
The noun for wicked (in Hebrew = "rasha")
implies the active, aggressive, violently wicked! It may come
from a root verb that means disjointed or ill-regulated ...
hence restless ... or agitated! (I believe it suggest a
spreading, contaminating evil! What today's world would call
"activist" evil!) This is evil that has graduated from infancy
to complete rebellion!
The verb "bend" is unusual. "Darak" means to
tread upon, to walk upon or to stand upon something! One must
place his foot on the strong bow and pull it to bend it and
string it for use! These wicked folks are actually building a
bow and making arrows in order to fight the righteous!
In fact the noun for "bow" is also derived
from a word ("qesheth") that means tough, severe or dense! Hard
wood to bend ... hence a stronger bow! It will shoot the arrows
deeply into its intended target! These wicked people mean
business! They plan to diligently fight the godly! There is a
hatred and an animosity here. This Psalm is likely projecting
itself into the last days (maybe even the tribulation period)
that yet lie ahead! But the "spirit" of this hatred is already
with us!
The verb "make ready" is "kun" in Hebrew and
means to be erect or to stand up. They are preparing their
arrows for the fight! They are on "alert!" The verb is usually
expressed in the sense of being firm or prepared or stable
(established)!
Here is a formidable enemy!
The noun "arrow" is from a verb that means to
chop into pieces! In our King James Bible it is once translated
"dart" and once more "shaft!" (And as "arrow" 48 times!) The
word is "chetzs."
To "shoot" at the upright is "yarah" and
means to hurl or throw! It is rendered "shoot" 18 times in the
King James Bible. BUT it is also translated 42 times as "teach"
and 4 more times as "teacher!" Teachers "shoot" knowledge and
information into the hearts of their students! (So do Preachers
with the help of the Holy Spirit!)
Is Scripture here showing us that the wicked
may not want to kill us literally yet ... just "shoot" us full
of their wickedness and lies and false teachings? Maybe so!
But look at how they shoot at us!
"Privily!"
"Ophel" is a Hebrew noun that means darkness
or gloom. (Sunset or dusk!) They attack slyly. Covertly! The
wicked here are a "sneaky" crowd! They would love to infiltrate
the godly and harm them (change them)! This is spiritual
terrorism! Of its (only) 9 uses in the Bible ... 7 of them are
translated "darkness", 1 time it's "privily" and once
"obscurity."
The upright (Hebrew = "yashar") are the
righteous, godly (saved) folks who love the Lord. The noun
means straight! Correct, level, just, fitting or righteous!
Here is more of that animosity: "The
wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, to
cast down the poor and needy, and to slay such as be of
upright
conversation." Psalm 37:14
And "heart" is "leb," meaning the innermost
part of the man (or woman)! These godly folks are not
hypocrites ... but sincerely (completely) righteous individuals!
It sounds to me like dark days are being
described here!
And the battle is already beginning to rage
in America!
Jesus told His disciples this was coming:
"It is enough for the disciple that he be
as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called
the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they
call them of his household?" Matthew 10:25
Surely in these times Matthew 5:12 and 13
ought to be a blessing. "Blessed are ye,
when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and
shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward
in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before
you."
Readers today, don't be alarmed if someone
(even at church) mocks or belittles you. And certainly don't be
surprised on the job or at the family reunion! If you're really
trying to live for Jesus ... this kind of warfare will come
(from the wicked)!
As usual Paul may have said it best:
"Yea, and all that will live godly in
Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." 2 Timothy 3:12
This is a dreary lesson today!
But ... on the authority of Scripture I
promise you ... the Lord will be by your side! Hebrews 13:5
says: "Let your
conversation be without
covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have:
for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 1, JUNE
17, 2004:
In Psalm 11 people say a very challenging
thing to David the man of God.
They say it in response to his godly
lifestyle.
Here’s the verse I have in mind:
"In the LORD
put I my trust: how say ye to my soul, Flee as a bird to your
mountain?" Psalm 11:1
David has just publicly, unashamedly declared
His trust in the Lord!
The Name of God used here is Jehovah! It is
the Name God uses when He emphasizes His great Redeemer
qualities. Throughout all of Genesis chapter one It is God (Elohim)
Who creates! But when man is introduced in chapter two (man who
falls into sin and needs to be saved) it no longer is just God (Elohim)
Who moves! No! No! It is the LORD God! (Jehovah Elohim) Jehovah
is God’s direct Name used in the plan of salvation!
Jehovah-Jesus shed His Blood that sinners might be saved! The
old timers used to say that Jehovah is God’s covenant making
Name!
Jehovah is also the Name of God that He
Himself defines as The "I AM THAT I AM!" In the heart of the
noun is a little Hebrew verb that means "to be!" Jehovah is the
God Who IS! He eternally IS! He never will be just the God Who
WAS! He never will be just the God Who WILL BE! He just always
IS!
It is THIS great God in Whom David puts his
trust! The verb "put trust" translates "chasah" and means to
flee for protection! David sees God as a Rock of Defense and
runs to Him for safety! He sees God as a Strong Tower and flees
to Him for refuge! He rests under His Shadow (of His Mighty
Wings!) Its first use in the Bible is located in Deuteronomy
32:37-38 where the context is one of trusting in false gods!
"And he (the LORD) shall say, Where are
their gods, their rock in whom they trusted, which
did eat the fat of their sacrifices, and drank the wine
of their drink offerings? let them rise up and help you, and
be your protection." This precise verb (in the Qal
perfect, 1st person singular form) occurs exactly 8 times in the
Book of Psalms! (Psalms 7:1 and 11:1 and 16:1 and 25:20 and 31:1
and 71:1 and 141:8 and 144:2) Eight times ... the number of new
beginning! There is another Hebrew verb for this kind of trust
("batach") ... but is not so demonstrative! Our verb here is by
far the stronger of the two!
BUT look at the response to David’s
profession of such great faith!
Some folks (the heathen, the enemies of God,
or perhaps just some spineless advisors) say something to him.
The verb "to say" (in Hebrew = "amar") is framed so as to
indicate they say this again and again, repeating it constantly!
What do they say?
Flee! The word means "to wander, to disappear
or even to waver!" The verb is spelled "nud." It is formed as an
imperative! This lost crowd is saying to David, RUN! (As a
command!) GET OUT OF HERE! Its first basic use in the Bible
(Genesis 4:12) is "vagabond!" Cain went to the land Of "Nod" to
live (Genesis 4:16) ... and Nod is our very word here "nud!"
(Wandering Place!) In 1 Kings 4:15 the word is translated
"shaken!" ("For the LORD shall smite
Israel, as a reed is shaken in the water.") In Job 2:11
it is "to mourn!" In Job 42:11, it is "bemoaned!" In Psalm 36:12
it is "remove!" It’s "be removed" again in Isaiah 24:20 ... but
I want you to read it: "The earth shall
reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a
cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it;
and it shall fall, and not rise again." (A torn down
cottage!) But old weeping Jeremiah is the "King" of using this
word! (11 times!) In Jeremiah 18:16 it’s "wag" as to wag one’s
head! It means "to skip" in Jeremiah 48:27!
Such fleeing is at times compared to the
behavior patters of birds in Scripture. For example: Proverbs
26:2 --- "As the bird by wandering, as the
swallow by flying, so the curse causeless shall not come."
(The Hebrew word for "bird" here is derived from a word
that means "to skip about" as little birds do!)
BUT the Bible also reminds us that the
righteous do not flee! They fight! Proverbs 28:1 ---
"The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but
the righteous are bold as a lion."
Preacher, next time some weak fearful person
tells you to run ... tell him NO! Stay! Fight the good fight of
faith! Grab the sword of the Spirit and use it mightily with
God’s help!
David just cannot understand that rationale.
HOW could they advise him to run? Can you imagine Jesus running
from Calvary? No! He in fact ran toward Calvary! He says in Luke
12:50 --- "But I have a baptism to be
baptized with (the Cross); and how am I straitened till it be
accomplished!"
Dear Christian friend this Thursday in June
... don’t run. Don’t fearfully retreat! Trust God for the
victory! Remember Romans 8:31 --- "What
shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who
can be against us?"
(I am not saying that perhaps there may be
some times when we ought to flee. Here’s a classic example from
the preaching of Paul. He says it to young preacher Timothy.
"Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith,
charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure
heart." 2 Timothy 2:22)
The weak said to David ... RUN!
And, in a strange way ... David did run!
Right into the strong Arms of God!
He fled to the Throne of Grace!
And, as we’ve seen today, that’s exactly what
the verb "trust" means!
How blessed we are as Christians.
What a Refuge we have in Jesus!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
