Psalms 89:19

Psalms 89:19-39, “Then thou spakest in vision to thy holy one, and saidst, I have laid help upon one that is mighty; I have exalted one chosen out of the people. I have found David my servant; with my holy oil have I anointed him: With whom my hand shall be established: mine arm also shall strengthen him. The enemy shall not exact upon him; nor the son of wickedness afflict him. And I will beat down his foes before his face, and plague them that hate him. But my faithfulness and my mercy shall be with him: and in my name shall his horn be exalted. I will set his hand also in the sea, and his right hand in the rivers. He shall cry unto me, Thou art my father, my God, and the rock of my salvation. Also I will make him my firstborn, higher than the kings of the earth. My mercy will I keep for him for evermore, and my covenant shall stand fast with him. His seed also will I make to endure for ever, and his throne as the days of heaven. If his children forsake my law, and walk not in my judgments; If they break my statutes, and keep not my commandments; Then will I visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes. Nevertheless my lovingkindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail. My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips. Once have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto David. His seed shall endure for ever, and his throne as the sun before me. It shall be established for ever as the moon, and as a faithful witness in heaven. Selah.”

These verses in Psalms talk about the Davidic covenant. God chose David. God raised him up. God made him king. And God decided that through the lineage of king David would come the Messiah, Jesus Christ. The question is why did God favour David. Why did God chose David? What was it about David that pleased God?

If you read the books of Samuel and Kings you will see that what was different about David compared to most people is that David put his faith in God. It is faith that pleases God. Hebrews 11:6 says, “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”

There are many people that claim to have faith in God. But there are few people who have true faith in God. True faith in God beings when a person believes the gospel of Jesus Christ. When the Holy Spirit comes to a person and convicts them of their sins and that person responds by repenting and accepting Jesus into their heart then true faith in God begins.

God is actively searching and working in the hearts of men to find those who will respond to His message of love and forgiveness by faith in His Son. O how faith pleases God. How great and how many are the things that God will do for you and the ways that He will bless you just because of your faith.

Millions even billions are the numbers of souls that turn away from God. When God finds a person who believes His word, who trusts His promises how much joy that brings God and how much He delights in that person.

Do not underestimate the value and the importance of faith. Your faith in Jesus Christ is the most valuable possession you can own. It is more precious than gold, it more precious than the knowledge of science, it is more precious than the favor and approval of other human beings.

Romans 10:17 says, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Once you have faith in Jesus the important thing is to nature your faith to make sure that your faith continues to grow and to become stronger.

The primary source for growing your faith is to study the Bible. Jesus said man shall not live by bread alone but by every word of God. For your faith to grow you need to feed upon the word of God every day of your life. It honestly is not enough to listen to one or two or three sermons a week but you need to be fed spiritually every day. You do not eat only once or twice or three times a week. You eat several meals a day to nurture your body.

Psalms 1 says, “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.”

A Christian should be like a tree which grows over time and bears fruit. A tree grows it roots grow deeper and deeper into the soil and the tree becomes stronger and able to withstand storms. As a Christian grows in the faith that Christian becomes able to withstand the storms life and becomes a spiritual tree that bears more and more fruit all because of a growing faith in the promises of God. If you are going to desire anything in this life then desire and pray for a greater faith in God.

Romans 1:17, “For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.” If you are living by faith then you are living life the way it was meant to be lived.

Psalms 89:38-52, “But thou hast cast off and abhorred, thou hast been wroth with thine anointed. Thou hast made void the covenant of thy servant: thou hast profaned his crown by casting it to the ground. Thou hast broken down all his hedges; thou hast brought his strong holds to ruin. All that pass by the way spoil him: he is a reproach to his neighbours. Thou hast set up the right hand of his adversaries; thou hast made all his enemies to rejoice. Thou hast also turned the edge of his sword, and hast not made him to stand in the battle. Thou hast made his glory to cease, and cast his throne down to the ground. The days of his youth hast thou shortened: thou hast covered him with shame. Selah. How long, LORD? wilt thou hide thyself for ever? shall thy wrath burn like fire? Remember how short my time is: wherefore hast thou made all men in vain? What man is he that liveth, and shall not see death? shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave? Selah. Lord, where are thy former lovingkindnesses, which thou swarest unto David in thy truth? Remember, Lord, the reproach of thy servants; how I do bear in my bosom the reproach of all the mighty people; Wherewith thine enemies have reproached, O LORD; wherewith they have reproached the footsteps of thine anointed. Blessed be the LORD for evermore. Amen, and Amen.”

These verses are describing the chastisement of God on the nation of Israel. The New Testament tells us some very important things about the chastising of God on His children when it says in Hebrews 12:5-13, “And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.”

When you are being chastised by God the important thing is how you respond. The very last verse of Psalms 89 verse 52 tells us how we should respond when it says, “Blessed be the LORD for evermore. Amen, and Amen.” When God chastises us we should be thankful for it. It shows us that God loves us. We should accept the chastisement and be quick to repent of our sins.

Psalms 90:1-17 says, “A Prayer of Moses the man of God. Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God. Thou turnest man to destruction; and sayest, Return, ye children of men. For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night. Thou carriest them away as with a flood; they are as a sleep: in the morning they are like grass which groweth up. In the morning it flourisheth, and groweth up; in the evening it is cut down, and withereth. For we are consumed by thine anger, and by thy wrath are we troubled. Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy countenance. For all our days are passed away in thy wrath: we spend our years as a tale that is told. The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away. Who knoweth the power of thine anger? even according to thy fear, so is thy wrath. So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. Return, O LORD, how long? and let it repent thee concerning thy servants. O satisfy us early with thy mercy; that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. Make us glad according to the days wherein thou hast afflicted us, and the years wherein we have seen evil. Let thy work appear unto thy servants, and thy glory unto their children. And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it.”

Psalms 90 is a Psalm about the temporariness of human life. Death is a morbid topic. People in general do not like to think about it or talk about it. The problem is people go through their lives ignoring the fact that they are going to die one day. It is a truth that must be faced. People who think about the fact they are going to die one day are more likely to be concerned about how they live their life, how they use their time, that they use it wisely, that they accomplish something with their life.

Most importantly people should consider the fact that after death we must face the judgment of God. If people would think about this truth and face this truth honestly it would motivate them to both repent of their sins and trust in Jesus and also to try to live a righteous life in a practical sense.

You only have so much time in life so use it wisely. The day is coming when you will die and stand before the judgment seat of Christ. So hopefully you will take advantage of the opportunity that you have today to serve God.

Psalms 91:1 says, “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.”

Psalms 91 is Psalm about the benefits of walking close to God. Verse 1 is very intriguing when talks about the secret place of the most High. There are some other verses in the Bible that use some similar phrases.2 Samual 22:10, “He bowed the heavens also, and came down; and darkness was under his feet.” Job 15:8, “Hast thou heard the secret of God? and dost thou restrain wisdom to thyself?” Psalms 18:11, “He made darkness his secret place; his pavilion round about him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.” Isaiah 45:15, “Verily thou art a God that hidest thyself, O God of Israel, the Saviour.”

In some ways you could say God is a mysterious God. God has many secrets. And God is a God that hides Himself. After all God is eternal from everlasting to everlasting God is all knowing and infinite in his wisdom, infinite in his love, infinite in His judgments. There are so many things we will never know about God. For example what was God doing for all eternity past before he created the heavens and the earth and the angels and man.

God is a God of secrets. Darkness is under His feet. Darkness is His secret place. God is a God that hides Himself.

Psalms 91:1 says, “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” So, where is the secret place of the most High? Is it the temple mount in Jerusalem? Is it some other holy place some other ancient building or perhaps mysterious mountain?

The secret place of the most High is in the hearts of men. 1 John 4:15, “Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.” Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith.

The benefits of being close to God are many. And some of them are listed for us here in Psalms 91:2-10, “I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.”

What shall separate us from the love of Christ. Those who trust in Jesus will find that they have a secret hiding a place, a place of rest where they can go when they are weary of the toils of life, a place of peace where they can go when they are weary of the strife and violence and cruelty and tongues of men, a place of safety and certainty where they can go when life is full of fears and uncertainty.

You see you will always find that in Jesus there is a secret place of sweet fellowship which you can go to that nothing in this world can touch. And there you will be safe and loved by the Savior.

Psalms 91:11-16 says, “For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.”Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet. Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.”

These verses are talking about Jesus Christ. Oddly enough we know this because the devil quoted them during the temptation of Jesus. Luke 4:9-13 says, “And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence: For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee: And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season.”

These verses remind us of one of the ways that God protects us and that is with his Angels. God has many angels, millions and millions of them maybe even billions of them. And they serve him faithfully. One of the things that Angels do is they protect God’s children just like they protected Jesus.

Of course there is also a very important lesson learned from the temptation of Christ here. The devil quoted scripture. The devil knows God’s Word. He knew that these verses in Psalms were a reference to the Christ. How important it is to know God’s Word and to know it well and to know it verse by verse.

We live in a time when the false teachings of world are becoming even more deceptive than ever before even more convincing, even more appealing with their arguments about science and history and archeology, their great knowledge that they claim to have. Why many false teachers are just like the devil, they know many things about God’s Word. But remember Jesus said, “a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.”

To know God’s Word you must study it. If you are very blessed then God will send a preacher and a teacher your way to teach you His Word. But in this world finding a preacher or a teacher who does not teach some false and erroneous doctrine is very unlikely. To really know God’s word your going to have to study it for yourself. What you should do is follow the example of the Christian in Berea. Acts 17:11 says of the Christians in Berea, “that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.”

Just because someone has a degree, or just because someone is an ordained preacher, or just because someone has been preaching for 30 years, or just because someone says they believe the bible, or just because someone says they are telling the truth, does not mean that what they are teaching is true.

The truth is human beings tend to be lazy. They tend to not use their minds as they should and think for themselves. People tend to believe what they first hear. This is why little children are so easily indoctrinated by the false teachings of the public school systems. This is why people are so easily deceived by the news media. And this is why so many people are led astray by false religious teachers. How many are the wolves that exist in the world. They devour people by the billions with their lies.

If you want the truth then you must seek the truth. Jesus said seek and ye shall find. Truth beings at the cross. If you want truth then you must come to Jesus and begin by being honest with yourself about your own sinfulness. What a wonderful opportunity you have. Today is the day of salvation. You can pray to Jesus right now and receive Him as your Savior.

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