Heart of a Psalmist - Worshipping Christ Through The Psalms

THE ANGUISH - 1,2

I

II THE ALTAR - 3,4 III THE AFFIRMATION - 5

THE ANGUISH - 1,2

I

The psalmist has three sources of anguish that he is facing: • An Ungodly Nation- “ Vindicate me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation;” (1, NIV) Perhaps this is in reference to the rejection of David by the nation of Israel during the rebellion of Absalom: “ A messenger soon arrived in Jerusalem to tell King David, ‘All Israel has joined Absalom in a conspiracy against you.” (2 Sam. 15:13) Sometimes an entire nation can be going the wrong way, only a person like David who has great courage and conviction and is supported by the Almighty is able to withstand it. • A Deceitful Man- “ Rescue me from deceitful and wicked men!” (2, NIV) This is most likely Ahithophel, David’s trusted counselor that defected to the rebellion of Absalom. “ When someone told David that his adviser Ahithophel was now backing Absalom, David prayed, ‘O Lord, let Ahithophel give Absalom foolish advice!’” (2 Sam. 15:31) This ‘personal’ wound of betrayal was probably more hurtful than the ‘public’ rejection by the nation. • A Distant God- “ For you are God, my only safe haven. Why have you tossed me aside? Why must I wander around in darkness, oppressed by my enemies?” (2, NLT) The writer is in anguish be- cause he feels rejected by God. “ Why have you rejected me?” (Ps. 43:2;NIV) It is legitimate to pray these prayers when life does not make sense. God is not alarmed by our passionate inquiry; he is most likely alarmed when we have no emotional and spiritual reaction to the difficulties of life. Though the psalmist is seemingly tossed aside and forgotten yet the justice and mercy of God is already at work, providing a way for him to return to his dwelling place.

II THE ALTAR - 3,4

“ Send out your light and your truth; let them guide me. Let them lead me to your holy mountain, to the place where you live.” (3)

Jesus fulfills these verses as he is both the light of the world and the embodiment of all truth sent by the Father to lead us into abundant and eternal life. “ I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t be stumbling through the darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.” (Jn. 8:12) The source of all truth is the person of Jesus Christ. “ I am the way, the truth, and the life.” (Jn. 14:6) Both light and truth lead us to his holy mountain where there is life. It was God’s initiative to send his Son to lead humanity back to himself.

“ There I will go to the altar of God, to God-the source of all my joy. I will praise you with my harp, O God, my God!” (4)

Just as the son of Korah found the source of the Jordan River in psalm 42, he now discovers the source of his joy and music, a deepened relationship with God at his altar. Paul describes the similar experience of worship in Romans 12: “ Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God- this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not con- form any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” (Rom. 12:1,2; NIV) The altar is where we present our lives as a sacrifice to his will. This is the essence of our spiritual worship. We do not really worship until we ‘change and renew our mind’ about the greatness and character of God. Each encounter of worship is a fresh exploration into the depths of his being; he is more beautiful than we had originally thought, he is more able to help us than we had previously imagined, he is more loving than we have formerly experienced and there we resolve to love and serve him more. This is the altar that is the source of our joy.

III THE AFFIRMATION - 5

“ Why am I discouraged? Why so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again- my Savior and my God!”(5)

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