Restoring Lost Sheep ...[Part 3 ]
Verse 176. -- I have gone astray. Gotthold one day saw a farmer carefully counting his sheep as they came from the field. Happening at the time to be in an anxious and sorrowful mood, he gave vent to his feelings and said: Why art thou cast down, my soul? and why disquieted with vexing thoughts? Surely thou must be dear to the Most High as his lambs are to this farmer. Art thou not better than many sheep? Is not Jesus Christ thy shepherd? Has not he risked his blood and life for thee? Hast thou no interest in his words: "I give unto my sheep eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them out of my hand"? John 10:28. This man is numbering his flock; and thinkest thou that God does not also count and care for his believing children and elect, especially as his beloved Son has averred, that the very hairs of our head are all numbered? Mt 10:30. During the day, I may perhaps have gone out of the way, and heedlessly followed my own devices; still, at the approach of evening, when the faithful Shepherd counts his lambs, he will mark my absence, and graciously seek and bring me back. Lord Jesus, "I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek thy servant; for I do not forget thy commandments." --Christian Striver (1629-1693), in Gotthold's Emblems.
Verse 176. -- I have gone astray, etc. Who is called "the man after God's own heart"? David, the Hebrew king, had fallen into sins enough -- blackest crimes -- there was no want of sin. And, therefore, unbelievers sneer, and ask, "Is this your man after God's own heart?" The sneer, it seems to me, is but a shallow one. What are faults, what are the outward details of a life, if the inner secret of it, the remorse, temptations, the often baffled, never ended struggle of it, be forgotten?...David's life and history, as written for us in those psalms of his, I consider to be the truest emblem ever given us of a man's moral progress and warfare here below. All earnest souls will ever discover in it the faithful struggle of an earnest human soul towards what is good and best. Struggle often baffled -- sore baffled -- driven as into entire wreck; yet a struggle never ended, ever with tears, repentance, true unconquerable purpose begun anew. --Thomas Carlyle, (1795-1881), in "Heroes and Hero Worship."
Verse 176. -- For I do not forget thy commandments. In all my wandering; with my consciousness of error; with my sense of guilt; I still do feel that I love thy law, thy service, thy commandments. They are the joy of my heart, and I desire to be recalled from all my wanderings, that I may find perfect happiness in thee and in thy service evermore. Such is the earnest wish of every regenerated heart. For as such a one may have wandered flora God, yet he is conscious of true attachment to him and his service; he desires and earnestly prays that he may be "sought out," brought back, and kept from wandering any more.
Verse 176. -- For I do not forget thy commandments. The godly never so fall but there remains in them some grace, which reserves a hope of medicine to cure them: so David here. Albeit he transgressed some of God's commandments, yet he fell not into any full oblivion of them.
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Friday, March 7, 2008
Restoring Lost Sheep [part 2 ]
Restoring Lost Sheep [part 2]
EXPLANATORY NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS
Verse 176. -- I have gone astray like a lost sheep. Though a sheep go astray, yet it is soon called back by file voice of the shepherd: "My sheep hear my voice." Thus David when he went against Nabal was called back by the Lord's voice in a woman; and when he had slain Uriah he was brought again by Nathan. And therefore if we will be sheep, then though we sometimes go astray, yet we must be easily reclaimed. --Richard Greenhorn.
Verse 176. -- I have gone astray like a lost sheep, driven out by storm, or dark day, or by the hunting of the dogs chased out from the rest of the flock. --David Dickson.
Verse 176. -- I have gone astray like a lost sheep, etc. And this is all the conclusion -- "a lost sheep!" This long psalm of ascriptions, praises, avowals, resolves, high hopes, ends in this, that he is a perishing sheep. But, stay, there is hope -- "Seek thy servant." "I have gone astray like a lost sheep." The original is of the most extensive range, comprehending all time past, and also the habitual tendencies of the man. The believer feels that he had gone astray when the grace of God found him; that he had gone astray many times, had not the grace of God prevented it. He feels that he went astray on such and such unhappy occasions. He also feels that he hath gone astray in all that he hath done; and indeed that he is astray now. But the word expresses the habitual tendency likewise -- I go astray like a lost sheep, and this rendering is in keeping with the prayer, "Seek thy servant." The third member is also properly rendered in keeping with it: "I go astray like a lost sheep; seek thy servant; for I do not forget thy commandments." All this is descriptive of the remaining corruption that is in the believer. He is not unmindful of the Lord; he has the root of the matter in him, the seed of divine life; yet he does go astray; whence the necessity of the prayer: "Seek thy servant." Isaiah's description of men, although conveyed in the same terms, is evidently more sweeping, as the context words show: "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all." This would seem to apply to the race of man. Rather is the experience of the Psalmist similar to that described by the apostle Paul: "I find a law, that when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God, after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members." And the Psalmist had the same remedy at the early period, as had the apostle in the later times; for God's salvation is one. The Psalmist's remedy was, "Seek thy servant;" the apostle's,: "O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord."
Verse 176. -- I have gone astray. The original word signifies either the turning of the foot, or the turning of the heart, or both, out of the way. "I have gone astray like a lost sheep;" that is, I have been deceived, and so have gone out of the way of thy holy commandments. Satan is an ill guide, and our hearts are no better: he that follows either, quickly loseth himself; and until God seeketh us (as David prays in the next words), we cannot find our way when we are once out of it.
EXPLANATORY NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS
Verse 176. -- I have gone astray like a lost sheep. Though a sheep go astray, yet it is soon called back by file voice of the shepherd: "My sheep hear my voice." Thus David when he went against Nabal was called back by the Lord's voice in a woman; and when he had slain Uriah he was brought again by Nathan. And therefore if we will be sheep, then though we sometimes go astray, yet we must be easily reclaimed. --Richard Greenhorn.
Verse 176. -- I have gone astray like a lost sheep, driven out by storm, or dark day, or by the hunting of the dogs chased out from the rest of the flock. --David Dickson.
Verse 176. -- I have gone astray like a lost sheep, etc. And this is all the conclusion -- "a lost sheep!" This long psalm of ascriptions, praises, avowals, resolves, high hopes, ends in this, that he is a perishing sheep. But, stay, there is hope -- "Seek thy servant." "I have gone astray like a lost sheep." The original is of the most extensive range, comprehending all time past, and also the habitual tendencies of the man. The believer feels that he had gone astray when the grace of God found him; that he had gone astray many times, had not the grace of God prevented it. He feels that he went astray on such and such unhappy occasions. He also feels that he hath gone astray in all that he hath done; and indeed that he is astray now. But the word expresses the habitual tendency likewise -- I go astray like a lost sheep, and this rendering is in keeping with the prayer, "Seek thy servant." The third member is also properly rendered in keeping with it: "I go astray like a lost sheep; seek thy servant; for I do not forget thy commandments." All this is descriptive of the remaining corruption that is in the believer. He is not unmindful of the Lord; he has the root of the matter in him, the seed of divine life; yet he does go astray; whence the necessity of the prayer: "Seek thy servant." Isaiah's description of men, although conveyed in the same terms, is evidently more sweeping, as the context words show: "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all." This would seem to apply to the race of man. Rather is the experience of the Psalmist similar to that described by the apostle Paul: "I find a law, that when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God, after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members." And the Psalmist had the same remedy at the early period, as had the apostle in the later times; for God's salvation is one. The Psalmist's remedy was, "Seek thy servant;" the apostle's,: "O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord."
Verse 176. -- I have gone astray. The original word signifies either the turning of the foot, or the turning of the heart, or both, out of the way. "I have gone astray like a lost sheep;" that is, I have been deceived, and so have gone out of the way of thy holy commandments. Satan is an ill guide, and our hearts are no better: he that follows either, quickly loseth himself; and until God seeketh us (as David prays in the next words), we cannot find our way when we are once out of it.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Lost Sheep {part 1 }
"I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek thy servant; for I do not forget thy commandments."
(Psalm 119:176)
Exposition
Verse 176. This is the finale, the conclusion of the whole matter: I have gone astray like a lost sheep -- often, wilfully, wantonly, and even hopelessly, but for thine interposing grace. In times gone by, before I was afflicted, and before thou hadst fully taught me thy statutes, I went astray. "I went astray" from the practical precepts, from the instructive doctrines, and from the heavenly experiences which thou hadst set before me. I lost my road, and I lost myself. Even now I am apt to wander, and, in fact, have roamed already; therefore, Lord, restore me.
Seek thy servant. He was not like a dog, that somehow or other can find its way back; but he was like a lost sheep, which goes further and further away from home; yet still he was a sheep, and the Lord's sheep, his property, and precious in his sight, and therefore he hoped to be sought in order to be restored. However far he might have wandered he was still not only a sheep, but God's "servant," and therefore he desired to be in his Master's house again, and once more honoured with commissions for his Lord. Had he been only a lost sheep he would not have prayed to be sought; but being also a "servant" he had the power to pray. He cries, "See thy servant," and he hopes to be not only sought, but forgiven, accepted, and taken into work again by his gracious Master.
Notice this confession; many times in the psalm David has defended his own innocence against foul mouthed accusers, but when he comes into the presence of the Lord his God he is ready enough to confess his transgressions. He here sums up, not only his past, but even his present life, under the image of a sheep which has broken from its pasture, forsaken the flock, left the shepherd, and brought itself into the wild wilderness, where it has become as a lost thing. The sheep bleats, and David prays, "Seek thy servant."
His argument is a forcible one, -- for l do not forget thy commandments. I know the right, I approve and admire the right, what is more, I love the light, and long for it. I cannot be satisfied to continue in sin, I must be restored to the ways Of righteousness. I have a home sickness after my God, I pine after the ways of peace; I do not and I cannot forget thy commandments, nor cease to know that I am always happiest and safest when I scrupulously obey them, and find all my joy in doing so. Now, if the grace of God enables us to maintain in our hearts the loving memory of God's commandments it will surely yet restore us to practical holiness. That man cannot be utterly lost whose heart is still with God. If he be gone astray in many respects, yet still, if he be true in his soul's inmost desires, he will be found again, and fully restored. Yet let the reader remember the first verse of the psalm while he reads the last: the major blessedness lies not in being restored from wandering, but in being upheld in a blameless way even to the end. Be it ours to keep the crown of the causeway, never leaving the King's highway for By path Meadow, or any other flowery path of sin. May the Lord uphold us even to the end. Yet even then we shall not be able to boast with the Pharisee, but shall still pray with the publican, "God be merciful to me a sinner; "and with the Psalmist, "Seek thy servant."
(Psalm 119:176)
Exposition
Verse 176. This is the finale, the conclusion of the whole matter: I have gone astray like a lost sheep -- often, wilfully, wantonly, and even hopelessly, but for thine interposing grace. In times gone by, before I was afflicted, and before thou hadst fully taught me thy statutes, I went astray. "I went astray" from the practical precepts, from the instructive doctrines, and from the heavenly experiences which thou hadst set before me. I lost my road, and I lost myself. Even now I am apt to wander, and, in fact, have roamed already; therefore, Lord, restore me.
Seek thy servant. He was not like a dog, that somehow or other can find its way back; but he was like a lost sheep, which goes further and further away from home; yet still he was a sheep, and the Lord's sheep, his property, and precious in his sight, and therefore he hoped to be sought in order to be restored. However far he might have wandered he was still not only a sheep, but God's "servant," and therefore he desired to be in his Master's house again, and once more honoured with commissions for his Lord. Had he been only a lost sheep he would not have prayed to be sought; but being also a "servant" he had the power to pray. He cries, "See thy servant," and he hopes to be not only sought, but forgiven, accepted, and taken into work again by his gracious Master.
Notice this confession; many times in the psalm David has defended his own innocence against foul mouthed accusers, but when he comes into the presence of the Lord his God he is ready enough to confess his transgressions. He here sums up, not only his past, but even his present life, under the image of a sheep which has broken from its pasture, forsaken the flock, left the shepherd, and brought itself into the wild wilderness, where it has become as a lost thing. The sheep bleats, and David prays, "Seek thy servant."
His argument is a forcible one, -- for l do not forget thy commandments. I know the right, I approve and admire the right, what is more, I love the light, and long for it. I cannot be satisfied to continue in sin, I must be restored to the ways Of righteousness. I have a home sickness after my God, I pine after the ways of peace; I do not and I cannot forget thy commandments, nor cease to know that I am always happiest and safest when I scrupulously obey them, and find all my joy in doing so. Now, if the grace of God enables us to maintain in our hearts the loving memory of God's commandments it will surely yet restore us to practical holiness. That man cannot be utterly lost whose heart is still with God. If he be gone astray in many respects, yet still, if he be true in his soul's inmost desires, he will be found again, and fully restored. Yet let the reader remember the first verse of the psalm while he reads the last: the major blessedness lies not in being restored from wandering, but in being upheld in a blameless way even to the end. Be it ours to keep the crown of the causeway, never leaving the King's highway for By path Meadow, or any other flowery path of sin. May the Lord uphold us even to the end. Yet even then we shall not be able to boast with the Pharisee, but shall still pray with the publican, "God be merciful to me a sinner; "and with the Psalmist, "Seek thy servant."
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Jesus Reigns
Jesus Reigns
Over the power of darkness
And the schemes that satan feigns
Above all kings and kingdoms
Our Lord and Savior Jesus reigns
Satan trembles in His presence
Kings forget their crowns
Mountains shudder at His whisper
Nations fall face down
Every person great and small must bow
And every tongue will have to confess
That Jesus is Lord of Lords
Reigning in love, truth and righteousness
He is Creator of all things
His glory covers all the earth
He is the King of Kings
His power is displayed in mighty works
He is the Prince of Peace
Come bow down, worship and adore
To His kingdom there is no end
He reigns forevermore
Over the power of darkness
And the schemes that satan feigns
Above all kings and kingdoms
Our Lord and Savior Jesus reigns
Satan trembles in His presence
Kings forget their crowns
Mountains shudder at His whisper
Nations fall face down
Every person great and small must bow
And every tongue will have to confess
That Jesus is Lord of Lords
Reigning in love, truth and righteousness
He is Creator of all things
His glory covers all the earth
He is the King of Kings
His power is displayed in mighty works
He is the Prince of Peace
Come bow down, worship and adore
To His kingdom there is no end
He reigns forevermore
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Do you know the Scriptures
What says the Scripture?
For reading & meditation: Matthew 22:23-33
"Jesus replied, You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God." (v.29)
We spend one more day considering the proposition that apart from a relationship with God and an understanding of the Scriptures, we are unable to see life as a whole. The man or woman who knows and understands the Bible will be acquainted with the facts he or she needs to have in order to come to right and sound conclusions. So immerse yourself in the Scriptures. Understand that human nature is corrupt and that apart from the grace and power of God men and women are unable to live up to their ideals. Realise that the spiritual is more powerful than the material, and unless the spirit is in control we will be driven by carnal desires. When people say humanity is getting better and that sin and evil are just the "growing pains" of the human race - what are the facts? You get them from the Scriptures and only from the Scriptures. What does the Bible tell us about evil? It says it is part of the human condition and can never be rooted out except through the power and the grace of God. So study the facts of Scripture. Read them, memorise them, and meditate upon them. When next you feel dispirited because you cannot make sense of something, ask yourself: What are the facts? Dig into the Scriptures and draw your perspective from what the Bible says. The root of many of our emotional problems lies in a lack of clear thinking - clear thinking based on Scripture. Think as God thinks about issues and you will feel as God feels about them. For you are not what you think you are, but what you think you are.
Prayer:
Father, I see now why so often my thinking about life is confused - my thinking is not based on the facts. Help me draw my deductions not from what I see in the world but from what I see in the Word. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
For further study:
For reading & meditation: Matthew 22:23-33
"Jesus replied, You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God." (v.29)
We spend one more day considering the proposition that apart from a relationship with God and an understanding of the Scriptures, we are unable to see life as a whole. The man or woman who knows and understands the Bible will be acquainted with the facts he or she needs to have in order to come to right and sound conclusions. So immerse yourself in the Scriptures. Understand that human nature is corrupt and that apart from the grace and power of God men and women are unable to live up to their ideals. Realise that the spiritual is more powerful than the material, and unless the spirit is in control we will be driven by carnal desires. When people say humanity is getting better and that sin and evil are just the "growing pains" of the human race - what are the facts? You get them from the Scriptures and only from the Scriptures. What does the Bible tell us about evil? It says it is part of the human condition and can never be rooted out except through the power and the grace of God. So study the facts of Scripture. Read them, memorise them, and meditate upon them. When next you feel dispirited because you cannot make sense of something, ask yourself: What are the facts? Dig into the Scriptures and draw your perspective from what the Bible says. The root of many of our emotional problems lies in a lack of clear thinking - clear thinking based on Scripture. Think as God thinks about issues and you will feel as God feels about them. For you are not what you think you are, but what you think you are.
Prayer:
Father, I see now why so often my thinking about life is confused - my thinking is not based on the facts. Help me draw my deductions not from what I see in the world but from what I see in the Word. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
For further study:
Monday, March 3, 2008
God Made Everything for good
God Made Everything for Good
And only when the current’s gone, we know
How useful light is to shun darkness off;
Yet, only when a ‘bandh’ we undergo,
We love silence and noise we seem to scoff.
And only when the leader is no more,
The party feels the void too much to fill;
Yet, only when we stand on the sea-shore,
We know that city-life made us too ill.
And only when we taste defeat in life,
We know what success means to everyone;
Yet, only when we suffer increased strife,
We know that God is greater than the Sun.
Each state God made with purpose only good;
Let’s accept things as they come, if we could.
And only when the current’s gone, we know
How useful light is to shun darkness off;
Yet, only when a ‘bandh’ we undergo,
We love silence and noise we seem to scoff.
And only when the leader is no more,
The party feels the void too much to fill;
Yet, only when we stand on the sea-shore,
We know that city-life made us too ill.
And only when we taste defeat in life,
We know what success means to everyone;
Yet, only when we suffer increased strife,
We know that God is greater than the Sun.
Each state God made with purpose only good;
Let’s accept things as they come, if we could.
Trusting an Unchanging God
For in it (the gospel) the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, but the righteous man shall live by faith. -Romans 1:17
God never changes. That's as comforting as it is sobering.
When we read 2 Chronicles 28, we discover the tragic life of one of Judah's kings, King Ahaz. Ahaz should have known God doesn't change. God proved it to two significant people in his life-his father and grandfather. Read 2 Chronicles, chapter 26. Ahaz ruled jointly with his father Jotham for a while. And earlier, Jotham ruled jointly for a while during the time of his father, Uzziah. So the lives of son, father, and grandfather were connected close enough for there to be a remarkable influence.
According to 26:5, Uzziah continued to "seek God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding through the vision of God; and as long as he sought the LORD, God prospered him." Ahaz had opportunity to learn this precept. He should have recalled that God prospered Grandpa because Grandpa sought Him.
A generation later according to 2 Chronicles 27:5, Ahaz's father Jotham fought with the king of the Ammonites and prevailed. In verse 6 we see that Jotham became mighty because he ordered his ways according to God's ways. This was Ahaz's second opportunity to learn about God's immutable character.
With these repeated blessings on his father's and grandfather's obedience, you'd think Ahaz would walk obediently before God himself. But he didn't.
Ahaz learned about God's unchanging attitude toward sin the hard way, just like his grandfather. Although Uzziah started out well, once he became strong, he too forgot that God does not change. In his pride, Uzziah thought he could offer incense in the holy place. Uzziah forgot the day Nadad and Abihu were killed by God for offering strange incense to the Lord. What made Uzziah think a holy God would not judge him for going where only a Levite could go?
Uzziah forgot God doesn't change. That prideful lapse of memory brought leprosy from God. (2 Chronicles 26:18, 19). He died in this condition, unable to return to the palace for the rest of his life. Ahaz also had this example to remind him that God does not change! If God judged Uzziah who started out great but ended presumptuously in sin, shouldn't Ahaz have known he couldn't get away with it? Shouldn't he have believed it?
Before the two armies invaded, God gave Ahaz a fresh opportunity to repent and renew his faith. We learn this from the prophet Isaiah, so let's review through his eyes. In Isaiah 7:1, we read: "Now it came about in the days of Ahaz, the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin the king of Aram and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up to Jerusalem to wage war against it, but could not conquer it."
Rezin decided to attack the holy city, the city of Mount Zion, where God had put His name and temple. But as hard as his armies fought, they couldn't take it. When the report reached Ahaz that the Arameans were camping just to the north, his heart and the hearts of his people shook like trees under a strong wind.
For in it (the gospel) the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, but the righteous man shall live by faith. -Romans 1:17
God never changes. That's as comforting as it is sobering.
When we read 2 Chronicles 28, we discover the tragic life of one of Judah's kings, King Ahaz. Ahaz should have known God doesn't change. God proved it to two significant people in his life-his father and grandfather. Read 2 Chronicles, chapter 26. Ahaz ruled jointly with his father Jotham for a while. And earlier, Jotham ruled jointly for a while during the time of his father, Uzziah. So the lives of son, father, and grandfather were connected close enough for there to be a remarkable influence.
According to 26:5, Uzziah continued to "seek God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding through the vision of God; and as long as he sought the LORD, God prospered him." Ahaz had opportunity to learn this precept. He should have recalled that God prospered Grandpa because Grandpa sought Him.
A generation later according to 2 Chronicles 27:5, Ahaz's father Jotham fought with the king of the Ammonites and prevailed. In verse 6 we see that Jotham became mighty because he ordered his ways according to God's ways. This was Ahaz's second opportunity to learn about God's immutable character.
With these repeated blessings on his father's and grandfather's obedience, you'd think Ahaz would walk obediently before God himself. But he didn't.
Ahaz learned about God's unchanging attitude toward sin the hard way, just like his grandfather. Although Uzziah started out well, once he became strong, he too forgot that God does not change. In his pride, Uzziah thought he could offer incense in the holy place. Uzziah forgot the day Nadad and Abihu were killed by God for offering strange incense to the Lord. What made Uzziah think a holy God would not judge him for going where only a Levite could go?
Uzziah forgot God doesn't change. That prideful lapse of memory brought leprosy from God. (2 Chronicles 26:18, 19). He died in this condition, unable to return to the palace for the rest of his life. Ahaz also had this example to remind him that God does not change! If God judged Uzziah who started out great but ended presumptuously in sin, shouldn't Ahaz have known he couldn't get away with it? Shouldn't he have believed it?
Before the two armies invaded, God gave Ahaz a fresh opportunity to repent and renew his faith. We learn this from the prophet Isaiah, so let's review through his eyes. In Isaiah 7:1, we read: "Now it came about in the days of Ahaz, the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin the king of Aram and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up to Jerusalem to wage war against it, but could not conquer it."
Rezin decided to attack the holy city, the city of Mount Zion, where God had put His name and temple. But as hard as his armies fought, they couldn't take it. When the report reached Ahaz that the Arameans were camping just to the north, his heart and the hearts of his people shook like trees under a strong wind.
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