ENCOURAGE ME! (Psalm 25)

Yellow: symbol for cheer, joy, fidelity, solidarity

(Part of a continuing series on 48 psalms that speak to “feeling down.”)

Whenever I open up my “E-mail” on the computer, I find some regular "feeds": a writers' support group, mission reports, and on-line grocery coupons. It's always a treat when I find a personal note with positive content. The other day someone E-mailed me encouragement for something I’d written. It meant so much to read that! It was like yellow joy splashing on my day.

Yellow—what an uplifting color, suggesting fidelity and solidarity. Years ago there was a popular song about a girl with a yellow ribbon in her hair to symbolize her bonds to a soldier boyfriend. In the 1980s, tying yellow ribbons on trees caught on as a way to support and welcome soldiers of war in the Middle East.  The song “Tie a Yellow Ribbon” sold three million records in three weeks at that time.

In reading over Psalm 25, I saw both traits expressed: God’s fidelity to us, and ours to Him, plus His solid presence for whatever trials we encounter. Bible teachers say 72 of the Bible’s 150 psalms speak about enemies. This is one of them. Whenever I read its opening verse, a tune comes to mind—that popularized by the Maranatha! Singers out of Calvary Chapel in Southern California in the 1970s. 

Unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul (2x)

O my God, I trust in Thee,

Let me not be ashamed, 

Let not my enemies triumph over me.

I didn’t know until researching this psalm that it is an acrostic, using letters of the Hebrew alphabet. It’s not perfect, but author David spent some time finding just the right Hebrew words to start each line.  In reading that, I thought of nights when I wake with the needs of someone on my heart. Rather than toss and turn in frustration, I’ve learned to go through the English alphabet, speaking in my heart the A-B-C-etc. names and attributes of God. 

David covers a lot of ground in this psalm.  He says:

SHOW ME!   TEACH ME! (vv. 1-5). He wants a refresher course in God’s will and attributes. When life’s troubles grind in on us, it’s helpful to be reminded of who God is.

PURGE ME! (vv. 6-7).  David knows he’s not perfect.  Some sins of his “youth” must have haunted him (v.7) and he wanted those forgiven.

HUMBLE ME! (vv. 8-14).  “The humble he guides in justice, And the humble He teaches His way” (NKJV). David knew that spiritual arrogance interfered with an authentic view of God. I’ve known people who throw around pet Bible verses, often out of context, to put on a “religious front.” But God knows their hearts, and usually others who are spiritually attuned can figure out they’re phony.

SAVE ME! (vv. 14-15).  David knew how vulnerable he was—except for God:

My eyes are ever toward the LORD,

For He shall pluck my feet out of the net.

I have about five blueberry bushes that I cover with a net during berry ripening season. I’m not too keen on feeding the local robins and quail with the morsels I like to sprinkle in my morning oatmeal. Sometimes I’ll discover a bird that found its way under the net to snack, but can’t find its way out. I’ve had to reach under and pry out to send them safely away.  And then I try to tuck in the entry point they found.  Like my local birds got in trouble with the “net,” we’re vulnerable to the hatred and vitriol of our enemies, whatever form that may take (v. 19).

NO SHAME!  (vv. 22). I’ve experienced being “shamed” by false accusations.  It really hurts, and it reminded me that Satan is at work in trying to make me question my relationship with God.  David seemed to feel the same way as he finished the psalm and returned to the phrase he began with: “Let me not be ashamed.” 

He ends with the yellow ribbon: “Let integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for you” (v. 21).

And here’s the antidote to feeling down: Follow after God, and wait for Him. He doesn’t always choose the timetable or method we think He should, but His ways and timing are always the best for us--from eternity’s perspective.

Making 'Psense' of Psalms--Psalm 25: Teachable

Part of a continuing series on selected psalms.

Growing up means trying new things—and for my now-seven-month-old grandson, Josiah, that means solids like rice cereal. Title this “pfftt!”  As I care for him while his parents work, I’ve re-discovered the importance of multiple learning experiences. Feedings, books, walks, lap play and songs keep his day rolling along plus provide teachable moments.  And then there are the blessed naps! This granny sneaks onto the bed next to his crib and catches some winks, too.

 

In thinking about Psalm 25, the word “teachable” rises to the top. It’s about enemies lining our way, and God’s honor, but it’s also about how we grow up from spiritual infancy. Like many psalms, this one is subtitled simply, “of David.” It’s one of nine “acrostic” psalms (according to the Hebrew alphabet), of which Psalm 119 is the crown jewel of poetic perfection. It became a sing-able psalm in our generation, thanks to the music arrangement given the first two verses by Maranatha! Music in the 1970s. Maybe you can recall the tune, set to words of the King James version:

            Unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul. (repeat)
            O my God, I trust in thee:
            Let me not be afraid, let not my enemies triumph over me.

The overall message of Psalm 25 is growing spiritually through life’s hard places, whether they’re the result of our choices or from living in a sinful, fallen world. I almost wonder if David’s reference to those “who are treacherous without cause” (v. 3) stemmed from the time he almost let anger push him into treachery. The incident, recorded in 1 Samuel 25, happened during his years on the run from King Saul. He and his band of warriors supported themselves, as was the custom, by providing freelance police protection for local farmers and ranchers. One of them was Nabal, who lived out the meaning of his name: “fool.” Stingy and arrogant, Nabal wasn’t going to part with a dime for these vigilantes, and David was incensed.

As David and his crew headed to Nabal’s spread to teach him a bloody lesson, Nabal’s beautiful and wise wife, Abigail, intercepted them with food and a plea to think about how David’s anger wasn’t the best response. “Let no wrongdoing be found in you as long as you live,” she said (1 Samuel 25:28). She knew he’d been designated the next king, and he’d regret carrying out this plan. Her wisdom worked. Amazingly, Nabal suddenly died apart from David’s sword. And Abigail was taken into David’s household.

When he became king, David found himself in similar circumstances. He had enemies bent on taking down him and the nation he led. It was an overwhelming responsibility.  How could he, a mere man—albeit chosen by God—accomplish it all? Only by the help of God. Only by being teachable and learning God’s ways. Only by trusting God to keep “growing” him, taming the immature rashness as he learned to walk with God. Psalm 25 is peppered with “teach” and its synonyms: show, guide, instruct. As we’re obedient to God, as He speaks through prayer, scripture, and the teaching and counsel of godly people, that spiritual growth takes place.

Growth also requires an honest look at our sins. David knew well his failings—the “sins of my youth and my rebellious ways” (v. 7).  He asked God to “forgive my iniquity, though it is great” (v. 11). Rather than dumping us for our failures, God works with us:

            Good and upright in the LORD;
            Therefore he instructs sinners in his ways. (v. 8)
Perhaps the better word of this process is “surrender.” A young single woman I know, in her early thirties, is trusting God for everything as she ministers to at-risk children in Belize. She writes of her trust in God despite discouragement, harm and deprivation in a blog appropriately titled, “Daily Surrender.” Oswald Chambers, author of the classic My Utmost for His Highest, commented on Psalm 25: “All the blessings God brings to our lives will never take the place of our surrender to Christ.  We must let Him have His own way. God may bless us beyond all measure, but that is not a sign we are sanctified. He longs to give us more.” (1)

“Shame” is also key word for Psalm 25.  It’s used three times in the first three verses and again at the end (v. 20). In the Hebrew (bosh), it has a particular meaning that’s different from our concept of being ashamed or embarrassed about something, like our own failures. The idea is more “to be disappointed” because something proved unworthy of your trust. It’s more the idea expressed in Romans 5:5: “Hope maketh not ashamed” (KJV) or “Hope does not disappoint us” (NIV). If we walk through life trusting in God—no matter the scoffers who line the roads with their futile “designer” religions—He will vindicate us in the end. We need never be ashamed of following Christ, because all other routes to God are dead ends.

Someday, I’m hoping my infant grandson will understand that, and put his trust in Jesus as Savior. My job as “Grandma” is to represent the loving arms of God, and to pray that someday he will say, as did David, “In you I trust, O my God” (v. 1).

 

Next time: Psalm 27

(1) Oswald Chambers, Devotions for a Deeper Life (Zondervan, 1986, p. 225).