SIMPLE DO'S

        These are two pages from one of my exhaustive 
Bible concordances, but the tiny print and compact
columns are probably a good picture of ALL
those 613 laws facing early Jews.

The law library at the University of Washington was my favorite place to study—away from roommate drama—during the two quarters I attended there (1969-70). No, I wasn't a law student (I was completing some journalism classes), but I knew that my need of a quiet study place could happen amidst the tall shelves of thick law books. So many laws! Thousands of tomes to interpret them!

A few years later I learned of an burdensome spiritual number: 613. That's how many commands good Jews of Bible times were expected to obey. Of that number, 365 were things not to do, and 248 were things to do. Of the “police force” (the Pharisees) pushing all those laws on people, Jesus declared, WOE! All of Matthew 23 jabs at the picky-picky laws they felt duty-bound to impose.

I'm grateful God set the “basics” at ten (commandments), not hundreds. And that Jesus augmented the stark “Thou shalt” and “Thou shalt not” commands of Moses' time with the compassionate do's and don'ts with The Beatitudes (Matthew 5) as well as His other teachings. Also: that scripture includes other parcels of teaching that support and explain the basics of simple, godly living.

One such passage is Psalm 15, by King David. He wasn't perfect, but he loved God. As a warrior-king, not a priest, he couldn't serve in the Jerusalem temple. But he seemed to yearn for a life of devotion such as he observed in the priests who lived and worked on God's “holy hill” (v. 1). The character traits he highlighted are still true for believers today.

*INTEGRITY. David spoke of a seeking a “blameless walk” (v. 2), despising vile lifestyles (v. 4a) and honoring godliness (v. 4b).

*TRUTHFULNESS. His spiritual role models had impeccable speech (“speaks truth from his heart,” v. 2b), and didn't slander or slur another's reputation (v. 5).

*GODLY CONDUCT. For this character trait, David looked at how someone handled money. He commended those who kept their word “even when it hurts” (v. 4), lent money without exorbitant interest (“usury”), and never accepted bribes (particularly, never against “the innocent”--v. 5).

Throughout all three of these character traits I hear echoes of the Ten Commandments and Jesus' teachings about loving and serving one another. And I'm grateful I'm not burdened by more than 600 Levitical do's and don'ts of long ago. The traits David highlighted transcend the centuries. And they can be journey markers until Christ calls us Home—to Heaven, where integrity, truthfulness, and godly conduct are the norm, for everyone there.

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--Psalms 15, 24: Integrity

#3 in a series of selected Psalms that believers should understand.

I was gathering up my just-purchased groceries when the shopper behind me told the checkout clerk, “I found this on the bottom of my cart when I got out to car.” Handing over a gallon of milk, she added, “I realized I hadn’t paid for it, so came back to do that.” We made eye contact and I said, “Thank you. Something similar happened to me one time, and I came back and paid, too.” “It’s the right thing to do,” she replied. The clerk added, “Wish more people were like that.”

            Everyday vignettes like that are the message of Psalm 15. This psalm reminds us what godly living looks like and, conversely, how spiritual phonies behave. Its message is living with the awareness that God sees and knows everything. As David began the psalm, contemplating the constant gaze of God: “LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill?” David wasn’t saying that he wanted an apartment in the temple courts. Instead, he wanted to live openly before God. As someone once said, it’s living with “roof off and walls down.”

            Psalm 15 reminds us what a righteous person does. However, it doesn’t explain the way to “get right” with God. David wrote B.C.—before Christ. We live A.D.—after Christ’s coming to earth. Christ changed “doing” for God’s approval to “done” through His sacrifice for our sins. We live as Christ summarized all the law: as loving God with all our hearts, soul, and mind, and our neighbors as ourselves (Matt. 22:37-40).

            Some of the behaviors this psalm highlights:

        *Moral soundness (v. 2). A blameless walk, doing what is righteous. 

 

        *Verbal responsibility (v. 3). Restraining one’s tongue, wary of gossip and slander, considering the consequences of words by asking:  Even if true, is this helpful and kind to share?

            *Discerning (v. 4). Loyal to the things of God, despising what is vile. One quick check of your D.Q. (Discernment Quotient): log onto your computer’s home (news) page. How much of the culture it portrays would offend God? You?

            *Honors commitments (v. 4b). Keeps promises, even to personal loss. Years ago, my husband sold encyclopedias to supplement a public school teacher’s salary. One night, after a hard-earned “sale,” he checked his paperwork and realized he’d undercharged a customer. Rather than go back and ask for the correct price, he made up the difference personally.

            *Generous and wise with money (v. 5). Refuses to gain through another’s misfortune. In ancient times, extortion and exorbitant interest were common. Today, that could include living with “less” and giving, so that others can simply live.

            The psalm’s conclusion is what you’d expect (v. 5b): “He who does these things will never be shaken.”  He will live with confidence and sure hope before God.

            Psalm 24:3-5 has a similar list, as does Isaiah 33:15-16. But man does not live by lists alone. The bigger reason for righteous living comes out after Psalm 24’s “righteous man” list. In a rather abrupt transition, the psalmist calls out for the city gates to open for a king’s entrance. This king is “The LORD Almighty” (v. 10), the Lord Jesus. He first fulfilled this scripture with His triumphal entry into Jerusalem the week before He died on a cross. But He rose from the dead, ascended into Heaven, and is coming again.

            Who will shout his welcome? Those ready to ascend His holy hill and dwell with Him. Yes, those with clean hands and pure hearts!

 

Next blog: Psalm 16