this a.m. come to psalm 55 and once again try to take in what God has for me there.
i command God in prayer..
-for He says, CALL TO ME and i will show you great.. mighty things you know not
-for He encourages..for we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. let us therefore DRAW NEAR WITH CONFIDENCE to the throne of grace.. that we may receive mercy and may find grace to help in time of need.
-for Jesus, in teaching His disciples to pray said, pray in this manner..
HALLOWED BE Thy name
Thy kingdom COME
Thy will BE DONE
GIVE us..bread
FORGIVE us..as we..have forgiven
DO NOT LEAD us into temptation
DELIVER us from evil
..all commands...He commands me, He encourages me, He teaches me to come with COMMANDS..
so here goes..
v1GIVE EAR to my prayer
HIDE NOT THYSELF from my supplication
v2ATTEND UNTO me and
HEAR me
why?
v3-because of the voice of the enemy
-because of the oppression of the wicked
-for they cast iniquity upon me (calumny - latin calumnia from calvi - deceive 'the malicious uttering of false charges or misrepresentations calculated to damage my reputation)
-and in wrath they hate me.
the enemy described -
v10-day and night they go about (the city) upon the walls thereof
..iniquity and mischief are in her.. (iniquity -hebrew aven: trouble, sorrow, wickedness: mischief - hebrew amal: trouble, labor, toil)
v11-wickedness is in the midst..
-deceit and guile depart not.. (guile -cunning, strategem)
v12-..it was not an enemy that reproached me...
v13-..but it was thou (an intimate)
v19-..because they have no changes, therefore they fear not God.
v20-he hath put forth his hands against such be at peace with him..
v21-the words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart..
-his words were softer than oil, yet were they drawn swords.
the psalmist's desire for the enemy-
v15-LET DEATH SEIZE UPON them
LET them GO DOWN QUICK into hell
the psalmist's resolve-
v16-as for me, i will call upon the Lord
v17-evening and morning and at noon, will i pray and cry aloud
v23-i will trust in Thee
the psalmist's belief-
v16-and the Lord shall save me.
v17-and He shall hear my voice
v19-God shall hear and afflict them
v22-He (God) shall sustain thee
-He (God) shall never suffer the righteous to be moved
v23-God shalt bring them down into the pit of destruction
-bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their days
the psalmist's experience-
v18-He hath delivered my soul in peace from the battle that was against me..
the psalmist encourages himself-
v22 cast thy burden upon the Lord (and He shall sustain thee)
now contrast the believer's desire, above (death, hell), for his enemy with Jesus' instructions to the believer in this situation:
1. luke 6.27-LOVE your enemies..how is this shown?
-love is patient (lit. far away from wrath) do you have any conscious anger? (ask the Lord to reveal to you any unconscious anger)
-love is kind; are you willing, looking for ways in which you can help or make yourself useful to your enemy?
-love does not seek its own; in how you are relating to your enemy are you, consciously or unconsciously seeking something for yourself..or is it all disinterested?
-love does not take into account a wrong suffered; based upon what your enemy does are you sometimes sweet and sometimes sour, one time caring, one time totally unconcerned, etc?
-love does not rejoice in unrighteousness..
-love rejoices with the truth; do you tell your enemy when he is acting etc. contra the command and will of God?
-love bears (covers) all things; are you either thinking of them or relating to them in a way you think they deserve or are you trying to shield them from what they deserve? (love covers a multitude of sins. do not related to them as they deserve. we ALL deserve the righteous condemnation of God! God continually holds out to ALL of us the offer of forgiveness of our sins and the offer of eternal life with Him IF we see ourselves as He sees us, turn from our sins and seek to continually obey Him as in everything as our Lord and master, as our God and savior)
-love believes all things; are you praying that God would bring your enemy to repentance and into relationship with Him?
-love hopes all things; do you confidently expect God to help you and deliver you from all harm?
-love endures all things; are you patiently bearing up under all that your enemy is sending your way?
2. DO GOOD TO those who hate you; are you, right now vis a vis your enemy, negative, neutral or actively doing good to him? (cf. v35)
3. v28-BLESS those who curse you;
-what is blessing? think of the aaronic blessing in numbers 6..
..the Lord
bless you and keep you (God protects)
make His face shine upon you (He gives light, guidance)
be gracious to you (He gives strength to do good)
lift up His countenance upon you (He is present)
give you His peace (He gives everything i need)
..and think of deuteronomy 1.11..may the Lord, the God of your fathers, increase you a thousand-fold more than you are, and bless you, just as He promised you..
..the Lord
does what He promises (if i obey Him, He will keep every promise made to me)
increase you 1000-fold (He does for me far more than what i deserve or could pay back)..
..so what does it mean to BLESS the one who curses (desires and/or seeks to do what is worst for you)? it means to in spirit, in desire and in action desire (give) God's best to the one who hates you. are you 'there' right now?
4. ..PRAY FOR those who mistreat you; (what kind of mistreatment? the word is epAreadzO from epAreEa which means spiteful abuse. the margin gives 'revile' as an alternate word for 'mistreat'.
REVILE comes from middle french (reviler) which in turn comes from RE (a prefix which means to do again (and, possibly, again! and, even, again!)or anew) + VILE (which means to be of
small worth or account
common
mean
morally base
wicked
foul
physically repulsive
degraded
low
disgusting
contemptable)
..so 'revile' is to, again and possibly again and again, 'look at', treat as, speak of a person as something along the lines of the column of adjectives directly above; so, are you praying for those you know or who give you the impression that they think of you in this manner?
5. v29-whoever hits you on the cheek, OFFER him the other also; are you walking around as a dead man, fully cooperating with anyone who would do you physical harm?
6. ..and whoever takes away your coat, DO NOT WITHHOLD your shirt from him either'; are you assisting those who are taking away even the most needed personal property (actually freely giving them more than they plan on taking)?
7. v30-GIVE to everyone who asks of you and whoever takes away what is yours, DO NOT DEMAND IT BACK; are you walking around as an absolute beggar who is depending only on God for any physical need?
8. v31-..just as you want people to treat you, treat them in the same way; are you treating your enemy exactly like you like to be treated? cf. v38-
GIVE and it will be given to you
good measure
pressed down
shaken together
running over
they will pour into your lap.
for by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return. well...do you want to get back from God what you are giving to your enemy in your heart?
9. v35-LEND, expecting nothing in return (not even a 'thank you"); is there a 'temporary' expectation in any of your giving..are you freely seeking to meet needs you see.. unasked..of your enemy (luke 17.10)? ( james 2.15 'if a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, 'go in peace, be warmed and be filled', and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?)
10. v36-BE(COME) MERCIFUL just as your Father is merciful. 'mercy'-to have pity upon, show compassion to. mercy is compassion that forbears punishing even when justice commands it; does your spirit have any 'get back' in it?
11. v37-DO NOT JUDGE and you will not be judged. 'judge'-form an estimate of (in this case negative); is your estimate of your enemy what God's is? (every man has fallen short of God's glory; every man needs to hear of Jesus' love for and His death on the cross for them and His resurrection from the dead to prove that He has successfully paid God's penalty for their sin(s); every man can be helped to see God's love in His child..you!)
12. DO NOT CONDEMN and you will not be condemned. 'condemn'- pronounce guilty; convict; sentence; doom'; to adjudge unfit (for good and for God's love, in this case); damn (give over to a punishment or fate ie. to condemn to hell) luke 9.56 says, 'for the Son of man did not come to destroy men's lives but to save them.
-'save'- safe, well.
-'safe' - (from latin salus- health, safety) freed from harm, risk; secure from the threat of danger, harm and loss
-'health'- being sound (in this case, in soul)
-'sound- free from injury, disease (flaw, defect or decay); free from error; solid, firm, stable; thorough; showing good judgment or sense how about you? do you want God to pour out all the above goodness on the one who delights in your pain and misfortune, your enemy?
13. PARDON and you will be pardoned. greek apolUO - send away (in this case sin); are you thinking of and treating your enemy as if they have absolutely no sin?
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