goodness

 This week we begin worship with:

Psalm 25:6-7

Remember your mercy, O LORD, and your steadfast love, for they have been

from of old. Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions;

according to your steadfast love remember me, for the sake of your goodness,

O LORD!

At the family reunion, at the Christmas dinner, at the most embarrassing moment possible, the phrase is heard "Remember when . . .".  What comes next is a detailed account of a time that you wished forgotten.

We all have mistakes, errors in judgement, even willful acts that we can't explain away.  We are all stained. 

The Psalmist pleads with God, "Remember not . . . ".  

He, like us, don't-have-a-leg-to-stand-on.  We have nothing to support our case.  The Psalmist leans on one thing, the "goodness" (ṭûḇ) of God.

A good God is just.

1 John 1:9

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

God is just to forgive us, because the penalty has already been paid by our Lord Jesus Christ.  It would be unjust to require that penalty to be paid again. 

paths

This morning we start worship with:

Psalm 25:9-10

He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way. All the

paths of the LORD are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his

covenant and his testimonies.

When this was written, there were no four lane roads connecting cities.  There were paths.  

Those that hike know the difference between a bit of logging road that runs nearly flat and is wide enough to walk two abreast, and the narrow steep rocky trails up to a vista at the top of the mountain.  When in unfamiliar territory a guide is necessary to choose the best path.  

Those who are humble (ʿānāv) and willing to be redirected, He will guide into His paths.

Those that garden know that bushes need to be trimmed or they become overgrown, so too what grows along the path.  Every hiking trail must be maintained or it quickly becomes impassible.  

Our God maintains two paths "steadfast love" (ḥeseḏ) [many translations "mercy"] and "faithfulness" (ĕmeṯ) [many translations "truth"].  There is a duality in these verses because these nouns are not verbs, and are not strictly associated with either God or to us, but to the path.

No, God is not maintaining a pasture where we are simply to enjoy His steadfast love and faithfulness.  We are on a path, where our humble obedience keeps us away from the dangers that lie just off the path.  He is loving as we are merciful.  He is faithful as we walk in truth.

Stayed

 This week we begin worship with:

Isaiah 26:3-4

You keep him in perfect peace

    whose mind is stayed on you,

    because he trusts in you.

Trust in the Lord forever,

    for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.

“Stayed” is not a word we normally use. More commonly we say, “He steadied himself”.  But “Stayed” (sāmaḵ) is quite a bit stronger.  When you steady yourself, you are still trusting in . . . yourself. When you lean on something to the point of trust, you are “stayed”.

Isaiah warns of trusting in a man.  Leaning too hard on them may cause that reed to splinter and inflict incredible pain.

Isaiah 36:6
Behold, you are trusting in Egypt, that broken reed of a staff, which will pierce the hand of any man who leans on it. Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him.

But not so our LORD, the everlasting Rock. 

Matthew 7:24

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.

 

heart

This morning we being worship with:

Psalm 45:1

My heart overflows with a pleasing theme; I address my verses to the king; my

tongue is like the pen of a ready scribe.

This is the first verse of a Psalm that celebrates King David and the God that had appointed him.  

A long time ago, I sat in a circle of college friends at church that had formed around our now aged senior pastor.  One friend carried his mandolin and asked our pastor how he did "it" every Sunday, how he gave clear sermons that pointed us to the LORD, each and every Sunday.  His answer was similar to today's verse, and that friend, a gifted musician, then sang for us a song he wrote that week "A minstrel in the King's court".

From your heart (lēḇ), do the same with whatever gift you have been given.

1 Peter 4:10

As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: