Praise Him

The primary reason we are able to have a relationship with God is because he has a voice. If God did not have an audible voice that could be heard by man, it would have been impossible for us to know that he was communicating with us. The voice is therefore, a key characteristic that is shared between God and man and it is one of the things that enables us to understand each other on a personal level.

Some people that have claimed to hear the voice of God are actually crazy and have made hearing God’s voice suspect to insanity, but prophets in the Old Testament of the Bible were considered to be God’s mouthpiece and the words they spoke a direct message from God.

There have not been any prophets since Jesus because when he was born it says in John 1:14, “the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us.” I believe that Jesus speaks to believers in what could be considered an audible voice. John said, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…All things were made by him, and without him was not any thing made that was made” (John 1:1,3).

God’s voice is powerful (Psalm 29:4). It has the ability to make things happen and all of creation is subject to his command. When God speaks to us, I believe it has an affect on us and our transformation into the image of Christ is the end result. When we respond to God’s voice, it establishes a relationship that makes it possible for us to know what is going on in the spiritual realm and when we talk to him, God can hear us.

David made it a practice to sing and play music to the LORD. David said, “Rejoice in the LORD, O ye righteous, for praise is comely for the upright. Praise the LORD with harp: sing unto him with the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings. Sing unto him a new song: play skillfully with a loud noise” (Psalm 33:1-3).

In addition to singing to the LORD, David had many personal conversations with God. From his psalms, we can see that David talked to God about pretty much everything that was going on in his life. I think what David was trying to say in Psalm 33:1-3 was that singing and making music was his way of acting like his Father, the creative power of his voice was being used to affect God in the same way David was affected by God’s word.

Although God does not change, his emotions do. I believe that God can fall in love and that he was in love with David. David is described as being a man after God’s own heart. He did many things that pleased God and I think his music was especially pleasing to God. God loves us unconditionally, but his favor toward us is not. David did everything he could to please his LORD, including singing him love songs.

I made it!

The invention of GPS has made getting lost and uncommon experience. GPS was a great invention because no one likes getting lost. It can feel like you’ve been punched in the gut or a sinking feeling in your throat like when you swallowed something that hasn’t been chewed properly. Twenty years ago, I had a job as a Field Representative, before there were Google maps and GPS. I carried a Thomas Brothers guide in my car and spent hours looking up addresses and charting courses. I got lost a lot and there were many instances when I finally arrived at my destination and thought to myself, I made it!

David said in Psalm 25, “Shew me thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths” (Psalm 25:4). The path David was referring to was “a marked-out, well-traveled course” (734). In a way, you could say that David was asking the LORD to be his GPS system, telling him when to make a right or U-turn. David had recently become king of Israel and realized that his lack of experience in making decisions could be a problem. He wanted to make sure he didn’t get off course in the role God had given him.

David said, “The meek will he guide in judgement: And the meek will he teach his way” (Psalm 25:9). David was probably thinking about Moses when he wrote this. Moses was described as being very meek, “above all the men which were upon the face of the earth” (Numbers 12:3). The word translated meek, ͑ânâyv (aw – nawvˊ) literally means to be depressed in mind or circumstances. “Anayv appears almost exclusively in poetical passages and describes the intended outcome of affliction from God, namely ‘humility’” (6035).

I think it is interesting that people that don’t know the Lord are described as being lost. I think it is because inside every person is the sense that life is a journey. We are all travelers on the pathway of life, but not everyone knows where they are going. When a person accepts Jesus as his or her Savior, it is like the street lights get turned on and you can begin to see in the dark. You know there is a road and that you will eventually reach your intended destination, but you have no clue how or when you will get there.

David was aware of his destiny or the destination that God had planned for him. After he became king, David realized that every step he took mattered. When he said, “Teach me thy paths” (Psalm 25:4), he was basically saying, guide me every step of the way. The word translated teach, lâmad (law – madˊ) means to goad or hit with a rod. Rather than teach, David could have said cause me to learn (3925).

When David became king, I’m pretty sure he thought to himself, I made it! But then, he realized, now I have to do my job and I have no clue how to be a king. God wants us to realize that we are helpless without him. Humility is knowing that you are entirely dependent on God. He can see and understands everything. There is nothing that He hasn’t already experienced and He wants to help us. All we have to do is say show me and He will.

A personal conversation

“And David the king came and sat down before the LORD, and said, who am I, O LORD God, and what is mine house, that thou hast brought me hitherto?” (1 Chronicles 17:16). When David arrived at the place in life where all his hopes, dreams, and desires had been fulfilled, he sat down with the LORD and had a personal conversation.

The prayer of David that is recorded in both 2 Samuel 7:18-29 and 1 Chronicles 17:16-27 contains the personal name of God, LORD or YHWH, at least 10 times. David used the personal name of God as he poured out his heart to the creator of the universe. “The Tetragrammator YHWH appears without its own vowels, and its exact pronunciation is debated (Jehovah, Yehovah, Jahweh, Yahweh)” (3068). The personal name of God is derived from the word hâyâh (haw – yaw) which means to exist (1961). The literal translation of YHWH is self-Existent or Eternal (3068).

It would have been impossible for David to sit before the LORD from a physical standpoint. Most likely, David entered into the presence of the LORD through spiritual means and could have been experiencing a vision of the LORD sitting on his throne in Heaven. The point of saying that David came and sat before the LORD was to make it clear that David was not just reciting a prayer, but was having a personal conversation with Jehovah.

The importance of talking to God is more about belief than it is about communicating a message to God. God already knows what is in our hearts, he does not need us to tell him. What happens when we talk to him is that he is more real to us. We can feel his presence and know that he is listening when we say his name out loud.

The only way we know that God hears our prayers is that he answers them. In David’s situation, God spoke to him first and told David what he was going to do, then David responded and agreed with God’s will for his life. I think the reason God told David what he was going to do was to evoke a response from him. God wanted to know how David felt about it. David said, “And now, LORD, thou art God, and hast promised this goodness unto thy servant” (1 Chronicles 17:26).

God’s goodness can sometimes be overwhelming. Imagine that someone gave you the best present you had ever received or told you he was going to do something that would make you very happy. You would probably respond by telling the person how much it meant to you. That is what David did in a personal conversation with God.

In the beginning

We usually think of beginnings and endings as fixed points in time where something exists or doesn’t exist. The first verse in the Bible says, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). I think one of the most controversial aspects of theology is that God existed before the beginning. He had to or he couldn’t have created the heaven and the earth.

Thinking about what the beginning is may be the best way to unravel the mystery of life. What if the beginning is not a fixed point in time, but a fixed point in space? What if existence is not about what something is, but about where it is? God said to David through the prophet Nathan, “Also I will ordain a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, and they shall dwell in their place, and shall be moved no more; neither shall the children of wickedness waste them any more, as at the beginning” (1 Chronicles 17:9).

The beginning that I believe the LORD is referring to is the Israelites’ entrance into the Promised Land. Although the people had been in the Promised Land for hundreds of years before David became king, their existence as the nation of Israel was not established until David began to dwell in Zion, what was then referred to as the city of David and is now known as Jerusalem.

The phrase “ordain a place” means to put or place someone in a place in society, a position or role that will fulfill his or her destiny, the inevitable occurrence of something predicted or prearranged. The nation of Israel actually came into existence much later than David’s reign as king, but from a time perspective, the establishment of the people in a geographical location is what enabled it to exist.

I could be wrong, but one of the ways I think we know we are in the place where our destiny is or will be fulfilled is it feels like home. There is a sense that we belong and at times it may feel as if we have always been there even though we have not. I think the key to existence is the reality that you did not end up in your place, but were placed there by the hand of God.

It is interesting that the LORD said he would plant his people and they would be moved no more (1 Chronicles 17:9) because often times when people intend to stay in a particular location for an extended period of time, they refer to it as putting down roots. The principle of sowing and reaping can be applied here in the context of having a fruitful life. When we arrive at the place God ordains for us, it will be obvious to everyone around us. They will see a difference and know that God has been at work.

Make it happen

“Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31-32). Not everything a person believes is true. Even though everything God says is true, not every person believes it. What Jesus was saying in this statement was that when we believe what is true, we give that truth the power to work in our lives.

In 2 Samuel chapter 7 it is recorded that the prophet Nathan delivered a message to king David about the establishment of his kingdom. Afterwards, David prayed and said, “And now, O Lord God, thou art that God, and thy words be true, and thou  hast promised this goodness unto thy servant” (2 Samuel 7:28). The word translated true, ’emeth (eh´ – meth) is derived from the word ’âman (aw – man´) which means to trust or believe (539). The word aman is found in Genesis 15:7 where it says that Abraham “believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.”

The transaction that occurs when we believe what God says is called imputation. Basically, what happens is that God is free to make it happen. God’s blessings do not flow freely from heaven because of the choice or free will God has given us to live our lives without his help. He does not interfere or intercede unless we ask him to. When God speaks to us personally, it is as if he is saying, I can do this, but I only will if you want me to. It is within our power to say yes or no.

David said in 2 Samuel 7:25, “And now, O LORD God, the word that thou hast spoken concerning thy servant, and concerning his house, establish it for ever, and do as thou hast said.” David was agreeing with God’s word and making it possible for him to make it happen without any interference from the devil. If David had not agreed, what God said would still be true, but David’s resistance (unbelief) would have hindered the process.

The word translated established, qûwm (koom) refers to destiny and can signify empowering or strengthening. “It is also used to denote the inevitable occurrence of something predicted or prearranged” (6965). The word translated promised in 2 Samuel 7:28, dâbar (daw – bar´) actually means to arrange. When God spoke to David through the prophet Nathan, what he said had already been arranged. It was possible, but it wasn’t assured of happening until David believed it was true.

God’s desire

An aspect of God’s character that doesn’t seem to be discussed much is his desire. God has desires, much the same way we do and his desires affect his behavior. It says in Psalm 132, “For the LORD hath chosen Zion: He hath desired it for his habitation. This is my rest for ever, here I will dwell; for I have desired it” (Psalm 132:15).

Desire is closely tied to emotion, but it is really the driving force behind our will. Desire and will are sometimes interchangeable as descriptions of what we want to do. The definitions of these words reveal things like pleasure and lust (183, 7522), so it is hard for us to connect these words with God. The difference between God’s desire and our desire is that God’s desire is always for good things because his heart is perfect.

Desires are personal and therefore, sometimes difficult to reveal. God does not have a problem revealing his desires to us because everything he wants is for our benefit. In order for us to trust him, God often tells us his desires. It is something he does to build our relationship and can be a way of gaining our affection.

Psalm 105 reveals two areas where God’s desire was communicated to the Israelites. Speaking of his covenant, it says in Psalm 105:11, “Saying, unto thee will I give the land of Canaan, the lot for your inheritance.” And in Psalm 105:15, “He suffered no man to do them wrong, Yea, he reproved kings for their sakes; saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm.”

God cares about his people and wants the to be happy. It is his desire that we love him and rely on him as a child does his father. In order for us to put our trust in God, we must understand that our desires and God’s desires are not the same, but they will never contradict each other. God approves of the desires we have that are good and will give us everything we desire that brings about a good outcome. If all we ever wanted was good, then our desires and God’s desires for us would be the same.

Good Intentions

At the beginning of David’s reign as king of Israel, he said, “I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way…I will walk within my house with a perfect heart…He that walketh in a perfect way, he shall serve me” (Psalm 101:2,6). David expressed what most perfectionists believe, that it is possible to live life without making any mistakes. David’s statements make sense, considering he was only 30 years old when he began his reign.

The two words translated perfect in Psalm 101:2 are both derived from the same root word, tâmam (taw – mam´) which means to complete. “The basic meaning of this word is that of being complete or finished with nothing else expected or intended” (8552). To behave in a perfect way, means that you think things through completely before making a decision or taking action. To walk with a perfect heart, means that you are completely free from offense toward those around you.

David expectations were remarkable for a 30 year old, but may have been naïve for a man that had never been in a position of power before. I’m sure it was true at the time David wrote this psalm that he a had a perfect heart and behaved in a perfect way, but like everyone else, David made mistakes.

It says about the LORD in Psalm 100:3, “It is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves.” I think every successful person tends to forget what he was like before he became successful. There is a tendency in human behavior to think that we never change, we have always acted the way we do now and always will.

The world around us does affect us, whether we realize it or not. Today we refer to this as the nature versus nurture syndrome. God created us to be a certain way and that way is perfect. Living in a fallen world means that we do not always achieve the perfection that God intended for us, but we should strive for that perfection with the knowledge that no matter how hard we try, we will always miss the mark in one way or another and that is why we need to, “Be thankful unto him, and bless his name for the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting” (Psalm 100:4-5).

A taste of eternity

“O sing unto the LORD a new song…shew forth his salvation from day to day” (Psalm 96:1). Salvation is only mentioned a few times in the Bible before David became king of Israel. Many personal names contain a form of the word that is translated salvation or yeshuw’ah (yesh – oo´ – aw), such as Joshua, Isaiah, and Jesus which is a Greek form of yeshu’ah (3444). When David speaks of salvation, I believe he is referring to the Messiah. Before David, there was not a focus on God’s eternal plan of salvation, the main focus of the Israelites was getting settled in the Promised Land.

In Psalm 89, it says “I have sworn unto David my servant, thy seed will I stablish for ever, and build up thy throne to all generations, Selah” (Psalm 89:3-4). The words for ever signifies eternity. The literal translation of the Hebrew, ad olam, is “into the indefinite future” (5769). The concept of eternity was new in David’s time. People did not talk about life beyond death, their attention was on things that were temporal.

The psalmist goes on to say in Psalm 89:

Then thou spakest in vision to thy Holy one, and saidst, I have laid help upon one that is mighty; I have exalted one chosen out of the people…With whom my hand shall be established; mine arm also shall strengthen him…Also I will make him my firstborn, higher than the kings of the earth. My mercy will I keep for him evermore, and my covenant shall stand fast with him. His seed also will I make to endure for ever, and his throne as the days of heaven. (Psalm 89:19, 21, 27-29)

It’s not easy to focus on eternity when you are wrapped up in the day to day activities of life. David had the ability to focus on both at the same time, he saw his accomplishments from an eternal perspective and was able to worship the LORD as if he was already in heaven.

The Hebrew word olam is properly translated as concealed. It represents the vanishing point when we are no longer aware of time. Even though we are currently bound by time, God has given man the ability to live “above time” (i.e. to remember yesterday, plan for tomorrow, and consider abstract principles)” (5769). It takes a conscious effort, but when we show forth God’s salvation from day to day, live in the moment and focus our attention on what is happening now, the awareness of time disappears and we get a taste of eternity.

We all fall down

One way to know if someone is a Christian is if he gets back up after he falls down. It is God’s strength that makes it possible for Christians to rebound from adversity. David said in Psalm 68:35, “The God of Israel is he that giveth strength and power unto his people.”

Some Christians may think that falling down is a bad thing and that God should keep us from falling down, but it is from getting up after we fall down that we gain strength. Life without adversity makes us weak and unable to make progress in our journey through life. The ability to get up after we have been knocked down comes from doing it over and over again.

It is hard to imagine that God plans adversity, actually strategically places it in our pathway so that we will fall down. It seems like cruel and unusual punishment to intentionally trip us up, but it is not the falling down that God takes pleasure in, it is seeing us get up again that makes him happy.

David said, “Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive” (Psalm 68:18). Just as God led the Israelites out of Egypt, he led them into captivity. Even while David enjoyed his moments of glory, he knew there were tough times ahead for Israel. David was aware that God’s plan for his people did not stop with them conquering their enemies in the Promised Land. Their Messiah would come after they had returned from captivity.

The word David used for captivity, sh‘biy (sheb – ee´) indicates being exiled or captured (7628). The word ascended, ‘âlâh (aw – law´) means to go up. “The return from Exile, which was a journey from north to south (Palestine) is described as a ‘going up'” (5927).

Getting up after we fall down is difficult because we know we will fall down again and there is a temptation to think, I might as well stay down and avoid the bumps and bruises. What we have to remember is that our inheritance cannot be enjoyed while we are sitting on the ground. In Psalm 47, it says that we are to “Shout unto God with a voice of triumph” (Psalm 47:1). In order to do that, we have to get up.

The process of death

Psalms 22, 23, & 24 portray the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Most likely these psalms came to David through divine inspiration while he was praying in the spirit. The interesting thing about these psalms is that when you look at them as a collection, a series of passages that fit together as a single message, you can see what the process of death looks like for a believer.

Death is an agonizing experience because our bodies dominate our attention. We are aware of almost everything that happens to our bodies and can feel physical pain to the point where it causes us to pass out. David said in Psalm 22:14, “I am poured out like water, all my bones are out of joint: My heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels.”

The vivid description David gave made it clear that Jesus’ experienced excruciating pain when he died on the cross and yet he never passed out or lost consciousness before he died; he was fully aware of the pain in his body. Part of Jesus’ victory over death was the conquest of fear. Death is the ultimate fear for a lot of people. Because Jesus was able to contain his fear during the process of dying, Christians can also and many martyrs have proven that it is possible.

Once the body and soul are separated, the experience we have of life changes. David said in Psalm 23:4, “yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” It is believed that when a Christian dies, he immediately goes into the presence of the Lord. In Jesus’ case, I believe his father came to his side as soon as he breathed his last breath. The journey from Earth to Heaven is a mystery, but it is clear that Christians do not travel alone.

Entering into Heaven is likely to involve the passage through a gate or gates that are designed to contain God’s glory. If God’s blessings, righteousness, and power were not contained, they would overflow the entire universe. David said in Psalm 24:9, “Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.” Jesus unlocked the gates of Heaven. Before him, no man could enter in. When Christians die, they will follow in his footsteps and enter into God’s glory.