BIBLE STUDIES l Reflections on the Psalms l "Psalm 3" l Jack Kelley l School of the Bible

Psalm 3 

O LORD, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me! Many are saying of me, "God will not deliver him." But you are a shield around me, O LORD; you bestow glory on me and lift up my head. To the LORD I cry aloud, and he answers me from his holy hill. I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the LORD sustains me. I will not fear the tens of thousands drawn up against me on every side. 

Arise, O LORD! Deliver me, O my God! Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked. From the LORD comes deliverance. May your blessing be on your people. 

How often it feels like the world is mobilized against us. People cut us off on the freeway, steal our parking place at work, take credit for our efforts, and in general build themselves up by putting us down, trying to destroy our self-esteem in the process. 

There are four sources from which we gain self-esteem. 

Three are doomed to failure because they depend on the fickle nature of this world, but one works wonders. 

The first is appearance. Some rely on that alone, feeling good about themselves because they look good to others. But all too soon they grow old and their looks fade. Even spending thousands of dollars on plastic surgery can't help and they often wind up looking like pitiful caricatures of their former selves. 

Others gain their self-esteem from performance. But one day they find they can't perform anymore. Age or poor health or even the obsolescence of their skill renders them incapable. These are the ones who have problems with retirement. No longer able to perform they cease to feel useful. 

Some go back to work, some become a burden to their families, and some simply die. Having worked all their lives to enjoy their retirement, they wind up feeling miserable and useless. 

Still others rely on progressively greater achievements to bolster their self-esteem. But again, age and infirmity undercut their ability with the same result as their performance oriented counterparts above. 

It's the fourth source of self-esteem that David speaks about in Psalm 3; the only one that can't fail. 

No matter what hand the world deals us, we have a Creator Who loves us unconditionally. We're the highest and best example of His Creative Power; His work of art (Eph 2:10). He is the reason we can hold our heads up high, no matter what. He lifts us up when others put us down. He provides for us, He sustains us. 

He gave His life for us. 

And one day soon, He will take vengeance on our enemies. "I will make them come and fall down at your feet, and acknowledge that I have loved you," He promises (Rev 3:9).

 He'll wipe every tear from our eyes, and for us there will be no more death or crying or mourning or pain. And then He will take us to dwell with Him forever in a place of unimaginable bliss, while those who rejected Him and oppressed us spend eternity in torment and pain. 

When we lie down, our sleep is sweet, for the Lord is our confidence . He's a shield about us, our glory, the lifter of our head. He's the source of our self-esteem.

BIBLE STUDIES l Reflections on the Psalms l "Psalm 2" l Jack Kelley l School of the Bible

Psalm 2

Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against His Anointed One. "Let us break their chains," they say, "and throw off their fetters."

The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. Then he rebukes them in His anger and terrifies them in His wrath, saying, "I have installed My King on Zion, my Holy Hill."

I will proclaim the decree of the Lord: He said to me, "You are my Son; today I have become your father. Ask of me and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession. You will rule them with an iron scepter; you will dash them to pieces like pottery."

Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest He be angry and you be destroyed in your way, for His wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in Him.

Because of the language employed, we think about armed rebellion here. But what about civil or social or spiritual rebellion? Haven't our leaders on earth waged these kinds of warfare as well? Think of the laws written to insure freedom of religion, that are now interpreted as guaranteeing freedom from religion. 

What about the public schools who ban even silent prayer, courts who prohibit a display of God's Law, and officials who are trying to remove the words "under God" from our Pledge of Allegiance? And that's just in the US, that bastion of personal freedom. Are not these also attempts by the rulers of this world to break the ties between man and his Creator?

It's said that as the bonds between God and man are broken, the bonds between man and man can fare no better. We certainly see the truth of that observation. Lying, cheating, stealing and defrauding often seem the order of the day. But remember God laughs at these puny attempts at rebellion as we laugh at a two year old, who thinks if his eyes are covered so he can't see us, then we can't see him either.

The Lord scoffs at our Godless leaders now, but soon He will rebuke them. You see, they don't make the rules, He does. He's installed His King over the earth. They can't impeach Him and He's not going to resign.

One thousand years before the first Christmas, David "saw" through the eye of inspiration as the Father gave His Son the authority to become sole heir to Planet Earth. He'll rule the nations as one who oversees his personal property, brooking no interference and accepting no criticism. The first will indeed become last, as the Kings of the Earth are warned to serve Him with the fear reserved for one who, in the blink of an eye can be stirred to wrath. Is this the "Gentle Jesus, meek and mild" we were taught about in Sunday School?

 I think not. This is not the Lamb of God, but the Lion of Judah.

Once before, mankind committed a grievous error by failing to recognize Who they were dealing with, and it's destined to happen again. The Jews wanted the Lion of Judah to throw off the Roman yoke, a Warrior King Who would defeat Israel's enemies. But refusing to admit the sin problem that first required the sacrificial Lamb, they rejected Him.

The mainline Church looks for the Lamb of God; that sandal shod social worker Who walked the paths of the Galilee, patting little children on the head and telling everyone to turn the other cheek. Forgetting that he's promised to return like a roaring Lion with the armies of Heaven, to defeat His enemies and take possession of that which He's purchased, they fail to see the signs of His coming.

At the end of the age, when the sign of the Son of Man appears in the sky, all the nations of the Earth will mourn (Matt 24:30). For those who've rejected Him, it will be a sad day indeed when the Lord returns, but for we who believe, it will be the culmination of history, the beginning of Heaven on Earth. Blessed are all who take refuge in Him.

BIBLE STUDIES l Reflections on the Psalms l "Psalm 1" l Jack Kelley l School of the Bible

Psalm 1 

Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, or stand in the way of sinners, or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. 

Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the Day of Judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish. 

The Bible promises a long, prosperous and healthy life for those who follow the ways of the Lord. There's an intrinsic value in doing this from which even non-believers benefit. But believers tend to gravitate toward one of two extremes where God's Law is concerned, and both are wrong.

The first is the legalist, who thinks that by being "righteous" he's earning favor with God, and the second sees God's grace as a license that relieves him of the consequences of his behavior, no matter how sinful. 

The Legalist misses out on the joy of his salvation, grinding through a life of "have-tos" and "don'ts". He doesn't enjoy the freedom purchased for him at the cross, his behavior constrained by a narrow set of rules he himself has devised, never realizing that he dwells in a prison of his own making. 

His counterpart, we'll call him the permissive, spends most of the time out of fellowship with God, not understanding that his un-confessed sins are a source of guilt that drives a wedge between the Lord and him. 

This failure to acknowledge his behavior as sin and confess makes him fair game for an enemy who delights in tormenting him, and his life becomes an example to be avoided in the eyes of those around him. One is focused only on what he must do to earn God's favor, and the other only on what God should do for him. Neither understands that our behavior good or evil cannot affect God. Our sins only hurt us and those around us; just as our good deeds only benefit us and them. (Job 35:6-8) 

But our relationship with God is vastly enriched when we voluntarily act in a manner pleasing to Him, not out of an effort to earn a blessing we hope to get, but as a way of saying thanks for the blessings we've already received. 

And like everything else where the Lord's concerned, we're judged on motive, not result. He doesn't expect perfection; He's just looking for an attitude of gratitude.

BIBLE STUDIES l Reflections on the Psalms l "Intro" l Jack Kelley l School of the Bible

ebook: Reflections on the Psalms

Thursday, September 18th, 2014

What you are about to read is not a commentary on the Psalms.   I made no attempt to interpret them or reveal new levels of understanding.  Instead, it’s a collection of thoughts I wrote down over a period of several years as I read through the Psalms.  Some are recollections from my own experience, others are ideas I gleaned from various books and articles I’ve read, and still others are just the thoughts that came into my mind as I thought about what I was reading.

My original purpose in writing this series was to give visitors to the website a brief middle of the week meditation.  I wanted each one to be practical and uplifting, in the hope of adding substance to our faith. For that reason, they are not meant to be read at one sitting or even in a structured way. They are designed to provide a break in our routine, to be taken one at a time followed by a few quiet moments of consideration.  Being in e-book format they can go where you go, to be enjoyed any time you have a few minutes, over coffee, while waiting for an appointment, or just because you want a few minutes with the Lord.  Download them to your tablet or phone and they will be ready when you are.

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