2. The Believer's Lord God Psalm 33:5-8

Text:  “Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.”

Isaiah 45:22.

Good morning, God-honouring Christian!  You know in Whom you have believed, and are not afraid nor ashamed to declare His Holy Name to all the nations.  Jehovah Lord God - the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; the God of the inspired Psalmist, David; the Lord God of His apostle Paul - He is your Lord God and mine; and woe betide us if we fail to openly and honestly declare His Holy Name to the heathen!  Hallelujah!  Our God reigns Sovereign and totally Supreme!   Praise and all glory to His Name!

“I have sworn by My Myself, the Word is gone out of My mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto Me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.  Surely, shall one say, in the Lord have I righteousness and strength; even to Him shall men come; and all that are incensed against Him shall be ashamed.  In the Lord shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory.”  (Isaiah 45:23-25)

Verse 5.  The Lord is righteous and good:  The prophet Isaiah, when he saw the Lord God in a vision, cried, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of Hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory.”  (Isaiah 6:1-3)  The Lord our God is Holy and righteous; therefore, He loves and demands holiness and righteousness from all whom He has redeemed from sin.

“But as He which hath called you is Holy, so be ye Holy in all manner of conversation (entire lifestyle and action); because it is written, Be ye Holy; for I am Holy.” (1 Peter 1:15-16)

Verse 5.  “The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.  Come hither, astronomers, geologists, naturalists, botanists, chemists, miners, yea, all of you who study the works of God, for all your truthful stories confirm this declaration.  From the midge in the sunbeam to leviathan in the ocean, all creatures own the bounty of the Creator.  Even the pathless desert blazes with some undiscovered mercy, and the caverns of oceans conceal the treasures of love.  Earth might have been as full of terror as of grace, but instead thereof it teems and overflows with kindness.  He who cannot see it and yet lives in it as the fish lives in the water deserves to die.  If earth be full of mercy, what must Heaven be where goodness concentrates its beams?”  (C.H. Spurgeon, Treasury of David, page 162) 

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from Above, and comes down from the Father of light, with Whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.  Of His own will begat He us with the Word of truth, there we should be a kind of first fruits of His creatures.”  (James 1:17-18)

The Lord of the true, Spiritually regenerate, Bible-believing Christian is a Lord God of infinite goodness and love for His creation.  So much so that, even when the created Adam and Eve disobeyed Him and Spiritually crippled us all by their Fall into sin - the Lord God made a way of righteous redemption for us, in the sinless and precious Blood of His own dear Son, Jesus Christ.  What a gracious Lord God we love and serve!

“Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them.”  (Genesis 3:21)

This ’clothing’ of Adam/Eve entailed the slaying of innocent animals in Eden’s Garden - the first instance of death in God’s Creation.  It is a perfect type (picture, illustration) of God’s way of Salvation in Christ Jesus which was yet to come, the innocent dying as a substitute for the guilty; sinless blood being shed as a sacrifice to redeem the sinful. 

Verse 21 of Genesis chapter 3 also records the first shedding of innocent blood, the first mention of death, the consequences of mankind’s sin against his Creator Lord God.

The true believer’s Lord God is a God of Sovereign and ever-given grace.

“For by grace (unmerited favour) are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God; not of works (’good deeds‘), lest any man should boast.  For we are His workmanship, created (born again, Spiritually regenerated to life) in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained (before the foundation of the world)  that we should walk in them.”  (Ephesians 2:8-10)

Verse 6.  “…By the breath of His mouth.  The word ‘breath’ is the same as is elsewhere rendered ‘Spirit’.  Thus the three Persons of the Godhead united in creating all things.”  (C.H. Spurgeon, Treasury of David, page 162)

In the Creation story in Genesis we learn that, ’…the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed (inspired Spirit) into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”  (Genesis 2:7) 

When Adam/Eve sinned by disobedience to God, his/her Spiritual fellowship with God, that unique part of mankind that could communicate with God, died immediately under God’s curse.  That is why innocent blood had to be shed to clothe (redeem) Adam/Eve from their sin.  That is why you and I born in Adam’s sinful, fallen state, MUST be born again, Spiritually regenerated from Spiritual death to Spiritual life Eternal in Christ Jesus and by His sinless Blood.  Hallelujah!

Thought:  Verse 8. “Let all the earth fear the Lord.  Let them not fear another instead of Him.  Doth a wild beast rage? Fear God.  Doth a serpent lie in wait? Fear God.  Doth man hate thee? Fear God. Doth the Devil fight against thee? Fear God.  For the whole Creation is under Him Whom thou art commanded to fear.”  Augustine (354-430 AD)  This is the Holy Lord God of all true believers, there is no other Lord God but Him.  Glory to His Name!

Our Creator Lord in Action 1.The Believer's Song Psalm 33:1-4

Text:  “Give thanks unto the Lord, call upon His Name, make known His deeds among the people.  Sing unto Him, sing Psalms unto Him, talk ye of all His wondrous works. 
                                                                                 

1 Chronicles 16:8-9.

Good morning, rejoicing Christian!  In times of obvious Divine blessings, you rejoice in the Lord God.  In times of increased opposition, you rejoice in the Lord God.  In times of personal or family illness, you continue to praise and sing to our Great Jehovah God.  Even in times of profound adversity, you are still unable to desist from rejoicing in the Living Lord God Who has saved you from your sin and adopted you and I into His Eternal family.  Hallelujah!  ‘…Sing Psalms unto Him, talk ye of all His wondrous works.”  Amen. So be it, Lord God!  Glory and praise to Thy Holy and gracious Name!

These first four verses of this great Psalm, and the Divinely inspired truth that they hold, should be a cause for great rejoicing for those whom the Lord God has redeemed by the precious Blood of His dear Son, Jesus Christ.

“Rejoice in the Lord always; and again I say, Rejoice.”  (Philippians 4:4)

The same verses hold no licence for the unrighteous to rejoice, for the instruction is crystal clear - ‘Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous…’  Only those made righteous in Christ Jesus through the election to Salvation of  God the Father in Eternity; through the new birth; through the Spiritual quickening by God the Holy Ghost; only these have a cause to rejoice with such profound rejoicing of the soul.  Glory to the Lord!

All others are yet under the Curse of God, under the wrath of God against sin; with only the prospects of a Christ-rejecter’s Hell awaiting to swallow their souls in its doom.  ‘Lord God, please quicken the souls of all Thine elect, and secure them in Christ Jesus!  Amen.’  Sinner, repent!  The days of God’s grace are soon to end!

Verse 1.  “Rejoice in the Lord.  To rejoice in temporal comforts is dangerous, to rejoice in self is foolish, to rejoice in sin is fatal, but to rejoice in God is Heavenly.  He who would have a double Heaven must begin below to rejoice like those Above.”  (C.H. Spurgeon, Treasury of David, page 161)

Verse 1.  “…Praise is comely for the upright.”  The logical assumption one must come to here is that praise must not be comely, gracious, pleasing, for souls that are not upright!  To be ‘upright means to be habitually honourable or righteous; honest; just (or justified).  Only those of us that are justified by faith in Jesus Christ, and in His perfect and Holy sacrifice for our sins, can attain such an ‘upright’ standing before a Thrice Holy Lord God. 

Therefore, true and legitimate praise and rejoicing can only be undertaken by those for whom Christ suffered and died at Calvary’s Cross.  Being adopted into God’s family through trust/faith in the sinless Christ and His sinless Sacrifice on the Cross, we have legitimate cause to rejoice and to sing praises unto our gracious Lord God. (Romans 5:1)

“Rejoice not in yourselves, for that is not safe, but in the Lord.”  (Augustine 354-430AD)

Verse 2.  “Praise the Lord with harp; sing unto Him with the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings.”

“The Hebrew verb, according to the etymologists, originally means to dance for joy, and is therefore a very strong expression for the liveliest exultation.”  (J. A. Alexander 1809-1850)

“Praise is not comely for any but the godly.  A profane man stuck with God’s praise is like a dunghill stuck with flowers.  Praise in the mouth of a sinner is like an oracle in the mouth of a fool; how uncomely is it for him to praise God, whose whole life is a dishonouring of God?”  (Thomas Watson - 1690)

Christians who would truly rejoice and praise God, must do so from sanctified lips!  The Lord God detests the sin of hypocrisy!  Keep short accounts of sin!

Verse 3.  “Sing unto Him.  Singing is the music of saints.  1. They have performed this duty in their greatest numbers (Psalm 147:1-2).  2.  In their greatest straits (Isaiah 26:19).  3.  In their greatest flight (Isaiah 42:10-11).  4.  In their greatest deliverances.  5.  In their greatest plenty’s (Isaiah 65:14).  (John Wells (1676) in Morning Exercises.)

Verse 3.  “Play skillfully.  It is wretched to hear God praised in a slovenly manner.  He deserves the best that we have.” 

               “With a loud noise.  Heartiness should be conspicuous in Divine worship.  Well-bred whisperers are disreputable here.  It is not that the Lord cannot hear us, but that it is natural for great exultation to express itself in the loudest manner.  Men shout at the sight of their kings: shall we offer no loud hosannas to the Son of David?”  (C.H. Spurgeon, Treasury of David, page 162)

Verse 4.  “For the Word of the Lord is right, all His works are done in truth.  God writes with a pen that never blots, speaks with a tongue that never slips, acts with a hand that never fails.  Bless His Name!” (C.H. Spurgeon, Treasury of David, page 162)

Thought: Christian rejoicing is a gift from God - let us exercise it continually.

7. Hive of Wasps, Or Swarm of Bees? Psalm 32:10-11

 Text:  “Many sorrows shall be to the wicked; but he that trusteth in the Lord, mercy shall compass him about.”

                                                                                                                  Psalm 32:10.

Good morning, mercy-compassed Christian!  Each morning you and I awake, we are conscious of being surrounded by God’s gracious mercies.  Every day we venture out the door of our homes, we are enveloped in the grace of the Lord.  What a great and merciful Lord God Almighty we love and serve!  Give thanks unto the Lord!  Amen.

“It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not.  They are new every morning: great is Thy faithfulness.  The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in Him.”  (Lamentations 3:22-24)

Wasps, in my lay-man’s experience, are a very different type of insect to bees.  Where I live, here in Northern Ireland, UK, bees seem to be quite friendly, often sleepy creatures; but wasps, those stingers in yellow-striped combat suits, can be a dangerous nuisance to be avoided like the plague!

Wasps don’t seem to have much to offer humankind but pain and anxiety - as we seek to avoid them, seek not to disturb their nests; and hurt when our skin is pierced wickedly by their poisonous sting.

Bees, on the other hand are not only industrious pollinators in our gardens, but produce wonderfully sweet honey which can be collected and used by us as a sweet delight.

Moving into the Spiritual realm, ’…the wicked…’ in our Bible text for today are promised ’…many sorrows…’;  they are, metaphorically, surrounded by a swarm of vicious wasps, which cause them to hurt others, and experience hurt personally and continually.

Verse 10.  “Many sorrows shall be to the wicked.   He who sows sins will reap sorrow in heavy sheaves.  Sorrows of conscience, of disappointment, of terror, are the sinner’s sure heritage in time, and then forever sorrows of remorse and despair.

“But he that trusteth in the Lord, mercy shall compass him about.  The wicked have a hive of wasps around them, many sorrows; but we have a swarm of bees storing honey for us.”  (C.H. Spurgeon, Treasury of David, page 160)

What do you have, dear Reader, a hive of  sinful wasps, or a swarm of Spiritual bees?  Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall have the latter prize.

Without Christ as Saviour and Lord, one is immersed in the wasp’s den; surrounded by sorrows, living in darkness; suffering the sting of death in this life, and looking forward to nothing but a Hell of sin throughout the Eternity hereafter.  How tragically true.

With Christ Jesus as one’s  Saviour and Lord, we are surrounded by His Spiritual bees!:

“Ye must BE born again“:  Jesus taught the way, His way, to make certain that we are surrounded by His bees of constant mercy.  The new birth is His miracle of Spiritual regeneration; ’quickening’ our dead spirits by the power of His Holy Ghost.  Suddenly, we are delivered from the hive of wasps, and surrounded by the bees of  His blessing.

“And you hath He quickened (made Spiritually alive), who were dead in trespasses and sins…Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened (made Spiritually alive) us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit in Heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”  (Ephesians 2:1;5-6)

“…BE not dismayed…”:  We are no longer tortured by fear, no longer walking alone; no longer dismayed, or distressed, by the world and circumstances around us.  For the Lord promises strength, and help, and Divine upholding, “…by the right hand of My righteousness.”  (Isaiah 41:10)

Genuine regenerate Christians are continually blessed, even during times of Spiritual and temporal attack; illnesses; or daily failings.  We have God’s Word on this fact.

“…The goodness of God endureth continually.”  (Psalm 52:1)

“He (the Christian) shall be surrounded with mercy as one is surrounded by the air or by the sunlight.  He shall find mercy and favour everywhere - at home, abroad; by day, by night; in society, in solitude; in sickness, in health; in life, in death; in time, in Eternity.  He shall walk amid mercies; he shall die amidst mercies; he shall live in a better world in the midst of Eternal mercies.”  (Albert Barnes 1798-1870)

“…BE ye filled with the Spirit“:  For continual growth in grace and consistency in our Christian witness and service, we must BE filled with God the Spirit.  By constantly studying God’s Word, we are assured of the necessary faith to more ably serve the Christ Who has redeemed us with His own sinless Blood.  (Ephesians 5:18)

When we, as Christians, seek to examine God’s Spirit-inspired Word, we are blessed with faith anew every morning, and compassed about, before and behind, with God’s richest and most compassionate mercies.  Our wasps are weak, and our bees are strong.

Thought: What do you and I seek to surround ourselves with daily? Wasps of the world, or swarms of Heaven-sent bees; the sting of sin, or the joys of Heaven?

6. Teachable Spirits Psalm 32:8-9

Text:  “Thou therefore, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.  And the things that thou hast heard of me (Paul) among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.

                                                                                                                2 Timothy 2:1-2.

Good morning, teachable Christian!  Having been blessed by God with a teachable spirit, you are able and willing to be instructed in God’s way of true and Eternal Salvation.  Praise God for such ’teachable spirits’; absorbers of sound doctrine, and Gospel truth!  You are ’…the salt of the earth…’ indeed!  Thank you, Lord God, for granting us such teachable spirits.  May we never cease from Thy Divine instruction.

“I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with Mine eye.  Be not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding; whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee.”  (Psalm 32:8-9)

Too many in the increasingly apostate 21^st Century church, worldwide, are desiring to be big TV Evangelists; entertaining huge crowded buildings with funny or ‘amazing’ stories.  Fewer and fewer seem to want to take time to study this old black-covered Book which we call The Bible, never mind listen to instruction from it!

Therefore, what we are too frequently seeing is what the Scriptures call ‘…the blind leading the blind…’; so-called teachers with nothing of God’s authority to teach; audiences who only attend big gatherings in order to be entertained, wowed, and told exactly what they themselves want to hear. 

Such souls attend ‘church’ feeling wonderful, sit through the entertainment for the day, and go back home feeling better.  What a sad situation.  Charismatic circuses; modernistic meetings; legalistic religion is what ensues.  Having watered down Biblical truth - true faith in God is reduced to sham and ritual.  Foolishness begets foolishness - and chaos is ushered into the church.

The church, international and universal, needs to get back to studying the Bible!

“Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of truth.  But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.”  (2 Timothy 2:15-16)

Verse 8.  “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with Mine eye.  This threefold repetition, ‘I will instruct thee, I will teach thee, I will guide thee…’, teaches us three properties of a good teacher.  First, to make the people understand the way of Salvation; second, to go before them; third, to watch over them and their ways.”  (Archibald Symson -1631)

What a privilege is the promise that the Lord God Almighty Himself will teach us His Sovereign will; from His Sovereign Word; in the power of His Holy Spirit.  Now, surely, we must see that this is what is truly wonderful and amazing!

Verse 8. “I will guide thee with Mine eye.  (Margin), ‘I will counsel thee, Mine eye shall be upon thee.’  The margin expresses the sense of the Hebrew.  The literal meaning is, ‘I will counsel thee; Mine eyes shall be upon thee.’  De Wette: ‘My eye shall be directed towards thee.’  The idea is that of one telling another what way he is to take in order that he may reach a certain place; and he says he will watch him, or will keep an eye upon him; he will not let him go wrong.”  (Albert Barnes 1798-1870) (Cited in The Treasury of David, C.H. Spurgeon, page 159)

We Christians are the only souls that hear with our eyes as well as our ears!  We have a two-way personal fellowship with Almighty God - we speak to Him in prayer, and He speaks back to us through His Spirit-inspired Word contained in our KJV Bibles.  Hallelujah!  What a privileged fellowship with have!  God is our Holy Guide.

Verse 9.  “Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule.  You and I, as regenerate Christians, still have an old nature within us that just loves to sin.  We cannot change that nature, but praise God, He has also given us a new, regenerate nature which consistently seeks to do only righteousness - that is why we have constant conflict within our hearts. 

The horse and the mule are like our old nature - “…they never ask whether their rider be noble or base, nor whether their load be gold for the treasury or roots for the market.  And those expositors find the same indifference in an habitual sinner to any kind of sin; whether he/she sin for pleasure, or sin for profit, or sin but for company, still he/she sins.”  (John Donne 1573-1631)

“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His Word is not in us.”  (1 John 1:8-9) 

Can we not now see, especially through the truth contained in the above verses, how absolutely vital it is that we Christians read and study our Bibles personally and continually?  We must pray afresh for God to grant us ‘teachable spirits’; learn from His Word; and receive His Divine instruction for every step in life that we are privileged to take.  Blind guides have nothing but darkness to offer us - let us seek to walk in Christ’s light; empowered by God the Spirit; and guarded by our Father’s grace.  May the Lord God grant us power to live Christ-like lives for His glory.  Amen.

Thought:  Christ has called Sheep to His Flock - not fickle horses nor mules!