PSALM 31

TEHILLIM 31

I and my Father are one. (Jhn 10:30)

1 (To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.) In thee, O Yahweh, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed: deliver me in thy righteousness.

2 Bow down thine ear to me; deliver me speedily: be thou my strong rock, for an house of defence to save me.

3 For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name's sake lead me, and guide me.

In the matter of the Gibeonites, Joshua reacted according to his own best judgment, without seeking the guidance of God. We see this SO clearly: unwise Joshua! But it is a rare person who does not do exactly the same thing many times a day.

How many of us turn instinctively and consistently in prayer to God for guidance in every decision of life, great and small? Yet it is only such as have trained themselves to do this who can be safely on the path of life.

Remember Joshua!

Bro Growcott - Search Me O God

4 Pull me out of the net that they have laid privily for me: for thou art my strength.

5 Into thine hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O Yahweh Elohim of truth.

6 I have hated them that regard lying vanities: but I trust in Yahweh.

7 I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy: for thou hast considered my trouble; thou hast known my soul in adversities;

8 And hast not shut me up into the hand of the enemy: thou hast set my feet in a large room.

9 Have mercy upon me, O Yahweh, for I am in trouble: mine eye is consumed with grief, yea, my soul and my belly.

10 For my life is spent with grief, and my years with sighing: my strength faileth because of mine iniquity, and my bones are consumed.

The prophets who prophesied the sufferings of Christ and of the glory which should follow, understood not the manner of the thing which the spirit signified by their lips. They saw, indeed, the man of sorrows; they saw his sufferings, and some of them saw his death, and likewise his resurrection; but that which they chiefly saw, was his kingdom and his glory; and the blessedness of the people whom he was to rule over in righteousness.

And why did they see this chiefly? Because it was the great and permanent establishment of God's purpose unto which his humiliation was but the brief, the transient, the lowly parent.

For the same reason that the Gentile dispensation though of a long continuance, is but a little while, as it were, when compared with the eternal duration of the Lord's presence, and of his kingdom, this also occupies but a brief portion of every prophecy, whereof the fulness is ever reserved for the delineation of the glory which is to follow.

There is, therefore, with respect to the coming of the Lord, these three things to be gathered from all the scriptures taken together.

1. A coming in humility, in the likeness of Sin's flesh, that sin might be condemned in that flesh in the bruising of his heel.

2. There is an absence for a season, during which he is hidden in the shadow of Yahweh's hand; a polished shaft concealed in his quiver to be brought forth again at a future time.

3. This time at which he is to be brought forth once more, is when the Jewish nation shall again be taken into covenant with God, and become the chief and sovereign nation of the world.

Herald of the Kingdom and Age to Come, Aug 1859

11 I was a reproach among all mine enemies, but especially among my neighbours, and a fear to mine acquaintance: they that did see me without fled from me.

12 I am forgotten as a dead man out of mind: I am like a broken vessel.

13 For I have heard the slander of many: fear was on every side: while they took counsel together against me, they devised to take away my life.

14 But I trusted in thee, O Yahweh: I said, Thou art my Elohim.

ALL our happiness and pleasure and satisfaction must be centered in God. Any seeming "happiness" or "pleasure" or "satisfaction" that is not centered in God is a sham and a delusion that will turn to sorrow at last. God is the only reality. All things and all beings exist only as He wills that they exist. Whatever is built on God is real, and will last. Whatever is not built on God is not real, and will not last. Only a few learn this. Only a few find eternal happiness and peace.

Bro Growcott - Search Me O God

15 My times are in thy hand: deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me.

16 Make thy face to shine upon thy servant: save me for thy mercies' sake.

17 Let me not be ashamed, O Yahweh; for I have called upon thee: let the wicked be ashamed, and let them be silent in the grave.

18 Let the lying lips be put to silence; which speak grievous things proudly and contemptuously against the righteous.

19 Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men!

A man is likely to be a dry and sapless branch who feeds on one extracted element of the vine-juice. The kingdom alone without the God of the kingdom and the purpose of the kingdom, will generate spiritual idiotcy.

The signs of the times, without the two great commandments on which hang all the law and the prophets, will gender hardness of heart.

The mortality of human nature studied by itself will produce a monster; the "state of the dead," spiritual moles and bats; earth creatures, who delight to burrow in the "dust and ashes" of this state of humiliation, insensible to the noble aspirations after the higher ways, to which Christ is the door.

God-manifestation by itself will give us a scorching glare, that will parch the ground, and spread desolation.

In the spiritual, as in the natural, we must have all the elements of growth, in order to have a healthy life of the creature, or healthy fructification of the soil.

Let us have the air, earth, and sky of God's entire word; the refreshing shower, as well as the invigorating breeze; the moon that walks in her brightness, as well as the glorious orb of day; the ploughing, and harrowing, and planting, as well as watering and garnering; the ramble on the mountain side, as well as the meditative rest at home.

We must have all that goes to make up a healthy life. We must have the glory of the promises, the beauty of holiness, the sweetness of love, the tenderness of compassion, the brightness of hope, the vigour of good sense, faith in the mysteries, intelligence in the signs, taste for the first principles, skill in strong meat.

All these will combine to make a lovable, and interesting, and useful man in Christ Jesus; but this can only be reached by continual presence in the word, a daily picking up over the breadth of its richly-furnished fields, neglecting no corners, giving no preference to any part, but honouring, and studying, and treasuring all alike.

Thus will the man of God be thoroughly furnished unto all good works. The labour is not great, but continuous. It is like the small economies which, steadily practised, lead to wealth; little by little, till more is in your hands than you know. The result in this case is beyond all price, and, therefore, worth all perseverance.

It is, indeed, the pearl of great price, which a wise man will dispense with everything to obtain. It is the one thing needful, which secured, will never be taken away. It leads to the blessedness which eye hath not seen, nor ear heard; nor hath it entered into the heart of man to conceive.

‭The Christadelphian, ‬Aug 1871

The Goodness of God

The phrase "the goodness of God" is found occurrent in various places of the Holy Scriptures. It is not peculiar to the New Testament, but common to it and the Old. It occurs first in the writings of Moses, who, speaking of the effect of his narrative of Yahweh's severity upon Egypt and deliverance of Israel upon the mind of his father-in-law, says:

"And Jethro rejoiced for all the goodness which the Lord had done to Israel, whom he had delivered out of the hand of the Egyptian."

From this the reader will perceive that the Lord's goodness is comprehensive both of good and evil. It is not unmixed good—good, pure, and absolute—but mixed and relative. If his goodness had been pronounced upon by the Egyptians, they would have characterized it as pure evil; because his goodness plagued them with grievous plagues, and destroyed their army with a terrific overthrow.

But this pure and absolute evil upon Egypt was unqualified goodness to Israel; for it delivered them from a sore and cruel bondage, and commenced the fulfilment of the "good thing" which Yahweh had promised to Abraham, Isaac, and to Jacob, and their seed. God's goodness, then, is good in act and promise to his people; but only evil to them who afflict them, and blaspheme his name.

God's goodness to his people, and severity upon his enemies, are the necessary result of his peculiar character. Hence his goodness and character are inseparable; so that to declare "The Name" of the Lord is at once to make known his character and goodness, which stand related as effect and cause. Because of this, it is written,

"I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will show mercy on whom I will show mercy."

Yahweh, therefore, descended in a cloud, and stood with Moses on Mount Sinai, and proclaimed the attributes which constitute his character, saying,

"Yahweh, Yahweh, a God, merciful and gracious, long suffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity, and transgression, and sin, and destroying not utterly the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation."

Such a God is Yahweh in his character, or relations of goodness to those whom he chooses for his people; but at the same time "a consuming fire" to his enemies. He is a great and absolute sovereign in all his doings, having mercy upon whom he will, and hardening at his pleasure.

He chose Israel for his people, or nation, to whom he granted a constitution, laws, and institutions, burdensome to be borne, but most agreeable to himself, and promotive of his purpose in the manifestation of his goodness concerning them in the latter days. All his promises emanate from the essential goodness of his nature, which is favour, forbearance, abounding in truth, faithfulness, pardoning, and corrective but not utterly destroying.

His promises are made to Israel, and to Israel alone; nevertheless he has condescended to invite those of all nations who believe his promises to share in them when the time shall arrive to perform them. To Israel he is gracious; to Israel he is long-suffering; to Israel he is abundant in goodness and truth; for thousands of Israel he keeps mercy in store; he forgives Israel's iniquity, transgression, and sin; and he corrects Israel, but he does not utterly destroy him, as his history shows even to this day.

He hath not dealt so with any other nation.

"Yahweh found Israel in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness: he led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye."

There is no nation so dear to him as Israel; for "Israel is beloved for the fathers' sake." So tenderly compassionate is he of his nation that he saith by his prophet, "He that toucheth you, O Israel, toucheth the apple of Yahweh's eye." And all this mercy to Israel is shared by those Gentiles who believe the promises and obey the law of faith; for believing Jews and Gentiles are all the children of God through the faith (δια της πιστεως dia tees pisteoos) in Christ Jesus.

For as many of these believers as have been baptized into Christ have put him on. They are therefore all one in Christ Jesus; and if Christ's, then Abraham's seed or Israelites, and heirs according to the promise.

Being thus adopted, the Gentiles who believe the gospel of the kingdom in the name of Jesus, are no more strangers and foreigners, or aliens from Israel's Commonwealth, and strangers from the covenants of promise, but fellow-citizens with the saints of Israel, and of the household of God, which for about seven years after the resurrection of Jesus consisted only of faithful Israelites.

Herald of the Kingdom and Age to Come, Apr 1853

20 Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man: thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.

21 Blessed be Yahweh: for he hath shewed me his marvellous kindness in a strong city.

22 For I said in my haste, I am cut off from before thine eyes: nevertheless thou heardest the voice of my supplications when I cried unto thee.

23 O love Yahweh, all ye his saints: for Yahweh preserveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer.

Contemplate your blessings: principally the eternal, spiritual, unchanging ones. Contemplate your unworthiness. Contemplate God's greatness and holiness and marvellous condescending love. Get a constant sense of gratitude and desire to reciprocate that love which is almost painful in its pressing, overwhelming urgency.

This is the power and the motive that creates a perpetual and irresistible yearning and striving for worthiness and holiness. It is the only power and motive that can resist and overcome and triumph over the fatal, unremitting, downward pull of the flesh. Love God ENOUGH -- through study, meditation and realisation -- and you can do ANYTHING. There is no other way to life: no other power to overcome.

Bro Growcott - Search Me O God

24 Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in Yahweh.

The glory of the Truth over all systems of human wisdom lies here that while it most frankly and plainly declares the evil nature of the time in which we live, it tells us the reason of the evil in the current departure from God, and it gives us a pledge of another time to come when there shall be no evil - for which time it bids us to labour in submission to God in the way He has made known.

Human wisdom has to admit the evil, but offers no explanation of it, and as for the future, can only surmise that it will be what the past has been, or at the best can only utter an indefinite nebulous notion to the effect that there may be a better state in some – far-off time of which we can know nothing, either as to its nature or as to our individual relation thereto.

Human wisdom leaves us in utter darkness: divine wisdom brings us into glorious light. And the matter so stands that there can be no question as to which is really wisdom. For while human wisdom is the mere irresponsible maunderings of human ignorance, divine wisdom is the authenticated utterance of eternal power, –by many infallible proofs" –at sundry times and divers manners."

It is no affair of tradition or opinion of speculation; it is an affair of accomplished and visible facts and achievements that cannot be blotted from the history of the world.

Bro Roberts - The Present Evil World