April 22, 2023 — Psalm 12 

“Help, O Lord, for there is no longer anyone who is godly; the faithful have disappeared from humankind. They utter lies to each other; with flattering lips and a double heart they speak. May the Lord cut off all flattering lips, the tongue that makes great boasts, those who say, “With our tongues we will prevail; our lips are our own—who is our master?” “Because the poor are despoiled, because the needy groan, I will now rise up,” says the Lord; “I will place them in the safety for which they long.” The promises of the Lord are promises that are pure, silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times. You, O Lord, will protect us; you will guard us from this generation forever. On every side the wicked prowl, as vileness is exalted among humankind.” Psalm 12 

“The 12th psalm laments over the teachers who are always inventing new little discoveries and filling up God’s kingdom everywhere with these new services to God. For where human doctrine once goes in, there is no stop or end to it; they increase more and more. These new inventions load down the poor conscience beyond all limit and work so that few true saints may remain. Against all this, the psalm comforts us that God will awaken His salvation…His Word, which confidently storms against this work of straw. He will free the imprisoned conscience. This does not happen, however, without cross and agony. As silver is purified in the fire, so the saints also must suffer in the meantime, and by this means become ever more pure and perceive the truth so much more clearly.” (Martin Luther, Reading the Psalms with Luther) 

The passage begins with a lamentation, an expression of sadness and grief: “Help, O Lord, for there is no longer anyone who is godly; the faithful have disappeared from humankind.” The writer is asking an important question: “Where are all the faithful people? Have they died? Have they ceased the activity of faith? Where are they?” We hear a similar lament from the prophet Micah: “The godly have been swept from the land; not one upright man remains.” (Micah 7:2). Now this may only be  “poetic hyperbole”, but it is the genuine emotion of the godly for thousands of years.  

I know people of G-d today feel the same way — because I hear the lament often. If we are G-d’s people, we place great value on honesty, personal morality, modesty, generosity, prayer, and following the Scriptures. But in this day and age, we see how things have become perverted. We are saddened when we see the faithful fail, the godly retreat. Every child of G-d lives with the reality of the absence of godliness all around us. As Martin Luther writes, “As silver is purified in the fire, so the saints also must suffer in the meantime…” No, we do not like to hear about suffering, but we live in the confidence that G-d will be victorious in the end — that Jesus will bring about the Kingdom of G-d. 

Prayer: O Lord, our God, the Lord of hosts, guard us that we err not from the way of truth, and keep us from the temptation to sit where the mockers sit. Preserve us in the faith of Your Son, and a walk of godliness all the days of our pilgrimage. Be with us when we must walk among the wicked, surrounded by so many evil examples, and keep us from the evil. Amen. 

Pastor Dave

April 21, 2023 — Psalm 11

“In the Lord I take refuge; how can you say to me, “Flee like a bird to the mountains; for look, the wicked bend the bow, they have fitted their arrow to the string, to shoot in the dark at the upright in heart. If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord’s throne is in heaven. His eyes behold, his gaze examines humankind. The Lord tests the righteous and the wicked, and his soul hates the lover of violence. On the wicked he will rain coals of fire and sulfur; a scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup. For the Lord is righteous; he loves righteous deeds; the upright shall behold his face.” Psalm 11

“The 11th psalm laments over the heretics and false interpreters of the Scriptures who lead the people away from the true ground of faith and bring them to their mountains, that is, their great high holiness of works. To that end, the heretics and false interpreters of the Scriptures mock the true Teacher and say, “What shall the righteous do?” But the psalm ends with the comfort that God will certainly see this. The false teachers will be condemned and the righteous will remain.” (Martin Luther, Reading the Psalms with Luther)

Remember the dire warnings about the Mayan Calendar and the year 2012? There were certain “experts” who predicted dire consequences including the end of the world because it indicated the end of the Mayan Calendar. Many people gathered at Mayan sites throughout South America expecting to experience the end of all things. Yet, here we are today — staring straight into the Easter season for the year 2023.

There are many examples in recent times as well as in Biblical times where people have decided to “flee to the mountains”: Adam and Eve, Saul, Jonah, Israel and Judah, Peter — as well as the end of the Mayan Calendar. How should the church respond to threatening circumstances? The Bible gives us two basic choices: we can either flee to the hills, or we can take refuge in G-d.

In many and various Psalms, the writer will sing the praises of G-d in a response of praise, like in Psalm 121: “I lift up my eyes to the Hills, from where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord.” Even if we decide to flee to the Hills, we flee knowing that G-d is everywhere — G-d is in the heavens, G-d is on the hill tops, and G-d is in the very place where we are hoping to take refuge. So, instead of fleeing, we take refuge knowing that G-d is not hiding from us — G-d is simply waiting for us to notice that he never left. 

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You came into this world to reveal to us the will of Your Father and to teach us the way everlasting. Behold how Your sacred Word is denied and corrupted in these perilous days. Have mercy upon us, save us from the snares of unbelief and the seductive teachings of the world, and grant us to abide in Your Word that, made free from error and sin, we be found Your disciples indeed. Amen.

Pastor Dave