The Sins of our Ancestors

Posted on by korgrocker

“O Lord, how long will You be angry with us? Forever?
How long will Your jealousy burn like fire? 
Do not hold us guilty for the sins of our ancestors! 
Let Your compassion quickly meet our needs, 
     for we are on the brink of despair.”
Psalms‬ ‭79:5, 8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

This is not a comfortable Psalm to read, with its references to blood shed and misery, death and destruction. The Psalmist equates the reason for the devastation to God’s extreme displeasure with the Jewish nation, accusing God of acting in anger and jealousy against His people. But in the middle of his lament, is an appeal to God, for His compassion to displace the judgement. Asaph, the Psalmist, obviously believes that God is acting now because of the misbehaviour, the rebellion, the unfaithfulness, of previous generations. And he perhaps questions the fairness of such action. But God was quite clear – in Exodus 34 God said through Moses, “I lavish unfailing love to a thousand generations. I forgive iniquity, rebellion, and sin. But I do not excuse the guilty. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children and grandchildren; the entire family is affected— even children in the third and fourth generations.” Eventually God will act in judgement against guilty people, people who stack up their individual and national sins until He can stand it no more. But nevertheless, Asaph pleads with God to have mercy, to show compassion, on his people in a time of a national disaster, a time of despair. Perhaps the chink of light in this verse of warning is the reference to the guilty. Thankfully God is a God of compassion and love, as well as One of judgement, of anger and jealousy. And Asaph appeals to Him to show compassion, in the process forgiving the people for the sins of their ancestors. And to quickly come and mitigate their guilt and despair, to provide what they need.

So the inevitable question. How relevant is this Psalm in 21st Century societies? It’s a warning to us all. God is “slow to anger, quick to bless”, thankfully. Otherwise the rebellion and sins of our nations would have led to our destruction long ago. I probably wouldn’t even be here, writing this blog. And that is the key – God allows mankind to exist, even when acting sinfully, because of His grace and mercy. He gives everyone an opportunity for repentance, for embracing Him while there is still time, during our lives here on earth.

The Next Generation

Posted on by korgrocker

“So each generation should set its hope anew on God, 
not forgetting his glorious miracles 
and obeying his commands. 
Then they will not be like their ancestors— 
stubborn, rebellious, and unfaithful, 
refusing to give their hearts to God.“
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭78:7-8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

This Psalm is a lament over the chequered history of Israel. The Psalmist pointed out that, on the one hand, there were times when the Jewish nation behaved well, but also too many times when they didn’t, instead behaving badly  “… like their ancestors— stubborn, rebellious, and unfaithful, refusing to give their hearts to God.” 

The Church in the last 2000 years or so has also had a chequered history. Of times of great spiritual activity, but other dark periods where God’s people of the New Covenant lost their ways. Being stubborn and rebellious seems to be a human trait.

But what about each generation “[setting] its hope anew in God”? The Psalmist encouraged his people to teach about the wonderful things God has done to the next generation, so His wonderful works wouldn’t be forgotten. As we look around today it would be easy to feel despair, at our dwindling, increasingly liberal, congregations. Losing their way as they forget God’s wonderful works, and even His Word, the Bible. In a society where churches seem largely irrelevant to the “next generation”. But this Psalm contained, amongst all the warnings, a message of hope for Asaph’s generation. And today we too must declare a message of hope for our generation. We don’t know what the effect will be, when we share our stories about what God has done for us with our generations and the generations that follow. But one thing for sure, as we sow the seeds of our testimonies, the Holy Spirit will bring new shoots and growth in God’s Kingdom.

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The Good Old Days

Posted on by korgrocker

“I think of the good old days, long since ended, 
when my nights were filled with joyful songs. 
I search my soul and ponder the difference now.”
Psalms‬ ‭77:5-6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Asaph, today’s Psalmist, seemed to be in a place of trouble. A place where he was calling out to God, but there were no answers to his cries of distress. And he wrote in verse 4, “You don’t let me sleep. I am too distressed even to pray!” Have we ever been in a place like that? One where the Heavens seem to be made of brass and we wonder if God is taking a holiday?

The Psalmist did what we tend to do when life is difficult. He reflected on times past, the “good old days”. When life seemed so much easier than it is today. “Why did I ever leave that job – it was much easier than today and the people were much nicer”. Or, “I wish our old minister had never retired”. Or “I always seemed to have money in my pocket then – it’s difficult making ends meet today because things are so much more expensive.” The list is endless. But the problem is that we tend to look back with what have been called “rose-tinted glasses”. Remembering the good bits in our lives but conveniently forgetting the hard and difficult times. And, like the Psalmist, we compare our memories with life today and ponder.

But such a strategy is unproductive. Though it is good to take our memories out of the closet where we keep them and dust them off from time to time, we would do well to remember that we cannot relive those times. They are gone. As I keep reminding myself when times seem tough, what lies before me is what I make of it. With God’s help I can deal with any issues and move on. We must use the memories to remind ourselves of how we handled tough times, not lapse into self-pity, dwelling on “if only…”.

The Psalmist does the same. He turns away from the nostalgic analysis of his memories, instead leveraging them for his current situation. He wrote, “But then I recall all you have done, O Lord; I remember your wonderful deeds of long ago. They are constantly in my thoughts. I cannot stop thinking about your mighty works. O God, your ways are holy. Is there any god as mighty as you? You are the God of great wonders! You demonstrate your awesome power among the nations.” And that is all Asaph needed to do. He remembered himself into a place where he knew God would “do it again”. In faith we too can reach out to God, reminding Him of His grace and mercy in years past and asking Him to help us again. God never changes. He is the same, yesterday, today and forever. If He helped us through a crisis a year ago, He will do so again. And He delights in answering the prayers of His children.

The Apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the Philippian church, “No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” (Philippians 3:13-14). Our lives today can’t be tougher than Paul’s. But nothing was going to deter him from finishing well in the race of life. Let’s press on together.

A Great Name

Posted on by korgrocker

“God is renowned in Judah; 
in Israel His name is great.”
Psalms‬ ‭76:1 ‭NIVUK‬‬

We read those first few words and get as far as “His name is great”. How does that sit with us this morning? We live in a society that has largely turned away from God into secularism. There is little mention of the name of God, except as a blasphemous swear word on the lips of people who fail to understand the awesomeness and significance of His name. I once had a conversation with a lady in my office, who was a confirmed atheist. She was unmoving in her belief that there was no God. But she was very fond of using the expression “Oh my God!” And one day, I reminded her that, for someone who didn’t believe in God, she called upon His name an awful lot. I never heard her use that expression again. The significance of using His name suddenly dawned upon her.

To me, the name of God is sacred. His name is holy, loving, gracious. And I can call Him “Abba” or “Daddy” (Romans 8:15). How can that be, that I, a mere mortal human being, can call the Creator of the universe, “Daddy”.? That’s breath taking. That’s totally beyond human comprehension. But the Bible is full of references to the name of God and His attributes are limitless. And as I write these words, I feel a lift in my spirit, as I think about Him. If we spend time exploring the names of God in the Bible we will obtain a glimpse of who our wonderful God is. But when we do that we only scratch the service of what He is really like. All my Christian life God has never ceased to surprise me, to amaze me, and when I have needed it, when I have called out His name, I have felt in my spirit a gentle whisper and His loving touch. Sometimes in my early morning walks I whisper the name, “Jesus”. And I seem to receive an echo of agreement from the trees and undergrowth around me, as though they too want to hear His name.

So what do we all think about God and His name today? Is it a great name, one we revere, one we love and embrace? Or is it an irrelevance in our busy human activities? We would all do well to put the mention of His name at the top of any task list that we possess. 

God, Help!

Posted on by korgrocker

Hasten, O God, to save me;
come quickly, Lord, to help me.

But may all who seek you
rejoice and be glad in you;
may those who long for your saving help always say,
‘The Lord is great!’
But as for me, I am poor and needy;
come quickly to me, O God.
You are my help and my deliverer;
Lord, do not delay.

Psalm 70:1,4-5

Have we ever experienced a time when our minds seems numb through stress? A time when we are in deep trouble and need help? A time when the words of prayer don’t seem to come? Well, Psalm 70 could be our answer. Just five short verses that we can read, preferably out loud, forming a prayer for help. There are those who say that all prayers should be spontaneous; that pre-written prayers are not so good. But I wouldn’t agree. Any communication with our Father God, whether spontaneous or not, is good. In James 5:16 we read, “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” If we truly believe in what we pray, God will hear and answer.

In these verses we are also encouraged to rejoice in God, to declare, “The Lord is Great”. That in itself is a statement of faith, adding weight to our petitions, because such a declaration is acknowledging God for who He is. And as we speak out these words, the grace of God will fall upon us, wrapping us in His loving kindness. And we then offer Him our thanks, from a position of faith, that what we have prayed for has come to pass. 

But what if He doesn’t answer us? The occasion passes and we are still in trouble? There is no answer to our panicked prayers. Why is that? Is God selective in which prayers He answers? Not at all. Sometimes, we pray for help in a situation of our own making, perhaps caused by a wrong decision or a bad choice, and we may have to face the resulting consequences. But we can be assured that whatever is the cause for our prayers for help, God will be with us, helping us through the crisis. To me that is answer enough.

Miraculous Signs

Posted on by korgrocker

“We no longer see your miraculous signs. 
All the prophets are gone, 
and no one can tell us when it will end.”
Psalms‬ ‭74:9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

This Psalm sadly describes a catastrophic attack on the Temple in Jerusalem, and God’s people in the process. And Asaph, the writer, cries out to God: “How long?” and “Why do You hold back?” He prays for God to suddenly emerge and “Unleash [His] powerful fist and destroy them”, referring to the enemies who are wreaking such destruction.  But as we read this Psalm, do we feel a bit detached and view it as a historical account, or do we have a premonition of an equally disastrous event coming our way? We read about the invading hordes who take their battle-axes and destroy that very bastion of Jewish-ness, their temple. But do we observe today the lobby groups and secular politicians who cock a snoot at God and His people, and instead take their “progressive” battle-axes, hacking away at the very bastions of God’s ways and precepts, Scriptural principles held so dear by Godly people. History reveals that God’s people, the Jews, had a habit of turning away from God in the good times. And God, in His grace and mercy, allowed them to go their own way, for a while. Perhaps that is happening in these 21st Century days. In our Western societies, the rejection of God and His ways is becoming increasingly commonplace. Perhaps we are already a long way down the slippery slope. God, through His grace and mercy, has allowed this to happen, but for how long will God’s patience last? 

One thing Asaph highlighted in our Psalm today, was the lack of “miraculous signs” and prophetic words. I remember the excitement of the early days of the Charismatic renewal, with miraculous signs in abundance. Prophetic words were common place. God’s people expected Him to move in power. It was a time of great excitement. But where is it all today? 

But in my spirit I have felt for a while now that there is a new move of God coming. A time of renewal, a time when God’s presence will once again bring leadership and direction to our societies. A new awakening. A revival in His church. A God-visitation. I pray that it will take place in my lifetime. And that is what we must do – pray. Pray that God will visit us again in power and love. Pray that His people will rise up and fill our emptying churches once again. Pray that the miraculous and prophetic signs will once again encourage and motivate us. Pray that once again this country will listen to the voice of God and act accordingly. Did I hear someone say that this will never happen? The God I know can make anything happen, if we pray and petition Him, rattling the very doors of His throne room. He is a God who loves to answer our prayers and He will never turn us away, empty-handed.

The Slippery Path

Posted on by korgrocker

“Truly God is good to Israel, to those whose hearts are pure. 
But as for me, I almost lost my footing. 
My feet were slipping, and I was almost gone. 
For I envied the proud when I saw them prosper despite their wickedness. 
Did I keep my heart pure for nothing? 
Did I keep myself innocent for no reason? 
I get nothing but trouble all day long; every morning brings me pain. 
Then I went into your sanctuary, O God,
and I finally understood the destiny of the wicked.”
Psalms‬ ‭73:1-3, 13-14, 17‬ ‭NLT‬‬

A new Psalmist appears on the block – a guy called Asaph. And straight away he sets out his dilemma. In modern parlance, he lives his life God’s way, but experiences the same hassles and challenges in life as everyone else. But here was his rub – those he categorised as “wicked” were having a good time, better than his. They were prosperous and healthy. They didn’t seem to have the same difficulties in life that he did. You can almost imagine his thoughts behind the more measured tone of his writings. “Hey God! It’s not fair! I live a life Your way but all these people who don’t are better off than I am”. 

Two things strike me. Firstly it is his honesty. He wasn’t afraid of laying before God the apparent unfairness and injustices of life. Secondly, what he experienced hasn’t changed from his day. We look around us today and see the same quandary. The gap between the rich and poor seems to ever widen. The rich are having a good time, superficially at least. The poor are not.

Asaph laid out before God the apparent inequity and injustice of a Godly life when compared with the life lived by godless people. He tried to get his mind around the reasons that would seem to favour the lives of those who denied the very relevance and existence of God. He felt his peers, fellow Godly people, were confused about the situation too. You see, his expectation was that God would zap these wicked people and get rid of them because of their arrogance and conduct. “Why, God, are You allowing them to get away with it!”, might have been his cry. Still perplexed, he wanders into the temple and all of a sudden, everything becomes clear. He gets God’s perspective and it breaks through his growing bitterness, bringing a new dawn of understanding and relief into his thinking. What had changed? He realised that people cannot get away with living in a wicked, anti-God, way for ever. There will come a time of reckoning. He finally understood there will be a time for God’s judgement, but for now it was a time for God’s grace.

It is the same today. Sadly, so many people live a life without any appreciation of their Creator God. And they don’t seem to suffer for it. But they have totally missed the reality that God exists and one day they will stand before Him. And claiming ignorance will not be a defence. God’s grace will have been available to them all their lives but they have rejected it and turned away into a Godless existence.

Asaph finally understands and in God’s warm embrace he writes, “Whom have I in heaven but you? I desire you more than anything on earth. My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever.” And I echo those words this morning. Please join me in praising and thanking our wonderful and glorious God.

Solomon’s Prayer

Posted on by korgrocker

“Give your love of justice to the king, O God, 
and righteousness to the king’s son. 
Help him judge your people in the right way; 
     let the poor always be treated fairly. 
May the mountains yield prosperity for all, 
     and may the hills be fruitful. 
Help him to defend the poor, 
     to rescue the children of the needy, 
     and to crush their oppressors.”
Psalms‬ ‭72:1-4‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Psalm 72 was written by Solomon, David’s second son from his marriage with Bathsheba. This Psalm is a prayer with three interwoven themes, instructions to the king, prosperity for all, and justice and provision for the poor. But do these themes have any relevance for Western societies today? 

Regarding instructions for the king we can overlay them onto our democratic system and its political leaders. The Psalmist lists love of justice, righteousness, treating people fairly and judging in the right way as being qualities that leaders should adhere to. So when the opportunity comes to vote for our leaders, we should look for these qualities in the candidates, praying for God to help us in the selection process. And it reminds us that we should pray for our political leaders, that they will faithfully follow God’s ways.

One word that repeatedly crops up in the Psalm is “May”. It’s a word that is full of a prayerful aspiration for something good to happen. An expression of hope. A yearning for better times. Verse 3 sets out a prayer for prosperity, with a picture of the mountains and hills providing a fruitful source. Prosperity for everyone, not just the favoured few. This is a prayer for today as well. Many parts of our world today are experiencing poverty. Famines and diseases are rife. Wars destroy what little some people have. And we have a terrible imbalance between the rich and the poor nations. So we must pray for all people, and provide from our resources what we can. But there is a wider, more prevalent, poverty. Poverty of spirit is a universal problem, affecting all nations, whether rich or poor. Jesus highlighted the “poor in spirit” in the first of the Beatitudes. Such people realise their need for God, and can approach Him with open hands to receive His riches, the prosperity found in His Kingdom. 

But in this Psalm, Solomon writes about how the leader should protect the poor in his nation. It is interesting that Solomon didn’t pray for the poor to become rich and prosperous. He accepted that in spite of the prosperity of the nation, there were still poor, needy and oppressed people, and he prayed for the leader to do what was necessary to look after them. Though Western societies are generally rich and prosperous, we still have poor people who are needy and oppressed. Jesus said in John 12:8, “You will always have the poor among you…”. And that is certainly today’s experience. The solution has evaded every generation since Solomon. But as God’s people, we must pray and help those in need in our communities and families.

There is perhaps a prophetic hint of the Messiah’s reign to come in this Psalm, with its reference to the “ends of the earth” in verse 8. That is when we will see the reality of the prayers of this Psalm fulfilled.

Quakes

Posted on by korgrocker

“God says, “At the time I have planned, 
I will bring justice against the wicked. 
When the earth quakes and its people live in turmoil, 
I am the one who keeps its foundations firm.”
Psalms‬ ‭75:2-3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

God speaks. And the Psalmist records what He says. And it’s good news. God says that regardless of what is going on in the world He is keeping “its foundations firm”. 

In Glasgow we are about to hold the UN Climate Change Conference, “COP26”. And Scotland will be full of people who sincerely believe that mankind is destroying the world through carbon emissions. Trashing the planet with the excessive use of fossil fuels, that release carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere. And they claim that otherwise avoidable climate change will result. But we have a situation where nations are reluctant to reverse the juggernauts of their economies today, thereby reducing the standard of living for their people, all for the sake of the world in a few decades time. So there will be much talk, press releases, claim and counter claim, and, if previous such conferences are anything to go by, little or insufficient progress made towards the goal of significantly reducing carbon dioxide emissions. And adding to the mix we have the climate change deniers who dispute the science being quoted in the first place.

But in this Psalm God is setting different priorities. First of all He has a plan. Regardless of all the planning mankind gets up to, God’s plan will prevail. It has to. After all He created the world in the first place. Secondly, He is more concerned about the morals of mankind than the nations are. At the appointed time, He is going to “bring justice against the wicked”. If I was a godless person on the planet today reading this Psalm, I think I would be getting worried and instead be wondering about my priorities in life. And thirdly, in a world experiencing earthquakes and social turmoil, instead of fretting around the edges, I should perhaps be getting close to the One who is holding all things together, keeping the “foundations firm”.

Imagine a world where everyone counted themselves among God’s People. I think the impact would have been such that the aims and goals of COP26 would have been realised a long time ago, in a world going God’s way rather than the way of the wicked. 

Being an Example

Posted on by korgrocker

My life is an example to many,
because you have been my strength and protection.
That is why I can never stop praising you;
I declare your glory all day long.
Psalm 71:7-8

Who can say, as David did in this Psalm, “My life is an example to many”. But how can he have the utter cheek to make such a claim after his very public and disgraceful affair with Bathsheba? Is he saying that anyone can behave in that way and it’s no big deal? Before we answer that question, it might be worth considering another similar occasion. When Peter was caught out by Jesus after denying Him, in His time of need, not just once, but three times. We can read the passage in Matthew 26. This wasn’t just a private occurrence – Peter made his denials publicly in front of a group of people. And we can read in John 21 how the risen Jesus took Peter through repentance to becoming a rock, on which Jesus said He would build His church.

So back to David. He also repented of his terrible sins and received God’s forgiveness. There are no sins that God will not cleanse us from. We have not done anything so bad that Jesus will refuse to pardon us. And like David, we too can be an example to many. In our communities we can be an example to our friends and neighbours, and by our lives we may the only glimpse of Jesus that many people will ever see. 

Those of us who have repented of our sins can stand before God wearing the righteousness of Jesus. How do I know? The Bible says so in 2 Corinthians 5:21, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God“. So if God declares me righteous, as He did with David and Peter and countless others, I too can be an example to many. I have blogged before about the Pastor of a church in Glasgow, who was a drug dealer, imprisoned for his crime, saved through the ministry of Teen Challenge, and who returned to the very community in which he dealt drugs as their Minister and Pastor. I’m sure, at least initially, the community scoffed at him, as they did with Jesus when He preached in His home town of Nazareth. But the reformed drug dealer is now an amazing testimony to the grace of God. Like David, he too can say his life is an example to many. 

And so the challenge to us is this – as reformed sinners can we too be examples to those around us, telling about God’s strength and protection, and declaring His glory all day long? A thought for today?