Hating Imagers?

Psalm 31

1 To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

In you, O LORD, do I take refuge; let me never be put to shame; in your righteousness deliver me!

2 Incline your ear to me; rescue me speedily! Be a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me!

3 For you are my rock and my fortress; and for your name’s sake you lead me and guide me;

4 you take me out of the net they have hidden for me, for you are my refuge.

5 Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O LORD, faithful God.

6 I hate those who pay regard to worthless idols, but I trust in the LORD.

7 I will rejoice and be glad in your steadfast love, because you have seen my affliction; you have known the distress of my soul,

8 and you have not delivered me into the hand of the enemy; you have set my feet in a broad place.

9 Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am in distress; my eye is wasted from grief; my soul and my body also.

10 For my life is spent with sorrow, and my years with sighing; my strength fails because of my iniquity, and my bones waste away.

11 Because of all my adversaries I have become a reproach, especially to my neighbors, and an object of dread to my acquaintances; those who see me in the street flee from me.

12 I have been forgotten like one who is dead; I have become like a broken vessel.

13 For I hear the whispering of many—

terror on every side!— as they scheme together against me, as they plot to take my life.

14 But I trust in you, O LORD; I say, “You are my God.”

15 My times are in your hand; rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutors!

16 Make your face shine on your servant;

save me in your steadfast love!

17 O LORD, let me not be put to shame, for I call upon you; let the wicked be put to shame; let them go silently to Sheol.

18 Let the lying lips be mute, which speak insolently against the righteous in pride and contempt.

19 Oh, how abundant is your goodness,

which you have stored up for those who fear you and worked for those who take refuge in you, in the sight of the children of mankind!

20 In the cover of your presence you hide them from the plots of men; you store them in your shelter from the strife of tongues.

21 Blessed be the LORD, for he has wondrously shown his steadfast love to me when I was in a besieged city.

22 I had said in my alarm,fn

“I am cut off from your sight.” But you heard the voice of my pleas for mercy when I cried to you for help.

23 Love the LORD, all you his saints! The LORD preserves the faithful but abundantly repays the one who acts in pride.

24 Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the LORD!

Thoughts:

- For David GOD is his rock and fortress. In this world there are many things that can give us a false sense of security, but there is only one that can keep us eternally secure.

Jesus said - Matthew 10:28 ESV — And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

- David said that into GOD's hand he committed his spirit, Interestingly enough Jesus said or quoted this as well.

 Luke 23:46 ESV — Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last. My question to you and others is who or what do you commit your spirit to? Your answer to this question will have eternal consequences.

- notice in verse six there is something to be hated, but its not an imager. I find it somewhat interesting that I have to quote this because it obviously doesn’t come to the mind of some people naturally - Genesis 9:6 ESV — “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image.

Which means verbalizing through whatever medium that this person or that person deserves death goes directly against the fact that GOD doesn’t want us shedding blood period. Even the angels (better to say spirits) that asked GOD if they could pull up the tares (weeds), see Matthew 13:24-30. If the angels weren't allowed to do it, then some people have a pretty high opinion of themselves. First to try and circumvent GOD's will by committing murder and second to see themselves as higher in authority than the heavenly beings. By the by that's pride, that's the Devils thought process. Is that the company you want to be keeping?

- GOD's love for us should cause us to rejoice. This world will leave us afflicted and distressed, but GOD tries to plant our feet on the solid ground.

- David was GOD's annointed and he still felt distress, he cried, his body and soul hurt. He felt sorrow and sighing was not foreign to him. His strength failed him and his bones became brittle. Jesus too was called the man of sorrows. - Isaiah 53:3 ESV — He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Jesus sighed - Mark 7:34, Mark 8:12, he wept - Luke 19:41, John 11:33, John 11:35

Because...

Hebrews 4:15 ESV — For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.

- verse 13 they plotted to take his life, does this sound familiar? John 11:53 ESV — So from that day on they made plans to put him to death. It wasn't a surprise to Jesus - John 8:40 ESV — but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did.

- John 7:20 ESV — The crowd answered, “You have a demon! Who is seeking to kill you?” - Some of the people thought it was a crazy idea that anyone wanted Jesus dead. 

Then when you read John 7:25 ESV — Some of the people of Jerusalem therefore said, “Is not this the man whom they seek to kill? It's almost like they yell at Jesus, "No one is trying to kill you" and then whispering between themselves, oh wait!, isn't that the guy they're gonna kill? 

- verse 11 an object of dread, a broken vessel, a reproach to his neighbors, others saw him and ran away. Jesus dovetails into this verse like David had penned it from memory. Jesus was scourged and had flesh torn from his back and was bleeding. He was punched,slapped and had a crown of thorns stuck on his head and bleed some more. Is it any wonder that people consider him a reproach and ran away.

Isaiah 52:14 decribes it like this — As many were astonished at you— his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of the children of mankind.

- yet despite all this David continues to trust in GOD, verse fourteen. David knew GOD would rescue him from his enemies and persacutors. David was not put to shame, Jesus was not put to shame, they had the last word unlike those who go silently to Sheol. In verse eighteen we won't have to hear lying lips, insolent speach against the righteous, pride full and contemptuous lips, will be silent in Sheol. What do I hear? Nothing.

- David wrote verse 19, GOD's goodness is :

          - abundant 

          - is "stored up", he's ready and waiting to bless us. What are you waiting for?

          - give GOD the reverence due him.

          - "and worked", past tense. GOD's track record has proof of his goodness, when we listen and obey.

          - it's never done in secret, the children of mankind see it. Give GOD the thanks and praise due him. Do it in the children's sight. Tell people of GOD's goodness.

- in GOD's presence we are protected from the plots and strife of men. Will it stop us from being besiged? No Paul tells us in Ephesians 6:12 ESV — For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

We are in a war and our enemy the Devil is in a hurry because if he knows nothing else he knows his time is short.

Notice even though David recognized that he was besigned GOD's love would shine through even though he felt cut off and pleaded for mercy. GOD was right there.

- verse 23, who Loves the LORD? His saints.

He will preserve us, but the prideful, the Devil and all who are his will get abundant payment called the Lake of Fire.

- finally verse 24, guess what yes we have to wait, we wait on the LORD. His timing is perfect, we learn patience and trust and grow our character into the person of Christ.

We see again the words repeated over and over again in his word - "be strong, let your take courage", we can trust in our Abba Father, in Jesus, and in the Holy Spirit.

My prayer for us, Heavenly Father we ask you for patience (yeah I heard you wince!) strength, and courage. GOD fill us with your Holy Spirit and have your way in our lives.