Happiness of Those Trusting in God

 By: Dr. Dale Weckbacher

 

Text: Psalm 34:1-22

 

Psalm 34:1-3

I will bless the Lord at all times;
His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
² My soul shall make its boast in the Lord;
The humble shall hear of it and be glad.
³ Oh, magnify the Lord with me,
And let us exalt His name together.

(NKJV)

 

When we find ourselves in trouble, our response may be to go somewhere safe. For David who was fleeing for his life from Saul, it meant going to Achish the king of Gath (1 Samuel 21:10). If Gath sounds familiar, it is also where Goliath was from, and in fact, David had gone to Gath with the sword of Goliath (1 Samuel 21:9). Perhaps David realized where he was and whose sword he had and out of fear of attack from king Achich, faked being mad to escape attack (1 Samuel 21:12-15). This is the historical context of when David wrote Psalm 34, a psalm of praise to God even in these troubling circumstances.

 

Psalm 34 begins with David declaring he will bless the Lord at all times with His praise continually in his mouth (Psalm 34:1). His soul will also make its boast in the Lord with the humble hearing it and being glad with David inviting everyone to join him in magnifying the Lord and exalting His name (Psalm 34:2-3). David sought the Lord when fearful, and the Lord heard and delivered him with those looking at David radiant and unashamed (Psalm 34:4-5). David, as a poor man, cried out to the Lord and was heard and delivered (Psalm 34:6). David declares that the angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him and they are delivered (Psalm 34:7).

 

David invites us to taste and see that the Lord is good with those placing their trust in Him, blessed (Psalm 34:8). David invites us to fear the Lord, for there is no need for those doing so (Psalm 34:9). Young lions lack and suffer hunger, but those seeking the Lord lack no good thing (Psalm 34:10).

 

David then invites the children to come and learn from him about the fear of the Lord (Psalm 34:11). A man who desires a long life to see good must keep his tongue from evil, speaking deceit, and depart from doing evil, doing good, and seeking peace (Psalm 34:12-14). The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous with His ears open to their cries, with the face of the Lord against those doing evil, cutting their remembrance off from the earth (Psalm 34:15-16). When the righteous cry out, the Lord hears and delivers them from their troubles (Psalm 34:17). The Lord is near to those with a broken heart and saves those with a contrite spirit (Psalm 34:18).

 

The righteous have many afflictions, but the Lord delivers them out of them all, guarding their bones so not one of them is broken (Psalm 34:19-20). Evil shall slay the wicked with those hating righteousness condemned (Psalm 34:21). In contrast, the Lord redeems the soul of His servants with no one trusting in Him condemned (Psalm 34:22).

 

The context of the writing of this Psalm is when David pretended to be mad before King Achish, with him driven away (1 Samuel 21:10-15). This leads to the question of why David would experience happiness in trusting God at this time. The answer lies in the source of David’s happiness. During this time in David’s life, his circumstances were not good, and if he based his happiness on these circumstances, he would be unhappy. However, David’s happiness was not based on his circumstances but on his trust in the Lord, who he knew would deliver him from all his fears (Psalm 34:4). David could experience sustainable happiness and joy because it came from an unchanging God.

 

We may find ourselves in unusual or even strange circumstances with no seeming possibility of happiness or joy, yet David shows us it is possible when we trust in God. If my happiness and joy are based on circumstances in my life that constantly change, I will find myself on a roller coaster ride of ups and downs. One of the benefits of living with a trust in God is the stability of joy and happiness that is not based on one's circumstances, but on trust in an unchanging God.

 

When Peter stepped out of the boat and walked on the water with Jesus, it was because his eyes were on Jesus (Matthew 14:29-31). However, when he looked at the storm going on around him, his circumstances, Peter began to sink. Such is our joy and happiness when we focus on our circumstances and take our eyes off the Lord. To do this, one must have a relationship with God through what Jesus did by confessing our belief in His death, burial, and resurrection (Romans 10:9-10), opening the door for us to build our life on the stability of an unchanging God. If you are reading this and have never made this confession of faith, I invite you to do so now by praying with me.

 

Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned (Romans 3:23) and know that the penalty for my sin is death (Romans 6:23).  I ask you to forgive me of my sin and cleanse me as you promise in your Word (1 John 1:9).  I believe you died, spent three days in the grave, and resurrected from the dead and now declare you Lord of my life.

 

I urge you to find a Church teaching the truth of God’s word so you can have sustainable joy built on this foundation of truth. May God challenge and empower everyone reading this post. 

Warfare on Two Fronts

 By: Dr. Dale Weckbacher

 

Text: John 18:28-40

 

John 18:39-40

“But you have a custom that I should release someone to you at the Passover. Do you therefore want me to release to you the King of the Jews?”

⁴⁰ Then they all cried again, saying, “Not this Man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a robber.

(NKJV)

 

In the passage of John 18:28-40, we see Jesus as the focal point of warfare on two fronts, spiritual and political. While what is occurring in this passage is chaos and something out of control, with an innocent man tried and even the Roman leader of the region finding nothing wrong, this is part of God’s plan. Jesus came into the world to die as the Lamb of God and then to resurrect from the dead in victory over death with these events the fulfillment of this plan. God’s plans often do not play out according to how we think they should, but they are God’s plans and something we must follow.

 

After His mock trial before the Jews, Jesus is taken to the Praetorium early in the morning to face a Roman trial (John 18:28). The Jews could not go in with Jesus so Pilate went out to the Jews, asking why they have brought Jesus to him (John 18:29). The Jews tell Pilate that if they did not believe Jesus was an evildoer, they would not have brought Jesus to him to which Pilate responds, telling them to try Jesus according to Jewish law (John 18:30-31). The problem for the Jews is that it is unlawful for them to put anyone to death with this fulfilling how Jesus said He would die (John 18:31-32).

 

Pilate returns to the Praetorium and asks Jesus if He is the King of the Jews, to which Jesus responds by asking Pilate if he is saying this of Himself or based on what others have said (John 18:33-34). Pilate responds, asking Jesus if he is a Jew, reminding Him that His own nation and chief priests have delivered Him to him, asking what He has done (John 18:35). Jesus tells Pilate that His kingdom is not or this world, otherwise His servants would fight to rescue Him from the Jews (John 18:36). Pilate then asks Jesus if He is a king to which Jesus responds with that being the reason He was born with a mission of bearing witness of the truth (John 18:37). Pilate asks Jesus what truth is and immediately goes out to the Jews, declaring he finds no fault in Jesus (John 18:38).

 

Hoping to defuse the situation, Pilate reminds the Jews of his custom of releasing someone to them at the Passover, asking them if they want him to release Jesus, the King of the Jews (John 18:39). The Jews ask for Barabas, a robber instead of Jesus (John 18:40). This leaves Pilate with only one solution if he wants to avoid a volatile situation, release Barabas and execute an innocent man.

 

Jesus’ hour has come, and after a mock trial before the council of the high priest, Jesus is delivered to Pilate, setting in motion the fulfillment of prophecies about how Jesus would die. The spiritual front of this war against Jesus is the result of Satan blinding the eyes of the Jewish religious leaders to the fact Jesus is their Messiah (Isaiah 6:10; John 12:40). However, the Jewish leaders have a problem, their law forbids killing Jesus so Pilate returns to Jesus, asking if He was the King of the Jews (John 18:31-33). Jesus tells Pilate he has come to bear witness of the Truth, with Pilate asking Him what truth is. Returning to the Jews, Pilate tells them he finds no wrong in Jesus (John 18:36-38).

 

Now we see the political front of this war over Jesus. Pilate has a custom of releasing someone to the Jews during Passover and believes they will release Jesus since He has done nothing wrong, calming the volatile situation. However, when the Jews ask for Barabas, a robber instead of Jesus, Pilate has no choice if he wants to prevent a riot but to offer an innocent man up to death. All of this is according to God’s plan for Jesus to be the ultimate Passover lamb offered up for the sins of the world.

 

The Church is engaged in spiritual warfare between truth as expressed in the Word of God in print and in the flesh in Jesus Christ (John 1:1). However, the Church is not fully engaged in the battle and is therefore lukewarm and weak. When the political whims of a woke culture are against the Church, many will cower in fear and fail to speak out against atrocities that go against the Word of God. It is easier for the Church to preach a feel-good message of prosperity to avoid speaking out for truth, like the Church of Laodicea (Revelation 3:14-17). Instead of preaching the Gospel and the need for salvation from sin through the blood of Christ, many churches tickle the ears of the congregation with a self-help message, leaving their first love, Jesus Christ (Revelation 2:4-5; 2 Timothy 4:3-4). The Church must repent of its apostasy and return to the Great Commission of sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ (Acts 1:8; Mark 16:15; Matthew 28:19-20).

 

If you are a Church leader and have fallen away from sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ, I invite you to repent and return to what Jesus commissioned the Church to do. If you are part of a Church that has fallen away from preaching the Gospel, leave and find a Church that does. If you are reading this and have never prayed to receive salvation by a profession of faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, I invite you to pray with me now.

 

Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned (Romans 3:23) and know that the penalty for my sin is death (Romans 6:23).  I ask you to forgive me of my sin and cleanse me as you promise in your Word (1 John 1:9).  I believe you died, spent three days in the grave, and resurrected from the dead and now declare you Lord of my life.

 

I pray the Church returns to a Church that turns the world upside down, or right side up, like the Church in the Book of Acts (Acts 17:6).