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Facing Persecution
Psalms 142
November 6, 2022

The last couple of weeks we’ve talked about
“Facing Slander” & “Facing Temptation”.

Tonight we discuss “Facing Persecution”

It is not a pleasant subject,
But it is one that the church must prepare herself for.

While life has taught us that persecution can be regional
And that certainly there are some geographical areas or some periods in history
Were persecution is worse,
We still know the Bible makes some universal promises to the church.

Things like:
Matthew 10:22 “You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.”

2 Timothy 3:12 “Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”

It is impossible for a believer to faithfully follow Christ
In a world that is following Satan and not be persecuted for it.

Now in that reality we are also given some tremendous PROMISES.

Like:
Matthew 5:10-12 “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

1 Peter 4:14 “If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.”

And we even get tremendous EXAMPLES of those
Who SAW THE BLESSING in persecution, like:

Acts 5:40-42 “They took his advice; and after calling the apostles in, they flogged them and ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and then released them. So they went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name. And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they kept right on teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.”

IN SHORT, the Bible gives a great deal of information
Regarding the promise of persecution, the blessing of persecution,
And even how to endure persecution.

The entire letter of 1 Peter is written to suffering believers to explain to them how to handle the persecution they face.

1 Peter 3:14-16 “But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. AND DO NOT FEAR THEIR INTIMIDATION, AND DO NOT BE TROUBLED, but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence; and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame.”

1 Peter 4:1-2 “Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.”

And we could even throw in the book of Hebrews here as well
Which also addressed persecuted believers.

Hebrews 10:36 “For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised.”

There is much content in Scripture regarding how to face persecution.

TONIGHT we turn to Psalms 142
To learn some more valuable information regarding this reality.

WHAT WILL WE BE LEARNING?
It’s stated in THE HEADING.

“Maskil of David, when he was in the cave. A Prayer.”

Tonight’s Psalm travels on the same tracks as Luke 11
When Jesus’ disciples asked Him to “teach us to pray”

That is what David is doing here.
He is teaching us how to pray in the midst of persecution.

This is tremendously valuable since Scripture also says that
“we do not know how to pray as we should” (Romans 8).

And that might be especially true in times of persecution
When our flesh really only wants one thing, and that is relief.

So here we find a Psalm of tremendous value,
• And perhaps one that needs to be ear marked and readily available to you
• So that you’ll know how to pray on the day when you face persecution.

So let’s work our way through it tonight.

We see in the heading that this Psalm was written by David,
“when he was in the cave.”

That’s a little vague
Yet most theologians and commentators agree that this is a reference to when David was fleeing from Saul and was hiding in the cave of Adullam.

That makes the setting 1 Samuel 20-22
Which you may also remember is the time period that
Also inspired Psalm 34, 56, & 57.

HERE’S THE SETTING.
1 Samuel 20
• David and Jonathan have that plan about discerning if Saul really wants to kill David.
• David skips dinner, Jonathan reports to David with that plan of shooting the arrow and telling the lad to either go further or come nearer to find it.
• The plan worked, Saul showed his hand, and David was forced to flee.

1 Samuel 21
• David fled to Nob and the priest Ahimelech
• Ahimelech fed David some of the consecrated bread and gave him Goliath’s sword.

• David then fled to Achish, King of Gath (Goliath’s home town),
• But when he arrived bearing Goliath’s sword he quickly found he made a mistake.

He was brought before Achish and he was terrified,
Which is when he wrote Psalm 56.

In order to escape Achish David feigned madness,
Which is what Psalm 34 is about.

And then David fled to Adullam and hid in the cave,
Where he wrote Psalm 57.

So we have much of this journey well chronicled by David
Psalms which teach us a great deal about God
And even give us the song to sing in such circumstances.

FOR EXAMPLE:
We have learned that God camps around His own and delivers them even in times of great danger.

Psalms 34:7 “The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him, And rescues them.”

Psalms 34:10 “The young lions do lack and suffer hunger; But they who seek the LORD shall not be in want of any good thing.”

Psalms 34:15-18 “The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous And His ears are open to their cry. The face of the LORD is against evildoers, To cut off the memory of them from the earth. The righteous cry, and the LORD hears And delivers them out of all their troubles. The LORD is near to the brokenhearted And saves those who are crushed in spirit.”

Psalms 34:19 “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the LORD delivers him out of them all.”

We learn that through such trials and hardships we learn that God is truly for us.
Psalms 56:9 “Then my enemies will turn back in the day when I call; This I know, that God is for me.”

And we learn that in the midst of such peril God does not fail to send His lovingkindness and truth to save us.
Psalms 57:2-3 “I will cry to God Most High, To God who accomplishes all things for me. He will send from heaven and save me; He reproaches him who tramples upon me. Selah. God will send forth His lovingkindness and His truth.”

All of those truths were learned by David
During this time of persecution in his life
And each of those Psalms gives us the song to sing in such times.

BUT PSALMS 142 IS NOT A SONG
It is “A Prayer”

It is impossible to be dogmatic about this,
But I’ll tell you how I perceive this all came together.

1) David is in the cave seeking and praying.

He is a man of confidence in this prayer.
Psalms 57:3 “He will send from heaven and save me; He reproaches him who tramples upon me. Selah. God will send forth His lovingkindness and His truth.”

David is in that cave singing and praying
And fully expecting God to deliver him from his current predicament.

2) God answers David’s prayer according to David’s request.
1 Samuel 22:1-2 “So David departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam; and when his brothers and all his father’s household heard of it, they went down there to him. Everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered to him; and he became captain over them. Now there were about four hundred men with him.”

In response to David’s prayer
God actually sends his brothers and 400 might men to him.
These would become the foundation of David’s kingdom.

3) And David now teaches them about the prayer he prayed and how God answered it.

(Verses 1-2) is DAVID’S DECLARATION to the men as to how he prayed in the midst of persecution.

(Verses 3-7) is DAVID’S DESCRIPTION of what specifically he learned and prayed during this time.

And this is really valuable to us.

So let’s begin to examine the text.
#1 DAVID’S DECLARATION: What I do when I am persecuted
Psalms 142:1-2

I can almost picture the men coming in that cave and finding David.
I can hear David telling them the whole story about:
• Fleeing from Saul
• Getting fed by Ahimelech
• Being terrified and delivered from Gath
• And then finding this cave

And someone in the group blurts out.
“David, how did you handle it? How did you survive?”

And David says:
“I cry aloud with my voice to the LORD; I make supplication with my voice to the LORD. I pour out my complaint before Him; I declare my trouble before Him.”

David’s answer is: I PRAY!
I take every ounce of my burden and my fear and my need
And I lay it before the God who cares for me.

We love the specific nature in which David speaks about his prayer.
Words like:
• “I cry”
• “I make supplication”
• “I pour out my complaint”
• “I declare my trouble”

David holds nothing back.

It should not be seen as a lack of reverence,
But rather a genuine expression of total trust.

When a person is facing physical issues,
• And especially when they don’t know the cause,
• And they go to the doctor for a diagnosis and help.

The doctor will say, “What’s going on?”
• And if that person is really concerned and worried about what they are facing
• They will lay out every little ache, pain, and detail.
• They’ll hold nothing back.
• They want the doctor to have every ounce of information so that maybe the
doctor will understand and be able to treat it.

Such a scene doesn’t indicate a desire to complain to the doctor,
It just reveals desperation and hope that the doctor will be able to help.

That is where David is.
• David said, “I cry aloud with my voice” because he wants to be heard.
• David said, “I make supplication with my voice” because he wants his desires known.
• David said, “I pour out my complaint” (better translated: “troubled thoughts”) because he wants God to have full disclosure of what concerns him.
• David said, “I declare my trouble” because he wants God to see the situation fully.

And of course we see the real emphasis of the verses
In the fact that every line shows us where David pointed his prayers.

“to the LORD” or “before Him”

When these men want to know what David did,
• He doesn’t lay out some strategy for escaping Saul.
• He doesn’t lay out some keen plan for outwitting Achish.
• He doesn’t talk about his survival skills to find a cave.

When David is persecuted he goes straight to God
And he lays out before God every single detail.

THAT IS OBVIOUSLY GOOD ADVICE.

And it’s obvious that David’s prayer resonated with God
Because God sent his brothers and 400 men to join him in that cave.

We have here an example of a prayer of David
THAT GOD ANSWERED QUICKLY AND FULLY.

So the next question might well have been: WHAT DID YOU PRAY?
What did you say?

Teach me how to pray in such times of persecution.

And that is the second part of this Psalm.
David’s Declaration: What I do when I’m persecuted
#2 DAVID’S DESCRIPTION: What I pray
Psalms 142:3-7

This is the portion of the Psalm that we are expressly interested in.
Here David gets specific for us.

And we find, not only what David said,
But when you listen to his prayer
It also becomes clear what David believed.

Prayer and faith go hand in hand.
What we believe about God most certainly dictates how we pray to Him.

For the remainder of this Psalm we’re going to break down David’s prayer
Into 6 things David believed about God.

6 things David believed about God
And because of these things you will also see
6 ways David encouraged himself to respond to God in his persecution.

These are the things you must remember when you face persecution.
These are the realities about God you must usher up into
The forefront of your mind as you pray to Him in dangerous times.

So let’s look at them.
1) HE IS A GOD WHO SEES – Follow Him (3)

“When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, You knew my path. In the way where I walk They have hidden a trap for me.”

David here speaks of a time when he was at his whit’s end.

“When my spirit was overwhelmed within me.”
Or, “When I wanted to quit”

• When I reached that point that I was totally beside myself.
• My endurance seemed gone, I certainly was out of answers.
• I didn’t know what to do.

But it was in that moment that I realized, “You knew my path”

You knew where I had been.
You knew where I had traveled.
And perhaps even more importantly, You know where I am headed.

Proverbs 16:9 “The mind of man plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps.”

Psalms 119:105 “Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.”

God has seen every aspect of this with David.
• He saw Saul’s rage.
• He saw Ahimelech’s kindness.
• He saw the danger David faced in Gath.
• He saw how David fled.

And what David is realizing now is that more than even just seeing,
GOD WAS DIRECTING HIS PATH.

God has been in sovereign control this entire time.
And God knows where David is headed next.

AND THAT IS GOOD,
Because while David knows danger is present,
He doesn’t know where it is…
“In the way where I walk They have hidden a trap for me.”

David knows that Saul is out to get him,
But doesn’t know where his next move should be.

We studied last week:
Psalms 141:9 “Keep me from the jaws of the trap which they have set for me, And from the snares of those who do iniquity.”

So in David’s ignorance he prays to the God who sees.
• You know everything about this situation.
• You know where to walk and where to avoid.

The implied encouragement of David in such times is to: FOLLOW HIM
Yield to His word.
Obey His truth.
Wall according to His commands.

He alone knows the entire situation
He alone knows how to guide you through the mine field.

David is keenly aware of that in his persecution and it resonates in his prayer.

2) HE IS A GOD WHO STAYS – Approach Him (4)

“Look to the right and see; For there is no one who regards me; There is no escape for me; No one cares for my soul.”

Surely the arrival of the 400 has proven that
David might have been overreacting a little bit.

But certainly as he was alone in that cave he must have felt totally alone.
There was no one to help him.
There was no one to give him counsel.
There was no one to comfort him.

HE WAS ALONE.
Except he wasn’t. God was with him.

God never leaves us nor forsakes us.
He has promised to be with us until the end.

Paul had a similar moment near the end of his life.
2 Timothy 4:16-17 “At my first defense no one supported me, but all deserted me; may it not be counted against them. But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that through me the proclamation might be fully accomplished, and that all the Gentiles might hear; and I was rescued out of the lion’s mouth.”

This is a good thing to remember as well.
• Persecution has a way of isolating the persecuted.
• Persecution has a way of driving friends away as they protect themselves.

It is not uncommon that when a man is persecuted,
He is persecuted alone.
We saw even the disciples flee from Jesus in the garden.

But a tremendous reminder is that YOU ARE NOT ALONE.
God will never leave you.

Psalms 46:1 “God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.”

And here in that cave David learned that too.
Even when all else flee, GOD STAYS.
He is there.

So draw near to Him.
So approach Him.
So come before Him.

3) HE IS A GOD WHO SHELTERS – Rest in Him (5a)

“I cried out to You, O LORD; I said, “You are my refuge,”

One might be tempted to assume that the cave was a pretty good refuge,
But not to David.

David wasn’t hiding in a cave, he was hiding in the LORD.

And thus any comfort, any rest that David might achieve
Would not be because this cave was such a perfect hiding spot.

David would rest only because he knew that
God was keeping watch and protecting him.

We talked about this Wednesday night in youth.
• We had Noah floating in a boat.
• You might be tempted to think that Noah’s safety and security was bound up in that boat.
• But think about it for a moment.
• The whole earth was covered with water and Noah is alone in that boat.
• He would spend 1 year and 10 days in that boat.
• Do you suppose there were ever times where he wondered if he’d make it?

And yet we read with the youth:
Genesis 8:1 “But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the cattle that were with him in the ark; and God caused a wind to pass over the earth, and the water subsided.”

• And before long the ark rested.
• And then the dove rested.
• But all the while Noah’s rest was not in this boat, but in the fact that God remembered him.

We think of the disciples on the boat in the storm and Jesus is asleep.
• They wake Him up crying, “We are perishing!”
• Jesus rebukes them for their lack of faith.
• They were trying to take refuge in a boat, Jesus wanted them to take refuge in Him.

The greatest plans and the greatest fortresses are still able to fall apart,
But taking refuge in God is true safety and peace.

That is actually what David learned back in Gath
And articulated in Psalm 56.
Psalms 56:3-4 “When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You. In God, whose word I praise, In God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid. What can mere man do to me?”

David learned that God shelters and thus we rest in Him.
We must remember this too in dangerous and scary times.

4) HE IS A GOD WHO SATISFIES – Enjoy Him (5b)

“I said, “You are…My portion in the land of the living.”

This one is really amazing and must certainly be remembered
As we would definitely have a tendency to forget it.

But here is David in the midst of persecution.
• He faces the loss of all things.
• He has been run out of his home.
• He has no food and had to eat consecrated bread to survive.
• He found great danger in Gath.
• And now he is in a cave all alone.

It would be very easy for David to fall into despair
As he takes inventory of all that he has lost.

But David learned something.
God is not just to be petitioned in our persecution,
BUT GOD IS TO BE ENJOYED THERE.

Do you remember Paul’s famous statement to the Philippians?
Philippians 3:7-11 “But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.”

We all remember Paul talking about losing all things and gaining Christ.
But did you recognize what he said at the end?
“that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings…”

Paul learned in the midst of suffering
That there was a deeper fellowship with Christ to be gained.

He learned to enjoy Christ more during persecution than during times of ease.

I’m reminded of the Cory Ten Boom book “The Hiding Place”
She speaks of the first time she and her sister Betsy were stripped naked and paraded in front of the German officers at the prison camp.

Corrie Ten Boom wrote:
“How there could have been any pleasure in the sight of these stick-thin legs and hunger-bloated stomachs I could not imagine. Surely there is no more wretched sight than the human body unloved and uncared for.
“Nor could I see the necessity for the complete undressing: when we finally reached the examining room a doctor looked down each throat, another–a dentist presumably–at our teeth, a third in between each finger. And that was all. We trooped again down the long, cold corridor and picked up our X-marked dresses at the door.
“But it was one of these mornings while we were waiting, shivering in the corridor, that yet another page in the Bible leapt into life for me.
“He hung naked on the cross.
“…The paintings, the carved crucifixes showed at least a scrap of cloth. But this, I suddenly knew, was the respect and reverence of the artist. But oh–at the time itself, on that other Friday morning–there had been no reverence. No more than I saw in the faces around us now.
“‘Betsie, they took His clothes too.’
“‘Ahead of me I heard a little gasp. ‘Oh, Corrie. And I never thanked Him…’

There these women were in the midst of a German prison,
Stripped naked and humiliated
And in that moment they enjoyed Christ and the sacrifice He made.

That it is the “fellowship of His sufferings” Paul spoke of.

DAVID WAS DOING THE SAME.
Instead of falling into self-pity, David ascended into worship.

He reminded himself of that glorious treasure he had in God.
“You are…My portion in the land of the living.”

Asaph said:
Psalms 73:25 “Whom have I in heaven but You? And besides You, I desire nothing on earth.”

This must be remembered in times of persecution.

We pray to a God who sees
We pray to a God who stays
We pray to a God who shelters
We pray to a God who satisfies
5) HE IS A GOD WHO SAVES – Call on Him (6-7a)

“Give heed to my cry, For I am brought very low; Deliver me from my persecutors, For they are too strong for me. Bring my soul out of prison, So that I may give thanks to Your name;”

Certainly NOT LOST in our moments of persecution
Is that fact that God also saves.

He is our one hope of deliverance.

Some might be tempted to see these 400 men who rushed to the cave as David’s deliverance, but they’d be foolish if they failed to see why they arrived.

GOD SENT THEM.
They were an answer to David’s prayer.

In our persecution we certainly do not lose sight of the fact
That our God saves.
Our God delivers.

That was the entire emphasis of David in Psalms 34 when God delivered him from Achish.
Psalms 34:15-18 “The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous And His ears are open to their cry. The face of the LORD is against evildoers, To cut off the memory of them from the earth. The righteous cry, and the LORD hears And delivers them out of all their troubles. The LORD is near to the brokenhearted And saves those who are crushed in spirit.”

• David knew that God is just.
• David knew that God draws near to the brokenhearted and lowly.
• David cried out to God to be saved.

WE CERTAINLY REMEMBER THIS.
No situation is beyond hope.
No circumstance is beyond rescue.

So long as Jesus rests in the heavens,
Seated next to the right hand of the Father, THERE IS ALWAYS HOPE.

Hebrews 6:19-20 “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.”

Certainly in such times
• We remember God toppling the giant.
• We remember God shutting the mouths of the lions.
• We remember God opening Paul’s prison doors.

But more than any of that we remember God raising Jesus from the dead
Which is a reminder that there is literally nothing man can do to me
That God can’t undo.

He is a God who saves and like David we call on Him.

6) HE IS A GOD WHO SUCCEEDS – Wait on Him (7b)

“The righteous will surround me, For You will deal bountifully with me.”

That was David’s trust.
That was David’s hope.

He prayed that prayer alone in a cave.
And now he relates that prayer to the 400 righteous men who have surrounded him because they saw the evil mounting in Saul.

Again, this was a conviction David developed
Through this time of persecution.

When he entered this cave and sang songs of praise, he said:
Psalms 57:2-3 “I will cry to God Most High, To God who accomplishes all things for me. He will send from heaven and save me; He reproaches him who tramples upon me. Selah. God will send forth His lovingkindness and His truth.”

David believed that.
David prayed in accordance with that.
And now David is standing in the fulfilment of that prayer.

GOD NEVER FAILS.
He accomplishes His purposes.

Isaiah 40:28-31 “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth Does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable. He gives strength to the weary, And to him who lacks might He increases power. Though youths grow weary and tired, And vigorous young men stumble badly, Yet those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.”

These are the things to remember during moments of persecution
And these are the things we pray.

• He is a God who sees so we submit to follow Him.
• He is a God who stays so we draw near to Him
• He is a God who shelters so we rest in Him
• He is a God who satisfies so we enjoy Him
• He is a God who saves so we call on Him
• He is a God who succeeds so we wait on Him

We may not be persecuted today,
But persecution is promised and on that day remember how to pray.

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Bringing Profane Worship
Malachi 1:6-14
November 6, 2022

As you are aware we have begun a study of the book of Malachi.
• Malachi was the last prophet of the Old Testament
• He preached 400 years before the time of Christ.
• He also preached a century after the Exile was over.

Israel is firmly reestablished in her land
And she has fallen into INDIFFERENCE.

Malachi is raised up to confront the indifference of Israel
And to break the news to them that despite their anticipation,
They are not ready for the Messiah they desire.

He has shown up to deliver GOD’S BURDEN to the people.

LAST TIME we saw looked at the indifference of Israel as seen through their INGRATITUDE.

God opened the book by announcing His love for Israel,
But was hit with the question, “How have You loved us?”

Somehow Israel had been able to grow short-sited enough
That they had failed to remember the sovereign electing love
Which God had shown in choosing Jacob instead of Esau.

Their poor memory had led to ingratitude
And this ingratitude was the root of their indifference.

THIS MORNING we begin looking at the FRUIT of their indifference.

THEIR INDIFFERENT WORSHIP OF GOD.

In our text this morning God is primarily taking issue with the priests
Because of the way they have instructed and led the people.
• They have made a mockery of worship.
• They have made a mockery of the sacrificial requirement.
• And in so doing they have made a mockery of God.

What you’ll see in our text is that
GOD IS TERRIBLY OFFENDED at what is being offered to Him
And the PEOPLE DON’T EVEN SEEM TO CARE.

THAT IS INDIFFERENCE.

SO THIS MORNING WE OPEN WITH QUESTIONS REGARDING WORSHIP.

• What does it mean to worship God as He deserves?
• What would acceptable worship to Him look like?
• Would God consider my worship to be profane?
• Does my manner of worship rightly exalt God or is it an insult to Him?

These are the types of things we must address in our own hearts
As we examine the profane worship of Israel.

Now, we ARE going to study this text in outline form,
But we are NOT going to look at it in chronological order.

I want us to examine it in a way where we’ll grasp the weight of the issue
So we’re going to bounce up and down through the text.

We’re actually going to start with what God says last,
But I assure that even though it is the last thing God says,
It is without a doubt at the forefront of His mind.

4 things
#1 GOD’S EXPECTATION
Malachi 1:6a, 11, 14b

(6a) “A son honors his father, and a servant his master.”

(11) “For from the rising of the sun even to its setting, My name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense is going to be offered to My name, and a grain offering that is pure; for My name will be great among the nations,” says the LORD of hosts.”

(14b) “for I am a great King,” says the LORD of hosts, “and My name is feared among the nations.”

I know that is to jump around a little, but I want you to recognize
In this passage that God identifies Himself with 3 titles.

• He is a FATHER WHO DESERVES HONOR
• He is a MASTER WHO DESERVES RESPECT
• He is a GREAT KING WHO IS FEARED AMONG THE NATIONS

We understand Him as FATHER
• The one who cares for us
• The one who provides for us
• The one who begot us as sons and daughters

We understand Him as MASTER (or Lord)
• The one who guides us
• The one who rules us
• The one we submit to and follow

We understand Him as KING
• The sovereign of the world
• The one deserving all glory and honor
• The one we honor and worship

You understand the basic implications to those titles.
GOD SEES HIMSELF AS ALL THESE THINGS.

And you see that with each of those titles
Comes GOD’S EXPECTATION as to how He should BE TREATED.

As a Father He expects to be HONORED

Exodus 20:12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the LORD your God gives you.”

As a Master He expects to be RESPECTED

Ephesians 6:5 “Slaves, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart, as to Christ;”

As a King He expects to be FEARED (reverential awe)

Jeremiah 10:7 “Who would not fear You, O King of the nations? Indeed it is Your due! For among all the wise men of the nations And in all their kingdoms, There is none like You.”

YOU THE EXPECTATION OF GOD.

Verse 11 is certainly THE HEART of the idea.

“For from the rising of the sun even to its setting, My name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense is going to be offered to My name, and a grain offering that is pure; for My name will be great among the nations,” says the LORD of hosts.”

• That is all people, everywhere.
• That is every knee.
• That is every tongue.

And this is certainly what is coming.

There is coming a day when God will stop all rebellion
And all men will worship God with all their hearts.

Isaiah 66:23 “And it shall be from new moon to new moon And from sabbath to sabbath, All mankind will come to bow down before Me,” says the LORD.”

Psalms 22:27 “All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD, And all the families of the nations will worship before You.”

Philippians 2:10-11 “at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

We are currently in a time of God’s mercy
• Where He is redeeming His enemies to Himself.
• He is right now saving men from their sin
• He is transferring His enemies into His kingdom.

But there is a day coming when salvation will be complete.
There is coming a day when God will destroy His enemies.
And there is coming a day when every knee will come and bow to Him.

AND ALL THE EARTH WILL GLORIFY GOD.
• There will be no rebellion.
• There will be no insubordination.
• The day is coming in which all will worship God fully.

• On that day “incense is going to be offered to My name”
• On that day there will be “a grain offering that is pure.”

The day is coming when worship will be the chief priority of all men Their one desire will be to worship God as He deserves.

THAT WILL HAPPEN.
It has already been determined by God.

God says (14b) “for I am a great King,” says the LORD of hosts, “and My name is feared among the nations.”

There’s just none like God.
• He is destined for glory and He will receive it.
• Some day He will be worshiped by every tribe and tongue.
• Some day He will be glorified forever by all His creation.

That is the FUTURE expectation of God for all nations.

BUT IT IS THE CURRENT EXPECTATION OF GOD FOR HIS PEOPLE.
Someday every nation will bow, but God’s expectation today
Is that those whom He has redeemed will worship Him now.

• Certainly our Father deserves honor.
• Certainly our Master deserves respect.
• Certainly our King deserves reverence and awe.

That is what God expects from His people.

BUT THAT IS NOT WHAT HE IS GETTING FROM ISREAL.

God’s Expectation
#2 GOD’S EXPLORATION
Malachi 1:6a

“‘A son honors his father, and a servant his master. Then if I am a father, where is My honor? And if I am a master, where is my respect?’ says the LORD of hosts to you, O priests who despise My name.”

What we see here is that God is on a search.
He is searching for the honor, respect, and glory that He deserves.

WHERE IS IT?
• God attended the worship service this morning expecting to be honored.
• God attended the worship service expecting to be respected.
• God attended the worship service expecting to be glorified.

WHERE IS IT?
You can see here that God is looking for it.

Jesus told the Woman at the Well:
John 4:23 “But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers.”

God is seeking worshipers.
God is seeking those who worship Him as He deserves.

The problem seen here is that He is not receiving it.
• There is no honor
• There is no respect
• There is no fear

And the ugly problem of Israel has once again reared its head.

300 years prior to Malachi, Isaiah was saying the same thing.
Isaiah 1:2-4 “Listen, O heavens, and hear, O earth; For the LORD speaks, “Sons I have reared and brought up, But they have revolted against Me. “An ox knows its owner, And a donkey its master’s manger, But Israel does not know, My people do not understand.” Alas, sinful nation, People weighed down with iniquity, Offspring of evildoers, Sons who act corruptly! They have abandoned the LORD, They have despised the Holy One of Israel, They have turned away from Him.”

And now here they are returning to that same problem.

God is searching for honor, respect, and glory from His people
And the people are not bringing it.

Instead, there is the OPPOSITE.
THERE IS ACTUALLY ENMITY.

God directs His question to the “priests”
Whom God says “despise My name.”

“despise” is BA-ZA in the Hebrew.

It is the same word for what Esau did to his birthright.
Genesis 25:34 “Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew; and he ate and drank, and rose and went on his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.”

It wasn’t that Esau didn’t want an inheritance it is that he valued it so cheaply.
To Esau, his inheritance wasn’t worth as much as a bowl of lentil stew.

That stew was more valuable than his inheritance.
In comparison, he despised his birthright.

That is what God says to these priests.
You “despise My name”

The way you treat Me in your worship is despicable.
YOU VALUE ME SO LOWLY.
The manner in which you worship is despicable.

IT IS THE PICTURE OF A PEOPLE
Who come to worship and bring their gifts or offerings or songs or whatever to God.

God looks at it and says, “Is that all you think of Me? You must really despise Me to bring Me such an offering.”

I think we can agree this is getting serious.
• God came looking for glory and what He found was disdain.
• He is seriously offended by what His people brought Him.
• Their worship as profane to Him.

God’s Expectation, God’s Exploration
#3 GOD’S EXPLANATION
Malachi 1:6b-8, 12-14a

(6b-8) “But you say, ‘How have we despised Your name?’ “You are presenting defiled food upon My altar. But you say, ‘How have we defiled You?’ In that you say, ‘The table of the LORD is to be despised.’ “But when you present the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? And when you present the lame and sick, is it not evil? Why not offer it to your governor? Would he be pleased with you? Or would he receive you kindly?” says the LORD of hosts.”

(12-14a) “But you are profaning it, in that you say, ‘The table of the Lord is defiled, and as for its fruit, its food is to be despised.’ “You also say, ‘My, how tiresome it is!’ And you disdainfully sniff at it,” says the LORD of hosts, “and you bring what was taken by robbery and what is lame or sick; so you bring the offering! Should I receive that from your hand?” says the LORD. “But cursed be the swindler who has a male in his flock and vows it, but sacrifices a blemished animal to the Lord”

Here is where
• God chronicles their indifference.
• God lays out their offense.
• God specifies the profane nature of their worship.

God told those priests that they “despise My name”

And in utter arrogance and disrespect they immediately respond to God, “How have we despised Your name?”

It’s as if they don’t believe it.
It’s as if they think God is being too nit-picky.
So God is about to break it down for them.

To understand it best, we need to break it down too.
Let me give you 4 aspects which God outlines about their profane worship.

1) DEFILED FOOD (7a-8)

“You are presenting defiled food upon My altar.”

Leviticus 2:1-3 “‘Now when anyone presents a grain offering as an offering to the LORD, his offering shall be of fine flour, and he shall pour oil on it and put frankincense on it. ‘He shall then bring it to Aaron’s sons the priests; and shall take from it his handful of its fine flour and of its oil with all of its frankincense. And the priest shall offer it up in smoke as its memorial portion on the altar, an offering by fire of a soothing aroma to the LORD. ‘The remainder of the grain offering belongs to Aaron and his sons: a thing most holy, of the offerings to the LORD by fire.”

• A grain offering was very simply a voluntary expression of devotion to God.
• It was not to atone for sin; there was no blood involved.

It was just an offering given to God on His altar as a soothing aroma
To express your love and devotion to Him.

And the SIMPLE COMMANDS were
• That it had to be “fine flour”
• If it was a cake it had to be “unleavened”

And instead of bringing “fine flour” they were “presenting defiled food”

That word “defiled” can also be translated “polluted”
It wasn’t pure, it wasn’t clean.
Perhaps it was even rotten.

You see the similar expression down in verse 12, “But you are profaning it, in that you say, ‘The table of the Lord is defiled, and as for its fruit, its food is to be despised.”

It was just bringing something defiled and less than pure to God.
It wasn’t a fine meal, it was a plate of rotten leftovers.

Defiled Food
2) DESPISED OFFERINGS (7b)

Here again the priests are challenging God’s right to be disappointed.
They say, “How have we defiled You?”

And God responds, “In that you say, ‘The table of the LORD is to be despised.”

This is what the PRIESTS ARE SAYING.

Some commentators note that most likely it is what they said in their hearts
Which makes more sense for to say this out loud would be incredibly shocking.

But whether in their heart or on their lips,
God hears it just the same and He sees their disdain.

• They say that “The table of the LORD is to be despised.”

• We see it again down in verse 12, “you say, “The table of the LORD is defiled, and as for its fruit, its food is to be despised.”

There’s that same “despised” like what Esau did with his birthright.

WHAT IS THIS?

It is priests who have a very low view of what they bring to God.
To put it another way: THEY DON’T CARE WHAT YOU BRING.

IT MAY HAVE EVEN BEEN that
They ENCOURAGED the people to just bring whatever.

The verb tense there indicates them saying
“The table of the LORD IS TO BE despised.”

They encouraged the people to bring whatever because it didn’t matter.
They encouraged the people that their junk was enough.
• Don’t bother with the fine flour.
• Do you have any old flour?
• Do you have any flour with weevils in it?

Just bring that, it doesn’t matter.

Only it’s NOT JUST the grain offerings that they do this with.
It’s with all of them.

(8) “But when you present the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? And when you present the lame and sick, is it not evil? Why not offer it to your governor? Would he be pleased with you? Or would he receive you kindly?” says the LORD of hosts.”

God had been extremely clear about this as well.
Leviticus 22:20-25 “‘Whatever has a defect, you shall not offer, for it will not be accepted for you. ‘When a man offers a sacrifice of peace offerings to the LORD to fulfill a special vow or for a freewill offering, of the herd or of the flock, it must be perfect to be accepted; there shall be no defect in it. ‘Those that are blind or fractured or maimed or having a running sore or eczema or scabs, you shall not offer to the LORD, nor make of them an offering by fire on the altar to the LORD. ‘In respect to an ox or a lamb which has an overgrown or stunted member, you may present it for a freewill offering, but for a vow it will not be accepted. ‘Also anything with its testicles bruised or crushed or torn or cut, you shall not offer to the LORD, or sacrifice in your land, nor shall you accept any such from the hand of a foreigner for offering as the food of your God; for their corruption is in them, they have a defect, they shall not be accepted for you.’”

God was extremely clear about the type of offering He would accept.
But clearly the priests didn’t care about such rules.

They saw the sacrificial system as a good way
To get rid of your old sick and crippled livestock.

Just bring it to God, it doesn’t matter.
They crippled cow is gonna die anyway, might as well make an offering out of it.

(This is a sin offering, and the GOSPEL IMPLICATION
Is to bring something less than the righteousness of Christ to God)

To which God says, “Why not offer it to your governor?”
• Why not take it to the sale?
• Why not give it to pay off your debt?

WHY? Because it’s not worth anything!
And yet you bring it to God.

I hope your starting to make some connections here
Between acceptable worship and profane worship.

You bring God what no one else would accept and say,
“Well it’s good enough for God.”

My how you must value Him!

Defiled Food, Despised Offerings
3) DISDAINFUL ATTITUDE (13a)

“You also say, ‘My, how tiresome it is!’ And you disdainfully sniff at it,” says the LORD of hosts,”

“sniff” there is a word that simply means “to breathe; blow; sniff at; seethe”
It is the word used when God “breathed” life into man’s nostrils.

Here it is a mocking gesture of disdain.
IT’S A MASSIVE SIGH.

• It’s a priest in the temple charged with offering the sacrifices,
• But when the person brings something in to offer he’s all put out,
• And he rolls his eyes and sighs.

“I can’t believe you’re gonna make me go through this whole offering procedure before God. I’m tired, I want to go home.
Do you really have to bring it now?”

ARE YOU PICKING UP ON THE INDIFFERENCE?
• Just bring whatever, it doesn’t matter.
• Who cares what shape it’s in, only bring it tomorrow,
• I don’t feel like doing it now.

That is the attitude of their worship.
It’s too hard
It’s too tiring

4) DELINQUENT VOWS (13b-14a)

“and you bring what was taken by robbery and what is lame or sick; so you bring the offering! Should I receive that from your hand?” says the LORD. But cursed be the swindler who has a male in his flock and vows it, but sacrifices as blemished animal to the Lord…”

• This is a guy who vowed to God to bring some animal or some offering.
• But he doesn’t want to give God one of his,
• So instead he goes and steals someone else’s and takes that.

• Or he told God he’d give him a male,
• but instead he sees the opportunity to off load some crippled old one instead.

Who enjoys purchasing something online with the promise of it being what you need only to receive a broken piece of junk in the mail?
That’s what was happening to God.

(Let Ananias and Sapphira come to your mind here)

You put it all together and it just resonated
How little honor, respect, and reverence they felt toward God.

He sure must not be worth much to them
If that’s all their going to give Him.

CHURCH we must evaluate our worship under this analogy.

We know what it is to give and receive gifts in our culture.
• Christmas is right around the corner and there will be a lot of gifts exchanged.

Perhaps you’ve bought your wife something for an anniversary
Or a daughter something for a sweet 16.

There are ways to look at a gift we receive
And through that gift assess our value to the person who gave it.

Was it quality?
Did they give me something nice or was it a piece of junk?

How much effort did it require?
It may not be something purchased, it might be something made or searched for. How much effort did it take, or did they just pick something up at a convenient store on the way over?

How valuable is it?
Sometimes we measure by what it actually cost. That they would spend such a high price on you certainly speaks to how they value you.

We think of David acquiring Onan’s threshing floor.
1 Chronicles 21:22-24 “Then David said to Ornan, “Give me the site of this threshing floor, that I may build on it an altar to the LORD; for the full price you shall give it to me, that the plague may be restrained from the people.” Ornan said to David, “Take it for yourself; and let my lord the king do what is good in his sight. See, I will give the oxen for burnt offerings and the threshing sledges for wood and the wheat for the grain offering; I will give it all.” But King David said to Ornan, “No, but I will surely buy it for the full price; for I will not take what is yours for the LORD, or offer a burnt offering which costs me nothing.”

Or we think of Mary breaking that alabaster vile and pouring it on Jesus’ feet and that it was so valuable that the disciples actually scolded her for wasting it on Jesus.

Or we think of Abraham offering his son, whom he loved to God.

Or we think of the widow who gave all that she had to live on.

Or we think of the sinful woman who loved so much that she wet Jesus’ feet with her tears and dried them with her hair.

You understand how a gift can make you feel loved.

Well it can also make you feel disdained
And that is what the worship of Israel was doing to God.

BUT WHAT ABOUT OUR WORSHIP?

How much effort did you put into that Sunday school lesson?
• Would you have studied more if your class had 200 people in it?

How much time did you put into that sermon?
• Would you have worked harder if John MacArthur or Steve Lawson were attending?

Was the song service an afterthought?
• Would you have worked longer if a group of worship leaders was coming?

The special music was it rehearsed as though it was for a King?

How about those who simply participate in the service?
WHEN WE SANG,
• Who were you most concerned about hearing you?
• Were you more concerned about what God was hearing or the people next to you?

WHEN WE GIVE,
• Is your offering a reflection of your love for God?

HOW ABOUT THE ATTITUDE OF COMING TO WORSHIP AT ALL.
• Is it tiresome to you?
• Is it wearisome to you?
• Is it too long?
• Is it too boring?
• Is an hour to long to have to sit and contemplate the word of God?

• Is Sunday school too much?
• Is it too much to ask to return and worship on Sunday night?
• Is worship on a Wednesday night just unnecessary?

We tend to gravitate towards what is easiest for us
And then just tell God, “Here take this, it’s good enough.”

I wonder if that’s how you proposed to your wife?
“Here’s a ring I found in a cracker jack box, it’s good enough.”

Or how about when you have to pay your rent,
“I’m not going to pay what we agreed, here’s $100 that’s good enough.”

Or go to your boss and say,
“Work is too tiresome, I’m only going to work half of the day from now on.”

Those are things we would not consider doing to people
And yet we tend to offer it to God.

How do you suppose your worship today made God feel?
How do you suppose your preparation for worship this week made God feel?

Should He feel honored and respected and revered
By the way you worshipped or should He feel disdained?

DO YOU GET THE POINT?
• How about a real effort?
• How about a real sacrifice?
• How about we don’t just take the easy rode?

How about we show God through our worship how important He is to us?

Matthew Henry said:
“If we worship God ignorantly, and without understanding, we bring the blind for sacrifice; if we do it carelessly, if we are cold, and dull, and dead, in it, we bring the sick; if we rest in the bodily exercise, and do not make heart-work of it, we bring the lame; and, if we suffer vain thoughts and distractions to lodge within us, we bring the torn. Is it not a great affront to God and a great wrong and injury to our own souls?”
(Henry, Matthew [Matthew Henry’s Commentary; Zondervan; Grand Rapids, MI; 1961] Pg. 1195)

So God has an expectation, but that expectation was not being met.
And when God’s people said, “What do You mean?”
God gave them the explanation.

But there’s one more point to be made.
#4 GOD’S EXASPERATION
Malachi 1:9-10, 14a

Here is God’s response to what they brought.

And allow me to break this one down a little more as well.

1) EVIL (8)

God says a broken sacrifice like that isn’t just indifferent, it’s evil!

• It isn’t close…
• It isn’t the thought that counts…
• It is evil.

It is nothing less than a pathetic offering from a selfish heart
That cares nothing for God.

I heard a story once
• About a man who traveled and every time he came home he would bring his
wife a gift.
• Upon coming home one time he had bought his wife a watch out of one of
those 25 cent variety machines at a truck stop.
• When he gave it to her she was so upset she immediately slammed the watch
on the ground and crushed it with her foot.

Does she just hate plastic watches?
No, she hated what that watch said about the way he valued her.
TO HER THAT GIFT WAS EVIL.

That is what God says.
You bring Me what no one else would take.
THAT IS AN EVIL OFFERING.

2) USELESS (9-10)

Here God squashes any notions of effectiveness.
“But now will you not entreat God’s favor, that He may be gracious to us?”

Really?
You’re going to bring me a blind, 3-legged goat and then ask Me to bless you?

“With such an offering on your part, will He receive any of you kindly?” says the LORD of hosts.”

What do you think the answer is?
NO!!!

To which God goes on:
(10) “Oh that there were one among you who would shut the gates, that you might not uselessly kindle fire on My altar! I am not pleased with you,” says the LORD of hosts, “nor will I accept an offering from you.”

God would rather close the door of the church
Than to receive worship like that.

Isaiah 1:11-14 “What are your multiplied sacrifices to Me?” Says the LORD. “I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams And the fat of fed cattle; And I take no pleasure in the blood of bulls, lambs or goats. “When you come to appear before Me, Who requires of you this trampling of My courts? “Bring your worthless offerings no longer, Incense is an abomination to Me. New moon and sabbath, the calling of assemblies— I cannot endure iniquity and the solemn assembly. “I hate your new moon festivals and your appointed feasts, They have become a burden to Me; I am weary of bearing them.”

God is not pleased!
Your worship is useless!
God wont’ accept it.

You’re not going to receive a blessing for such an offering as this.

3) HARMFUL (14a)

“But cursed be the swindler…”

Instead of receiving a blessing, you’re going to receive a curse.

I’m sure after that woman crushed the watch the man likely realized
He would have been better off bringing nothing home than that watch.

These people offended God by disdaining Him so greatly
And despising Him so greatly as to bring Him worship
Of such little cost and of such little effort.

CHURCH, IT’S WHAT WE CALL INDIFFERENCE.

We are forced to ask how valuable God is to us?
We are forced to ask what He is worth?

These people brought God junk and God was offended.
• He said, “I am a great King”
• He said, “My name will be great among the nations”
• How could you treat Me so disdainfully?

AND THUS WE SEE AGAIN,
THEY WERE NOT YET FIT TO STAND BEFORE HIM.

WE MUST BE A PEOPLE WHO
Worship Him like the King He is!

Download here

Facing Temptation
Psalms 141
October 30, 2022

Tonight we come upon the 141st Psalm.

If you’ve studied it, then you are aware that the Psalm would be really easy to grasp and understand if it weren’t for verse 6.
• If you read ahead and it stumped you just know that you are in good company.
• I read commentaries from some of the greatest theological minds of the last 300 years and even they can’t come to a consensus.

It is difficult,
But even without being absolutely dogmatic as to the meaning of verse 6
The total thrust of the Psalm is clear everywhere else.

David is contemplating the threat and reality of temptation.

Some have seen this Psalm as temptation which is accompanied by slander or even persecution, but at the core, it is still temptation.

When we think of temptation our minds are always drawn to that famous passage in 1 Corinthians where Paul said:

1 Corinthians 10:13 “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.”

Of course that verse is one of the most misquoted in our world today.
People often say, “I know God won’t give me more than I can handle.”

That’s not what that verse says.
• This verse isn’t about hardship or trials or suffering
• This verse is about temptation.

And as an introduction to our Psalm tonight
It would be a good idea to remember the promises Paul spoke of there.

1) TEMPTATION IS COMMON
No one gets an extra-special unique temptation.
• The temptations you will face are the same that all men have faced since the dawn of creation.

You can go read the account IN THE GARDEN when Satan tempted Eve
And see that his TACTICS HAVEN’T CHANGED.

2) TEMPTATION IS CONTAINED
God won’t let you be tempted beyond what you are able.
• There is a sovereign limit placed upon the temptation which Satan is allowed to throw at you.

So you don’t get a special temptation and you don’t get an irresistible temptation.

3) TEMPTATION IS CONQUERABLE
There is always a way of escape.
• It is implied then that you run, but there is always a way out.

That we know to be true of temptation.

TONIGHT we look at a man who understands
The realities of facing temptation.

His description almost paints temptation like a Carnival Barker
Summoning you to “Step Right Up” and give his booth a try.

David knows they are out there.
And he knows that to fall into their trap means certain destruction.

You actually see that in verse 7, where David gives an evaluation of the EFFECT of these tempters on his culture.

(7) “As when one plows and breaks open the earth, Our bones have been scattered at the mouth of Sheol.”

“Sheol” is the place of the dead.

David looks around at the society and sees that
The tempters have been very effective.

“They’re killing us!”, David might say.

I think of the effects of the internet or smart phones on our culture.
• I think about what these things have contributed to the spread of pornography
and sexual immorality and coveting and boasting, etc.

The internet just represents non-stop temptation.
And we could say with David, “IT’S KILLING US!”

Now this Psalm is not about the internet, but it is about temptation.

AND IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN REAL.
It was real without technology and it is real with technology.

What we find in Psalms 141 is how a man of God approaches it.
You can’t escape being tempted. Even Jesus was tempted.

But since it is common and it is coming,
The man of God certainly takes proper steps to be prepared for it,
And proper steps to resist it when it comes.

Psalms 141 show us how David approached it.

Let’s look at 3 things David did to overcome temptation.
#1 PRAYER
Psalms 141:1-6

The Psalm opens with 2 verses which show not only that David prayed
But his commitment to prayer in this battle.

As we already noted,
• David knew that sin was wrecking his culture.
• He knew it was killing us.
• He had seen more than his fair share of neighbors fall to its tactics.
• Even David himself had fallen to temptation.

Paul said in 1 Corinthians,
In the verse directly preceding that passage on temptation:
1 Corinthians 10:12 “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall.”

It doesn’t do anyone any good
To have an arrogant attitude regarding temptation.
It has captured and conquered the greatest of men.

And to treat it NONCHALANTLY as though it’s not a threat to you,
IS A MAJOR MISTAKE.

David did no such thing.
HE PRAYED.

But look at the ATTITUDE behind his prayer.
(1-2) “O LORD, I call upon You; hasten to me! Give ear to my voice when I call to You! May my prayer be counted as incense before You; The lifting up of my hands as the evening offering.”

Do you see the URGENCY of David’s prayer?
• “hasten to me!”
• “Give ear to my voice WHEN I call to You!”

Listen God, when I cry out that I need You; I need You!
I don’t need You next week, I need You right now.

David prays about temptation like a man without a “plan-B”
If God doesn’t show up to help, I’m sunk.

YOU SEE THAT URGENCY.
When a tiger jumps in the room,
You don’t need help an hour from now, you need it right now!

Do you see the DESPERATION in David’s prayer?
• “Give ear”

David DOESN’T approach God and say,
“Hey, you got a minute? Is this a good time?”

David is calling 911 here.
• Drop what You’re doing God and listen to me.
• It is urgent and I am desperate.

Do you see how seriously David treats temptation?
He does not have an “I got this” attitude.
He’s in over his head and he knows it.

Do you see the FAITHFULNESS in David’s prayer?
“May my prayer be counted as incense before You; The lifting up of my hands as the evening offering.”

“counted” there can also be translated “Fixed”
And that is what David is referring to.

• “incense” was burned before God every morning.
• And the “evening offering” given every night.

They were fixed occurrences before God, and David says so is my prayer.

I’m not about to face the day or the night
Without petitioning God for help against the temptation of sin.

As I was contemplating this I thought about our culture
And our commitment to TAKE MEDICATION.

• Some have to take it every morning, some every evening, some both.
• And to most people, it’s a pretty big deal.
• You understand that there can be consequences to missing it.

David has that attitude with prayer in regard to temptation.
• He’s not going to mess around.
• He’s making sure to bring God into the battle.

He’s urgent
He’s desperate
He’s faithful

There’s a good place to STOP & PONDER our battle against temptation.

When Jesus’ disciples asked Him to teach them to pray.
• He talked about hallowing God’s name. (Important)
• He talked about seeking God’s will. (Important)
• He talked about requesting God’s provision (Important)
• He talked about asking God’s forgiveness (Important)

And then He said:
Matthew 6:13 “And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”

If there’s one on the list we are prone to omit it’s that one.
• We understand worship in prayer.
• We understand praying for God’s will.
• We certainly understand praying for provision and forgiveness.

But often overlooked is that Jesus also told us
To pray that we would not be tempted.

IT’S THAT IMPORTANT.

And so here we get to ask ourselves that first reflective question.
Do I pray that God would protect me from temptation?

When I’m out of food or out of money and can’t pay the bills, I’m certainly urgent and desperate faithful to pray for provision.

When I’m sick or injured or in pain, I’m certainly urgent and desperate and faithful to pray for healing.

And yet the reality is that we are ALWAYS in danger of temptation.
1 Peter 5:8 “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”

TEMPTATION IS REAL
And David was committed to praying for God’s help against it.

We start there.
• If you’re headed out in the tall grass you know to watch for snakes.
• Well, you live in the snakes domain, and you’d better ask God for help.

THAT’S JUST THE ATTITUDE OF DAVID’S PRAYER.

Let’s look at the SUBSTANCE of his prayer.

(3-5) “Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips. Do not incline my heart to any evil thing, To practice deeds of wickedness With men who do iniquity; And do not let me eat of their delicacies. Let the righteous smite me in kindness and reprove me; It is oil upon the head; Do not let my head refuse it, For still my prayer is against their wicked deeds.”

I want to start first at the end of that passage.

Look at that last line of verse 5.
David says, “For still my prayer is against their wicked deeds.”

That is certainly part of David’s prayer life and it should be part of ours.
• We pray against wicked men.
• We pray against the spread of their wickedness.

Certainly that prayer mostly consists of their repentance and salvation,
But we pray against them none the less.

We have no problem asking God to “break the arm of the wicked”
Or to “knock out the fangs of the young lion.”

• We’ve talked repeatedly about those imprecatory Psalms
• And we have no problem asking God to put a stop to the spread of evil like
abortion or sexual immorality or greed or slander or corruption.
• We constantly ask God to heal our land and purge the evil from it.

But if you’ll notice David starts that line with “For…”

That is to say, “I pray all these other things because I am praying against the wicked.”

To put it another way, It would be pure hypocrisy for me to pray against the wicked but not to pray against wickedness in my own life.

Jesus taught us that didn’t He?
Matthew 7:1-3 “Do not judge so that you will not be judged. “For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. “Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?”

It has to start at home.
It has to start in your life.

You can’t pray for God to clean wickedness out of the culture
If you don’t also pray for God to clean the wickedness out of your life.

Romans 2:21-24 “you, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that one shall not steal, do you steal? You who say that one should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who boast in the Law, through your breaking the Law, do you dishonor God? For “THE NAME OF GOD IS BLASPHEMED AMONG THE GENTILES BECAUSE OF YOU,” just as it is written.”

And so as David rightly prays against the wicked
DAVID ALSO PRAYS AGAINST HIS OWN WICKEDNESS.

And he hits all the major areas.

(3) “Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips.”

There’s a good place to start.
James said:
James 3:2 “For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well.”

That’s putting it clearly isn’t it.
The tongue is a major issue for humanity.

James would go on:
James 3:6-10 “And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell. For every species of beasts and birds, of reptiles and creatures of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by the human race. But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God; from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way.”

David understood this.
That on any given day he would likely face no greater temptation
Than the temptation to sin with his tongue.

Think of all the things we categorize as temptation today.
• Our culture is obsessed with sexual immorality.
• Alcohol is advertised pretty much everywhere.
• Self-centeredness is probably the central motive of every add campaign.

You think of all those things as temptations.

But I promise you none of those are as strong
As the temptation you face daily to sin with your tongue.

Lying – Gossip – Flattery – Slander – Boasting – Cursing – Filthy talk – cruelty

The tongue is indeed a world of evil.
And it is ABSOLUTELY UNCONTROLLABLE.

I can promise you this that the most consistent way
Satan will try to trap any one of us in sin will be with our tongues.

David knows this.
And so he prays for God to “Set a guard…over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips.”

David already taught us:
Psalms 139:4 “Even before there is a word on my tongue, Behold, O LORD, You know it all.”

And since You know what I’m about to say,
Before I say it, grab my lips and hold them closed!

We need God’s help to keep us from sinning with our tongues.
David takes that with urgency and desperation and faithfulness to God.

NOT JUST THE TONGUE.
(4a) “Do not incline my heart to any evil thing”

Here David speaks of the DESIRES.
Your desires are very much a breeding ground for sin.

James 1:14-15 “But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.”

And listen, it’s NOT just that our desires lead to sin.
If you listen to Jesus, THE DESIRE IS SIN.

What did Jesus teach us about murder?
Do you want to; are you angry? – THAT’S SIN!

What did Jesus teach us about adultery?
Do you have lust; do you want to? – THAT’S SIN!

What did Paul say in Romans 7 was his great sin?
COVETING

All of that occurs in the heart.
That’s the origin.

And David knew it.
• He needed God’s help to control his desires.
• He needed God’s help to control what he wanted.

Many a man has fallen prey to Satan’s temptation
To covet, lust or hate nowhere but in the confines of his own heart.

And David knows that.
He needs God to steer the direction of his heart.

AND THAT’S STILL NOT ALL.
(4b) “Do not incline my heart to any evil thing, to practice deeds of wickedness with men who do iniquity;”

Here David speaks of his ACTIONS.
• It is the temptation to join in with the wicked.
• It is the temptation to say what they say or laugh at what they laugh at.
• And we’ve all fallen there.

Remember Psalms 1?
Psalms 1:1 “How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!”

And there’s a progression there.
• A man first hears the counsel of the wicked.
• The next thing you know he’s standing in the path with sinners.
• And finally he ends up in the seat of scoffers

David knows that.
Every alcoholic started with a first drink under coercion.

When I was in high school it was tobacco.
I don’t care who you are, nobody liked that first dip of snuff, but it’s the desire to walk with the wicked that leads you into that iniquity.

David knew that just a moment of weakness
To join sinners in their sin
Could pay off in a life of sinful behavior.

So he asked God to protect him
From those wicked men who might entice him.

AND ALSO DAVID PRAYED;
“And do not let me eat of their delicacies.”

Here David prayed for protection from his own APPETITE.
James said sin originates with our own lusts.

What is it that makes you want to try that carnival game even when you know they’re cheating?
• It’s your own cravings.
• It’s your own appetites.

Listen, you may have been redeemed and are headed to heaven,
But you still live in a fallen sinful flesh.

And Paul put it plainly when he says you’ve got to beat it into submission

1 Corinthians 9:24-27 “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.”

Paul understood that his flesh was his enemy and he had to whip it.
• In other places he had to crucify it.
• He told the Colossians to put it to death.

David knows this.
The flesh must be beaten into submission and he urgently, desperately,
And faithfully appeals to God to help that happen.

AND THAT IS STILL NOT ALL.
Look at what else David prays for.
(5) “Let the righteous man smit me in kindness and reprove me; It is oil upon the head; Do not let my head refuse it.”

In those moments where I am not discerning enough or willing enough to buffet my own body…SEND SOMEONE ELSE TO DO IT!

Send me a Nehemiah who will strike me and pull out my hair
Until I leave the sin that is so offensive to God.

Send me a brother to confront me and expose me and rebuke me
And call me out of my sin.

Isn’t that a great prayer!

How badly do you want to overcome sin and temptation?
Do you want it badly enough to be rebuked?

I know some of you do, that’s why you faithfully attend church
To sit under the preaching of the word.

That’s what David wanted.
• So he prayed for God to guard and protect him from temptation
• And even to send a faithful brother by to help out in the process.

THAT’S HOW YOU FACE TEMPTATION!

And this is where we’re going to deal with verse 6.

We’re going to see it as a climax to David’s understanding
Of the dangers of temptation.

He says, (6) “Their judges are thrown down by the sides of the rock, And they hear my words, for they are pleasant.”

It is generally understood that judges being thrown down
Is a picture of wicked leaders being thrown off a cliff to their death.

And to it would seem that David is saying that
“There is coming a day when the tempters will be destroyed.”

And on the day when you see the payout for sin and temptation
You’ll see what a favor I’m doing by warning you to avoid it.

I think in light of the context of the Psalm that’s the best way to handle that verse.

• Listen to me warning you about the dangers of temptation.
• And if you won’t listen now, there’s a coming a day of judgment when
you’ll see that I’m right.

But the main point you see is that in order to battle temptation
DAVID TURNED TO PRAYER!

There’s another thing David turned.
#2 TRUST
Psalms 141:7-9

We already examined verse 7 which spoke of the horrible effect
Sin and temptation has had on David’s culture.

“They’re killing us!” David said.

And that prompts his NEXT COURSE OF ACTION which is to TRUST GOD.
(8) “For my eyes are toward You, O GOD, the Lord; In You I take refuge; do not leave me defenseless.”

You see there that statement, “In You I take refuge”
• We often talk about the importance of being “In Him”
• We know that we must be “in Christ” to survive the judgment.

But do you understand that He is also a hiding place from temptation?
He doesn’t just shelter you from judgment,
He also shelters you from temptation.

• He keeps you from stumbling.
• He keeps you from evil.
• He is the One who provides the way of escape.
• He is the One who directs your path.

You don’t just need to abide in Him during the judgment,
You need to abide in Him every day.

You want an analogy?

In the garden when the soldiers attacked and Jesus was with them, what did Peter do?
• He impulsively attacked and cut off a guy’s ear.
• He was bold and courageous.

But what happened when Jesus was taken away and Peter had to face a slave girl alone?
• He crumbled in fear.

And then what happened when Jesus sent His Holy Spirit to indwell Peter?
• He boldly preached in Jerusalem.

You need the presence of Christ to overcome temptation.
David was trusting God and hiding in Him.

We do this, not only through prayer, but also by remaining in His word.
We let “the word of Christ dwell within [us] richly”.

We hide in Him.

(9) “Keep me from the jaws of the trap which they have set for me, And from the snares of those who do iniquity.”

• David knew there were traps set that he was unaware of.
• David knew there were snares that he wouldn’t see.
He needed God to guide his steps.

HOW IMPORTANT THEN IS OBEDIENCE IN LIFE?

So many of the commands which God gives are to protect us
From the pitfalls and snares of the devil.

God’s commands aren’t meant to ruin your life,
But to protect you from the devil who is seeking to devour you.

Did not Jesus lean upon God’s word when facing temptation?
Obedience delivered him from the jaws of the enemy.

David is trusting God by obeying God’s word.
That is how you overcome temptation too.

You can’t simply pray for God to protect you from temptation
And then go off living the life of a renegade in disobedience.

You must trust Him.
You must abide in Him.
You must obey Him.

Do what He says even when it doesn’t make sense,
Because He knows what you don’t know.

One more way, quickly
#3 RUN
Psalms 141:10

“Let the wicked fall into their own nets, while I pass by safely.”

You can also translate that word “safely” as “altogether”

In other words.
God, let them keep barking and tempting and fall into their own plans,
But let me get out of there!

Help me escape!
• Isn’t that what Paul said?
• That God would provide the way of escape?

Run! Leave!
It’s foolish to sit in a bar
Continually asking God to give you strength not to drink.
Leave.

God has promised that there is ALWAYS a way of escape, take it!
• Did not Joseph run from Potiphar’s wife?
• Those Hebrew boys refused that unclean food.

So much of the sin we fall into would be avoided if we just ran from it.

You have to see sin and temptation as a deadly viper.
YOU’VE GOT TO FLEE.

So if you want to know how to face temptation, then listen to David.

PRAY (urgently, desperately, faithfully)
TRUST (take refuge in His word, and obey it)
RUN

This is how we handle temptation.

Download Here

The Root of Indifference
Malachi 1:1-5
October 30, 2022

It was actually 2 weeks ago that we introduced this book of Malachi.
(Last week was D-Now)

And this morning we are ready to begin our study of this book.

Hopefully you remember THE THRUST of the book.
“The oracle of the word of the LORD to Israel through Malachi.”

“oracle” means burden.
This book represents God’s burden.

Malachi even makes the statement, (2:17) “You have wearied the LORD…”

God’s people have created a burden for God.
Malachi arrives on the scene to express that burden to the people.

And while various problems are addressed,
They all come from the same source and that is INDIFFERENCE.

GOD’S PEOPLE JUST DON’T CARE WHAT GOD THINKS.
• The exile is a distant memory.
• Zerubbabel’s temple is now 100 years old.
• Nehemiah finished the city walls around 25 years ago.
• The people are settled in the land.

AND GOD IS NO LONGER A PRIORITY IN THEIR LIVES.
They are failing to “love God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength”

Well let’s begin looking a little closer at God’s burden.

THIS MORNING we begin by discussing “THE ROOT OF INDIFFERENCE”

The people are clearly indifferent, but what caused it?
WHERE DID IT COME FROM?

IT COMES FROM A LACK OF GRATITUDE.

Indifferent people are indifferent
Because they are ungrateful.

• They have failed to take inventory of all that God has done for them.
• They have taken for granted how fortunate they are to be children of God.
• They have forgotten what a privilege it is to be able to draw near to God.
• They have forgotten what a privilege it is to be able to gather for worship.
• They have forgotten what a privilege it is to own a Bible and to be able to read and understand it.
• They have forgotten what a privilege it is to know the gospel and to share it.
• They have forgotten what a privilege it is to be able to pray.

Their indifference is because of their lack of gratitude.

You want a good illustration?
Luke 17:11-19 “While He was on the way to Jerusalem, He was passing between Samaria and Galilee. As He entered a village, ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him; and they raised their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” When He saw them, He said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they were going, they were cleansed. Now one of them, when he saw that he had been healed, turned back, glorifying God with a loud voice, and he fell on his face at His feet, giving thanks to Him. And he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But the nine—where are they? “Was no one found who returned to give glory to God, except this foreigner?” And He said to him, “Stand up and go; your faith has made you well.”

• There we had 9 indifferent men.
• They were interested in Christ purely for the benefit He could have on their life.
• And the second His power enabled them to get back to their lives as normal
they were gone.

We saw that in Israel’s history didn’t we?
Ever read the Judges?
• When things were hard they certainly cried out to God,
• But no sooner would God deliver than would they run right back into their
comfortable lives
• Where God was no longer needed.

THAT IS WHAT 9 OF THESE LEPERS DID.

But 1 was filled with gratitude.
One returned to give thanks.
And Jesus said this is the one who was saved.

I HOPE YOU SEE THE DIFFERENCE.

And so at the outset of this study I can promise you this:
If your gratitude is not obvious
Then I can promise you that your indifference is.

AND THAT IS WHERE WE’LL BEGIN.

Malachi starts his book off with 3 things Israel had forgotten.
• Forgetting these things is what led to their lack of gratitude
• And their lack of gratitude was the root of their indifference.

Fixing the problem then is to remember what God has done.

3 things Israel forgot.
#1 THEIR GRACIOUS SELECTION
Malachi 1:1-2

The segment begins with a simple statement.
“I have loved you,” says the LORD.”

Let’s just take that statement at face value for a moment.

“loved” is AW-HAB in the Hebrew.

And it is a pretty universal word for love.
• It is used to speak of human love for one another, even romantic love.
• It is used to speak of the human appetite for things, (i.e. “I love pizza”)
• It is used of humans love for God.
• It is used of God’s love for humans.
• It is used of love between friends.

In some ways it almost seems better to translate the word “desire”

It can be an emotional attraction, a desire, a fondness, a preference,
Or full-on self-sacrificing love.

We know those famous 3 Greek words which are used to describe love.
• We talk of AROS – which is that romantic love.
• We talk of PHILEO – which is brotherly love.
• We talk of AGAPE – which is God’s love.

The Hebrew word AW-HAB seems to encapsulate all of them.

It is the love which Abraham had for Isaac.
Genesis 22:2 “He said, “Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.”

It is the love which Isaac had for Esau.
Genesis 25:28 “Now Isaac loved Esau, because he had a taste for game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.”

It is also the love which Isaac had for eating wild game.
Genesis 27:3-4 “Now then, please take your gear, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me; and prepare a savory dish for me such as I love, and bring it to me that I may eat, so that my soul may bless you before I die.”

• It is the word used for Jacob’s love of Rachel.
• It is the word used for Jacob’s love of Joseph.
• It is the word used in both the greatest and second greatest commandments.
• Both to love God and to love your neighbor.

And this is what God announces to Israel here through Malachi.
“I have loved you”

Like Abraham loved Isaac
Like Jacob loved Rachel
Like David loved Jonathon
Like Isaac loved wild game

It is speaks of desire and it speaks of preference.
GOD DESIRED THEM.
God preferred them.

And in this sense it is MORE THAN
Just the general love which God has for the world.

WE KNOW that God loves His enemies.
WE KNOW that God causes His rain to fall on the just and the unjust.
WE KNOW that God causes His sun to shine on the evil and the good.

But this love is God’s love of preference and desire.

Now you’ll notice that THERE IS A REASON
THAT GOD BEGINS with this declaration.

It is because there is a COMMON COMPLAINT coming from Israel.
“But you say, “How have You loved us?”

This had become a common belief of Israel,
• Namely that God doesn’t love us.
• Or that God hasn’t shown any love to us.

We can understand this in our culture even if we don’t fully understand theirs.

Someone doesn’t get what they want from God
“Well I guess God just doesn’t love me.”

In our society we have somehow linked love with selfishness.
“If you give me what I want then you love me
And if you don’t give me what I want then you don’t love me.”

It seems as though Israel had done something similar.
They had questioned God’s love.

So God is about to set the record straight.

“Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares the LORD. “Yet I have loved Jacob;”

When dared to prove His love for Israel,
God turns the page all the way back to Israel’s birth.

You should remember the story.

Isaac had married Rebecca but she was barren.
Genesis 25:21-23 “Isaac prayed to the LORD on behalf of his wife, because she was barren; and the LORD answered him and Rebekah his wife conceived. But the children struggled together within her; and she said, “If it is so, why then am I this way?” So she went to inquire of the LORD. The LORD said to her, “Two nations are in your womb; And two peoples will be separated from your body; And one people shall be stronger than the other; And the older shall serve the younger.”

Here we have a woman whom God graciously caused to get pregnant
And when she did get pregnant she conceived twins.

And God told her she was carrying two nations
And God made this declaration.
“the older shall serve the younger.”

• God showed preference to the younger son.
• God showed His desire was for the younger son.
• God showed love directed to the younger son.

Paul commented on this reality in the New Testament.
Romans 9:10-13 “And not only this, but there was Rebekah also, when she had conceived twins by one man, our father Isaac; for though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that God’s purpose according to His choice would stand, not because of works but because of Him who calls, it was said to her, “THE OLDER WILL SERVE THE YOUNGER.” Just as it is written, “JACOB I LOVED, BUT ESAU I HATED.”

Paul added that “the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad…”

God just chose the younger one.
He set His love on Jacob.

“I have loved you,” says the LORD”

We are talking about God’s sovereign election of Israel.
It actually began way back with Abram and then Isaac, but it carried on through Jacob.

God just determined to set his love on Jacob.
No reason other than God’s sovereign prerogative.

Deuteronomy 7:7-8 “The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but because the LORD loved you and kept the oath which He swore to your forefathers, the LORD brought you out by a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.”

It was a totally UNCOERCED love.
There was nothing in it for God.
God just CHOSE to love Israel so He loved Israel.

Ezekiel 16:6-8 “When I passed by you and saw you squirming in your blood, I said to you while you were in your blood, ‘Live!’ Yes, I said to you while you were in your blood, ‘Live!’ “I made you numerous like plants of the field. Then you grew up, became tall and reached the age for fine ornaments; your breasts were formed and your hair had grown. Yet you were naked and bare. “Then I passed by you and saw you, and behold, you were at the time for love; so I spread My skirt over you and covered your nakedness. I also swore to you and entered into a covenant with you so that you became Mine,” declares the Lord GOD.”

God loved Israel. God graciously chose Jacob.

Deuteronomy 10:15 “Yet on your fathers did the LORD set His affection to love them, and He chose their descendants after them, even you above all peoples, as it is this day.”

• God just desired Jacob.
• God just preferred Jacob.
• God chose Jacob.

Now, stop there and ponder YOUR SITUATION for a moment.

Ephesians 1:3-6 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.”

God has done the same for His church.
• God chose us.
• God desired us.
• God preferred us.

It had nothing to do with our worth or works or value or merit.

It is what Cavinists refer to as “Unconditional Election”.
God just chose us because that is what God wanted to do.

IT JUST PLEASED GOD TO DO THIS.

AND ISRAEL HAD FORGOTTEN THIS.
God chose you.

• Ingratitude creeps in when you forget that you were chosen by God.
• Indifference creeps in when you forget that God chose you when you were unworthy.
• Indifference shows up when you lose sight of God’s gracious selection of you.

DID GOD LOVE ISRAEL?
Of course He did! He chose them above all others.

He has done the same for us.

Now that part is relatively easy.
It is THE NEXT TRUTH that people today have difficulty swallowing.

Their Gracious Selection
#2 THEIR GRACIOUS SITUATION
Malachi 1:3

Here’s the part that people jump up and down and throw a fit about.

Most today like to say that “God chose everybody, the saved people are merely those who chose Him back.”

Well, I’m sorry, but that is not what Scripture says.
“but I have hated Esau…”

Let’s talk about that word “hated” for a moment.

“hated” is SAW-NAY in the Hebrew.
And it is the OPPOSITE of that word AW-HAB

Genesis 29:30-31 “So Jacob went in to Rachel also, and indeed he loved Rachel more than Leah, and he served with Laban for another seven years. Now the LORD saw that Leah was unloved, and He opened her womb, but Rachel was barren.”

• You see that Rachel was AW-HAB “loved”
• And you see that in contrast Leah was SAW-NAY “unloved”

Deuteronomy 21:15-16 “If a man has two wives, the one loved and the other unloved, and both the loved and the unloved have borne him sons, if the firstborn son belongs to the unloved, then it shall be in the day he wills what he has to his sons, he cannot make the son of the loved the firstborn before the son of the unloved, who is the firstborn.”

• There again we have a AW-HAB “loved” woman.
• And we have a SAW-NAY “unloved” woman.

But that’s not the only way this word is translated.
It is also translated “enmity”
And it is translated “turns against”

See it’s not just a word that speaks of being overlooked.
What God showed to Jacob, He showed the opposite to Esau.

Scripture DOESN’T say
“I have loved Jacob; but I have not considered Esau.”

WHAT’S THE POINT?

GOD DID FOR JACOB WHAT HE DID NOT DO FOR ESAU.
GOD DID THE OPPOSITE FOR JACOB
THAN WHAT HE DID FOR ESAU.

Do you see that?

I know in our desire for “FAIRNESS” and “EQUALITY”
It just flies all over us that God chose Jacob but not Esau.

And preachers and theologians have danced for years
To try and get around that verse.

But if that verse means anything other than
God loved Jacob and God hated Esau
Then God’s argument here makes no sense.

Israel is questioning God’s love.
“How have You loved us?” they ask.

God says, “Go look at Esau and I’ll show you someone I have not loved. You on the other hand must admit that I have done great things for you.”

And that’s the point.
GOD DID FOR JACOB WHAT HE DID NOT DO FOR ESAU.
• God chose Jacob.
• God blessed Jacob.
• God put Jacob first.
• God gave the inheritance to Jacob.
• God gave the blessing to Jacob.
• God gave preeminence to Jacob.

And God did none of those things for Esau.
You can argue this all you want, but it doesn’t change what is true.

And then CHURCH you have to consider this again in your life.

God chose you for salvation.
• God did not choose everyone.

God predestined you to the adoption as sons.
• God did not predestine everyone.

If God had chosen everyone then everyone would be saved.

Wait preacher, what about?
2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.”

You’d do good to answer one question.
• Who is “any” and who is “all” in that verse.
• Peter said that God is “patient toward you”, not everyone.
• Peter is talking about the elect, the chosen. That’s who he wrote his letter to.

That verse says that God is not going to destroy the world
Until everyone whom He has chosen comes to repentance.
He will not destroy this world until everyone of His elect comes home.

The fact is that God has NOT done the same thing for all people.

Again, that may hit you sideways, but He is God and you are not.
Romans 9:19-21 “You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who resists His will?” On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, “Why did you make me like this,” will it? Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use?”

God is the potter and He can do with the clay whatever He wants.

But HERE IS THE POINT for you who are redeemed.

How does that make you feel knowing that God chose you when He didn’t have to?

How does that make you feel knowing that God preferred you when He didn’t have to?

Do you see what great things God has done for you?
• You were chosen!
• You were selected!
• You were predestined!

And not everyone is in your situation.
• Not everyone is saved.
• Not everyone is redeemed.
• Not everyone has a relationship with the Father.

Yes, it is true, everyone who calls on the name of Jesus will be saved.
God never turned anyone away who came to Him.

But the reality is that no one ever came without God’s choosing.
You are redeemed because God chose you.

It is a gracious situation you find yourself in,
And a situation that not all people find themselves in.

Israel was back in their land.
Israel was living in their inheritance.

What about Esau?
“I have made his mountains a desolation and appointed his inheritance for the jackals of the wilderness.”

• Both Israel and Edom were destroyed by Babylon.
• But 170 years later and Israel is back in her land, Edom is not.

Can you not see that I have done for you
What I have not done for everyone?
That is God’s question to those who question His love.

There’s a 3rd point.
#3 THEIR GRACIOUS SUPPORT
Malachi 1:4

Listen to God’s plan for the future for Edom.
“Though Edom says, “We have been beaten down, but we will return and build up the ruins”; thus says the LORD of hosts, “They may build, but I will tear down; and men will call them the wicked territory, and the people toward whom the LORD is indignant forever.”

• You are talking there about Edom’s destiny.
• God has destined them for wrath and for wrath they will go.
• Sure they can try to rebuild, I’ll just destroy it again.

God is “indignant forever”
He’s not indifferent forever, He’s “indignant forever”

Psalms 7:11 “God is a righteous judge, And a God who has indignation every day.”

So do you see the difference?
• God chose Jacob, He did not choose Esau
• God put Jacob back in his land, He did not do that for Esau
• Jacob has a promise of a blessed future, Esau has a promise of judgment

And you can’t see how God has loved you?

NOW LET ME MAKE SURE YOU UNDERSTAND THIS RIGHTLY.

God did all this for Jacob
DO NOT ASSUME it is because Jacob was somehow better than Esau.

SURE Esau was wicked.
YES Esau sold his birthright.
NO Esau would not repent.

Esau never received anything from the hand of God that he did not deserve.

In the judgment Esau will not be able to blame God,
Esau chose to sin and Esau will reap the consequences of his sin.

Hebrews 12:14-17 “Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled; that there be no immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal. For you know that even afterwards, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought for it with tears.”

But DON’T assume that God chose Jacob because he was the good son.

Jacob was every bit the liar Esau was.
Jacob was every bit the schemer.
Jacob was arrogant and self-righteous.

Have you read about Jacob’s life?
• How he conspired to steal the birthright…
• How he conspired to steal the blessing…
• How he tried to show off to win Rachel…

The difference between the two boys?
God gave Esau what he deserved.
God gave Jacob what he did not deserve.
• God revealed Himself to Jacob.
• God promised Jacob an inheritance.
• God delivered Jacob from Laban.

The only difference between those two boys
Is that God chose to love Jacob.

AND LISTEN TO ME CHURCH.
THE ONLY DIFFERENCE BETWEEN YOU AND THE WORLD
IS THE EXACT SAME THING.

I’ve heard Lee Kidd say it several times.
“If it weren’t for Jesus Christ, I’d either be dead or in prison.”

Listen, if God had not intervened in your life
You’d be just like the vilest offenders you see in the world.

You were no better than Esau.

1 Corinthians 1:26 “For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble;”

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you…”

Ephesians 2:1-3 “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.”

Titus 3:3 “For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another.”

Do you understand that none of us were worthy?

WHAT HAPPENED?
• God chose us!
• God loved us!
• God predestined us to adoption as sons.

Every one of those verses are followed by the exact same word:
“BUT”

1 Corinthians 1 said there were not many wise:
1 Corinthians 1:27-28 “but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are,”

1 Corinthians 6 said that we were fornicators and idolators and adulterers and homosexuals:
1 Corinthians 6:11 “…but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.”

Ephesians 2 said we were dead in our sins.
Ephesians 2:4-7 “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”

Titus 3 said we were foolish and filled with hate.
Titus 3:4-6 “But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,”

There’s no way that any of us can say, “How have You loved us?”

Look back to your Gracious Selection,
Your Gracious Situation,
And your Gracious Support.

God loved us and saved us when we did not deserve it.

Israel had fallen into indifference because they forgot that.
Israel had fallen into indifference because they had failed to realize that
Were it not for God they would be no better off than Esau.

Have you forgotten what God did for you?
• Have you forgotten what it was like to be in darkness?
• Have you forgotten what it was like to be in sin?
• Have you forgotten what it was like to be without hope in the world?

Then how is it that gratitude can be so lacking?
• How is it that God can receive no honor?
• How is it that we bring junk to God?
• How is it that we defile His altar, ignore His word, break His covenants, and give preference to every other thing in life over Him?

That’s what Israel was doing because
They had forgotten just how loved they were by God.

But it’s more than that.
This segment ends with a sort of LITMUS TEST.

God makes one statement that will show
When Israel’s indifference has ended.

In other words God says, “On the day when you realize how much I have loved you and your indifference comes to an end, we’ll know it.”

HOW?
How can you spot people who have repented of their indifference?

(5) “Your eyes will see this…”
That is, on the day you see how much I have loved you.

“Your eyes will see this and you will say, “The LORD be magnified beyond the border of Israel!”

On the day your apathy ends not only will you prioritize worship.
You will also prioritize missions.

You want to know the chief characteristic of grateful people?
You want to know the chief characteristic of people who aren’t indifferent?

1) WORSHIP – “The LORD be magnified”

• Worship is not a burden for grateful people.
• Worship is not the last priority of grateful people.
• It is indifferent people who don’t care whether or not worship takes place.

2) MISSIONS – “The LORD be magnified beyond the borders of Israel!”

• Those who are grateful to God.
• Those who are not indifferent long to see God worshiped
• And long to spread His glory across the world.

Do you want to know if you lack gratitude?
Do you want to know if indifference resides in you?
Do you want to know if you have forgotten God’s great love for you?

Then check your worship and check your evangelism.

Is worship your priority or is it just something you have to do?
• People who know they were plucked out of the fire don’t have to be told to give thanks to the one who delivered them.

Is missions your priority or is it something for someone else?
• People who have been delivered don’t have a problem telling people about their deliverer.

Israel forgot that all that God had done for them
And indifference was the result.

The solution was to ponder again the great love God had demonstrated in choosing them while they were yet sinners.

It is the solution to our indifference as well.
• Ponder God’s great love!
• Ponder where you’d be without His salvation.
• You could be Esau, but He has made you Jacob.

Can you not worship Him for that?

Download here

Facing Slander
Psalms 140
October 16, 2022

Tonight we return to our study of the Psalms
And we come across Psalms 140.

As you see by our title, tonight we are talking about “Facing Slander”
That’s what David is dealing with here.

Only, it’s not just David.
We see that this Psalms is “For the choir director”

That is to say that this wasn’t simply a Psalm David sang in private,
But song that God intended for the entire congregation to learn.

And I think the reason would be obvious.
1. Because we will in no way get through this life without being a victim of
slander.

2. Because it is highly likely that at some point you will be tempted to
participate in slander.

This Psalm gives us great insight into the sin itself,
And also HOW TO HANDLE IT.

But more than just a Psalm on dealing with slander,
(as is true with all the Psalms,)

It is a testimony to our Lord Jesus Christ
And yet another way in which He proved Himself to be
“the author and perfecter of faith”.

SO TONIGHT, let’s examine this 140th Psalm and allow the Lord to deal with our hearts.

We’re going to break this Psalm down into 4 points; really just an outline,
And see what God would teach us.

#1 DAVID’S PLIGHT
Psalms 140:1-5

David’s plight is obvious, he is a victim here of evil men
Who have set out to use slander in order to destroy him.

(1-3) “Rescue me, O LORD, from evil men; Preserve me from violent men Who devise evil things in their hearts; They continually stir up wars. They sharpen their tongues as a serpent; Poison of a viper is under their lips. Selah.”

• David calls them “evil men”
• David calls them “violent men”

And it is because they are doing their best
To use their tongues to stir up evil against David.

THEIR OBJECTIVE is to bring him down from the throne and ensnare him.

(4-5) “Keep me, O LORD, from the hands of the wicked; Preserve me from violent men Who have purposed to trip up my feet. The proud have hidden a trap for me, and cords; They have spread a net by the wayside; They have set snares for me. Selah.”

This is no mild game.
These are not innocent discussions.
We have men here who are using their tongues to ruin David’s life.

If you look at verse 9 David says they “surround me”.

That is the basics of what is going on.

And just the words that David uses here
Gives us quite an indicator about the nature of slander.
• Words like “evil” in verse 1 and 2
• Words like “violent” in verses 1 and 4
• Words like “wicked” in verse 4

In verse 3 we see an analogy of David:
“They sharpen their tongue as a serpent; Poison of a viper is under the lips.”

David compares them to snakes
Whose threat comes from the poison in their mouth.

YOU LIKELY RECOGNIZE the last line of verse 3 as one of the famous verses Paul used in his testimony to the fallen nature of humanity.

Romans 10:13 “THEIR THROAT IS AN OPEN GRAVE, WITH THEIR TONGUES THEY KEEP DECEIVING,” “THE POISON OF ASPS IS UNDER THEIR LIPS”

The “poison of a viper” is lethal poison.

WE ARE TALKING ABOUT LETHAL DANGER HERE.

SLANDER IS NO INSIGNIFICANT SIN.

James 3:8 “But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison.”

It is no wonder then that God condemns slander so vehemently.
Proverbs 6:12-15 “A worthless person, a wicked man, Is the one who walks with a perverse mouth, Who winks with his eyes, who signals with his feet, Who points with his fingers; Who with perversity in his heart continually devises evil, Who spreads strife. Therefore his calamity will come suddenly; Instantly he will be broken and there will be no healing.”

Solomon says a man with “a perverse mouth” will be broken with no healing.

In the very next verse in Proverbs is familiar to you:
Proverbs 6:16-19 “There are six things which the LORD hates, Yes, seven which are an abomination to Him: Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, And hands that shed innocent blood, A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that run rapidly to evil, A false witness who utters lies, And one who spreads strife among brothers.”

I don’t know if you picked up on it but the sin of slander there is included in 3 of the 7 things God hates.
• “a lying tongue”
• “uttering lies”
• “spreading strife”

That should tell you something
Of what God thinks of men who use their tongues for evil.

But it’s NOT JUST the tongue that is the issue.
Jesus taught us:
Matthew 15:19 “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders.”

And David certainly agrees.
For even though it is the slander that he hears
David knows it didn’t originate in their mouth.

(2) “Who devise evil things in their hearts…”

Men who slander are men who devise evil.
They are men who carry within them the malice of murder.
The tongue is merely the weapon of choice to commit that murder.

Remember what Jesus taught us?
Matthew 5:21-22 “You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.’ “But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.”

I hope this is painting a clear picture for you of the sin of slander.
It is a man with a murderous heart
Who uses his tongue to destroy his neighbor.

AND GOD HATES IT.
Proverbs 10:18 “He who conceals hatred has lying lips, And he who spreads slander is a fool.”

Proverbs 16:28 “A perverse man spreads strife, And a slanderer separates intimate friends.”

Furthermore we know that men will give an account for all their words.
Matthew 12:36 “But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment.”

And thus slander is expressly forbidden for God’s children.

Psalms 34:13 “Keep your tongue from evil And your lips from speaking deceit.”

Ephesians 4:31 “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.”

Now that is a quick rundown of the sin of slander.
It is when you spread a lie about someone else
With the intent to cause them harm.

• It is when you say something untrue about someone so as to ruin their
reputation.

• It is when you speak something untrue with malicious intent so as to put them
in negative consequences.

THAT IS SLANDER AND GOD HATES IT.

And here we find that David has become a victim of it.

MY GUESS IS THAT
At some point in your life YOU HAVE ALSO been a victim of it.
And if you have then you know it is a painful thing to endure.

• It will make you want to go on a global campaign to set the record straight.
• It will make you want to track down the spread of lies and cut out their tongue.

We live in a day where
• Bad news is printed on the front page and retractions are buried in page 12.
• An accusation can ruin a career, split a family, and even put someone in
prison, whether it is true or not.
• Even when the truth comes out many times the damage is already done and
the reputation is already irreparably stained.

And if you’ve been a victim of that
Then you understand where David is coming from here.

Evil men are trying to ruin him with lies.
That is David’s plight.

#2 DAVID’S HOPE
Psalms 140:6-8

Here is where we can certainly learn a thing or two from David.

When David catches wind that lies are being told about him,
• He doesn’t run to the paper.
• He doesn’t run to the source of the lies.
• He doesn’t get on social media and try to defend himself.

David goes one place.
He goes to God.

WHY?
(and this is great!)

(6) “I said to the LORD, “You are my God;”

Now, notice the verb tense there.
David is speaking past tense here.

• “You are my God” is NOT a declaration David is making today.
• “You are my God” IS a declaration that David has made years ago.

THIS ISN’T NEW.
David declared YAHWEH to be His God way in the past.

Today he merely acts on it.
(He puts his money where his mouth is)

For the second line we move into the present.
“Give ear, O LORD, to the voice of my supplications.”

I hope you’re picking up on what we’re seeing here.

I think on a Sunday night we might say that
• Most everyone in here has at some point in our past made the declaration that
God is our God.
• Most in here have said Jesus is Lord! You are my God!

The problem is that when trials or troubles come our way
It is to our shame that we seem to forget our confession
And we try to go fix the problem ourselves.

DAVID DOESN’T.
He has God on his side and so that is where he goes.

And incidentally,
God has a track record of saving!
(7) “O GOD the Lord, the strength of my salvation”

David remembers God as the One who saved him.
• God is the One who saved him from sin.
• God is the One who delivered him from is wickedness.
• God is the One who saved him from wrath and hell.

Surely if God can save him from hell He can save him from slanderers!
Surely if God can deliver David from His own wrath
He can save him from the wrath of men.

God also has a track record of protecting David even when the danger is lethal.
(7b) “You have covered my head in the day of battle.”

I wouldn’t presume to know exactly what David has in mind here, but in my mind I imagine it to be a reference to when in battle and the enemy fires that volley of arrows at you.

It would be a pretty scarry thing to just stand there and see all those arrows come flying through the air to land in the midst of the crowd and David praises God for protecting him from such dangers.

And if God is able to protect David from men with swords
Then surely God can protect David from men with tongues.

So do you see what David has done here?

As bad as slander is, it is just another giant
That David stretches out next to God.

Just like Goliath got really small when David stood him up next to God,
So does now this slanderous attack.

• David doesn’t have to correct the narrative.
• David doesn’t have to kill the slanderer.
• David merely takes his defense to God.

After all, “You are my God”
You are the One who defends me.
You are the One who saves me.

So here’s a new threat God, deal with it too.

(8) “Do not grant, O LORD, the desires of the wicked; Do not promote his evil device, that they not be exalted.”

In short, don’t let them succeed.
• Their objective and their goal is to ruin me.
• Don’t let them.
• Save me like You saved me from sin.
• Protect me like You protected me in battle.

THAT IS DAVID’S HOPE.

THAT IS THE BELIEVER’S HOPE.
Do you know that you don’t have to fear the slander of men?

• I know it is painful.
• I know it is irritating.
• But you do not have to fear it.

WE HAVE A PROMISE:
Romans 8:33 “Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies;”

That is a tremendous promise.

God justified you when He knew the worst about you.
If someone approaches Him and calls you a dirty rotten sinner
It’s not like God is going to be surprised.

Slander may make your life a little more uncomfortable
But it cannot threaten your eternity in the least.

FURTHERMORE it can’t stop the ministry God has for you.

Do you realize how much Jesus was blasphemed?
Matthew 11:19 “The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.”

Matthew 12:22 “Then a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute was brought to Jesus, and He healed him, so that the mute man spoke and saw. All the crowds were amazed, and were saying, “This man cannot be the Son of David, can he?” But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “This man casts out demons only by Beelzebul the ruler of the demons.”

Jesus was accused plenty
And still fulfilled God’s perfect purpose in His life.

Think about Paul.
Acts 24:5 “For we have found this man a real pest and a fellow who stirs up dissension among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes.”

If you read 2 Corinthians it is clear that
• The false apostles accused Paul of being a minister for money
• And even for sexual gain.

There is good reason to believe that Paul’s thorn in the flesh
Was in fact one of these character assassins.

Paul calls him “a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan”

And yet God told Paul that his weakness was a good thing!
That thorn was a weakness that God could use with His strength.

So I’m not saying that being a victim of slander is an easy thing,
But if God is for you, it’s not nearly the threat it may seem.

THAT IS DAVID’S HOPE.

David’s Plight, David’s Hope
#3 DAVID’S DESIRE
Psalms 140:9-11

Very simply, David desires justice.
• He basically asks that they fall into the pit they are digging.
• He is asking the God who will not be mocked for them to reap what they are sowing.

(9-10) “As for the head of those who surround me, May the mischief of their lips cover them. “May burning coals fall upon them; May they be cast into the fire, Into deep pits from which they cannot rise.”

• He asks for them to fall under “the mischief of lips”
• He asks for “burning coals” to “fall upon them”
• He asks for them to fall “into deep pits from which they cannot rise”

Let them feel the irreparable sting of slander in their own lives.

NOW THAT MAY SOUND VINDICTIVE.
(And we don’t have a problem when we read David’s imprecatory prayers)

But here it’s NOT so much about David getting revenge
As IT IS about God putting an end to slanderers in general.

(11) “May a slanderer not be established in the earth; May evil hunt the violent man speedily.”

It’s not so much David’s slanderer as it is all slanderers David is after.

He is simply asking God to put an end to anyone
Who would slander with their tongue.

AND IN FACT GOD WILL.

Revelation 21:27 “and nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”

Revelation 22:14-15 “Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying.”

No liar will be allowed to enter the kingdom of heaven.

David will get his request.
God will one day put an end to every lying tongue.

Psalms 101:5 “Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor, him I will destroy; No one who has a haughty look and an arrogant heart will I endure.”

David wants God to rid the world of tongue-murderers
And one day God will.

And then one final point from David.
#4 DAVID’S CONFIDENCE
Psalms 140:12-13

We always love it when David says, “I know…”

“I know that the LORD will maintain the cause of the afflicted And justice for the poor. Surely the righteous will give thanks to Your name; The upright will dwell in Your presence.”

In other words, It doesn’t matter how dark or bleak it looks right now, I know how this thing ends.

• I know whose side God takes.
• I know who God defends and who God destroys.
• I know who gets to stand with God when this is all over.

Liars and slanderers do not get to stand with God, but the afflicted do.

And so even though the affliction may be painful,
It is actually a cause for rejoicing because it reminds you that
You are in the company of those whom God saves.

Listen to Jesus:
Matthew 5:11-12 “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

Slander just puts you in good company.
• Let it be a boost to your hope.
• Let it be a boost to your confidence.

The Bible actually says when you are slandered you are blessed.

1 Peter 4:14 “If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.”

THAT’S A GOOD THING.
AND THAT IS DAVID’S CONFIDENCE AS WELL.

But as I told you at the beginning.
This is not just a sermon about slander,
Though there is plenty of application to be made.

THIS PSALM IS ABOUT THE TRUE AND BETTER DAVID.

This Psalm is a picture of the coming Messiah
And how He would be slandered and yet overcome.

• We heard how Jesus was called demon possessed.
• We heard how Jesus was accused of being a drunkard.
• We heard how Jesus was called a blasphemer

1 Peter 2:23 “and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously;”

What David talks about in Psalms 140 is EXACTLY WHAT JESUS DID.

• When they reviled Him as a demon-possessed blasphemer.
• When they challenged Him to prove He was the Son of God.
• When they mocked Him as a false prophet.
• When they laughed at Him as a phony King.

HE DIDN’T run around trying to set the record straight.
HE DIDN’T lash out at those who were lying about Him.

“but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously.”

He knew how it would all shake out in the end.

But there’s MORE to that than just Jesus’ example of handling slander.

If we keep reading what Peter said:
1 Peter 2:23-25 “and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.”

• Jesus was reviled.
• Jesus was blasphemed.
• Jesus was slandered.

WHY?
He was taking the slander that we deserve.

What was false about Jesus is true about us.
• We are the filthy blaspheming sinners that Jesus was accused of being.
• But “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross”

He was being treated as we deserved.
AND YET still did not once lash out at His accusers.

Isaiah 53:7 “He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth.”

• He took the sharp barbs of the serpent.
• He took the poison of the viper.
• They purposed to trip up His feet.
• They hid a trap for Him.
• They set snares for Him.

And while David may have thought himself completely innocent,
CHRIST WAS completely innocent.

And He bore the slander so that we might be justified before the Father.

And God did maintain His cause.
He was raised from the dead and He ascended to heaven.

Jesus is the One who conquered the lies of the enemy.

And now, we are called to follow (not in David’s steps), but in Jesus’ steps.

TO CLOSE TONIGHT:
TURN TO: 1 PETER 2

Read verses 12-21

Did you catch how Peter addressed these people who were being slandered?
(12) “Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.”

They may slander you now, but on the day when the Judge returns
They’ll be forced to admit their lie.

You stay the course.

And you notice then that this is all funneling down to verse 21.
(21) “For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps”

I hope you get the point here.
Christ suffered for you.
• Christ bore your reproach.
• Christ bore your slander.
NOW – YOU BEAR HIS

You follow His example and do for Him what He has done for you.

TURN TO: 1 PETER 4:1-6

There it is again.
“since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with same purpose…”

And even when they “malign you” (vs 4) you stand strong
And know that God will judge all these things one day.

And then down to 4:14-16
(14-16) “If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. Make sure that none of you suffers as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler; but if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name.”

Slander is painful, but slander is part of the calling.
When it occurs just know that
You are walking in the footprints of Your Savior.

• Take their reproach to God who will judge rightly.
• Do not fear their slander or reproach.
• Rather see it as a badge of honor and an indication that you look like Jesus.

That is dealing with slander.

(12-13) “I know that the LORD will maintain the cause of the afflicted And justice for the poor. Surely the righteous will give thanks to Your name; The upright will dwell in Your presence.”