David Bahn – Reflections

Maybe you’ve had to deal with shame and guilt that haunts, stalks, accuses, and imprisons. When we’re racked with guilt it is such sweetness to learn of God’s forgiveness. When we’ve seen over the edge of the abyss between us and God, and realized that we cannot span that chasm, it is such joy to learn that Jesus has spanned it for us. When we realize we have hurt our loved ones, or betrayed God’s trust, or failed again to do the good we know we should, the message of God’s mercy is so precious.

But when we don’t even know we need forgiveness, we still do. In Psalm 19 we are led to pray, “Forgive me of my hidden faults.”  In either case – known sins that plague us, or sins of which we are unaware, David reminds us of the blessing of being forgiven. Although this psalm is numbered before Psalm 51, it may have been written later, and in part a fulfillment of part the the prayer there, “Restore to me the joy of your salvation and uphold me with your free spirit. Then I will teach transgressors your ways…” Perhaps this is David’s way of teaching the likes of me the ways of God.

God’s ways are the ways of forgiveness, mercy, grace, and redemption. In fact, we have no other hope than to be forgiven of our sins if we are to live with God who is pure, holy, and just. So it is most certainly true: Blessed is the one transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.

It might be that we need to be confronted in our sin – just as David awas by the prophet Nathan. If so, may the Holy Spirit work in our hearts that which he worked in David’s heart. The upshot of that encounter is a beautiful expression of repentance and forgiveness. Such a blessing!

Nathan said to David, “You are the man! …⁹ Why have you despised the word of the Lord, to do what is evil in his sight? … ¹³ David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die.  – 2 Samuel 12:7, 9, 13

It’s nothing we deserve. It is God’s gracious and precious gift – through Jesus, for all who repent and believe.

Can you identify specific times in your life when God’s presence, provision, and protection were most needed? Three times come immediately to mind for me. When we were first married and at the seminary where I was studying to become a pastor, we faced some very significant challenges. Although Diane had graduated with honors from Valparaiso University, the only job she could find was rather menial and quite low paying. We soon faced a financial challenge that had us sitting on the floor of our living room and counting all the money we had in the world. It was something like $4.17. We had food in the pantry. The rent wasn’t due right away. But we knew we needed God’s provision. We decided to get a student loan. One thousand dollars made all the difference in the world and we managed by the grace of God – and his provision of other financial aid – to make it through those four years of postgraduate education with a total of $1,000 in debt!

Then came the trip across the western slope of the Rocky Mountains. The further we traveled west to our first assignment in Vernal Utah, the more anxious, fearful, insecure, and inadequate I felt. By the time of my installation service, I was physically sick from anxiety. Churning stomach. Crampy gut. Washed-out face. Spaced-out eyes. How I needed God’s presence and peace. I finally realized it, and thank God for our time and experiences there. The four years of God’s presence, peace, and provision, sustained us in ways too numerous to recount.

Our fourth son was born more than 5 weeks early. He weighed 3# 12 ½ oz. He was tiny and for a while we were worried that he had cystic fibrosis. Well, actually, I was more worried than Diane. She saw how healthy he was and correctly didn’t fret about the diagnosis like I did. God’s protection of this tiny baby was a blessing we both experienced on the Sunday morning he was baptized. Not in church, but in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of the hospital, and from a styrofoam cup, not at a baptismal font. But we both knew at the moment of his baptism there were promises of God attached to him that previously had not been. What peace that brought to our hearts.

When these things happen in our lives we can talk about God, “He…” But we can also talk to God, “You…” That’s what David does in this psalm. And so did we during those times of challenge, danger, anxiety, and uncertainty. So can you. Whatever you are facing, you can talk about God. And you can talk to him. He listens…even though he has much to do. Last night we closed our choir practice with prayer. One choir member prayed, “God, you have so much to do. Thank you for hearing our prayers and answering them.” In a way, that was talking about God as well as to him. He does indeed have much to do. And we can talk with him about our needs as well. He hears us. Thank you, God! Amen.

Our son answered the doorbell one afternoon to the delightful surprise of seeing Diane’s mom and dad on our stoop. They had just completed a 7 hour road trip from Missouri to Arkansas, where we lived at the time. We must not have told our kids that they were coming to visit, and Tim (maybe 9 or 10 years old at the time) said, “What are you doing here?” He didn’t mean it in any unkind way. We all loved having them visit. They were a source of joy and blessing whenever they came. From help in the kitchen to furniture refinishing and repainting bedrooms, they brought a cheerful and willing-to-help attitude. But Tim’s was a bit of an unusual greeting.

David describes the blessings of God in the context of a close and intimate relationship. God does great things for David as he points out in the first three verses of this psalm. God is with him in challenging times. He hopes for and delights in God’s presence. He professes that he will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. His delight in the Lord’s presence runs throughout these verses. God is leading, directing, providing, restoring, protecting, correcting, saving, and honoring him throughout his life. That happens because God is with him, and David is with God.

Perhaps you’ve heard Dolly Parton’s song, Don’t Make Me Have to Come Down There. I’ve pasted the lyrics below. It’s a somewhat whimsical take on the idea that we’re so messed up down here on earth that God is threatening to step in to straighten things out. We need to get our act together. But it misses the true purpose and impact of God’s presence in our lives. He’s not going to come down here just to straighten things out. He came down here to save and redeem us. When he comes again, it will be for the final accounting of all we have done or failed to do. It will also be to take his own to be with him forever.

The blessing of God’s presence will be fully enjoyed by those who love him and yearn for his guidance, provision, and salvation. That’s the promise of God recorded in Revelation 21:1-3

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. ² And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. ³ And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them,  and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.

God’s presence is a blessing for which his people long. It’s better even than a visit from the grandparents!

Too many people think of God as a killjoy. A downer. A grumpy curmudgeon. An intrusion. Oh how wrong on so many levels! God is the author of joy. He lifts up the humble and downtrodden. He delights in lovingkindness. And to say that God intrudes is to get things completely upside down. We’re in his world. We live at his pleasure. We are his creatures. We answer to him.

God delights in blessing people. In order fully to experience those blessings to the fullest we must put ourselves in an attitude of humility and obedience. Humility acknowledges our need for God. Humility opens our hearts to receive from God. Humility puts us in a posture of openness. Obedience puts us in alignment with the blessings of God. Obedience puts us where he has placed the necessary provisions for life. Obedience enables us fully to experience God’s blessings.

David speaks of God’s blessings of rest, provision, peace, and restoration. All these come to him in his quietness of humility and posture of obedience. David recognizes that God provides for all his needs. He rejoices in the rest and restoration God provides along still waters and in green pastures. He embraces the gift of peace that comes from following the paths of righteousness. All this is not only from God, but also because of God’s good character and name.

Because of all this David has confidence in the face of death. He is not worried about his enemies. He is certain of an abundant supply of all he needs – no matter the challenges around him. This comes as he follows the paths of righteousness, which is obedience. If humility is the necessary first step in receiving God’s grace, then obedience is the necessary second, third, fourth, and every step for the fullness of God’s blessings.

David will experience this first hand when he wanders off the path of God’s blessing and sins with Bathsheba. He will see how destructive disobedience is when his own son, Absalom, rebels. He experiences the refreshment of God’s grace when he humbles himself in the face of Nathan’s confrontation. And he sets himself back on the path of obedience after confessing his sin. Take a look at Psalms 32 & 51 to hear David’s confession and admonition to us all. Repent and bring forth the fruit of repentance as John the Baptizer would say 1000 years later. (cf. Luke 3:8)

The first step in the AA 12-Step recovery program is to admit that you have a problem. That’s an attitude of humility. Other steps require confession, obedience, and even helping others along the way. That’s the path of obedience. That’s nothing new. These are God’s ways from of old. Blessed is the one who will humble himself before God, and who will fully experience the blessings of God in following his paths of righteousness.

Consider this also: David sought to help others along the way of God’s blessing. That’s why we have this psalm. The fullest experience of God’s blessings will come as we follow David’s example of repentance, faith, obedience, and leading others as God give us opportunity.

I am known as a leader. It’s been validated in any number of ways – from responsibilities I have in the church, to comments of others, to my interest in leadership and in teaching others about it. I don’t say this to boast. In fact, we are all leaders in some realm. We all have influence over others. Some of us are more aware of it than others. Some are better than others. Some are more hesitant than others. And some are more dangerous than others.

The danger comes when you combine a high degree of competence with a low level of godly and moral character. Think of Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Pol Pot, Idi Amin. David Koresh. Competent. Capable. Charismatic. Deceitful. Dangerous. Deadly. Too many people have been led by such as these. Too many have been used and abused by such as these.

Jesus makes a comment about such leaders, with Satan as the chief example. He is the one who comes to steal, kill, and destroy. He is capable but cunning, and set on our eternal doom. Jesus, however, describes himself as the Good Shepherd who has come to give us life in abundance. He speaks of leading his sheep who know his voice and follow him.

David – 1000 years before Jesus was born – writes about the LORD being his shepherd. And all that he does is good. Safety, security, and rich supply are the LORD’s gifts. Eternal joy in his presence is his hope. Confidence in the face of challenge and danger is his fortune.

David identifies the One who supplies all this: the LORD. This is the holy name of God, the One who is, who revealed himself to Moses as “I AM WHO I AM.” (Exodus 3:14) He was to tell the children of Israel that “HE WHO IS” had sent him to them. It’s lost on us when we use the word, “LORD,” even when it’s written in ALL CAPS. But this is no throw away term. God has a name – a good name – and wants to be known by us. We can call on his name. He hears and answers when we call.

Perhaps this can better come into focus by way of an illustration. A tour guide in Israel was telling his group about how shepherds don’t drive their sheep, they lead them. And over the next hill there appeared a herd of sheep being driven rather than led. The group asked about this, wondering whether he had been mistaken. The guide replied, “That’s not the shepherd. That’s the butcher. He’s driving them to the slaughter.”

Are you being driven or led? Are you following God’s lead or others? Are you in a place of security, safety, and supply? If so, thank God! If not, seek him and know that he is the truly good shepherd.

I don’t like sentimentalism when it comes to faith or religion. I’m not particularly drawn to schmaltzy illustrations the pull on heartstrings without substantive truth at the core. I’m not unmoved by a heartwarming story, or a heroic tale. I am not unmoved by pain or beauty. But I am skeptical of emotional manipulations. So I’ve had to overcome a certain negative bias against this psalm. For whatever reason I used to think of this as my grandmother’s psalm. And I looked down on this psalm as if she didn’t have anything to teach me about God and faith, comfort and love. I confess this as a sin of arrogance and pride. For this psalm is not only a sentimental favorite of many. It’s also a beautiful profession and expression of faith.

The psalm begins with a profession of faith. David professes his belief in God’s grace, provision, protection, and mercy. God provides for all his needs, he professes. God leads him to good places of refreshment and rest, peace and comfort. David was a man of war. He was a leader. He was a ruler. He was large and in charge. But he was not above expressing appreciation for peaceful repose, gracious provision, and merciful leadership. This is the first part of this psalm (v. 1-3).

Then comes an expression of faith. David begins talking not about God, but to God. He talks to God about death and fear. He talks with God about enemies and honor. He talks to God about protection and comfort. He talks to God about honor and abundance. In all these conversations, David is telling God that His presence, honor, guidance, and protection sustain and delight him.

David ends with a declaration of confidence and joy of being in God’s presence forever. This is not sentimentality. This is substance, faith, hope, and a recognition of David’s need for and delight in God. This psalm is a worthy prayer for the most gentle and humble grandmother and the greatest and mighty king. I suspect you and I would fall somewhere in the spectrum between those two examples.

My son one time made a comment that he intended as a bit of constructive criticism. “Dad,” he said, “whenever you preach, no matter what you talk about you always end up talking about Jesus.” Maybe he was concerned that I was letting people off the hook too easily. Perhaps he was wondering if I was too narrowly focused. Could be that he was simply making an observation. Whatever the case, I used it as a teaching moment (not that I couldn’t learn something from my 18 year old son!).

“That’s intentional,” I told my son. “Jesus is the center of our theology. He’s the fulfillment of all Scripture. He is the ultimate answer to our greatest needs. We’re all about Jesus – us Lutherans.” Well maybe I didn’t say exactly that, but it’s the essence of what I believe and why – no matter what topic I’m preaching on – I end up at Jesus.

This psalm takes us to Jesus. In fact there are those commentators who will hardly speak of David’s part in the context or substance of this psalm. I find it helpful to look at both. David wrote it, and surely his life is testimony to the fact that there were many times he could have prayed this prayer. David was a man after God’s heart. But he was also a fallen sinner. Adultery, deceit, murder, false witness, and pride marred him. But just like this psalm’s swings from agony to glory, he was a man who also gave highest praise to God, and was seen as the greatest king of Israel. In fact the Messiah would be called the Son of David.

And so Jesus was. Son of David is a messianic title. Matthew’s genealogy (Matthew 1) identifies Jesus as the Son of David. The two blind men call out to Jesus, “Have mercy on us, Son of David.” (Matthew 9:27) A Canaanite woman cries out, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.” (Matthew 15:22) On Palm Sunday the crowds called out, shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” (Matthew 21:9)

The imagery of suffering and torment in this psalm surely reflects that of Jesus on the cross: bones out of joint, pierced hands and feet, lots cast for his clothing, people mocking him. Jesus endures this for us because of his love for his Father and for us and all sinners. He perfectly fulfills all this – not just symbolically. I don’t know of a situation when David’s hands and feet were pierced, but Jesus’ certainly were – literally. Jesus also fulfills this most telling of hope’s expression:

³⁰ Posterity shall serve him;
    it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation;
³¹ they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn,
    that he has done it.

Thanks be to God that he has done it. Whenever we are facing severe suffering and distress, we can look with Jesus to a day of redemption and the consummation of his salvation. I like to put it this way:

• We have been saved when Jesus lived, suffered, died and rose from the grave.
• We are being saved by God’s grace daily as he gives us the Holy Spirit and protects us from the Evil One.
• We will be saved when Jesus comes again at the end of all time to judge the living and the dead and gives to all who believe eternal life.

Jesus is the fulfillment of Psalm 22 and all Old Testament promises and prophecies. I all comes together in him.

Jim Collins, in his book, Good to Great identified the “Stockdale Paradox,” named after Admiral James Stockdale. Stockdale was one of the most decorated United States Navy officers, who was also awarded the Medal of Honor in the Vietnam War. As a prisoner of war from 1965 to 1973, Stockdale was tortured over 20 times, had no prisoner’s rights, no release date, and no idea of whether he would survive to see his family again. Yet, he survived when many of his co-prisoners didn’t.

He did so by facing the brutal facts of his situation, but never giving up hope of being freed. 

“I never doubted not only that I would get out, but also that I would prevail in the end and turn the experience into the defining event of my life, which, in retrospect, I would not trade.” – James Bond Stockdale

His was not a hope oblivious of his dreadful situation.

“You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end—which you can never afford to lose—with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.”  – James Bond Stockdale

Stockdale might have learned this from this very Psalm. David faces the brutal facts; no question about that. He pictures himself surrounded by dogs, bones out of joint, abandoned by God. But he also reflects a hope in the goodness, faithfulness, justice, and mercy of God.

Look at the last ⅓ of the psalm. It’s filled with hope, beginning with “I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will praise you.” (v. 22). And ending with

Posterity shall serve him;
    it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation;
³¹ they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn,
    that he has done it.

Those are words of hope. Real hope. Not denying the grave agony and urgent distress of the current troubles, but holding to hope in the end. Such is the cry of true hope.

You may be facing nearly insurmountable challenges, subject to unimaginable stress, or feeling grave difficulties. God does not want you to deny these brutal facts. But neither does he want you to give up hope. He is good. And our hope has been secured in the One who quotes this psalm from the cross. Our Lord Jesus remained faithful to the very end, and now has the name above every name. At the name of Jesus Christ, every knee will bow, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. We who hope in him will prevail.