As we noted last month, almost all the Biblical teaching on Hell comes from the lips of Jesus! This being the case, we need to take what is said very seriously.  But what exactly did Jesus teach, and how are we to understand it?  Is it to be taken literally or metaphorically?

Jesus gives several descriptions of Hell. On several occasions he refers to “unquenchable fire” Matthew 5:22 and Mark 5:48 being two examples.  The Mark 5:48 reference also notes it as being a place: “where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched” which gives rise to the notion of it being a place of eternal punishment.  This fits well with the description of: “eternal fire” as mentioned in Matthew 25:41 when Jesus is teaching the ‘Parable of the Sheep and the Goats (or preview as I prefer to call it).  Yet, on the other hand, Jesus, in the ‘Parable of the Net’, refers to fire once again, but adds that: “there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 13:50).  To complicate matters further in Matthew 25:30 in the ‘Parable of the Talents’ although hell is not mentioned it’s clearly inferred with the wicked and lazy servant being cast out: “into the outer darkness” where once again: “there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

But these descriptions present us with a problem if we take them literally. A few years ago I was reading a book by a notable Christian writer which treated each bit of Jesus’ teaching on Hell this way.  This led to a problem as about halfway through the book I was scratching my head and thinking the author was contradicting himself with the conclusions he drew!  For a start, fire and darkness don’t sit well together.  So presumably this means that we must take Jesus’ teaching as metaphorical and therefore symbolic!  This approach is made even more feasible when we realise that many of the references to hell from the lips of Jesus could actually be translated ‘Gehenna’. This was a literal place in the valley of Hinnon, and when Jesus mentioned it those listening would have had a reaction of sheer horror!  It was an accursed place due to its unsavoury history of idolatry and, if that wasn’t bad enough, a place where in the past child sacrifice had taken place (Jeremiah 7:31 and 19:2-6)!  In Jesus’ day it was used as a rubbish dump where fire was continually burning and the bodies of condemned criminals were left to rot!  Perhaps it’s this picture that best helps us understand Jesus teaching on the subject. No good Jew would want to go near the place due to its unsavoury history, general unpleasantness and the fact that you would be incredibly ceremonially unclean (hence you would excluded from worship) if you went anywhere near it.  Could the picture be any clearer, this was not a place where anyone would want to visit or stay, it was a place you avoid at all costs and would want to get as far away from as possible!

As Jesus uses this combination of symbols rather than literal descriptions this leads us to conclude that the reality must be far worse and more indescribably horrific than we can imagine!  This is a place where any of God’s goodness is null and void because of its unholy and unclean nature!  But the reasoning is simple, this is a place to be avoided at all cost and hence Jesus is warning people to turn from their rebellion, which the Bible calls sin, turn to him and repent!  It’s now up to us to heed this merciful and gracious warning!

To be continued……..

Feel free to listen to this sermon which includes the ‘Parable of the Net’: More Parables and a Prophet without Honour! Matthew 13:44-58.

With the recent comments of the Australian International rugby player Israel Folau the subject of Hell has had more attention in a few days than it has had in years!  But perhaps that’s not surprising as the subject of Hell has become less and less preached on in the church.  Let’s face it, it’s seen as one of the embarrassments in the Bible.  Just the mention of ‘Hellfire Preaching’ conjures up the picture of some demented, Jabbering, lunatic in a dog collar and dingy clerical robes.  Surely such a subject belongs to a less enlightened age.  Far better to focus on the love of God rather than a subject no-one wants to hear about!  But over the next few months we’ll be taking a look at what the Bible teaches about Hell and why it’s essential that we understand the doctrine of ‘Eternal Punishment’.

God doesn’t want to punish anyone!

The caricature of the ‘God of the Old Testament’ is one of a vengeful God dishing out punishments left, right and centre.  But is that a true reflection?  In the middle of Ezekiel, a book that has a fair amount to say about judgement, the Lord makes this statement: ‘Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die, O house of Israel?  For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord God; so turn, and live’ (Ezekiel 18: 31-32)   This is about as far as we can get from the caricature of a vengeful God.  This is a God who relents in sending calamity upon people unless absolutely necessary!  Jonah, probably the most reluctant prophet in history, points out:  “I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster” (Jonah 4:20) when the Lord spares the people of Nineveh after their repentance.  This sentiment is carried into the New Testament.  Peter, in his second letter, points out: ‘The Lord is not slow to fulfil his promise as some count slowness, but is patient towards you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.’ (2 Peter 3:9).  The picture is clear, God will judge, and punish where necessary, but only if people won’t repent!

What about Jesus?

There’s been a tendency, in some parts of the church, to present Jesus as some kind of messianic ‘Flower Child’, a divine ‘Hippy’ as it were, preaching peace and love to each and all!  The problem is that doesn’t really square up with the first words out of Jesus’ mouth in Mark’s Gospel.   ‘Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel”’ (Mark 1:15-16).  The implication is clear; the gospel is good news, but only to those who repent!  This brings us face to face with the overlooked fact that Jesus taught more about Hell than he did Heaven and almost all the teaching we have on the subject comes from his lips!  Now, if that’s the case, we must take his teaching on the subject very seriously!  At the end of a series of parables found in Matthew 25 Jesus contrasts the fate of believers and unbelievers.  In the parable (as it’s called, preview is a better description) of the ‘Sheep and Goats’ after welcoming believers into the kingdom he addresses the unbelievers.  “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41).  The passage ends on a sombre note: “And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life” (Matthew 25:46).

In conclusion.

Jesus had much more to say about Hell which we’ll look at next month, but the theme of his teaching is very clear and fits with the picture of God’s reluctance to punish.  In Mark 9:43 Jesus uses a form of Jewish teaching which used extreme metaphorical examples to make its point.  ‘And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire.  The point is clear, Hell is to be avoided at all costs!  The consistency of the Lord urging his people to turn from their sins and repent in the Old Testament coupled with Jesus’ consistent message of repentance in the New illustrates this.  None of us are deserving of God’s mercy yet: ‘For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God’ (2 Corinthians 5:21).  In other words, Jesus, through his death on the cross, took our punishment and the justice of God was satisfied.  As such, the teaching of eternal punishment is part of scripture and needs to be taught alongside the call to repent and experiencing the wonderful mercy and grace which the Lord freely offers!  Just think about it, otherwise, what have we been saved from?

To be continued….

Feel free to listen to this sermon on the subject of the Final Judgement from Matthew 25:31-46: Be Real!

My mother had severe dementia for the last years of her life.  But that didn’t mean that she couldn’t enjoy life.  Indeed there were certain things which she enjoyed greatly because her long-term memory was not badly affected.  One of these was the TV programme ‘Dad’s Army’ so we bought her the DVD box set.  There was much to keep mum giggling, but one character in particular could be guaranteed to reduce us all too helpless laughter and that was Lance Corporal Jones.  The reason was simple, although his spirit was obviously willing, as he gave his trademark cry of “fix bayonets” or “there’s no substitute for the cold steel,” you got the impression that at his age he was hardly up to it physically or maybe even mentally for the job in hand!  When we come to this passage which concerns Caleb there’s a danger of forming a similar picture!  Caleb is not a young man, he’s 85 years old and he is going on about still being as strong as he was 45 years ago!  It does sound a bit like the Corporal Jones syndrome in that it could be construed as being unrealistic about one’s capability! But let’s take a closer look and we will find that Caleb’s enthusiasm and faith was founded on more dependable things than just his own zeal and strength!

The background to this passage are the events of Numbers chapters 13-14.  Moses sends out men from each of the 12 tribes to spy out the Promised Land with Caleb and Joshua among them.  The initial report from the spies is encouraging, the land (metaphorically at least): “flows with milk and honey” (Numbers 13:27).  But, on the other hand the people of the land: “are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large” (Numbers 13:28).  But this doesn’t bother Caleb as he is convinced that Israel can take the land.  However, the spies who had sprinkled their report with negativity, are only just getting going in presenting an extremely pessimistic view.  After giving a list of the tribes that inhabit the land they embroider their report with extreme negativity.  It’s not just that the people of the land were strong it’s that they had actually seen: ‘the descendants of Anak’ -‘the Nephilim’ in the land (in Deuteronomy 1:28, which is in all likelihood is a reference to these people, some texts translate the part of the verse refers to the stature of these people as ‘giant’)[1] who made them look and feel the size of grasshoppers.  The ‘Nephilim’ also had another to dimension to their character as the word has elements which can be translated as: ‘to fall’ whether this means they were of a fallen nature (or as we might say practically evil and nasty) or that people just fell literally in terror before them is debatable.  What does seem to be inferred in the text of Genesis 6:4 where they are first mentioned, is that they asserted themselves: ‘unlawfully and without measure.’[2]  They would have seemed to the Israelites to be their worst nightmare, an enemy that was large, warlike, brutal and unreasoning. The report was guaranteed to make the spirits of the people hit rock bottom. Yet Caleb risks the possibility of being stoned, along with Joshua, Moses and Aaron, and insists to the people, that: “the land which we passed through to spy it out is an exceedingly good land. If the Lord delights in us, he will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land that flows with milk and honey” (Numbers 14:7-8).  So let’s fast forward 45 years and find out the basis for Caleb supreme confidence when he approaches Joshua at Gilgal.  I think there are three reasons.

Firstly, Caleb followed the Lord exclusively.  We have already noted he was not swayed by the argument of the majority.  Back in Numbers chapter 14 the Lord commends Caleb for having: “a different spirit” and following him “fully” (Numbers 14:24) and: ‘wholly’ (v8).  For this reason Caleb’s judgement was not compromised.  If the Lord had promised them the land, then he would deliver on his promise, and for Caleb it was as simple as that!  This is the stand we desperately need to make today, because we are constantly being challenged by the world around us.  I remember hearing a prominent Church leader say it was a shame that the Church had failed to adopt a new stance and pass certain legislation because it showed the Church was: “out of step with the world.”  Yet Caleb was prepared to be out of step with the majority because in that way he would be obeying God rather than following the crowd!  We should be more alarmed when the world shows approval of new ideas that are being implemented in the Church!  Caleb could do this because he understood the Lord’s nature.  In Numbers 14:24 the Lord has promised that Caleb would survive to see the land and have his descendants inherit it, after all Moses had said as much in relation to what the Lord had promised (vs9-10).  It was quite simple the Lord had said it, so Caleb believed it and he acted as if he did!  I don’t quite know what’s behind this statement: “I am still as strong today as I was in the day Moses sent me; my strength now is as my strength was then, for war and for going and coming” that we find in verse 11.  Had Caleb been keeping himself fit and strong in preparation for the invasion of the land?  I don’t know, but Caleb believes the Lord has kept him alive in the light of his promise, concerning him, which was made to Moses.  So here we see the inner workings of Caleb’s mind and his spiritual outlook.  If he was continuing to hit the ‘gym’ (or the ancient Israelite equivalent) and could still bench at 85 what he could bench at 40 it was in the light of the Lord delivering on his promise.[3]

This brings us to the next reason; Caleb understood the nature of the Lord’s promises. The Lord, as we have seen, had made a promise through Moses.  But the interesting thing is that Caleb seems to set no conditions on how and when those promise would be fulfilled.  He must have expected after Israel’s rebellion, which we can read about in Numbers 14, that the promise made to him wasn’t likely to be fulfilled any time soon.  But I doubt even he had expected to wait another 38 years!  But whatever his expectations were, he does not refer to that time.  At this point in the book of Joshua we are in the second phase of the invasion of the Promised Land.  Victories had been won, but it seems the peoples of the land were regrouping and still putting up a resistance.  The second part of the campaign had been hard graft as we read in 11:18 that: ‘Joshua made war for a long time with all those kings.’ The point is the Lord had promised he would deliver the land to them and there were good reasons to do it slowly (Exodus 23:29-30 and Deuteronomy 7:22).  His method, as we can see from the campaign, varied from miraculous acts that aided the Israelites to just plain ordinary warfare.  So I suspect that Caleb realise that time was not the issue as far as the Lord was concerned.  So he’s been patient and never brings up the fact that it was not his or Joshua’s fault that the promises made to him had been so long delayed.  No, for Caleb the promise, and now its fulfilment, was enough.  What a contrast to the ‘Wealth, Health and Prosperity Gospel’ with its “you can have it all and have it now” attitude!  What an encouragement to faithful Churches working away diligently, staying true to the Gospel yet seeing very little growth or those involved in long-term prayer and witness for an unbelieving family member. Caleb had to wait but now he was on the eve of seeing the Lord’s promise being fulfilled.

Yet verse 11 makes it clear that Caleb does not expect this promise to be served up on a plate for him.  He, at the age of 85, is ready to go and fight for it and be the means by which the Lord’s promise is fulfilled.  He’s been waiting, but now he is ready to go to work.  But how could he say this at the age of 85 even if he was in good shape?  Quite simply with the Lord’s help as that’s the motivation for Caleb’s zeal and faith for the task ahead.  But the Lord’s help has an interesting dimension as Caleb clearly believes the Lord will equip him for the task ahead by giving him the ability.  No doubt this links with Caleb’s faith which although considerable was reasonable.  He had witnessed God at work at various times during the campaign when the Israelites faced greater and superior forces.  But here the help is of a more personal nature.  A. W Pink puts it particularly well: ‘God does nothing by halves: when he appoints a man for any particular work, he also equips the worker and furnishes him with everything needful.’[4]  That is the only reason that Caleb could speak confidently and my word he’s confident!  John Currid puts it rather colourfully: ‘Caleb although eighty five years old, is like a dog straining at the leash!’[5]  It is not he has ‘God-given ability’ as we often think of it when we really mean a person is naturally gifted, but that God will give him the ability needed for such a task.

Thirdly and lastly, in the light of the Lord’s promise and his equipping Caleb for the task, Caleb realised he was thoroughly dependent on the Lord.  The task was huge and Caleb knew it.  The odds of Israel driving out the nations living in the Promised Land seemed impossible, but Caleb was looking at it with the eyes of faith and that’s what made the difference.  Dale Ralph Davis recounts a story that he’d read in the ‘Presbyterian Journal’ some years ago.  ‘An American shoe company sent a salesman to a foreign country.  He had hardly arrived before he cabled for money to come home.  His reason: “nobody over here wears shoes.”  The company brought him back and sent another salesman over.  Soon he cabled: “Send me all the shoes you can manufacture.  The market is absolutely unlimited. No one here has shoes.”’[6]  The moral is simple, the eyes that lack faith see difficulties and very quickly get discouraged, but the eyes of faith see an opportunity!  How much more should that be the case for Christians for the simple reason that the Lord is involved?  The result of Caleb’s attitude and faith is that the Lord really did enable him to go up against those who very possibly were physically giants and defeat them.  In the next chapter we read that: ‘According to the commandment of the Lord to Joshua, he gave to Caleb son of Jephunneh a portion among the people of Judah, Kiriaharba, that is Hebron’(15:13).  In the next verse we read: ‘And Caleb drove out from there the three sons of Anak, Sheshai, Ahiman and Talmai, the descendants of Anak’ (15:14).  There’s no doubt that the Lord made good on his promise.  The chapter ends with Joshua blessing Caleb and giving him Hebron as his inheritance (vs13-14).  We are informed that Hebron was a name change as formerly it was called: ‘Kiriath-arba ’after Arba, who was the greatest men among the Anakites’ (v15).  The point is simple and that is the land was truly Caleb’s and Israel’s.  The Lord had delivered where his promise was concerned just as Caleb had trusted him to do, despite the many years of waiting.

This story is particularly refreshing to us as Christians today.  Some areas of the Church have fallen prey to the ‘I want it all and I want it now!’ a philosophy which, if we make the mistake of teaching it will build false expectations.  So what can we learn from the example of Caleb’s faith and realism?

Firstly, our timetable is not God’s.  Put simply God is not governed by what we want and when we want it!  The apostle Peter in his second letter reminds Christians who are being mocked about their belief that Christ will come again: ‘that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day’ (2 Peter 3:8 undoubtedly inspired by Psalm 90:4).  However, he reminds them that they are to live: ‘lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming day of God’ (2 Peter 3:11-12).  His point is a simple one, God has promised it, it will happen, but it is not for us to reason when and how, we are just called to be faithful, something that Caleb clearly understood.

Secondly, through the many years of wandering in the wilderness Caleb had lived in the light of the promise given to him and had followed the Lord wholeheartedly.  In other words he lived a holy and godly life.  Caleb got on with the business of serving the Lord rather than being distracted.  Both these points are important to us as Christians and Churches today.  We should seek to be faithful and focus on marching to God’s tune, not the worlds.  The Israelites didn’t have to adopt the tactics or the style of the Anakim or even become like the Anakim to beat them, they just had to serve the Lord and Caleb is held up as an example of this![7]  The church is not to adopt the culture of the world in order to try and win the world for Christ, it will not work!  No, it’s called to be faithful to the Gospel and to promises of the Gospel and that is all that it is called to do!  The Bible gives us all we need to know when it comes to living godly lives and seeking to reach the lost with the good news of the Gospel.  The ministry of the word and the spirit can change the most stubborn heart.  Paul when writing to the Corinthian Church outlines that the gospel message is not popular.  He reminds his readers that Satan aims to keep people blind to the glory and message of the Gospel (2 Corinthians 4:4).  It just goes to show nothing has changed; evangelism was just as hard in Paul’s day as it is today.  But, and this is one incredible ‘but’: ‘God, who said “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ’ (2 Corinthians 4:6).  Satan the enemy may be strong, but God is stronger!  The term that Paul uses is the language of creation, but here it is re-creation the re-making anew the human heart!  Satan may have owned the old one, but God remakes it giving it a love for him and his ways that never existed because formerly it was at war with him.  Whatever the Lord’s timing is where we as individuals or as a Church are concerned we should remember this.  God takes a situation that looks impossible and wins the day for his people.  Listen again to the apostle Paul when he describes the victory that has been achieved through the cross.  ‘And you, who were dead in your trespasses and uncircumcision of your flesh.  God had made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by cancelling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands.  This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.  He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to shame, by triumphing over them in him.’(Colossians 2:13-15).  Paul’s readers would have understood this picture instantly, here’s the spectacle of a Roman General returning in triumph and parading his captives so that all can see the extent of his victory.  More and more I am come across Christians and churches that are not living as triumphant people, but how can that be so when we serve a God who does the impossible in taking the spiritually dead are making them alive!  Caleb at the age of 85 went up against those who were considered giants and thoroughly defeated them because the Lord was with him and the Lord enabled him!

Finally it’s not for us to surmise how the Lord may act. The first part of the campaign he acted through miracles the second part it was a case of hard soldiering which resulted in gradual conquest.  It’s often the same today.  God can bring about miraculous blessings by his Holy Spirit when a church sees a good number of conversions over a short period of time because nothing impossible for him.  But often it’s a case of steady grafting for the Gospel, nothing more than continual witnessing and faithfulness to God and his word!  But if the Lord’s with us, we may not know when, or how and we stay faithful to him and his word we will see his blessing.  Let’s pray we learn from Caleb’s faith and even when we go through tough times, we too will have faith and will hold out for a blessing!

Want to listen to a sermon on this passage?  Caleb, Holding on for a Blessing.

[1] J.D. Douglas, editor, The Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Part 1, Aaron to Golan, (Leicester, Inter-Varsity Press, 1980) 48.
[2] John Calvin, Genesis, Geneva Series of Commentaries, (Edinburgh, The Banner of Truth Trust, 1965),   244.
[3] “What can you bench?” is a question that is often asked around gyms and refers to the bench press exercise for chest, which is seen as an indication of one’s overall strength.
[4] Arthur W. Pink, Gleanings in Joshua, (Chicago, The Moody Bible Institute, 1964), 352.
[5] John D. Currid, Strong and Courageous, Joshua simply explained, (Darlington, Evangelical Press, 2011), 178.
[6]Dale Ralph Davis, Joshua, No Falling Words, (Fearn, Christian Focus Publications, 2003), 120.
[7] Peter Masters, Joshua’s Conquest, was it moral? And what does it say to us today? (London, The Wakeman Trust, 2005), 84.

Background to the Psalm:

It’s easy to see why this psalm occupies the place it does in the book of Psalms. The first four books of the Psalter end with a doxology but the fifth rounds off the whole book with a psalm that is devoted to praise! The book of Psalms came together over a prolonged period of time reaching its complete form in about 250-150 BC, but obviously the editors of the book could only see one place for this psalm and that was at the end as it’s the pinnacle of everything the book had been building to. There’s been a progression of a theme of praise building since Psalm 146 to this point and the word: ‘praise’ is used 13 times in the psalm. But the Hebrew readers of the psalm would have been conscious of another word which binds the psalm together which Michael Wilcox notes we miss: ‘in our English versions, because it is hard to translate consistently’ and that is the word ‘rejoice’![1]

 The structure of the Psalm:

• Where to praise God (v1).
• Why to praise God (vs1-2).
• How to praise God. (vs3-6).

 Some obviations on the text (all quotations ESV):

Verse 1 answers the question where’s the best place to worship God? The answer is very simply everywhere! The readers are told to praise him: ‘in his sanctuary’ and to: ‘praise him in his mighty heavens!’ Although some writers make a case for the: ‘sanctuary’ being the heavenly tabernacle (Hebrews 8:5), that seems unlikely when we look at the way we are to praise God with the list of earthly instruments (vs3-5). The point is simply made, there’s no one place that is specially set aside for God’s praise. He is to be praised for his holiness which is reflected in the word: ‘sanctuary’ a place of worship, and: ‘mighty heavens’ which can mean both the place of his dwelling as well as the vastness of the cosmos!  Quite simply there’s nothing that’s not subject to him. Christopher Wright sums this up brilliantly in his comments on Deuteronomy 10:14: ‘There is absolutely nothing in creation “up there or down here” that does not belong to him’.[2]

Secondly, verse 1 gives us the reasons why we should worship him. Two titles are used for God in this verse.  The first is: ‘LORD’ or ‘Yahweh’ as it is rendered in the Hebrew, which is the Covenant name for God.  That name illustrates his relationship with his people.  Whether we think in the terms of the ‘Old Covenant’ or the ‘New Covenant, both show that God was, and is committed to his people.  He has made promises to them which indicate his care for them.  These promises have been fulfilled in various ways and at various times.  But they have particularly been fulfilled in the coming and work of Christ.  The second title in the Hebrew is ‘Elohim’ (see: ‘God’ in verse 1), which means ‘creator’ and which indicates God’s creative power!  So we worship him because he is caring and committed to his people as well as powerful and worthy of praise which is amplified in verse 2 with the phrase: ‘Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness!’

Lastly the psalm indicates how we are to worship such a great and mighty God! The list of instruments is extensive and indication seems to be ‘make it long, make it loud but please make it joyful!’ Worship is an issue that has become very divisive within the Church with the battle lines being drawn up and deeply entrenched!  We could go into the ins and outs of the regulative vs. the normative principle when it comes to worship, but there’s a huge danger in missing the point of what the Psalmist is saying here if we try to bolt such theologies on to the psalm.  The key theme, as Michael Wilcox has pointed out, is praise which is to be conducted in a joyous attitude!

The Psalm acts as the climax to the book of psalms as well as being the climax of the four psalms before it. In Psalm 146 an individual praises God for his grace, power and faithfulness to the needy.  In Psalm 147 the inhabitants of Jerusalem are exhorted to praise God for the blessing and security they had experienced in the years following the exile.  In Psalm 148 every creature that has breath is exhorted to praise God everywhere and by every possible means!  And Psalm 149 invites the saints to praise God in the light of their salvation and the punishment of their enemies!  Now in Psalm 150 we reach the climax with the culmination of the theme of these four psalms in one psalm!

Much ink has been spilt over the subject as whether or not all these instruments were used in temple worship and rather sadly it has become a rather contentious issue which I feel has been dangerously exploited by those on both sides of the regulative vs the normative argument. Yet the issue here is about everyone being involved.  Trumpets, possibly rams horns would have been blown by the priests, Harps and Lyres by the Levites, Tambourines by the woman and strings, Flutes and Cymbals by the men.  The key thing is this is not so much rules for worship, it is more about everyone being joyfully involved and, if we are to praise God: ‘with the loud clashing cymbals!’ (v5), loudly!  Perhaps, if we are going to draw regulative principles here, there is the case for loud joyous worship that: ‘engages the mind, voice, body and heart’ of the people of God![3]  This is about people joining in as a ‘collective whole’ rather than a group of musicians leading the worship and deafening the worshippers in the process!  Max Anders very helpfully points out: ‘one is acknowledging the greatness and grandeur of God. Flat worship is an oxymoron, a contradiction in terms, an inconsistency of the highest order.  Empty, tired praise is an insult to God, insinuating that his matchless glory is anything but glorious.’[4]

The bottom line is that: ‘everything that has breath’ is to: ‘praise the LORD’ (v6).  As is often the case in the psalms, this being the main theme, the line is repeated to give it added emphasis.  Perhaps the best way to sum it up is to paraphrase it as ‘give it all you’ve got!  I suspect psalms like this one were in Paul’s mind when he wrote to the Ephesians Church that they were to address: ‘one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ’ (Ephesians 5:19-20). In the end James Montgomery Boice rather helpfully sums up the place of this psalm in the Psalter. ‘The Psalter doesn’t even end with a doxology, although it could. It does not end with an amen. It ends with a call to praise God which is itself our great doxology to which we add our own sincere and loud “Amen”’[5]

[1] Michael Wilcox, The Message of the Psalms 73 -150, Songs for the People of God, the Bible Speaks Today (Leicester, Inter-Varsity Press, 2001) 285.

[2] Christopher Wright, Deuteronomy, New International Biblical Commentary (Massachusetts, Hendrickson Publishers, 1996) 146.

[3] Craig C. Broyles, Psalms, New international Biblical Commentary (Massachusetts, Hendrickson Publishers Inc, 1999) 519.

[4] Max Anders, Holman Old Testament Commentary, Psalms 76-150 (Broadman and Holman Publishers, Nashville, 2003) 376.

[5] James Montgomery Boice, Psalms Volume 3, Psalms 107-150 (Grand Rapids, Baker books, 1998) 1292.

Psalm 32

Background to the Psalm:

This is the second of the seven ‘penitential’ psalms.  It is the first given the title ‘A Maskil’ an expression which can mean ‘a skilful song’, ‘a song of instruction’ or ‘a contemplative poem’.  It is generally attributed to the time when David had committed adultery with Bathsheba and his subsequent failings before the prophet Nathan confronted him with his sin.  It was probably written after Psalm 51 as that psalm has a more immediate feel to it and this one seems to be more contemplative in its nature.

The structure of the Psalm:

• David starts by praising God for his now happy state (vs1-2).
• David reflects on his former state before repenting and how it had damaged his relationship with God (vs3-4).
• The effect his of repentance and his reflection on that (vs5-7).
• The Lord’s answer to the prayer and his instruction to David (vs8-9).
• David’s reflections on the benefits of his relationship with the Lord (vs10-11).

Some obviations on the text (all quotations ESV):

In verses 1-2 David uses three terms to express his sin.  The first is: ‘transgression’, which is rebellion against a rightful authority.  The second is the actual word: ‘sin’, which means to constantly miss the mark or to fall short.  Lastly he uses the word: ‘iniquity’ which can also be translated as crookedness or to deviate.  In relation to this he also uses three terms that apply to forgiveness.  The first is: ‘forgiven’ and the last is: ‘the LORD counts no iniquity’ (v2).  The second however is: ‘whose sin is covered’ (v2).  This one is particularly interesting as it is reminiscent of the blood of the sacrifices being sprinkled by the priest on the mercy seat on the ‘Day of Atonement’, hence symbolically covering over the sin from the condemnation of the Law!  Because of his experience of God’s forgiveness David starts the Psalm on a note of praise which could be translated: ‘happy is the one whose transgression forgiven’.

Verses 3-5 contrast the state before and after David confessed his sin.  There seems to have been a considerable time before David confessed his sin which happen when he was confronted by the prophet Nathan (1 Samuel 12:13).  These verses described that period of time and the real sense of turmoil he experienced which seemed to take on physical manifestations (v3).   David suffering is expressed by the phase: ‘your hand was heavy on me’ (v4).  Yet in verse 5 with its impression of instant forgiveness there is a real sense of David knowing the slate has been wiped completely clean when he makes what is a complete confession of the sin he’d committed. David now urges others to do as he has done and not hide anything from God.  After all David realizes from this and other experiences that real security is found in the Lord and him alone (vs6-7).

In verses 8-9 it is God who speaks in answer to the prayer and also to command David to instruct others as verse 9 is in the plural and not the singular of the previous verse.  In the last verses David makes to two observations.  Firstly, sin is not a fun thing and in the end will not lead to a happy life (v10).  Secondly real security and happiness can only be found in the Lord’s way and to go against that is complete and utter folly that will deny the believer his happy state in serving God.  David now invites other believers to join him in praising the Lord (v11).

Like to hear a sermon on this passage?  The Refreshment Repentance Brings.