The Lord will protect Israel and He will protect His people. The season may be long, bit it will come to an end.
Psalms 83: O God, Do Not Keep Silence A Song. A Psalm of Asaph.
1 O God, do not keep silence; do not hold your peace or be still, O God!
2 For behold, your enemies make an uproar; those who hate you have raised their heads.
3 They lay crafty plans against your people; they consult together against your treasured ones.
4 They say, "Come, let us wipe them out as a nation; let the name of Israel be remembered no more!"
5 For they conspire with one accord; against you they make a covenant---
6 the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites, Moab and the Hagrites,
7 Gebal and Ammon and Amalek, Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre;
8 Asshur also has joined them; they are the strong arm of the children of Lot. Selah
9 Do to them as you did to Midian, as to Sisera and Jabin at the river Kishon,
10 who were destroyed at En-dor, who became dung for the ground.
11 Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb, all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,
12 who said, "Let us take possession for ourselves of the pastures of God."
13 O my God, make them like whirling dust, like chaff before the wind.
14 As fire consumes the forest, as the flame sets the mountains ablaze,
15 so may you pursue them with your tempest and terrify them with your hurricane!
16 Fill their faces with shame, that they may seek your name, O LORD.
17 Let them be put to shame and dismayed forever; let them perish in disgrace,
18 that they may know that you alone, whose name is the LORD, are the Most High over all the earth.
Psalms 84: My Soul Longs for the Courts of the LORD To the choirmaster: according to The Gittith. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah.
1 How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD of hosts!
2 My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the LORD; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God.
3 Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, at your altars, O LORD of hosts, my King and my God.
4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house, ever singing your praise! Selah
5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion.
6 As they go through the Valley of Baca they make it a place of springs; the early rain also covers it with pools.
7 They go from strength to strength; each one appears before God in Zion.
8 O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer; give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah
9 Behold our shield, O God; look on the face of your anointed!
10 For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.
11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.
12 O LORD of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you!
Psalms 85: Revive Us Again To the choirmaster. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah.
1 LORD, you were favorable to your land; you restored the fortunes of Jacob.
2 You forgave the iniquity of your people; you covered all their sin. Selah
3 You withdrew all your wrath; you turned from your hot anger.
4 Restore us again, O God of our salvation, and put away your indignation toward us!
5 Will you be angry with us forever? Will you prolong your anger to all generations?
6 Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you?
7 Show us your steadfast love, O LORD, and grant us your salvation.
8 Let me hear what God the LORD will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his saints; but let them not turn back to folly.
9 Surely his salvation is near to those who fear him, that glory may dwell in our land.
10 Steadfast love and faithfulness meet; righteousness and peace kiss each other.
11 Faithfulness springs up from the ground, and righteousness looks down from the sky.
12 Yes, the LORD will give what is good, and our land will yield its increase.
13 Righteousness will go before him and make his footsteps a way.
Things to think about…
1. Asaph in this final Psalm attributed to him, Psalm 83, is perplexed at the Lord’s silence while the enemies of the Lord seem to prosper. He writes “do not keep silence; do not hold your peace or be still, O God! For behold, your enemies make an uproar” Ps 83:1, 2. We have all felt like this at one point or another. He lays out the charges of what the enemies of Israel are doing in vss 3-8. They say “let us wipe them out as a nation; let the name of Israel be remembered no more!"”, vs 4. This is echoed in the modern chant f’from the river to the sea, Palestine be free’. This means wipe Israel out from the Jordan to the Mediterreanian Sea. Asaph asks that judgement come upon them as judgement came upon Israel’s enemies of old, e.g the Midianites and their various kings, vss 9-11 when Israel entered Canaan. This Psalm is prophetic of what will happen over Philistia – Gaza, as well as the other nations that surround Israel, vss 5-8. They make a covenant together, but they will be destroyed. We are already seeing this with Syria, Lebanon and Gaza in our day.
2. Often the world has an impact upon our faith that can be oppressive and overwhelming. It is right to pray for relief and deliverance. But as we know, the Lord often uses these times of stress to develop our faith and trust in Him. Asaph asks that the enemies be pursued, vs 15. Even that nature would be against them, Psalm 83:13-15. That they be put to shame, and that they perish, vs 17. Asaph brings that point and focus as to why we should pray such a prayer on our enemies. In vs 18 he acknowledges that the Lord is over all the earth. Our Lord Jesus rules and reigns from heaven. But there is a time when all things will be put under His feet on the earth. We long for that day, but in the meantime, we wrestle and pray while we share the gospel of peace to a broken world.
3. We have 2 psalms 84 and 85 out of 11 that were written by the Sons of Korah. Psalm 83 is declaration of longing and devotion to the Lord. The Sons of Korah were not just musicians but mighty warriors in the army of David, 1Chr 12:6. They are most noted for their choral and orchestral music during the reign of king David. Remember Korah was part of the rebellion against Moses, Num 16. But some younger members of his family were rescued. This is the line of these men which included the prophet Samuel, 1Chr 6:31-38. In Psalm 84 there is a longing for the presence of God. The Lord finds a place even for the sparrows, vs 3. He will also make for those who know Him to dwell with Him. They are blessed, vs 4 and their strength is in the Lord, vs 5. Indeed, they go from strength to strength, vs 7 as they appear before the Lord. We then read this well-known verse “For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness”, Ps 84:10. This is true for anyone drawn by the Holy Spirit. Jesus is our living water. He is our shield and the anointed one, vs 9. Look at the promise, “No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.”, vs 11. The requirement is that we walk uprightly. These ones will be blessed. This is echoed by Jesus in the sermon on the mount, “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you”, Mt 6:33. Blessings come as a result of obedience and a heart that longs to be in the presence of the Lord, who trusts in Him, vs 12.
4. In Psalm 85 the Sons of Korah remember the former fortunes of Israel. How the Lord forgave them of their sin and restored the land, vss 1-3. The prayer is that they would be restored again, vs 4. This was the common cycle that we see in the book of Judges. It was also seen in Israel dependant on whether the heart of the king was aligned with the Lord’s will or otherwise. David knew war and the psalmists in Ps 85 want to see the Lord restore the fortunes of the land, perhaps as was the case in the days of Joshua at the end of the conquest. We know that David’s son Solomon ruled the nation with wisdom, peace and the Lord’s blessing. But even that would not last because of a heart that was drawn away after false gods. We can have our hearts drawn away when we leave off attending corporate worship and the public and private reading of the Word of God. The psalmists say “Surely his salvation is near to those who fear him, that glory may dwell in our land. Steadfast love and faithfulness meet; righteousness and peace kiss each other”, vss 9, 10. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, but it is also the beginning of salvation and blessing, vs 12. There is always a way open for the believer in Christ, he will make away, vs 12. We should never feel that we are boxed in a corner without any choice or appropriate response, regardless of the circumstances we find ourselves in. The Lord will bless our obedience to Him. Be encouraged by these words.
Vision statement for CBC
CBC’s Vision :- To be a growing biblical church community, significantly influencing our city and beyond, through intentional outreach, fulfilling our mission.
Prayer Points
1. Wildfires in LA, California. Pray for peace, restoration and the gospel
2. Leadership team preparing for this year’s events and ministry.
3. Working bee – attendance and getting jobs done Sat 18th Jan.
4. Conversions and more visitors this time of year.
5. Prayer for Israel and Ukraine.
6. Pray for the work we have going on with site development and TMR and the ways forward whether with our friends at the Drive-in or elsewhere.
7. Growth, conversions, joy in the Word and Spirit to increase.
Praise Points
1. Safe return of families back from the holidays.
2. The Lord’s grace over our lives and country
3. Café, music, sound and technical team every week
4. Joy, peace and grace we see at CBC. Thankyou Lord
Announcements
1. Ministries start back on the 29th Jan. Life group, Kids@Church.
2. Working bee at Church 18th Jan 8am
3. Church bank details bsb:- 704 913 and Acc number:- 4000 4388 1
4. Tune in again this week on our YouTube page. Subscribe to the CBC channel Chuwar Baptist YouTube channel.
Catechism questions for January...
Q. 28. What effect did Adam’s sin have on all mankind?
A. All mankind are born in a state of sin and misery.
