Our Days are Numbered

Death is an uncomfortable subject, one which our society at large goes to great lengths to avoid. There is also something about being young that makes most people think death is a long way off. This passage expounds the benefit of contemplating the fact that death is all too soon and that, by keeping it in the fore, God leads us to wisdom.

¹⁰ The years of our life are seventy,
    or even by reason of strength eighty;
yet their span is but toil and trouble;
    they are soon gone, and we fly away.
¹¹ Who considers the power of your anger,
    and your wrath according to the fear of you?
¹² So teach us to number our days
    that we may get a heart of wisdom. (Psalm 90:10-12, ESV)

We are heading steadily along the conveyor belt that leads towards death and, unless Jesus returns prior, we must all experience the first death. Becoming accustomed to our finitude, in fearful recognition of God’s powerful anger, allows wisdom to seep in. The Psalmist intimates that we are doing well to get to eighty. Even with all the benefits of modern medicine, Australia’s average life expectancy has only crept slightly above the 80 years mentioned by Psalmist, meaning I’ve already expended half the average lifespan where I live. Yet, there are no guarantees about how many days we will get, the most we can say is we’ll each live as long as God has determined. Life is short, use it wisely.

Eternal Father, bring us to the doorstep of wisdom as we contemplate the fact that life is brutally short. It can be strangely cathartic to confront our mortality in contrast to the enduring God that You are. In this first life, we must work hard for a living, all the while dealing with life’s obstacles that pop up and then we must face Your judgement. For the sake of Your Son Who died for us, make us victorious over sin so we may escape the second death (Revelation 2:11, 21:8). Help us not to waste Your precious gift of life.

Total Recall

A millennium may seem a long time for us — temporal beings — but not so for the eternal God, Who is familiar with the entirety of history while I struggle to remember what happened yesterday.

³ You return man to dust
    and say, “Return, O children of man!”
⁴ For a thousand years in your sight
    are but as yesterday when it is past,
    or as a watch in the night.
⁵ You sweep them away as with a flood; they are like a dream,
    like grass that is renewed in the morning:
⁶ in the morning it flourishes and is renewed;
    in the evening it fades and withers.
⁷ For we are brought to an end by your anger;
    by your wrath we are dismayed.
⁸ You have set our iniquities before you,
    our secret sins in the light of your presence.
⁹ For all our days pass away under your wrath;
    we bring our years to an end like a sigh. (Psalm 90:3-9, ESV)

Our lives are only too brief and extinguish with a wheeze. Then we must give an account to our Maker, whose wrath we’ve incurred, but it isn’t as though we can’t also do good in life, or that God constantly observes us, waiting for us to trip up, like a disapproving father. It’s just that our good deeds cannot erase the bad and its consequence. We desperately need a righteousness outside of ourselves, one that Jesus lived and which becomes ours by faith.

Our Eternal God, We must one day, very soon, return to the dust from which You formed us. You remember with clarity all that has ever taken place, just as You know everything that will be. You are just and so you must punish even our deeds that miss the mark which no one else is aware of. Only by trusting in Your Son Jesus as our Lord and Saviour can we escape Your judgement. By Your Spirit, help us put away sin and walk in the good deeds You prepared in advance for us, as new creations in Christ (Ephesians 2:10).

From Everlasting to Everlasting

A Prayer of Moses, the man of God.

90 Lord, you have been our dwelling place
    in all generations.
² Before the mountains were brought forth,
    or ever you had formed the earth and the world,
    from everlasting to everlasting you are God. (Psalm 90:1-2, ESV)

At the outset of Psalm 90 Moses reflects on the fact that, as far back as Abraham, whatever else was going on and wherever they happened to be, God was always there for His people. They had somewhere, or rather Someone, to go to. God has never changed throughout all of eternity, nor throughout humanity’s short history (James 1:17). Oppression and slavery couldn’t change who God is, neither could the steady march of time.

Everlasting God, You never change. Thanks that, although You originally lavished Your love——via a promise——upon Abraham and his descendants, You always planned to multiply Your blessings by gathering people from all nations to dwell with You. Thanks for Jesus, through Whom we become Abraham’s descendants and, consequently, Your children.

Fit for a King

If only we could stand “righteous” before God, then we would also have full assurance that we are at peace with Him, as though the two——righteousness and peace——share the intimacy of a kiss.

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. (Psalm 85:10-13, ESV)

I tend to avoid wearing white since bad things always seem to happen with food or drink. It is hard to keep clean, whether that be white clothing or a spotless life. The trouble is, to appear before perfectly holy God in a “right” standing, we need to live completely spotless lives (an impossibility). Is there any hope for us, then, who fail to live a blemish-free existence?

Righteousness is a foundational part of who God is and why He is, consequently, worthy to be enthroned (Psalm 89:14). This is also the reason Jesus, as uniquely both God and man, was able to live a perfectly law-abiding life. If only there was a way for God to impart His righteousness to us, to clothe us with the righteousness of the One Who lived an entirely spotless life as one of us. Well, there is. Putting our faith in the Christ makes it possible for His righteousness to become ours (Philippians 3:9).

⁹ After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, ¹⁰ and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” (Revelation 7:9-10, ESV)

The multitude of Revelation 7, clothed in pure white vestments (read righteousness), are those qualified to stand in the presence of the throne of God and the Lamb by virtue of having “washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” (verse 14).

Father God, To pave the way to You we need a righteousness we can never attain on our own. Thanks for the Lamb, Your Son Jesus, Who brokered peace——a cease to hostilities——by offering up His sacrifice of righteousness for anyone who would trust in Him. Help us trust in Him so His spotless righteousness becomes ours, for You sent Him to make salvation possible. Wash the deeds, with which we are clothed, in the blood of the Lamb, so that we would be clothed in white, fit to stand before Your throne, and in the presence of Jesus, eager to raise our voice as one in the praise You deserve.

A Lifeline to the Drowning

Psalm 69 relays the struggle of someone whose lived experience makes them feel as though they are drowning: “Save me, O God! For the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in deep mire, where there is no foothold; I have come into deep waters, and the flood sweeps over me” (verses 1-2). It’s possible Jesus also experienced this drowning sensation——had He limited His predictive knowledge——because, during His ministry years, His own brothers failed to recognise Him for who He really was (John 7:3-5).

⁸ I have become a stranger to my brothers,
    an alien to my mother’s sons. (Psalm 69:8, ESV)

Being fundamentally misunderstood by the members of your own family is, no doubt, crushing to the spirit. Jesus forewarned His disciples that their closest relatives and friends would betray them, some even to death (Luke 21:16). Yet it is a consolation that Jesus described His disciples——those obedient to His Father’s will——as His true family (Matthew 12:46-50). We can also take heart since some, if not all, of Jesus’ brothers were among those gathered in the upper room after His death, resurrection and ascension (Acts 1:14). Additionally, His brothers, James and Jude, were prominent in the early Church, even contributing to the books of the Bible.

Increasing Jesus’ sense of drowning were the unwarranted——and eventually successful——attempts on His life (Luke 4:28-30).

²¹ They gave me poison for food,
    and for my thirst they gave me sour wine to drink. (Psalm 69:21, ESV)

A particularly acidic wine would hardly be considered anyone’s go-to for quenching thirst but, as a final act of indignity, this was offered to Jesus as He hung, godforsaken, desiring relief from His wretched condition as His life ebbed away on the cross (Matthew 27:46-50).

Jesus, Our Lord, Saviour and Brother, We are up to our necks and on the verge of perishing, and You are our only hope. Thanks for eating the poison we served up to You so that You could throw us, the drowning, a lifeline. Though we were aliens and strangers to You, You made us siblings alongside You, as fully fledged members of God’s household (Ephesians 2:19) and therefore inheritors with You of the Kingdom (Matthew 25:34). Help us not to despair at unbelieving friends and family since You are capable of saving anyone.

The Sole Source of Salvation

  For God alone my soul waits in silence;
    from him comes my salvation. (Psalm 62:1, ESV)

It is pointless looking for salvation from within ourselves, or even from other people, since salvation originates with God. Isaiah elaborates:

¹⁰ “You are my witnesses,” declares the LORD,
    “and my servant whom I have chosen,
that you may know and believe me
    and understand that I am he.
Before me no god was formed,
    nor shall there be any after me.
¹¹ I, I am the LORD,
    and besides me there is no saviour.
¹² I declared and saved and proclaimed,
    when there was no strange god among you;
    and you are my witnesses,” declares the LORD, “and I am God.
¹³ Also henceforth I am he;
    there is none who can deliver from my hand;
    I work, and who can turn it back?” (Isaiah 43:10-13, ESV)

When we come to the New Testament, the Lord Jesus is unveiled as the exclusive way to the Father, no one comes to God the Father except through Him (John 14:6).

Lord God, salvation comes from You. You declared from heaven that Jesus is Your only beloved Son, in Whom You take pleasure (Matthew 3:17). For You sent Him into the world to become the saviour we were waiting quietly for (John 3:17), to proclaim good news to the poor, to liberate humanity from all that oppresses and ails us, and to dispense Your favour (Luke 4:17-21). Choose us to know, believe, understand, serve and witness to You and Your Son. Lord Jesus, You alone have the words of eternal life (John 6:68), so looking to You for salvation is the only thing that makes sense because You provide the sole way to escape the clutches of God’s judgement. We can add nothing to the salvation You wrought for us at the cross and help us surrender all other gods since they are mere counterfeits.

No Ransom Possible

In Psalm 49 the possibility of ransoming one human life with another is ruled out; one imperfect life is insufficient to stave off the death incurred by another.

⁷ Truly no man can ransom another,
    or give to God the price of his life,
⁸ for the ransom of their life is costly
    and can never suffice,
⁹ that he should live on for ever
    and never see the pit. (Psalm 49:7-9, ESV)

Jesus is the Greek form of the Old Testament Hebrew name Joshua, meaning ‘God saves’. God became a man, “God Saves,” because the willing, sacrificial blood of the eternal Son of God is the only currency that suffices to square things with God for the debt we all incur: death.

Our God, salvation belongs to You. We are sorry for living in a way that deserves death, since we each transgress Your holy laws. Life is precious, so how much more so was Your life when You humbled Yourself to become one of us? We accept Your forgiveness, purchased by Your blood which You shed on the Cross to buy us back to You. Assist us by Your Spirit to live lives worthy of being sons and daughters of the God who ensures that we should never see the pit, but instead live with You forever.

Stomped On

This Psalm predicted that Jesus would contend with the betrayal of someone close to Him, an experience shared in common with King David the psalm’s author.

⁹ Even my close friend in whom I trusted,
    who ate my bread, has lifted his heel against me. (Psalm 41:9, ESV)

It is compelling that the One who ended up stomping on the serpent’s head for us, in fulfilment of Genesis 3:15, also knew what it was like to be stomped on by Judas, one of His inner twelve closest companions (Mark 14:17-21).

Jesus, our Davidic King, You know only too well the betrayal of one whom You had brought into Your confidence. In lifting his heel against You, Judas sought to extinguish You, even after he’d accepted the bread of the last supper from Your hand. Thank You for vanquishing the ancient Serpent, stripping him of the ability to accuse us, and enabling us to live in victory over him. Strengthen us by Your Holy Spirit so we will never be ashamed of You, instead help us honour You in word, thought and deed. Prevent us from quenching the Spirit at work within us (1 Thessalonians 5:19).

We Can’t Save Ourselves

³⁹ The salvation of the righteous is from the LORD;
    he is their stronghold in the time of trouble.
⁴⁰ The LORD helps them and delivers them;
    he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
    because they take refuge in him. (Psalm 37:39-40, ESV)

God does it. Not us. The righteous are not saved by their good works (Galatians 2:16; Titus 3:5). Instead, we receive salvation from Yahweh, Who is a mighty fortress we can flee to for safety, in Whom we can weather life’s storms. They say prayer is the “last resort of a scoundrel,” and perhaps there is something in that. True righteousness isn’t self-made but results from turning to God to save us, since we are incapable of saving ourselves.

Lord, Help us for You are the sole means of our deliverance. You save us when we shelter under the cross of Your Son Whom You sent to absolve us of all wrongdoing and to both declare and make us righteous in Your sight. We need the righteousness Jesus achieved on our behalf, which is ours when we place our trust in Him. In Jesus all our light and momentary troubles gain us an eternal benefit and we escape the dominion of wickedness (2 Corinthians 4:17; Matthew 4:16). We are scoundrels but You are dependable when we flee to You in our hour of need.

Unjust Treatment

This snippet from Psalm 35 captures something of how unbearably unjust it was (and is), as someone who only ever sought the good of others (even if that meant confronting our problematic hypocrisy, calling out sin, and proffering our need to repent and believe), for Jesus to be so consistently appallingly treated. I guess what was, and is, done to Jesus demonstrates how extremely we disapprove of being told how we should live.

¹¹ Malicious witnesses rise up;
    they ask me of things that I do not know.
¹² They repay me evil for good;
    my soul is bereft.
¹³ But I, when they were sick—
    I wore sackcloth;
    I afflicted myself with fasting;
I prayed with head bowed on my chest.
¹⁴     I went about as though I grieved for my friend or my brother;
as one who laments his mother,
    I bowed down in mourning. (Psalm 35:11-14, ESV)

To this day, people invent things about Jesus in order to accuse and discredit him. Some even labelled him demon-possessed and insane (John 10:20). He went about healing people and alleviating their suffering and was charged with being in cahoots with the devil for his trouble (Matthew 12:24). Although He only ever had our best interests at heart, it was “without cause” that people expended energy trying to trap Jesus and to put end His life (Psalm 35:7). Even now Jesus lives to intercede with God on our behalf, on behalf of former enemies (Romans 8:34, 5:10).

Father, Forgive us for, by our sinfulness, we conspired to put Your Son to an undeserved death. Help us endure injustice like Jesus, and to never stop seeking the good of those who oppose us. May we echo the words and sentiment of Jesus when He prayed, “Father, forgive them,” from the cross for the very ones — even us — responsible for putting Him there (Luke 23:34). Indeed, once we had no clue what we were doing to Jesus, but now we accept that Jesus has besought You to absolve us. Make us also exude this loving-forgiveness, this reconciliatory temperament. We tend to get bent out of shape when we are corrected, so remove from us any lingering animosity we harbour towards Jesus. Oh, and how we long to rise above and to be intercessors like this Psalmist, like Jesus, for the recalcitrant.