The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in 2 Samuel 22:31-37,
"As for God, his way is perfect:
The Lord's word is flawless;
he shields all who take refuge in him.
For who is God besides the Lord?
And who is the Rock except our God?
It is God who arms me with strength
and keeps my way secure.
He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;
he causes me to stand on the heights.
He trains my hands for battle;
my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
You make your saving help my shield;
your help has made me great.
You provide a broad path for my feet,
so that my ankles do not give way."
Here is a portion of the psalm David wrote in celebration of the Lord's deliverance of him from Saul and the rest of his enemies. This psalm is also seen in the book of Psalms, number 18.
What I note clearly in David's worship of the Lord is the extolling of God's wonderful character and nature, as well as the Lord's provision of protection and enablement for David. Any one of us believers can sing this psalm just as easily as David if we were to acknowledge the Lord as David did.
These words of David bring to my mind a disturbing approach to the Scriptures seen almost everywhere today. From behind the pulpit, to "Christian" periodicals, to commentaries, everywhere, I see a proclivity of folks to approach the Scriptures from the single perspective that they constitute "the rule book". It seems as though the chief concern of any approach to the Scriptures is obedience. We are to do what we are told to. We are to keep the commands of God, We are to clean up in our lives every vestige of that which does not conform to what the Bible tells us to do.
Let me be clear, obedience to God is imperative. We do not call Jesus Christ "Lord" for nothing and our obedience to him manifests his lordship in our lives. No question about that. What is disturbing to me at times is a failure to see that God's revelation of himself goes beyond only obeying "the rule book".
In this passage the obedience to God is not in view. Rather it is what should precede our obedience to God. Acknowledging the wonderful attributes of God, marveling at his wonderful nature, his love, his untarnished sense of justice as revealed to us in the pages of Scripture is what should prompt us to obey the Lord. It is what should provide us with the enthusiasm to live our lives in a manner pleasing to him, to observe those things in our lives that bring him delight.
If our only approach to the Scriptures is to find out what it is we are supposed to be doing as believers, without digesting from the Scriptures those delightful, enchanting and moving things that bring our love and adoration of the Lord - that move us as nothing else does - will only lead to a dreary rule-keeping in our lives.
David points the way. If we but recognize and delight in those wonderful things of the Lord that the Scriptures reveal, we will no longer need the pastor to spank us on endless Sundays with mono-toned messages that we need to do better. We will be without needing the prodding if we fall helplessly into a love and cultivate a passion for the Lord that only the Scriptures provide.
This will result in our obedience becoming our expression of worship - just like David!
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
"As for God, his way is perfect:
The Lord's word is flawless;
he shields all who take refuge in him.
For who is God besides the Lord?
And who is the Rock except our God?
It is God who arms me with strength
and keeps my way secure.
He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;
he causes me to stand on the heights.
He trains my hands for battle;
my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
You make your saving help my shield;
your help has made me great.
You provide a broad path for my feet,
so that my ankles do not give way."
Here is a portion of the psalm David wrote in celebration of the Lord's deliverance of him from Saul and the rest of his enemies. This psalm is also seen in the book of Psalms, number 18.
What I note clearly in David's worship of the Lord is the extolling of God's wonderful character and nature, as well as the Lord's provision of protection and enablement for David. Any one of us believers can sing this psalm just as easily as David if we were to acknowledge the Lord as David did.
These words of David bring to my mind a disturbing approach to the Scriptures seen almost everywhere today. From behind the pulpit, to "Christian" periodicals, to commentaries, everywhere, I see a proclivity of folks to approach the Scriptures from the single perspective that they constitute "the rule book". It seems as though the chief concern of any approach to the Scriptures is obedience. We are to do what we are told to. We are to keep the commands of God, We are to clean up in our lives every vestige of that which does not conform to what the Bible tells us to do.
Let me be clear, obedience to God is imperative. We do not call Jesus Christ "Lord" for nothing and our obedience to him manifests his lordship in our lives. No question about that. What is disturbing to me at times is a failure to see that God's revelation of himself goes beyond only obeying "the rule book".
In this passage the obedience to God is not in view. Rather it is what should precede our obedience to God. Acknowledging the wonderful attributes of God, marveling at his wonderful nature, his love, his untarnished sense of justice as revealed to us in the pages of Scripture is what should prompt us to obey the Lord. It is what should provide us with the enthusiasm to live our lives in a manner pleasing to him, to observe those things in our lives that bring him delight.
If our only approach to the Scriptures is to find out what it is we are supposed to be doing as believers, without digesting from the Scriptures those delightful, enchanting and moving things that bring our love and adoration of the Lord - that move us as nothing else does - will only lead to a dreary rule-keeping in our lives.
David points the way. If we but recognize and delight in those wonderful things of the Lord that the Scriptures reveal, we will no longer need the pastor to spank us on endless Sundays with mono-toned messages that we need to do better. We will be without needing the prodding if we fall helplessly into a love and cultivate a passion for the Lord that only the Scriptures provide.
This will result in our obedience becoming our expression of worship - just like David!
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
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