Psalm 51 is a classic poem of repentance, where David pleads with the LORD for forgiveness.  He asks in numerous different ways to be pardoned:

– Blot out my transgressions

– Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity

– Cleanse me from my sin

– Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean

– Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow

– Hide your face from my sins

– Blot out all my iniquities

– Create in me a clean heart

– Renew a right spirit within me

– Cast me not away from your presence

– Take not your Holy Spirit from me

– Restore to me the joy of your salvation

– Uphold me with a willing spirit

– Deliver me from bloodguiltiness

Notice that God is the one who must do all the actions, not David.  The requests move from personal pardon to restoration of the relationship with God.

After all these requests, David summarizes the nature of true repentance, which is one reason he is called a man after God’s own heart: “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.”

 

See the June 26 post (Gospel Message category) for more information on the history behind this psalm.

 

James gives two descriptive lists – negative and positive – about earthly versus godly wisdom in Chapter 3, verses 13-18.

First, the very negative aspects of wordly wisdom.  Wisdom without God is strikingly called demonic!

–          Bitter jealousy

–          Selfish ambition

–          Boasting in an untruthful way

–          Earthly

–          Unspiritual

–          Demonic

–          Disorder

–          Every vile practice

Then the honorable, true, lovely list of wisdom that comes down from above:

–          Pure

–          Peaceable

–          Gentle

–          Open to reason

–          Full of mercy

–          Full of good fruits

–          Impartial

–          Sincere

–          A harvest of righteousness, sown in peace

Psalm 24 was written by David, possibly as the nation was celebrating bringing the ark of the LORD into Jerusalem in 2 Samuel 6.  Two similar questions are asked about the hoped-for character of the people:

      “Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?

            And who shall stand in his holy place?” 

(Psalm 24.3)

The answer – four desirable qualities in verse 3 and one in verse 6:

–          He who has clean hands

–          He who has a pure heart

–          He who does not lift up his soul to what is false

–          He who does not swear deceitfully

–          He who seeks the face of the God of Jacob

Not only will such a person be able to ascend the hill and stand in the holy place, but verse 5 says

“He will receive blessing from the LORD and righteousness from the God of his salvation.”

 

At the end of 2 Timothy, Paul is wrapping up his instructions to his assistant, impressing on him the need to continue in what he had learned and remember from whom he had  believed it.

2Timothy 4:1-5  “I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.”

These verses start with a Wallop – Timothy was charged in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus!

The purpose is a Warning – people will grow tired of the true gospel and will follow their “itching ears” to messages and a way of life that are easier for them.

Paul lists activities the wise, godly leader will pursue to combat budding heresy:

–          Preach the word

–          Be ready in season and out of season

–          Reprove, rebuke, exhort with complete patience and teaching

–          Be sober-minded

–          Endure suffering

–          Do the work of an evangelist

–          Fulfill your ministry

Good advice then, and good advice now.

Ephesians 6.10-20

Paul reminds his friends that “we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”  Accordingly, we need to have spiritual weapons.  These weapons may seem very ordinary and less powerful than an AK-47, BUT do these steps to be prepared for the battle – understand them, learn more about them, exercise each in your life:

–          Fasten on the belt of truth

–          Put on the breastplate of righteousness

–          For shoes, put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace

–          Take up the shield of faith for extinguishing flaming darts of the evil one

–          Take up the helmet of salvation

–          Take up the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God

–          Pray at all times in the Spirit

–          Keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints

–          Especially pray for anyone proclaiming the mystery of the gospel

The goal in the battle is to stand – after having done all, to stand firm.  Not flashy, maybe not impressive to men, but effective in kingdom work.

2 Corinthians 11.22-29

Paul writes his second letter to the Corinthians partly to defend himself against the snobbish charges that he does not measure up to other “super-apostles” who have come to town.  He says they may think of him as a fool or as weak, but “The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, he is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying,” when he rattles off this list of reasons why even as a weak fool, he is a better servant of Christ.

 Paul has:

–          Far greater labors

–          Far more imprisonments

–          Countless beatings, and often near death 

–          Five times received the forty lashes less one

–          Three times been beaten with rods

–          Once been stoned

–          Three times shipwrecked, a night and a day adrift at sea

–          Been in danger from rivers, robbers, his own people, Gentiles

–          Been In danger in the city, in the wilderness, at sea

–          Been In danger from false brothers

–          Endured toil and hardship, spent many a sleepless night

–          Endured hunger and thirst, often without food

–          Endured cold and exposure

–          Endured daily pressure of anxiety for all the churches 

Wow.  Staying up late at a youth group lock-in doesn’t even qualify on this guy’s list. 

 

May 15 is a good day to look at Psalm 15:

O Lord, who shall sojourn in your tent?  Who shall dwell on your holy hill?

He who walks blamelessly and does what is right  and speaks truth in his heart;

who does not slander with his tongue  and does no evil to his neighbor,  nor takes up a reproach against his friend;

in whose eyes a vile person is despised, but who honors those who fear the Lord;

who swears to his own hurt and does not change;

who does not put out his money at interest and does not take a bribe against the innocent.

He who does these things shall never be moved.

The psalm asks the LORD, “who shall dwell on your holy hill?”  the rest of the psalm is a great list of what that blessed person will look like:

–          Walks blamelessly

–          Does what is right

–          Speaks truth in his heart

–          Does not slander with his tongue

–          Does no evil to his neighbor

–          Protects others’ reputations

–          Despises those who throw away the covenant

–          Honors fellow believers

–          Keeps his promises, even if it hurts

–          Obeys the law, even with his money

The God-follower lives well with others; many of the characteristics follow the second half of the Ten Commandments.  This person can boast that he understands and knows the Lord.  who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth  (Jeremiah 9.24).

 

Why Holy Lists?

 “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”  Philippians 4.8

 This is a great LIST!  And it tells how lists can be helpful.  A group, clump, set or collection of words, concepts, entities or ideas can help define or explain truth, honor, justice, purity, loveliness, excellence, and praiseworthiness.   Since you need to think about such things, it is good to have a nice little meditatable list.

 The guidelines for A. Knapp Lists are

1. It must be from the Bible (this is where the holy part comes from)
2. It must have at least four items
3. It will have some brief explanation

 Note these are not the kind of lists that slant, tilt, angle, or incline.  Nor are they Franz Liszt’s property.