You Fill Up My Senses (Psalm 94:9; 139:7)

 You Fill Up My Senses (Psalm 94:9; 139:7)

John Denver used to sing a song, “You Fill Up My Senses.” Given his vocal qualities, we used to substitute the word “sinuses.” But, speaking of our senses, they are amazing. Our ears hear and distinguish hundreds of sounds. A child can pick up his mother’s voice out of a thousand. And our eyes, seeing objects both near and far, with color. Sadly, we don’t fully appreciate these senses until we lose them. 

But we must remember: God made us this way. He made us with ears and eyes, to hear and to see. Why? Partly because He Himself is a hearing and seeing God. And that’s what this week’s critical question(s) remind us:  Psa. 94:9 “He who planted the ear, does He not hear? He who formed the eye, does He not see?” And we find this ability of God to hear and to see both comforting and intimidating, because He doesn’t miss a beat.

But let’s go further: Psa. 139:7 “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?” Here we find that this God who created us to live in the confines of space and time is not confined to space and time. The previous verse spoke of communicable attributes, that is, characteristics that God shares with His creatures. But here, in Psa. 139, we have an incommunicable attribute, that is, a characteristic of God that is not shared with His creatures. We are always somewhere, in one place. God is everywhere at once. He is omnipresent. Again, this is a comforting though, since we are never removed from Him. And it can be intimidating, because we never can hide from Him.

For the godly person, that is, a person who is oriented toward God in such a way that He is ever-present (or, at least, never-far) from our thoughts, the responses to these verses are obvious. God hears. We talk to Him. God sees. We live and behave and do as those who are living for His pleasing, knowing that God is always looking over our shoulder. We bask in His ever-present presence, because He is never far away. Though transcendent above even the remote stars in the most remote galaxy, He is yet present with a person such as yourself.

For the ungodly person, that is, a person who is oriented toward self and world affairs in such a way that it seems that God either doesn’t exist, or, at least, matter - for that person, there is no prayer except in a crisis. Things are done for one’s own pleasure or the praise of those you want to notice. No one is looking over your shoulder, or if they are, you resent them. And, you find yourself quite alone in the cosmos.

What shall I render to the LORD for all his benefits to me? (Psalm 116:12 ESV)

 What shall I render to the LORD for all his benefits to me? (Psalm 116:12 ESV)

Would you agree with me that this is a critical question? If God has indeed blessed our lives, what should be our response to Him? Is it acceptable that we, being enriched by Him in so many ways, just accept it and take it for granted and go on as though God did not exist? “What shall I render?” An important question indeed!

We are not just to make up our own ideas or rules about how we should respond to our gracious God. This psalm gives an answer in the following verses: “Lift up the cup of salvation.” “Call on the name of the Lord.” “Pay your vows to the Lord.”

Let’s take these in order. What does it mean to lift up the cup of salvation? Well, first we realize that unless God had filled our cup, it would be empty. We cannot save ourselves. But also, we are amazed and such grace that has saved us in such a terrible and wonderful way: God sacrificing His Son that through His death we might have life. It is both amazing and humbling, caught in Newton’s words, “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me.”

So in the morning we lift up this cup of salvation, and in the evening. We remember and recall that, apart from Him we are lost, now and forever. But with Him and what He has given, we are found, now and forever. We take the time to clear our minds and we give thanks to Him for His indescribable gift.

Secondly, we respond to God as though He exists. We call on the name of the Lord. Let’s be honest: those who do not talk to God treat God as though He does not exist. But He does, because if He did not, neither would you. And we do live, by His goodness and grace. And this grace has brought with it the privilege and responsibility to talk with Him, to call upon Him, including to praise and to pour out our hearts. If we are not doing this, then we have failed to properly consider and answer the critical question, “What shall I render to the Lord for all His benefits to me?”

The text says, “pay your vows.” Remember that our relationship with God is covenantal. God graciously enters into covenant with us, but He also places demands upon us. These demands are not the foundation of the relationship. That’s the atonement. No, the demands are that we live as the Father’s children, walking with Jesus, keeping in step with the Spirit. Simply put, we obey. We study to know what to do, and then we do it, with dispatch; with thoroughness; and with thanksgiving.

Anyone Here Interested in a Good Life? (Psalm 34:12)

“What man is there who desires life and loves many days, that he may see good?” (Psalm 34:12 ESV)

Some critical questions are ignored, to one’s peril. Others are asked by everyone, everywhere. This is one of the latter. How might I live a good life?

It is interesting that God has expressly placed this question in the Bible for us, that we might consider it, and consider it from His point of view. He gives a “big picture answer; and He gives a more detailed answer.

The “big picture” answer is found in the previous verse: “Come, O children, listen to me;I will teach you the fear of the LORD.” (Psalm 34:11 ESV). Everyone fears something, and most of us fear many things. But to fear the Lord is to recognize that He alone is God, sovereign and holy, and that we are accountable to Him. This is similar to the idea that everyone worships something, whether God, or something else. And I am finding that “fear” and “worship” are not all that far apart. 

So a big piece of “the good life,” according to the Bible, is to have a right view of God, which gives us a proper view of our place before Him, and a respect for His design and purpose in His creation and in His creatures, including our own selves.

The more detailed answer follows our critical question. It is divided into three parts. The first part says, “Watch your mouth.” Do not be malicious, and do not be a liar. It is a statement of restraint. If you want to live a good life, you will have to learn how to practice restraint. The second part says, Take charge of your doings. “Turn away from evil, and do good.” We are responsible for what we do, and at the final judgment, we will not be able to blame anyone else for our bad behaviors. Notice also that it doesn’t say, “do something neutral.” It says, “do good.” You will have to let God help you determine what that “good” is. He is willing to help, and He already has given quite a bit of instruction. Thirdly, “seek peace and pursue it.” Practically and personally, don’t go around generating conflict. But also, in keeping with the Gospel, direct people to the only peace that lasts, peace with God through faith in Christ, who has reconciled us in such as way that we who were enemies can now be, in fact, members of the family of God. 

The text goes on to say that God is watching, and God is listening. He is hoping you find the good life, and that you live it.

Who may dwell on Your holy hill?” (Psalm 15:1 NAS95)

 The Character of the Father Duplicated in His Children

“O LORD, who may abide in Your tent? Who may dwell on Your holy hill?” (Psalm 15:1 NAS95)

This question may be akin to the one we know from the Gospels,  voiced by the “rich, young ruler” who approached Jesus: “A ruler questioned Him, saying, ‘Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?’” Luke 18:18  The strange part of this question is the connection between “do” and “inherit.” We don’t inherit anything based on what we “do."

And so the question from Psalm 15, “who may abide in Your tent?” becomes rather simple. Only those who are part of the Lord’s family are welcome in His tent. You live there because you belong there, and you belong there if you are one of the Father’s children. Likewise, “who may dwell on Your holy hill?” is answered by understanding that the children of the Father live by the Father’s rules. Keeping the rules doesn’t make them the Father’s children. They keep the family rules because they are the Father’s children.

The psalm goes on to enumerate the “doings” of the Father’s children. It involves their walking (their conduct) and their hearts. The subject of their mouths their motives is addressed. How they treat neighbor and friend is mentioned. They don’t take advantage of others. They have little patience for those who embrace worthless practices, and they honor those who fear the Lord. Do they do this perfectly? No. No one does. But they pursue this course because they love the Father and seek to honor the Father and desire to uphold the family name. 

The critical question, then, is not the misunderstanding of the rich ruler who thinks he can “buy” or “behave” his way into heaven. It can’t be done. The critical question of Psalm 15 is a request for a rehearsal of the qualities of the Father’s character which finds itself reproduced in His children. It’s a great summary.

And so the passage reinforces something that we used to know but perhaps have forgotten: that faith is accompanied by following; that beliefs have a place, but so also does our behavior; relationship based on grace, but also the responsibility to obey. We love the Father, and so desire to please Him, but we also fear the Father (due to His majesty and perfections), and thus we dare not take for granted this wondrous grace that brought us into family relationship, but we invest it, we cultivate it, we practice and practice and practice it.