Psalm 139 - ALL the days ordained for me.

Last week in church, the sermon was on Psalm 139. I thought to myself, “Oh, I know this one. I even have it memorized.” So I’m listening as they read it in German, following along with what I know

1 You have searched me, Lord, and you know me.

2 You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.

And it continued, familiar phrases and images to me and you:

Before a word is on my tongue . . . You hem me in behind and before and lay your hand upon me. . . . Where can I go from your Spirit? Rise on the wings of the dawn. . . .Even the darkness will not be dark to you. . . . fearfully and wonderfully made. . . .

Then come those words that are so reassuring to so many:

15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.

That is as far as I memorized. How about you?

A few verses later the psalm just kind of plunges off a cliff.

19 If only you, God, would slay the wicked!
Away from me, you who are bloodthirsty!
20 They speak of you with evil intent;
your adversaries misuse your name.
21 Do I not hate those who hate you, Lord,
and abhor those who are in rebellion against you?
22 I have nothing but hatred for them;
I count them my enemies.

As I read, I was suddenly jarred back to my senses. Where did these verses come from? Why didn’t I memorize them back in 1983 with the rest of the psalm? Well, I knew why. Those imprecatory psalms – smite them, Lord – are the ones you skip over as incomprehensible, and I had skipped over this section.

But it’s there, and it really changes the whole tenor of the psalm. This is David on the run, hiding in a cave. Enemies are chasing after him. And he recognizes that wherever he may go, even when fleeing from Saul, he cannot flee from God’s presence. Even when hiding in the darkness, the darkness is not dark to God.

It all came careening home to me. “All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” Taken in context, it’s not just talking about the overarching plan that God has for my life – the big picture. That’s how I always read it.

It’s talking about all the days of my life, 
each and every one of them, 

even the darkest of dark days 5 months ago when I was hiding in a dark cave of a room with Al Qaeda terrorists outside firing away, who would surely have killed me if they had found me.

THAT day – March 13, 2016 – was written in God’s book before I was born. God knew about it. And ordained it.

Why? I’ll never know this side of eternity.

But I do now that He was familiar with my ways. He knew where we had hidden – in that dark unfinished room with no door or window, and coconuts and a tarp.

He hemmed us in behind and before, with his hand upon us.

Even the darkness of that day was not too dark for him. The darkness was as light to him. And we could not flee from his presence.

I am left dumbfounded, like David who said:

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.

Theology of Suffering - David and the Psalms: Episode 3

This is the last of three blogs on a Theology of Suffering taking from David and the Psalms. 
Here are the first and second episodes. 

Episode 3 – The Cave of Adullam

picture from inside the Cave of Adullam

1 Samuel 22:1, 3, “So David left Gath and escaped to the cave of Adullam. Soon his brothers and all his other relatives joined him there…..” Later David went to Mizpeh in Moab, where he asked the king, “Please allow my father and mother to live here with you until I know what God is going to do for me.”

Eventually, God does give direction and the prophet tells David “Leave the stronghold and return to the land of Judah.” (1 Samuel 22:5)

Principles:

• Concern for the weaker folks in his midst. 
• Living in uncertainty and waiting on God for direction. "Until I know what God is going to do for me" indicates a faith in God, even though he is currently waiting on direction. 

The Cave, The Cross, The Crucible

There are some who suggest that David had to go to the cave as a crucible – his own cross.  We see other Biblical leaders who had their “cave” experiences before taking on the role God had for them:  Joseph thrown into a hole and eventually in prison in Egypt, Moses in the desert for 40 year, and now David.

This was a time of stripping everything away bringing him to a place where he had nothing to trust in but God.

David wrote at least 3 Psalms in this period and there is a visible progression of his dealing with the suffering, and his trust in the Sovereignty of God, even in a very dark place.

 Psalm 142

A psalm of David, regarding his experience in the cave. A prayer.

1 I cry out to the Lord;  I plead for the Lord’s mercy.2 I pour out my complaints before him and tell him all my troubles.3 When I am overwhelmed, you alone know the way I should turn. Wherever I go, my enemies have set traps for me.4 I look for someone to come and help me, but no one gives me a passing thought!No one will help me; no one cares a bit what happens to me.5 Then I pray to you, O  Lord. I say, “You are my place of refuge. You are all I really want in life.6 Hear my cry, for I am very low. Rescue me from my persecutors, for they are too strong for me.
7 Bring me out of prison so I can thank you. The godly will crowd around me, for you are good to me.”

Facts/Feelings:

• Overwhelmed
• Trapped
• Abandoned, like no one is concerned for him.

Principles:

• Processing with God. Pouring out his complaints to God
• Counting God as his refuge

There is much less resolution for David in Psalm 142 than in Psalm 57, which was likely written later. Sometimes it's okay to be in that spot, where things are not all worked out. 

Psalm 57

looking up the valley at the cave

For the choir director: A psalm of David, regarding the time he fled from Saul and went into the cave. To be sung to the tune “Do Not Destroy!”

1 Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy! I look to you for protection.I will hide beneath the shadow of your wings until the danger passes by.2 I cry out to God Most High, to God who will fulfill his purpose for me.3 He will send help from heaven to rescue me, disgracing those who hound me.My God will send forth his unfailing love and faithfulness.4 I am surrounded by fierce lions who greedily devour human prey— whose teeth pierce like spears and arrows, and whose tongues cut like swords.5 Be exalted, O God, above the highest heavens! May your glory shine over all the earth.6 My enemies have set a trap for me. I am weary from distress. They have dug a deep pit in my path, but they themselves have fallen into it.7 My heart is confident in you, O God; my heart is confident. No wonder I can sing your praises!8 Wake up, my heart! Wake up, O lyre and harp! I will wake the dawn with my song.9 I will thank you, Lord, among all the people. I will sing your praises among the nations.10 For your unfailing love is as high as the heavens. Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.
11 Be exalted, O God, above the highest heavens. May your glory shine over all the earth.

Principles:

• Hiding in God’s protection
• Praising, singing, exalting God
• Thanking God publicly,  among the people.

What was David’s Theology of Suffering?

David saw the wisdom of evacuation at times and faced the hardship of innocent people being killed around him. He consulted of the Lord and sometimes received crucial information allowing him to escape. Other times information was not forthcoming and people died as a result of uninformed his choices. And sometimes he was content to just wait for information to come when God was ready. 

He was happy to trust God for the accomplishment of His will in his good time, even if that was years later. And he rejoiced in the Lord’s protection – even when that was simply a cave in the side of a mountain,

because GOD was his place of safety.

See also: Theology of Risk Part II - David