Latest / A Chapter a Day Bible Reading / March 22 - Psalm 109

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March 22 - Psalm 109 · A Chapter a Day Bible Reading

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  How Life, friends it is shown here it is the 22nd of March and
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  lo and behold, that is a Friday. That's right.
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  If you hadn't realised it yet, Brent, congratulations.
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  You have made it to the end of another week.
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  Here we stand. Hi.
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  Hope it's been a good week for you and maybe even a better
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  weekend ahead. We have got a wedding in the
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  family and that is very exciting for the extended Connery crew.
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  How wonderful. But today is the day that we get
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  to read Assam together. And today we read Assam.
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  Well, it's one of those classic praying vengeance down upon your
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  enemies kind of sounds. But the thing to note here is
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  that this is the king, right? This is David riding this song.
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  This song, yes. It is not a tirade of curses
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  upon his enemies. This is a song that he sings to
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  a sovereign God, asking God to bring justice, when every other
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  king at that time would just have marched out to bring that
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  justice himself. David praised that God, God the
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  ultimate judge, be the one to bring justice and restoration.
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  So what a fantastic model for us.
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  And of course Jesus takes it further and says we should pray
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  blessings on our enemies. But this is at the time an
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  enormous step forward. So let's read it together, shall
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  we? Let's read this sign, which is
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  for the choir. Director Assam of David Psalm
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  109 Oh God, whom I praise, don't
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  stand silent and aloof while the wicked slander me and tell lies
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  about me. They surround me with hateful
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  words and fight against me for no reason.
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  I love them, but they try to destroy me with accusations,
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  even as I'm praying for them. They repay evil for good and
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  hatred for my love. They say get an evil person to
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  turn against him. Send an accuser to bring him to
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  trial. When his case comes up for
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  judgement, let him be pronounced guilty.
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  Count his prayers as sins. Let his years be few.
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  Let someone else take his position.
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  May his children become fatherless and his wife a widow.
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  May his children wander as beggars and be driven from their
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  ruined homes. My creditors seize his entire
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  estate, and strangers take all he has earned.
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  Let no one be kind to him. Let no one pity his fatherless
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  children. May all his offspring die.
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  May his family name be blotted out in the next generation.
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  May the Lord never forget the sins of his fathers.
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  May his mother's sins never be erased from the record.
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  May the Lord always remember these sins, and may his name
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  disappear from human memory. For he refuses all kindness to
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  others, He persecutes the poor and needy, and he hounded the
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  broken hearted to death. He loved to curse others.
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  Now you curse him. He never blessed others.
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  Now don't you bless him? Cursing is as natural to him as
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  his clothing, or the water he drinks, or the rich food he
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  eats. Now may his curses return and
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  cling to him like clothing. May they be tied around him like
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  a belt. May those curses become the
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  Lord's punishment for my accusers who speak evil of me,
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  but deal well with me. Our sovereign Lord.
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  For the sake of your own reputation, rescue me because
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  you are so faithful and good. For I am poor and needy and my
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  heart is full of pain. I'm fading like a shadow of a
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  dusk. I am brushed off like a locust,
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  My knees are weak from fasting, and I am skin and bones.
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  I am a joke to people everywhere.
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  When they see me, they shake their heads and scorn.
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  Help me, oh Lord. My God, save me because of your
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  unfailing love. Let them see that this is your
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  doing, that you yourself have done it, Lord.
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  Then let them curse me if they like.
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  But you will bless me. When they attack me.
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  They will be disgraced, but I, your servant, will go right on
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  rejoicing. May my accusers be clothed in
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  disgrace. May their humiliation cover them
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  like a cloak, but I will give repeated thanks to the Lord
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  praising Him to everyone, for he stands beside the needy, ready
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  to save them from those who condemn them.
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  Our Lord, that we would have the heart of the Psalmist.
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  That when our enemies, when those who just want to do us
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  harm are so vocal in their criticism of us.
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  Ah, let us come to you and praise you and seek your
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  judgement and just be content to rest in the protection of your
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  grace. It's just so easy to want to
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  take up our own arms against our oppressors.
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  But here you show us a better way.
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  Respond in faith. Faith in your goodness.
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  To us, when you're justice in the world, Thank you for being a
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  God who is bigger than any challenge we face and bigger
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  than any bully we might encounter.
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  And if we find that our hearts have been tempted to be the ones
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  holding the power over others, Lord, convict us so that we can
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  place down that power and instead take up your humility
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  and love. You are a good God and we love
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  you and we want to be more like you, so we pray all these things
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  in the transforming name of Jesus.
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  Ah man.