the stuff a great king is made of

The word received on the third day of the 18th week. Very relevant and prophetic. Psalm 64 written by the anointed King David at a time when he was oppressed by the wicked but he chose instead to stay in rejoicing in the Lord! In the midst of major and persistent setbacks he always switched his focus on the Lord. He meditated on and proclaimed the goodness and greatness of God and continued to put his trust on God regardless how persistently hurtful and vengeful his enemies were. God called David, “a man after My heart.”

Dvid was a very smart, capable and brave man. He was a powerful warrior, shrewd diplomat, and talented musician and poet. He was also the architect whom God spoke to and gave the whole detailed building plan for the temple. He did well in accumulating wealth too. He handed over a great fortune to his son Solomon to build the temple for God. He could have lived a peaceful and relaxed life in his own familiar country place with beautiful pasture, streams and flocks of sheep, writing poetry and songs, worshiping and praising God. But he was chosen and anointed by God to become king for Israel, for a mission assigned by God. The former king, King Saul failed as a king. David had to become king. He brought the tribes of Israel together as a unified nation. Did he expect an easy life? No. David knew his destiny but he lived and equipped himself faithfully before God for his seemingly impossible assignment. From his many writings we can see that he could hear God and aligned himself rightly with God’s strategy. This is the stuff a great king is made of.

Psalm 64 (NKJV) David was a prophet king. What he saw would happen to his enemies in the future indeed happened. His enemies’ secret schemes were exposed and they fell into their own snares.

1 Hear my voice, O God, in my meditation;
Preserve my life from fear of the enemy.
2 Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked,
From the rebellion of the workers of iniquity,
3 Who sharpen their tongue like a sword,
And bend their bows to shoot their arrows—bitter words,
4 That they may shoot in secret at the blameless;
Suddenly they shoot at him and do not fear.

5 They encourage themselves in an evil matter;
They talk of laying snares secretly;
They say, “Who will see them?”
6 They devise iniquities:
“We have perfected a shrewd scheme.”
Both the inward thought and the heart of man are deep.

7 But God shall shoot at them with an arrow;
Suddenly they shall be wounded.
8 So He will make them stumble over their own tongue;
All who see them shall flee away.
9 All men shall fear,
And shall declare the work of God;
For they shall wisely consider His doing.

10 The righteous shall be glad in the Lord, and trust in Him.
And all the upright in heart shall glory.

the power of prophetic praises: from a king

Today we look at how a king sang praises to the King of kings. David lived in the times before Christ when the Holy Spirit was not indwelling inside the people of God. But the Spirit of God led him to prophecy even at the time when he was surrounded by his enemies. Anyone familiar with the scourging and crucifixion of Jesus Christ can see the obvious parallels, and the writers of the gospel accounts—especially Matthew—bring them out through direct quotations of this psalm.

Psalm 22
For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be sung to the tune “Doe of the Dawn.”
1
My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?
Why are you so far away when I groan for help?
2
Every day I call to you, my God, but you do not answer.
Every night I lift my voice, but I find no relief.

3
Yet you are holy,
enthroned on the praises of Israel.
4
Our ancestors trusted in you,
and you rescued them.
5
They cried out to you and were saved.
They trusted in you and were never disgraced.

6
But I am a worm and not a man.
I am scorned and despised by all!
7
Everyone who sees me mocks me.
They sneer and shake their heads, saying,
8
“Is this the one who relies on the Lord?
Then let the Lord save him!
If the Lord loves him so much,
let the Lord rescue him!”

9
Yet you brought me safely from my mother’s womb
and led me to trust you at my mother’s breast.
10
I was thrust into your arms at my birth.
You have been my God from the moment I was born.

11
Do not stay so far from me,
for trouble is near,
and no one else can help me.
12
My enemies surround me like a herd of bulls;
fierce bulls of Bashan have hemmed me in!
13
Like lions they open their jaws against me,
roaring and tearing into their prey.
14
My life is poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint.
My heart is like wax,
melting within me.
15
My strength has dried up like sunbaked clay.
My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth.
You have laid me in the dust and left me for dead.
16
My enemies surround me like a pack of dogs;
an evil gang closes in on me.
They have pierced[a] my hands and feet.
17
I can count all my bones.
My enemies stare at me and gloat.
18
They divide my garments among themselves
and throw dice[b] for my clothing.

19
O Lord, do not stay far away!
You are my strength; come quickly to my aid!
20
Save me from the sword;
spare my precious life from these dogs.
21
Snatch me from the lion’s jaws
and from the horns of these wild oxen.

22
I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters.[c]
I will praise you among your assembled people.
23
Praise the Lord, all you who fear him!
Honor him, all you descendants of Jacob!
Show him reverence, all you descendants of Israel!
24
For he has not ignored or belittled the suffering of the needy.
He has not turned his back on them,
but has listened to their cries for help.

25
I will praise you in the great assembly.
I will fulfill my vows in the presence of those who worship you.
26
The poor will eat and be satisfied.
All who seek the Lord will praise him.
Their hearts will rejoice with everlasting joy.
27
The whole earth will acknowledge the Lord and return to him.
All the families of the nations will bow down before him.
28
For royal power belongs to the Lord.
He rules all the nations.

29
Let the rich of the earth feast and worship.
Bow before him, all who are mortal,
all whose lives will end as dust.
30
Our children will also serve him.
Future generations will hear about the wonders of the Lord.
31
His righteous acts will be told to those not yet born.
They will hear about everything he has done.

Footnotes:
22:16 As in some Hebrew manuscripts and Greek and Syriac versions; most Hebrew manuscripts read They are like a lion at.
22:18 Hebrew cast lots.
22:22 Hebrew my brothers.

Journey to see God: See God as we praise His greatness

How do we sing praise to God and praise His holy name? Here is a real life example. David's song of praise is full of God and totally God-focused. He was described as a man after God's heart. He certainly knew God.

David’s Song of Praise (from 1 Chronicles 16)

⁷ On that day David gave to Asaph and his fellow Levites this song of thanksgiving to the Lord:

⁸ Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim His greatness.
    Let the whole world know what He has done.

 

⁹ Sing to Him; yes, sing His praises.
    Tell everyone about His wonderful deeds.

¹⁰ Exult in His holy name;
    rejoice, you who worship the Lord.

 

¹¹ Search for the Lord and for His strength;
    continually seek Him.

 

¹² Remember the wonders he has performed,
    his miracles, and the rulings he has given, ¹³ you children of His servant Israel,
    you descendants of Jacob, His chosen ones.

 

¹⁴ He is the Lord our God.
    His justice is seen throughout the land.

¹⁵ Remember His covenant forever—
    the commitment He made to a thousand generations.
¹⁶ This is the covenant He made with Abraham
    and the oath He swore to Isaac.
¹⁷ He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree,
    and to the people of Israel as a never-ending covenant:
¹⁸ “I will give you the land of Canaan
    as your special possession.”

¹⁹ He said this when you were few in number,
    a tiny group of strangers in Canaan.
²⁰ They wandered from nation to nation,
    from one kingdom to another.
²¹ Yet He did not let anyone oppress them.
    He warned kings on their behalf:
²² “Do not touch My chosen people,
    and do not hurt My prophets.”

 

²³ Let the whole earth sing to the Lord!
    Each day proclaim the good news that he saves.

 

²⁴ Publish his glorious deeds among the nations.
    Tell everyone about the amazing things he does.

 

²⁵ Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise!
    He is to be feared above all gods.

 

²⁶ The gods of other nations are mere idols,
    but the Lord made the heavens!

²⁷ Honor and majesty surround Him;
    strength and joy fill His dwelling.

 

²⁸ O nations of the world, recognize the Lord,
    recognize that the Lord is glorious and strong.

 

²⁹ Give to the Lord the glory He deserves!
    Bring your offering and come into His presence.
Worship the Lord in all His holy splendor.

³⁰     Let all the earth tremble before him.
    The world stands firm and cannot be shaken.

³¹ Let the heavens be glad, and the earth rejoice!
    Tell all the nations, “The Lord reigns!”³² Let the sea and everything in it shout his praise!
    Let the fields and their crops burst out with joy!
³³ Let the trees of the forest sing for joy before the Lord,
    for he is coming to judge the earth.

 

³⁴ Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!
    His faithful love endures forever.
³⁵ Cry out, “Save us, O God of our salvation!
    Gather and rescue us from among the nations,
so we can thank Your holy name
    and rejoice and praise You.”

³⁶ Praise the Lord, the God of Israel,
    who lives from everlasting to everlasting!

 

And all the people shouted “Amen!” and praised the Lord.