Talk of JESUS .com

Tag: Psalms

Psalms of a Contrite Heart Before Christ
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.
Psalm 51:17 LSB

Contrition: Bowed down before Almighty God

Last time on Ash Wednesday, we noted from the weeping Prophet, Jeremiah, our great sorrow in being CRUSHED by the enemy – in fact by the hand of GOD on the pestle of Jerusalem’s destruction.

Lamentations of our past in a Lenten path forward

Like Jeremiah we do NOT want to be CRUSHED by any — either the LORD or our enemy.

WE are unaccustomed to the pouring out of our spirit into a mortar of refinement.

YET it is the Lord’s will to refine those whom He will.

Be contrite or be crushed —

humble .. or humbled.

Sad Psalms of Lament

Lamentations, if sung, would be sorrowful elegies similar to some Psalms we would rather not sing. Regardless of the “how” – and we generally know our sin – contrition and humility often escape our notice on the stage of our praise.

Yet even in the Psalms we must observe the same words which the Lord has written for our worship.

Strong’s H1794 – dāḵâ – דָּכָה

to collapse (phys. or mentally):—break (sore), contrite, crouch.

We’ve all seen it — most have experienced it. And the Psalms remind us as the Lord refines us.

O Yahweh, reprove me not in Your wrath,

And discipline me not in Your burning anger.

I am faint and badly crushed;

I groan because of the agitation of my heart.

Psalm 38:1,8 LSB

Psalm 51:

51:17 (WLC 51:19) זִבְחֵי אֱלֹהִים רוּחַ נִשְׁבָּרָה לֵב־נִשְׁבָּר וְנִדְכֶּה אֱלֹהִים לֹא תִבְזֶה׃
- šāḇar rûaḥ
  - broken spirit
- šāḇar dāḵâ lēḇ
  - a broken and contrite heart
Psalm 51:17 from MASORETIC Text

IS that any way to open a post such as this or especially a WORSHIP service?
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IN FACT, the contrition of it's context pleads to Elohim for mercy. So was it ordered for corporate worship by the King.
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[[To the chief Musician,

A Psalm of David,

when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.]]

Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.

Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity,

and cleanse me from my sin.

For I acknowledge my transgressions:

and my sin is ever before me.

Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken [crushed] may rejoice.

Psalm 51:1-3, 8 KJV

We have heard the whole story — confessed in a Psalm of worship!

And the King – David of Israel and Judah – before we reach v. 17 of our opening CALL to Worship today — continues with a more hopeful and familiar plea:

Create in me a clean heart, O God;
and renew a right spirit within me.
Psalm 51:10

Create in me a clean heart, O God – Psalm 51 stands as an enduring testament to the power of confession, the boundless mercy of God, and the potential for spiritual renewal and transformation.

It reminds us that even in our deepest frailty, God’s love is unfailing.

Psalm 51 commentary

a Plea of the Crushed – Psalm 143

A Psalm of David
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O Yahweh, hear my prayer,

Give ear to my supplications!

Answer me in Your faithfulness, in Your righteousness! 

And do not enter into judgment with Your slave,

For no one living is righteous in Your sight. 

For the enemy has pursued my soul;

He has crushed my life to the ground;

He has made me inhabit dark places, like those who have long been dead... 
```
YET in our distress of being humbled (OPPRESSED, an adjective found in other Psalms) — crushed by the Lord we have hope — as nearly every Psalm ends.

Teach me to do thy will;

for thou art my God:

thy spirit is good;

lead me into the land of uprightness.

Quicken [revive] me, O LORD,

for thy name’s sake:

for thy righteousness’ sake

bring my soul out of trouble.

Psalm 143:9–10 KJV

Praying the Psalms in Gethsemane

Picture our Lord, having walked all the paths among evil men toward Gethsemane, full well knowing the charge of His Father in heaven to go forth into the valley of death…

a humble mortal, a crushed man, a prisoner to be betrayed and bound as a spectacle for evil men…

humiliated, struck on the cheek, beaten on the back and hung ignominiously on a tree by the rulers of this world and city.

.. “Sit here while I pray.” ,, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,” he said to them. “Stay here and keep watch.” ..

Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping.

excerpt from the Gospel of Mark 14

Psalm 10

1 Why, Lord, do you stand far off?

Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?

2 In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak,

who are caught in the schemes he devises…

.. He lies in wait to catch the helpless;

he catches the helpless and drags them off in his net.

..10 His victims are crushed, they collapse; they fall under his strength.

11 He says to himself, “God will never notice;

he covers his face and never sees.”

Psalm 10:12-11 NIV
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 The Hebrew word for "crushed" can also imply being broken in spirit, indicating the deep emotional and psychological impact of such suffering. 

This aligns with the broader biblical narrative where God is portrayed as a defender of the oppressed (Psalm 9:9). 

The imagery here can also be seen as a type of Christ, who was "crushed" for our iniquities (Isaiah 53:5), highlighting the ultimate sacrifice for the redemption of humanity.
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BibleHub.com Study Bible commentary

JESUS, the Son of Man, Son of David and Son of God sang and prayed such Psalms in worship in the presence of God the Father.

Do YOU?

Talk of JESUS .com

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March 11, 2025
Thanks Black Friday Cyber-Santa Specials
Black Friday Deals Are Here – Epic Deals. All Week Long
2024 CE Amazon AD

Black Friday to Xmas

I don’t know about you, but once again Thanksgiving seems to be upon us, a prerequisite observance overrun by the rush of DEALS for the Christmas holidays.

Aren’t you THANKFUL for this holiday season immediately following Halloween?

Innumerable lights blinding in darkness and gift buying lasting forever and ever…

Black Friday HOLIDAY Deals Drive-thru

I have previously mentioned this hustle and bustle of black Friday having overtaken the archaic imagery of worshiping pilgrims. Yet each year’s commercial focus on a relatively minor Jewish holiday and formerly insignificant Christian observance grows more and more into a worship of our prosperity (for which we give thanks).
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You might even see NEW deals for this Black Friday if you click on these old links.
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A Puritan Thanksgiving in colonial America
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from which our Thanksgiving traditions supposedly celebrate
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Perhaps our 17th century Puritan forefathers who celebrated this uniquely American Thanksgiving holiday weren’t far from the truth of this holiday season.

Puritans forbade Christmas, considering it too pagan. Governor Bradford actually threatened New Englanders with work, jail or fines if they were caught observing Christmas.
Christianity.com

THANKS to BLACK FRIDAY & Cyber Monday this holiday provides little rest and even less thanks.
Roger@TalkofJesus.com

Thanks giving?

Set aside your devices and distractions for a moment as you gather together with family and you will see much bounty, a recurring theme for America.

Who will you thank?
- Your host and hostess? Sure.
- Or maybe family who have made this gathering possible? Perhaps.
- Yet the thanks giving of those faithful to the Lord is always to God.
No book better expresses our worship, our praises, and singing with joy to the LORD than Psalms, which is the hymnal of Jewish and Christian worship.

Psalm 136

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.

[136:1 הֹודוּ לַיהוָה כִּי־טֹוב כִּי לְעֹולָם חַסְדֹּֽו׃]

²⁵Who giveth food to all flesh:

for his mercy endureth for ever.

²⁶O give thanks unto the God of heaven:

for his mercy endureth for ever.

King James Version (KJV)

This is giving thanks as the Pilgrims of America’s founding would have given to God – not only on this holiday, but also in other worship.

Thanks is often a theme of worship, therefore thanking God is the first fruits of harvest for believers of all faiths who landed in this new world.

Yet we have forgotten the lessons of the Lord — He who has preserved us for bounty and blessings of a new land.

Are we so unlike those who worshiped the Lord before, yet then neglected to thank their Provider?

Let the people of AMERICA, bless GOD

Psalm 95

Worship

¹Come, let us shout joyfully to the Lord,
shout triumphantly to the rock of our salvation!

²Let us enter his presence with thanksgiving;
let us shout triumphantly to him in song.
Psalm 95 CSB

a Consumer WARNING for a Common Era Black Friday

Hear this caution from the Psalm, that we might not give our thanks lightly, forgetting the worship of Almighty God our Creator.

6 Come, let us worship and bow down;
let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.
7 For he is our God,
and we are the people of his pasture,
the sheep under his care.

The Psalmist then reminds worshipers of those who had previously turned from the Lord.

Warning

Today, if you hear his voice:
8 Do not harden your hearts as at Meribah,
as on that day at Massah in the wilderness
9 where your fathers tested me;
they tried me, though they had seen what I did.
Psalm 95, referring to exodus 17:17

Wilderness of the Negev

Meribah מְרִיבָה means testing and is the place where the Hebrews escaping Egypt tested the Lord, rather than giving thanks to the Lord.

And Massah מַסָּה means quarreling, the politics of an ungrateful saved people in the wilderness.
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Sound familiar?
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The Lord saved many who had fled to the New World from persecution and death in the seventeenth century.

The Pilgrims and others gave God thanks for this.

Yet the Psalmist reminds worshipers of a blessed people:

Do not harden your hearts.

Those escaping to a new land had far to go and much to learn of community, lessons about authority and of thankfulness.

Because of their testing and quarreling, the promise of the Lord would not be fulfilled in their generation.

Therefore let us heed these cautions of the Psalmist in our attitude of thanks to the Lord.

Even today, in these Common Era seasons of Black Fridays,

If you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.

10 For forty years I was disgusted with that generation;
I said,

“They are a people whose hearts go astray;
they do not know my ways.”
So I swore in my anger,
“They will not enter my rest.”

Do you thank the Lord this day?

OR

are BLACK FRIDAY and every other Common Era christmas consumer shopping day

gourging our mortal flesh in the delicacies of death without the Manna of our Redeemer and Lord?
November 28, 2024
Rebuke of ministers that perish without the Cross
For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.
1 Corinthians 1:11 KJV
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Contentions (from the KJV) 

Sounds rather serious doesn't it?
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1 Corinthians 1 – Contentions between Christians

In our previous look at Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians we looked at the REPORT from Chloe’s household and the Apostle’s brief summary.

NO Divisions in our Church ?

ἔρις – ἔρις, er’-is; of uncertain affinity; a quarrel, i.e. (by implication) wrangling:—contention, debate, strife, variance.

What will Paul do about such serious contentions over ministers and teaching in distant Corinth?

Before we proceed with Paul’s Apostolic approach, let’s briefly clarify terms of WHO ARE WE talking about.

ὑπηρέτης – hypēretēs – Ministers of Christ

Who is Paul addressing?

Certain Corinthian church members must have wondered, “Is HE writing to ME?”
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Later in his Epistle the Apostle appeals:
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Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers^G5257 of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God.
1 Corinthians 4:1 KJV

SOME of us resist the role to which God calls us in Christ.
Roger@TalkofJesus.com

A minister [ὑπηρέτης] from this context and application is a SERVANT
1. an underrower, subordinate rower
  - (Picture Paul and other prisoners later rowing a Roman ship toward Rome.)
2. any one who serves with hands: a servant
3. any one who aids another in any work
  - an assistant
  - of the preacher of the gospel
I might add that certain servants had the authority of Roman governors or military leaders to judge men under their jurisdiction and prescribe punishments.

The wisdom of the cross and Christian ministers – Rebuke
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Problem #1 - Paul reiterated the report of divisions over Christian ministers.

NOW the Apostle will REBUKE the Corinthian church divisions over Christian ministers.
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ἐπιτιμάω – Rebuke

LORD, do not rebuke me in Your wrath,

And do not punish me in Your burning anger.
Psalm 38:1 NASB20

Better is open rebuke

Than love that is concealed.
Proverbs 27:5 NASB20

Jesus said to his disciples, “Stumbling blocks are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come!

Watch yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him. If he repents, forgive him.
Gospel of Luke 17:1,3 NET
Ruins of the synagogue in Corinth

Christ the Power and Wisdom of God
Paul’s Rebuke of the Church

For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish, foolishness; but to us who are saved, it is the power of God.
1 Corinthians 1:18 – Noah Webster’s 1833 Bible.

PREACHING
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The above 19th century English translation by Noah Webster of a 17th century King James Version, which also begins verse 1:18, "For the preaching of the cross...
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19 For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.

WISDOM is a BIG THING to Greek thinking.

Pastor, Preacher or Minister?

Many prefer to think of ‘Preachers’ as ‘Pastors.’

A popular 20th century title for both was ‘MINISTER.‘

In fact, some English Bibles begin 1 Corinthians 1:18,

For the message of the cross..

OR more true to Paul’s A.D first century Greek,

For the word of the cross…

1:18 Ὁ λόγος γὰρ ὁ τοῦ σταυροῦ τοῖς μὲν ἀπολλυμένοις μωρία ἐστίν τοῖς δὲ σῳζομένοις ἡμῖν δύναμις θεοῦ ἐστιν
λόγος logos https://www.blueletterbible.org/web/1co/1/1/t_conc_1063018

I can’t help but recalling the opening of John’s Gospel.
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The logos of Christ's Cross FOOLISHNESS? 
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The Apostle continues rhetorically asking WHO among you seeks some other WISDOM than Christ?
- Where is the wise?
- where is the scribe?
- where is the disputer of this world?
hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?

Paul’s answer:

For when in the wisdom [sophia] of God [theos] the world [kosmos] by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.
1 Corinthians 1:21 WEB

Signs and Sophia

Just as Paul’s WISDOM passages point to the Hellenists [GREEK-thinking] of the Empire, the Apostle’s earlier reference to the Scribes points specifically to the JEWS.

“This is an evil generation: they seek a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of Jonah the prophet. For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so also shall the Son of man be to this generation.
Gospel of Luke 29:11b-12

Paul points to BOTH, in that some JEWS and some GREEKS in the Corinthian church DO NOT believe.

For the Jews require a sign,

and the Greeks seek wisdom:

But to them who are called,
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Not ALL are called who gather in the Corinthian Church (or in yours).
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both Jews and Greeks,

Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.

Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

That no flesh should glory in his presence.
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The Apostle Paul's REBUKE of Christian MINISTERS begins here. 
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Glory Only in the Lord

1 Corinthians 1:26- NKJV

For [consider] your calling, brethren, that
- not many wise according to the flesh,
- not many mighty,
- not many [well-born] noble,
are called.
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What think you, 21st century common era evangelical, of Paul's humbling rebuke?
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27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; 28 and the [insignificant or lowly] base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen,

and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, 29 that no flesh should glory in His presence.

30 But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption— 31 that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.”

NEXT: Further rebuke of CHRISTIAN MINISTERS.
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Paul will continue his rebuke of the wayward throughout his first epistle to the Corinthians up to Cor. 4:5.
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Headings from the NKJV
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- Christ Crucified
- Spiritual Wisdom
- Sectarianism Is Carnal
- Watering, Working, Warning
- Avoid Worldly Wisdom
- Stewards of the Mysteries of God
Comment on Scripture + Share the Gospel
June 19, 2024