Daily Bible Devotionals

“Why do You stand afar off, O Lord? Why do You hide in times of trouble? he wicked in his pride persecutes the poor; let them be caught in the plots which they have devised.”  Psalm 10:1-2 (NKJV)

“Why, Lord?”  It is the age-old question that shows no signs of going out of style. Who can know the mind of God that they could call His character into account? He has an aerial view of time (accompanied by a precise, detailed knowledge of how creation was designed) that our imaginations and calculations could never envision. He knows the cause-and-effect nature of circumstances concerning world happenings, and He ALWAYS chooses to act (or not) correctly. No degree or error. Still, we are human, so we ask, “Why?”

“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9 (NKJV)

Consider the conversation between Moses and the children of Israel when Pharaoh overtook them as they fled in the Exodus, hemmed in at the edge of the Red Sea. Does it not mimic David’s internal struggle in Psalm 10?

“And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them. So they were very afraid, and the children of Israel cried out to the Lord. Then they said to Moses, ‘Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you so dealt with us, to bring us up out of Egypt? Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, “Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians”? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness.’ And Moses said to the people, ‘Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.’”  Exodus 14:10-14 (NKJV)

“Arise, O Lord! O God, lift up Your hand! Do not forget the humble. Why do the wicked renounce God? He has said in his heart, ‘You will not require an account.’ But You have seen, for You observe trouble and grief, to repay it by Your hand. The helpless commits himself to You; You are the helper of the fatherless. Break the arm of the wicked and the evil man; seek out his wickedness until You find none. The Lord is King forever and ever; the nations have perished out of His land. Lord, You have heard the desire of the humble; You will prepare their heart; You will cause Your ear to hear, to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, that the man of the earth may oppress no more.”  Psalm 10:12-18 (NKJV)

Whatever you are going through, remember that the Lord knows. Cry out in prayer and know that He is there. He is holy, cares, and has the power to affect change!

“The nations have sunk down in the pit which they made; in the net which they hid, their own foot is caught. The judgment knows the Lord He executes; the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. MEDITATION. (Selah) The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God. For the needy shall not always be forgotten; the expectation of the poor shall not perish forever. Arise, O Lord, do not let man prevail; let the nations be judged in Your sight. Put them in fear, O Lord, that the nations may know themselves to be but men. Selah” Psalm 9:15-20 (NKJV)

As David said, the Lord is known by the judgment He executes. But “judgment” is often misunderstood to mean “angry vengeance.” Indeed, most Christians hold an opinion of God that He was always angry in the Tanakh (Old Testament). God did not change His image at halftime, between the Old & New Testaments, emerging from the locker room as a cuddly grandfather. It is easy to have this opinion of God if our only source of Biblical understanding is listening to the occasional sermon in the average church. But, when we take time to read the Bible for ourselves, the Holy Spirit reveals that God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.  

“For I am the Lord, I do not change; therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.” Malachi 3:6 (NKJV)

Furthermore, since Jesus is God, made flesh, He never changes.

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” Hebrews 13:8 (NKJV)

So, all throughout the Bible, God judges righteously. He gives grace to the humble and repentant, and he rebukes and punishes the proud and unrepentant. We should reflect on that. As a matter of fact, David even instructs the musicians to add a solo section (“Higgaion”:  Hebrew for “meditation”) where the worshipper can ponder God’s judgment & mercy, which should result in our praise: Selah.

Again, God is not only angry in the Old Testament; He is also gracious and merciful. He cares for widows, orphans, wild animals and even foreign refugees.

“The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; for You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You. Sing praises to the Lord, who dwells in Zion! Declare His deeds among the people. When He avenges blood, He remembers them; he does not forget the cry of the humble. Have mercy on me, O Lord! Consider my trouble from those who hate me, you who lift me up from the gates of death, that I may tell of all Your praise in the gates of the daughter of Zion. I will rejoice in Your salvation.” Psalm 9:9-14 (NKJV)

Have you put your faith & trust in the Lord? If so, He both cares and fights for you!

“O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is Your Name in all the earth, who have set Your glory above the heavens! Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants, You have ordained strength, because of Your enemies, that You may silence the enemy and the avenger.” Psalm 8:1-2 (NKJV)

The great value of the gift of the Holy Spirit, given to all followers of Jesus at the moment of their decision to believe, is that He reveals the truth of God’s Word.  

“But as it is written: Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for them that love Him. But God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit: for the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.” 1 Corinthians 2:9-10 (NKJV)

And one of the ways the Spirit teaches us is to “whisper” in our hearts and minds as we read the Bible. The Holy Spirit whispers how we should apply Scripture to change our lives to align ourselves with God’s will. He warns us of the world around us by revealing how present-day scenarios mimic ancient scenarios so that we can expect predictable outcomes. And He brings us to a recollection of things we have read earlier in the Bible so we can spot Biblical trends that run throughout Scripture. Reading today’s passage, we should hear a whisper, asking, “Where have you seen ‘mouth of babes’ before?”

“But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David!’ they were indignant and said to Him, ‘Do You hear what these are saying?’

And Jesus said to them, ‘Yes. Have you never read, “Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise”’?”  Matthew 21:15-16 (NKJV)

What does “Hosanna” mean? It means “Save us now!”  So, in quoting Psalm 8, Jesus clarifies that the “strength” that comes out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants is the declaration that Messiah is the source of that saving strength and that He is Messiah! In directing their praise to Jesus, those children (along with adults) declared that Jesus was the Messiah, coming to save His people.  

Furthermore, Jesus’ name in Hebrew, Yeshua, means “YHWH (God) is our salvation  .”So, when the children were directing their praise “Hosanna” at Jesus, they were literally declaring His deity, “God is our salvation; save us now!”  That perfectly aligns with who the Hebrew prophets knew that Messiah would be: God made flesh. (Micah 5:2; Isaiah 9:6). No wonder the religious leaders sought to silence the children. When they read Psalm 8, they focused on “What is man that you are mindful of Him and the son of man that you visit him?”, thus missing the Messiah, whom even a child could see!  (Matthew 18:3; Mark 10:15; Luke 18:7)

“O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth!”  Psalm 8:9 (NKJV)

“Oh, let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end, but establish the just; for the righteous God tests the hearts and minds. My defense is of God, Who saves the upright in heart. God is a just judge, and God is angry with the wicked every day.”  Psalm 7:9-11 (NKJV)

Today’s psalm is a “meditation of David” sung to the Lord concerning the words of Cush, a Benjamite. We do not know much about this fellow, Cush, other than the fact that he was from the tribe of Benjamin. But that actually tells us quite a bit about his character and allegiances. At the time of David’s writing of this psalm, the tribe of Benjamin had just come out of a very dubious season in Israel’s history. The book of Judges ends with the tribe of Benjamin’s war against the rest of the tribes of Israel. Benjamin had refused to hold rapists and murderers accountable within their tribe. While the war began in Benjamin’s favor, were it not for God’s merciful intervention, Benjamin would have been eliminated as a tribe. We know that King Saul was a Benjamite, and he was pursuing David to kill him. Saul was controlling not just the army of Benjamin but the rest of Israel’s troops as well.

We also know what Cush was saying about David because David asks God to weigh Cush’s false accusations and judge fairly.

“O Lord my God, if I have done this: If there is iniquity in my hands, if I have repaid evil to him who was at peace with me, or have plundered my enemy without cause, let the enemy pursue me and overtake me; yes, let him trample my life to the earth, and lay my honor in the dust.  Selah” Psalm 7:3-5 (NKJV)

We will meet some people in life, and they will form false assumptions about us. They will observe our lives and string together false assumptions about our characters. It is like the neighborhood kids who pass by an old widow’s run-down house, observe her overgrown yard, rusty gate, and cats moving through the bushes, and assume she is a witch. It is wrong to make such judgments, but how they develop is understandable. Such judgments could be reversible if the kids simply met the old lady and discovered she is actually very kind.

Then, there are other people who are simply prejudiced and envious. ENVY is PRIDE wounded in competition. That was Cush. He was just plain mean! Cush knew that David had fallen out of favor with Saul, and he tried to earn Saul’s favor by lying about David’s character and behavior. It is good to know that when we have nobody to defend us, we can appeal to the Lord! He is more than capable of judging wisely and delivering the oppressed. (Romans 12:9; Deuteronomy 32:35) Therefore, we can find joy even in the midst of unjust persecution.

“I will praise the Lord according to His righteousness, and will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.” Psalm 7:17 (NKJV)

Grab your Bible & experience the Groundworks Ministries Podcast as Steve Wiggins leads us through the full chapter of Psalm 6. Click the links below to watch or listen now!

“For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness, nor shall evil dwell with You. The boastful shall not stand in Your sight; You hate all workers of iniquity. You shall destroy those who speak falsehood; the Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man. But as for me, I will come into Your house in the multitude of Your mercy; in fear of You I will worship toward Your holy temple. Lead me, O Lord, in Your righteousness because of my enemies; make Your way straight before my face.”  Psalm 5:4-8 (NKJV)

The holiness of God is incomparable to mankind. That truth is often confusing when God determines to bestow mercy on some men while sternly judging others. Our great existential predicament is that we are all sinful and imperfect creatures (Romans 3:23). Yet, His standard for communing with us is that we must be perfect (Matthew 5:48). In today’s passage, David, a sinner like the rest of mankind, is beseeching the Lord to make a judgment between himself and men who are seeking to kill him. What is intriguing to us is how David asks the Lord to distinguish his pursuers as deserving of judgment while he expects God’s mercy for himself.

Indeed, some people believe their personal righteousness deserves God’s reward, yet they will not receive it. Consider the words of Jesus concerning the arrogance of unbelievers expecting an eternal reward.

“And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” Mathew 7:23 (NKJV)

Does this mean we are all doomed sinners, fated to eternal damnation for falling short of God’s standard? Absolutely not! We have a choice.

“Say to them: ‘As I live,’ says the Lord God, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?’” Ezekiel 33:11(NKJV)

The fact that we are sinners does not exclude us from the hope of salvation. But it is not our accumulation of personal righteousness that saves us. Instead, it is the object of our faith, Jesus, who saves us! He has paid the penalty our sin deserves, and moreover, He imputes (accredits) His righteousness to us when we place our trust in Him, alone, for our salvation.  

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 (Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 4:8) (NKJV)

How could David confidently make a distinction between himself and other men? Because He had chosen to follow the Lord, as revealed in His Word. The same is true for us.  

“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name” John 1:12 (John 1:1;14) (NKJV)

“Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have relieved me in my distress; have mercy on me, and hear my prayer. How long, O you sons of men, will you turn my glory to shame?  How long will you love worthlessness and seek falsehood?  (Selah)” Psalm 4:1-2 (NKJV)

It has never been easy to live faithfully in the world. Never, ever. As far back as the book of Genesis, people of unbelief & half-hearted devotion toward God have been at war against people with whole-hearted faithfulness. Cain killed his brother Abel out of envy because God favored Abel’s devotion. So why would we be surprised when a modern-day college professor, politician, or filmmaker would seek to destroy the faith of Christians? While unrighteous men have always sought to tarnish the “glory” of God’s children, the Lord has always been inclined to hear the prayers of His people. God delivers us, and He “re-polishes” our glory through redemption.  

King David may not have written the music to “The Safety of The Faithful” in Psalm 4, but he certainly lived out the theology it communicates! David had survived the pursuit of Saul. God’s faithfulness to His Word to David grew David’s faith to the extent that David understood this…while we do not know what the future holds, we place our confidence in The One who holds the future. In that knowledge, there is a peace that calms us, even in the midst of great conflict.  

“But know that the Lord has set apart for Himself him who is godly; the Lord will hear when I call to Him. Be angry, and do not sin. Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still.  (Selah)” Psalm 4:3-4 (NKJV)

It is possible to be angry and indignant about injustice and not to sin. The wise and faithful know not to be driven by the flesh but rather to seek the Lord in how to respond. Also, God’s favor cannot be bought nor coerced through hasty repentance, which only turns back to worldliness once the difficulty subsides. God knows the differences between anxious “turning from sin” and true repentance. We may pray the Aaronic blessing (“Lift up Your countenance upon us” Numbers 6:22-27) over people, but only those judged by God as righteous may receive the blessing.

“Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the Lord. There are many who say, ‘Who will show us any good?’ Lord, lift up the light of Your countenance upon us.”  Psalm 4:5-6 (NKJV)

When we meditate on God’s Word and His past faithfulness, we find joy. Literally, the peace which passes understanding.  (Philippians 4:6-7)

“You have put gladness in my heart, more than in the season that their grain and wine increased. I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; for You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.” Psalm 4:7-8 (NKJV)

“Lord, how they have increased who trouble me! Many are they who rise up against me. Many are they who say of me, ‘There is no help for him in God.’ (Selah) But You, O Lord, are a shield for me, my glory and the One who lifts up my head. I cried to the Lord with my voice, and He heard me from His holy hill. (Selah) I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the Lord sustained me. I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around. Arise, O Lord; save me, O my God! For You have struck all my enemies on the cheekbone; you have broken the teeth of the ungodly. Salvation belongs to the Lord. Your blessing is up on Your people. (Selah)” Psalm 3:1-8 (NKJV)

I am embarrassed to admit it, but my wife and I used to own a little Chihuahua. She was 50% tremble and 50% rage. The typical Chihuahua is a Pit Bull cursed with a Guinea Pig’s body. A few years ago, we noticed our Chihuahua’s breath was increasingly horrible, so we took it to the veterinarian. Turns out, the dog had severe gum disease that required the vet to pull every tooth from the dog’s mouth! I used to be hesitant to pet the dog for fear of getting bitten. Not after that! The dog could bristle, growl, bark, and bite. It just couldn’t do any damage.

This is like the picture the Lord is painting with David’s psalm. God had broken the teeth of David’s enemies and took the bite right out of them! And He does exactly the same for us through Messiah Jesus.

“O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory? The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus, Messiah.” 1 Corinthians 15:55-57 (NKJV)

And who were David’s enemies? At the time this psalm was penned, David was pursued by his own son, Absalom (along with the majority of Israel who had previously pursued David under Saul’s reign). Why would a man’s own son seek to kill him? Well, the short version is that God punished David for killing Uriah the Hittite, whose wife, Bathsheba, David, had gotten pregnant. God told David that people from within his own house would rise up against him. So, was that it for David? Was there no forgiveness for him? David was a broken man, and he sought the Lord’s forgiveness. However, he did not want to presume the Lord owed him anything. Consider David’s words as he fled Jerusalem as compared to Psalm 3.

“And all the country wept with a loud voice, and all the people crossed over. The king himself also crossed over the Brook Kidron, and all the people crossed over toward the way of the wilderness. There was Zadok also, and all the Levites with him, bearing the ark of the covenant of God. And they set down the ark of God, and Abiathar went up until all the people had finished crossing over from the city. Then the king said to Zadok, ‘Carry the ark of God back into the city. If I find favor in the eyes of the Lord, He will bring me back and show me both it and His dwelling place. But if He says thus: “I have no delight in you,” here I am, let Him do to me as seems good to Him.’” 2 Samuel 15:23-26 (NKJV)

“Why do the nations rage, and the people plot a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying, ‘Let us break their bonds in pieces and cast away their cords from us.’” Psalm 2:1-3 (NKJV)

I have heard it said by various church leaders that Christians should be known more for what they are “for” than what they are “against  .”Their point is that Christians have a negative image in the world and that non-believers’ perception of us is that we are always negative: “Don’t do this or that….”  That may be the case in some instances. I have met quite a few negative, unloving Christians. However, the cure for the world’s perception of us is not that we must engage in increased levels of positive conversation. They will rage against us regardless! The psalmist (in this case, David) tells us that the nations have ALWAYS plotted against the Lord and His people, not because of our rhetoric, but because they perceive God’s Word as restraining them from the so-called “happiness’ offered by Satan and his demonic fleshly influence in the world. Satan always promises high and delivers low.

The reality is that God does not “bind us in cords” to keep us from enjoying life, as the world suggests. Yes, God’s Word (including our freedom in Christ) commands us to be disciplined and adhere to certain restrictions and prohibitions. Those guidelines are given to enhance and ensure our joy, not keep us from it! He describes His Word as leading us gently, with bands of love, not dragging (or restricting) us from fun.

“When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called My son. As they called them, so they went from them; they sacrificed to the Baals, and burned incense to carved images. I taught Ephraim to walk, taking them by their arms; but they did not know that I healed them. I drew them with gentle cords, with bands of love, and I was to them as those who take the yoke from their neck. I stooped and fed them.”  Hosea 11:1-4 (NKJV)

The prophet Hosea described how the Northern kingdom of Israel (Ephraim) had forsaken God, choosing the so-called “unrestricted freedom” of worldly idolatry against the ordered worship of the Lord. In the end, Assyria (whose false gods Ephraim had worshipped) defeated the Northern kingdom and took them away captive. The world’s promised freedom always leads to bondage far worse than any “burden” the Lord would require. Satan only seeks to trap and control you, keeping you from the blessings of a Godly life. Perhaps that is why Jesus’ words were so comforting to many people in His generation and ours as well.

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”  Matthew 11:28-30 (NKJV)