Chapter Four

THE SOVEREIGN VICTORY

1.Humility:

We learn more of the Highway in Psalm 130. Upon this earth we can never find anyone who is perfect. All of us as human beings have the old sinful Adamic nature and hence we are bound to fall again and again. Only when we see the Lord Jesus Christ face to face shall we be like Him. Till then all of us make mistakes, sometimes, somewhere. The Psalmist says in verse 3, “If Thou Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord who shall stand?” Yes if we truly examine ourselves in the light of His word, and before His searching eyes, none of us can stand. Even apostle Paul said in Romans 7:18, “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) dwelleth no good thing.” He also tells us about the battle between the flesh and the spirit, which was going in his heart. We too have to face such battles. But there is no need to be discouraged. Our Lord is full of compassion. Psalm 130:4 say, that there is forgiveness with the Lord. The moment we go to Him confessing our sins He forgives us because He died for our sins. His love and compassions are far more than we can ever understand. Any time we fail or are defiled by thought, word or deed we must humble ourselves and by faith claim His precious blood for deliverance. Then we will be cleansed, forgiven, restored enabled to walk in the spirit according to Gal. 5:16.

We find in verses 5 and 6 that the Psalmist is waiting for the Lord. When we are sick or are undergoing some painful experience we cannot get sleep at night and so we go on counting the minutes and hours and waiting anxiously for the morning light. Here the same thought is expressed. The Psalmist says that he waits for the Lord; with a great longing that He may come to him to forgive him and to deliver him. Whenever we are defiled we must go to the Lord at once and confess, saying, “Lord I have defiled myself. Have mercy upon me. I trust in Thy mercy for forgiveness, and in Thy precious blood for cleansing. ” This is how our fellowship with Him will be restored. We have His promises in Psalm 37:23,28,38,39 and also in Proverbs 24:16. In our weak moments the devil sometimes deceives us, but there is always provision for us in the precious blood o f Jesus for cleansing and full restoration. In Psalm 131, when the Lord blesses and uses us, it is our nature to become puffed up and let pride take hold of us. Even though others may think that we are still humble. So do not yield to pride or begin boasting of yourself or of others. We do not realize how easily we rob God of His glory. What we do in His service is only by God’s grace.

Paul was humble in that he took every opportunity to name it clearly to others, that all he was and all he did was only by the grace of God. He gave glory to God alone. Even so, the Lord used a thorn in Paul’s flesh to keep him humble. Paul was a great servant of God. He was given many revelations and was caught up to Paradise, the third heaven. God knew His servants temptations to become proud and so He gave him a painful thorn in the flesh (see 2 Cor. 12:7). We need to pray, “Lord keep me humble lest I allow the enemy to come in and rob Thee of Thy glory” Through pride many of the God’s servants have lost out in the end. Pride often wells up within us in response to remarks of other people. We may talk and write exaggerating things and thus people will be deceived and think more of us than they should.

In Psalm 131:1 the Psalmist tells the Lord that his heart is not haughty and his eyes are not lofty, and he does not exercise himself in great matters or in things too high for him. But we often want to show off as if we are very important, and take a prominent place. By such means the devil seeks to bring about our downfall. We must pray constantly, “Lord, keep me humble and save me from all enemy’s attacks ”. By taking these steps we are helped. We will be taught as we obey the Lord and follow His plan. Then we will learn all these things.

2.Obedience:

Now in Psalm 132 David begins to see the real purpose for which God had called him. In the beginning he thought God called him to be a better king than Saul. God rejected king Saul because of his disobedience and stubbornness, and though Samuel His prophet He chose David in his stead. At first David did not know the real purpose for which he had been called and chosen. God wanted a man after His own heart, a man to whom He could reveal His heavenly plan concerning the Temple. He desired a man willing to be governed by Himself, who would thus be able to gather the true material for the Temple. So David was chosen and Lord took him through many sad and painful experiences, which he mentions in the Psalm and which are also recorded in the books 1 kings, and 1 and 2 Samuel. As believers we often go through trials and afflictions, which are beyond our comprehension. In our early Christian life our concern is to live a good life in the eyes of men, and to expect God to bless and help us according to all our personal needs, without any thought of our taking part in Church meetings and activities. Very few believers know the real purpose for which God has called and saved them by grace, which is in Christ Jesus.

Only after David had gone through many sufferings and afflictions did he realize that the Lord was preparing him for something far more wonderful and important than he had ever imagined. That is why he said in his testimony, “Lord remember David and all his afflictions. ” He was not praying to God for sympathy, neither was he asking God to lessen his afflictions, but he earnestly desired to know and to understand the purpose that God had for his life.

Job could not understand why God was taking him through such painful trials. Only when God came and spoke to him face to face did he realize God was preparing him for more than double the blessings he had before his afflictions. So also David through his sufferings was being prepared to be God’s partner and co-worker, to accomplish His purpose on the earth, not just to be a king instead of Saul.

When David considered the affliction he was going through, he began to see that God wanted him to build a house for Him, and he vowed to God saying, “I will not give sleep to my eyes, or slumber to my eyelids, until I find out a place for the Lord, an habitation for the mighty God of Jacob” (Psalm 132:4,5).

God had been working His purpose out from old when He redeemed His people from their bondage and afflictions in Egypt. God sent ten plagues on Pharaoh and the Egyptians so that His people Israel mighty be freed and brought out of Egypt to serve God’s purpose. Then God called Moses up to mount Horeb for forty days and forty nights to give him the pattern of the Tabernacle and reveal more of the purpose for which He had saved His people out of Egypt. The Lord said, “…. let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them” (Exodus 25:8). The people forgot about God’s need and great purpose for them and thought only about their own needs and trials. So they continued to live life of defeat, shame and barrenness. Through the centuries God sent many prophets with His word to remind His people of the glorious purpose unto which He has called and redeemed them. He had to send trials and afflictions to work out that purpose in and through them.

So also the Lord reveals His own purpose for His Church. He has to take His redeemed ones through many refining fires, before His work of building them together for eternal habitation for Himself is completed. Though we often talk about the “Church,”many of us do not know what the true Church, now being built by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself (see Math. 16:18, Heb. 8:5; 9:11).

God spoke to Moses on the mount to free him from the human conceptions for His purpose. God took David through difficulties, afflictions and battles to deliver him from human wisdom and ideas about His purpose.

In Joshua’s days God’s people failed to drive out the Jebusites from Jerusalem. When the Lord gave His people the whole land of Canaan to possess, He commanded them to drive out the seven nations because of their abominable heathen practices. But the Israelites allowed the Jebusites to remain in the strongest position of the city. Years later when David became king in Jerusalem, they began to mock him, and were so self-confident. When David and his men went out against them they said, “Except thou take away the blind and the lame, thou shalt not come in hither, ”thinking they could not be overcome.

3.Dedication:

But God’s purpose was not to have the Jebusites driven out, so he gave David and his men victory (see 2 Sam. 5:1-10). It was only when he became the true king of Zion over all the tribes of Israel, God showed Him that the Jebusites must not remain. If you want to share in the building of the House of the Lord then you must yield completely to Jesus Christ as the heavenly King. As we enthrone the Lord Jesus Christ in our hears, in our family and in our church we will begin to see something of God’s plan for His Church.

Now the Jebusites had no part whatsoever in God’s House as in these says persons not “born again ” have no place to share in the House of God. Many are found like Jebusites in the work of God today. Though they are not “born again” they have been elected to hold the offices and to be members of the committees because of their influence through their money, positions or other worldly qualifications. Others not “born again” hold positions as pastors, deacons and bishops. Such cannot truly have any part in the House of God, or any share whatever in the work of the Lord. They cannot lead and care for God’s flock as true pastors and shepherds and like the Jebusites, must be kept out side. The presence of even a few Jebusites hinder God’s work. Even though David, when he came to Jerusalem had driven out many, he left some there perhaps thinking not to trouble them because they did good and were nice people. But God had to punish David till he drove them all out. David knew whatever victories he had were not by his own strength but God’s power; yet we see in 2 Sam. 24:1-4 how he told his commander Joab to number the people and to find out how many fighting men were in his kingdom.

Any country going to war needs to know the strength of his army, compared to that of his enemy. But Joab reminded David that he had been trusting the Lord for their victories in past years, whether they had few or many; for the battles were not men’s but the Lord’s. This time David’s words to number his men prevailed and then a plague came upon the people of Jerusalem and many died.

Then David repented of his sin at the threshing floor o f Araunah the very place, which became the site upon which the temple was built. Even before that occasion David had a desire to know where the Temple should be built. So he says in Psalm 132:4,5 “ I will not give sleep to my eyes,……..until I find out a place for the Lord, an habitation for the mighty God o f Jacob.” Now he knew God wanted him to discover the site where the Temple should be built, and so he was willing for God to take him through any trial and affliction to find that place. While the Jebusites still lived in Jerusalem he could not find it. When David sinned by counting the people seventy thousand men died of pestilence from Dan to Beersheba. Through the prophet Gad, God told David to rear an alter for sacrifices for himself and for the people, on the very place where he had repented of his sin. He sought forgiveness and built an alter for burnt offerings and peace offerings, and there he got the revelation and bought the place from Araunah (2 Sam. 24:24). So having bought the place he was able to send away the last Jebusite from Jerusalem. Even one Jebusite was only in Jerusalem was a hindrance for the purpose of God. So also in God ‘s house today, just one ungodly man will be a hindrance. So we must be sure that any man appointed as an elder or a shepherd among God’s people is truly born again, other wise he will be a trouble maker all his years. After David fully humbled himself he was freed from human wisdom. A threshing floor is the place where chaff is separated from the grain and on two occasions God brought David into the threshing floor (1 Chro.13, and 2 Sam.24). There he showed him what he thought was wisdom but in the sight of God it was only chaff. So what men call knowledge, wisdom and cleverness God calls only chaff and rubbish. Paul, long after his conversion, said that he now counted it dung or refuse which used to be gain to him.

4. Satisfaction:

David having been freed from chaff at the threshing floor of Araunah is given the plan for God’s Temple to be built on the very same site. At that very place too, Abraham proved God and passed his last test of faith. In Gen.22: 1-2, God appeared to him and told him to offer up his only son Isaac on mount Moriah. Without questioning God Abraham took Isaac and prepared to offer him, laying on the altar, declaring with increased faith that though he should slay his the Lord was able to raise him up.

With like faith and without doubting or questioning God’s Word or His ways, we too may take our share in the House of God. Whatever God says, believe and obey Him. He cannot make mistake. Sometimes we begin to argue like Peter as if we know better than God. In Acts. 10:9-16 God spoke three times to Peter, and Peter said, “Not so, Lord….” The Lord never asks any body to do anything wrong. But Peter refused to obey Him, and argued with all sincerity. We do not realize how much we grieve the Lord by questioning His dealings with us. We ask why the Lord permits such sufferings, such difficulties, and sorrows and painful experiences in our lives even though we are so good and obedient and active in His service.

We see in Acts 9:11-15 that the Lord said to Ananias, “Arise, and go to into the street which is Straight, and enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus….” Then Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem. And he hath authority from the chief priests to bind al that call on Thy name.” But the Lord said unto him, ” Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me…”so we too must obey Him without knowing, and must not doubt, question or argue. Our wisdom is foolishness with God. So we must receive the revelation of God’s purpose for His House. We may build good buildings and have campaigns and yet not come into God’s plan and purpose. In Psalm 132:7 David seem to have had the revelation of God’s purpose and for His House. As we come to His feet in humility and brokenness we will receive revelation. God wants humble and contrite hearts, which will worship Him in spirit and in truth. Those who have learned to worship thus will be true to Him day by day. They will be willing to take share in the building of the House of God. In worship we learn to give to God. But many want only to receive. Many worship in words but not from their hearts. In verse 8 of Psalm 32, David says he wants to give God rest, satisfaction and pleasure.

We need to seek God even in the smallest matters of life and in these also to know and to do His will. Such a life is only possible as we enthrone our Lord Jesus Christ as king. Then we will learn by experience. Our obedience will give God His rest.

Once when David wanted to join the Philistines without seeking God’s will, he was sent back only to find that the Amalekites had burnt the city of Ziglag and taken captive his wives, children, and all the people in it. Only when he repented, and his men with him were able to recover all the loss (see 1 Sam. 30).

In verse 9 of Psalm 132 we see what place the righteousness and heavenly joy have in building the House of God. As we fulfill God’s will we should rejoice with Him even though He permits persecutions, sorrows, difficulties and trials in our lives. When we learn to rejoice in the Lord always, we will enjoy our share in building God’s House.

In verses 9 to 12 we see the need to claim God’s promises for us and to remember His faithful covenants as we wait upon Him.

In verse 13 we find David reigning in Zion as king over all tribes, having driven out the Jebusites. There in Zion he wrote Psalm 48 in which he calls Zion, ‘the city of the great king’ in verse 2, ‘the city of our God’ and ‘the mountain of His holiness’ in verse 1, and ‘the city of our God’ in verse 8.

There David begins to have clear revelation of the House of God, using these names. Abraham too had a vision of the ‘city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God’ (Heb.11: 10). That is why he was able to leave his kith and kin, property and possessions, and follow God living in tents for the rest of his life.

The Kingship of the Lord Jesus Christ in our hearts will enable us not to give any place, anywhere to the Jebusites. If we so give them room, we will only grieve the Lord.

In Psalm 132:14 David was not thinking of an earthly building. He desired to build the House of God, by God’s own plan, which was a shadow of the true spiritual House, which the Lord Jesus Christ Himself is building. In verse 17, the Lord says,” there will I make the horn of David to bud….. ”David is a type of Lord Jesus Christ. The “horn” speaks of the Lord Jesus Christ, God’s anointed one. Thus David began to see that there would be a great revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ in his own house. Only when we come to the House of God, is our hunger for Him fully satisfied (v16); and it is there that we find great joy among God’s people in spite of all our trials, persecutions and afflictions. Those who take share willingly in building the House of God have abundant joy and true fellowship. Those who only come to enjoy singing in the meeting or even for lesser purposes, and taking no share in the work of building will get easily offended and also loose their joy.

In Psalm 133 we are made to see how to share God’s fullness. First of all we are brethren in the Lord and then we come together under the headship of the Lord Jesus Christ. Aaron was the high priest set apart for the Lord’s service. Specially prepared anointing oil was poured upon his head in full quantity; it ran down upon his beard and went down to the skirts of his garments. The Lord Jesus Christ, who is God’s fullness, is our great High Priest with a perpetual anointing of the Holy Spirit without measure. As we come under His headship the anointing comes upon us to give us the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

We should not be proud of caste, creed, education, community or anything; but we must keep the unity of the faith among all our fellow - believers. Thus the life of the Lord Jesus Christ will flow freely into us and give us our share in the building of His Church, the heavenly Zion. There the Lord commands the blessing even life for evermore. A blessed Church shares God’s fullness. The spirit must increase in the whole Church.

Psalm 134:1-2. As we continue to worship and praise the Lord as fellow - believers we learn to serve and magnify and glorify Him under all circumstances. That is an expression of God’s purpose in having us saved.

Thus we see that these Psalms take us on step by step, teaching us to serve Him for His own sake and not for the sake of a reward. There is great joy in such service to the Lord. May He give us the experience of these fifteen Psalms, and our share in God’s fullness with the privilege of being kept under the headship of our Lord Jesus Christ.