MAKING MUSIC FROM SHARPS AND FLATS IN LIFE
Sermons Based on Selected Psalms
Psalms Sermon IV – Psalm 27
David the shepherd lad who became King of Israel was a music maker. He played a harp – the most popular instrument in Old Testament times.
The Book of Psalms is a collection of his compositions inspired by both his life experiences and his majestic moments with the Lord God.
As a sheep herder, the boy David became fascinated with the wonders of the out of doors even as he became familiar with the uniqueness of sheep.
As the one chosen by Samuel to be crowned the next king of Israel, David had no choice but to sharpen his defensive battle skills when Saul threatened his life; he had demonstrated his skills as a shepherd lad when he defended his sheep from the attack of wolves, and when he defended his family by killing their enemy Goliath with one stone fired by his slingshot.
David’s favor with God and the people worsened King Saul’s insanity, making him so blindly jealous that he made David the target of a relentless campaign to destroy the king-to-be.
David won the battle; but, more importantly, he won the hearts of the people because he had won the heart of the Lord God who had chosen him.
As king, David ruled righteously in accordance with God’s will; Israel enjoyed the golden years of their history during David’s reign.
Yet, as a man, David sinned; however, as a sinner, he was aware of his need for God’s forgiveness; as a forgiven child of God, he courageously accepted God’s punishment; as one who suffered the consequence of sinning against God, he also accepted the challenge of rebuilding his life for God.
As a Psalmist, David’s innermost thoughts - expressed in the verses of his poetry - have become the greatest collection of spiritual nuggets the world has ever known.
From a lifetime of positive and negative experiences, David has become our hero for making music out of the sharps and flats in life.
Any musician knows that it takes both to make good music. It takes the positives (the sharps) and the negatives (the flats). Arrange them in such a way that they blend into chords, orchestrate the chords into a harmonious melody, and what you get is a work of art that is pleasing to the ear.
Life is like that. The isolated sound of a sharp or the lonesome sound of a flat does nothing for the spirit. Get it all together in conformity with THE Great Composer’s divine plan for our lives, and what you have is harmonious living that is pleasing not only to God but to others as well.
These devotional messages, based on the Book of Psalms, are intended to draw from David’s orchestration of the sharps and flats in his life to help us make music from the sharps and flats in our own lives. Selah.
Psalm 27 . . .
We live in a world of hurt - daily bombardment of bad news flashed across the television screen - pictures of the devastation and destruction of war – the sickening sight of little children left without parents – the aching hearts of parents who have suffered the loss of children - poor treatment of homeless and hungry people – neglect of the elderly whose daily care depends on the goodness and mercy of family and friends, and so on.
Times have changed since David penned the words of the 27th Psalm but the basic needs of humanity remain the same.
Everyone needs to be fed when hungry, receive medical care when sick, clothed with dignity, respected when old, loved when down and out, comforted when overcome by grief; everyone needs hope to carry on.
David – the shepherd lad who became king – the king who sinned against God but was forgiven – the king whose times of trouble and sorrow are documented in his poems – the king who was materially wealthy but constantly depended on God – the king who tells us that he was no different from ordinary folks as far as spiritual needs are concerned.
When we face times of trouble, as was the case so often throughout David’s life, we would do well to lean on the insight and wisdom given to us by this man who knew God intimately.
The assurance David gives in each of his psalms might be summed up this way: If we focus our minds and hearts on the positives of knowing God, rather than the negatives all around us, we will experience the peace of God which comes from an awareness of God’s presence and protection.
Yes, we ought to be concerned about what’s going on in our world; yes, we ought to pray for those around us; yes, we ought to at least be willing to do our part as God gives us opportunity; but we must realize that there is so much in this world beyond our control that we have no choice but to leave it where it belongs – in the hands of God.
Even within our own little world - in the place where we live - we can only do so much; and, you know, it is easier to become more concerned about the failures and faults of others than it is to be concerned about the little things in our own lives that may require alteration.
It intrigues me that a man who occupied the highest position in the land . . . had so much privilege . . . many prize possessions . . . that such a man could bring himself to bow down in humility before a supreme deity.
Yet, David was a man so aware of who he was versus who God IS that he did not hesitate to humble himself before God, to cast himself upon God’s mercy, to dedicate himself to a closer walk with God, and to depend on God for seeing him through every difficult situation.
David began the 27th Psalm with a bold declaration of his firm belief in the Lord’s protection:
“The Lord is my light and my salvation – whom shall I fear?”
Fear is one of our most dreaded enemies. If Satan can just get you to wake up each morning FEARFUL of what lies ahead that day, he will have accomplished his purpose of casting a spell of darkness over you.
No, says David, I will not allow that veil of darkness to come between me and the Lord. The Lord knows me and I am aware of His presence; so why should I allow fear to cripple me? Instead, I choose to place my trust in the Light that shone in the darkness and brought salvation to those who trust in the Lord.
Not only is the Lord my light and my salvation, says David; but hear this: “The Lord is the strength of my life – of whom shall I be afraid?”
Most of us no longer have the strength we once enjoyed. There was a time when we could go most anywhere we wanted to go and do as much as we wanted to do; those days are gone; yet, there is spiritual strength which God gives us to get us through the crises that come our way.
It is not arrogance on our part to proclaim to anyone who wants to know that we will be able to carry on – with God’s help and the help of our family and friends – no matter what lies ahead of us. The Lord God gives us strength in times of trouble so that we can bear our heavy load; it is up to us to rely upon that strength and to allow caregivers to assist us when we need their help. “Ask, and ye shall receive.”
Although David acknowledged his dependence upon the Lord, and was confident that God would supply his needs, there was one request that David did make of the Lord:
“One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple. For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock.”
The temple in those days was a sacred place where the Lord revealed himself to his people in the form of Light that radiated upon the altar of sacrifice.
God had instructed His people to build the temple and to go there on a regular basis; they were to worship him by offering blood sacrifices to atone for their sins: God required this ritual in order to teach his people the importance of a blood sacrifice – looking forward to the coming of God’s Son to offer himself as the supreme sacrifice for our sins - once and for all.
Now that you and I live on this side of the cross, we look back to the cross of Christ as the fulfillment of the sacrifice that David could only look forward to.
Today we know that the supreme sacrifice for our sins was offered 2000 years ago; when we repent of our sins and receive God’s Son as our Lord and Savior, the Spirit of God comes to dwell within us so that each and every repentant believer becomes a temple of God. Paul put it this way: “Christ in you, your hope of glory.”
All the Lord asks of us is that we keep his temple holy! His promise to us is that one day we shall dwell with him in the eternal home that Christ has gone to prepare for us. There we shall be kept safe as we lean upon the Rock of our salvation.
Before that time, however, the psalmist tells us that his confidence in the Lord is so great that he will experience God’s goodness while he is still on this earth:
“I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.”
Never give up on God. His timing is not the same as ours. His ways are different from our ways. Even though we find ourselves going through hard times in difficult places under trying circumstances, today is a day for living close to God and each other.
Finally, David gives us some good advice to live by each day that we live: “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”
If you are like me, you don’t like to wait; yet, we must. Patience is hard to come by; yet, we must be patient; there is so much to be afraid of; yet, we need not be ruled by fear of the unknown. Why?
David told us why, and today you and I can say it together and really mean it: “The Lord is my light and my salvation – whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life – of whom shall I be afraid?” Go in peace, and do not be afraid . . . Selah.
