MAKING MUSIC FROM SHARPS AND FLATS IN LIFE
Sermons Based on Selected Psalms
Psalms Sermon VI – Psalm 34:7-10
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 34:7-10 . . .
David’s hymns of praise have inspired people through the centuries not only because of the beauty of the poetry but more so because the psalmist was reflecting on his own personal experiences of getting to know God better through the “ups and downs” in his life.
Not one of us can say that life has been a “bed of roses” or that we have never had to deal with problems associated with human weaknesses.
There have been good times; there have been bad times; no one can say that life has always been good; nor can anyone say that life has always been bad. Most of us will admit that life has been like a “roller coaster” ride.
David’s entire life was filled with mixed emotional experiences – good and bad. His rise to the throne was nothing short of a miracle; the victories he won as the “George Washington” of his day made him a champion of the people; yet he suffered defeats - not only in his role as king but also in his personal life.
David knew what it was like to sin against God and then to be forgiven when he repented.
Yes, he knew defeat on the battle field, but he also knew victory over the enemy; yes, he suffered the defeat of yielding to temptation, but he also discovered the joy of forgiveness.
In the psalms David put together one hymn after another that spoke of his personal victories over defeat. He painted word pictures of how the Lord of his life took the negatives and turned them into positives.
In this series of devotional messages, we are seeing how David mastered the art of making music out of the sharps and flats of life. Our souls are being nourished by David’s poems; we are being touched by the healing power of the Spirit of God. David’s words are so refreshing to all of us who need a word from the Lord.
The challenging thought for you and me is that if King David could humble himself before God and allow the Lord to use him for making music in his life, there is reason to believe that you and I can benefit from those wonderful words of encouragement that we find in the psalms of David.
In the 34th Psalm it is as if David made music with an orchestra of twenty-two different inspirational verses.
In the first six verses, David called on God’s people to magnify the name of the Lord - in our worship, in our thoughts, and in our prayers.
Today we come to verses 7-10 in which we discover some nuggets of truth that will help us to magnify the name of the Lord in all our ways.
“The angel of the LORD encamps round about them that fear him, and delivers them.” (v7)
Briefly, I invite you to give some thought to what this verse says about angels. Did you know that, as children of God, you and I have been blessed with access to a guardian angel?
David tells us that guardian angels minister to those who fear God.
The fact that the psalmist uses the plural form of the word angel causes us to realize that each one who calls upon the name of the Lord – with respect and reverence – shall be watched over by a special heavenly representative from the Lord God.
To fear God is a good thing! It means that we look upon God as awesome beyond our ability to comprehend; yet not so awesome that He does not know or care about each of His children.
Yes, I stand amazed in the presence of the one and only omnipotent God - One who loves me, and cares enough about me to assign a guardian angel to watch over me and to accompany me throughout my life’s journey.
“Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.” (v. 8)
The psalmist invites you to “check God out” for yourself. Don’t just take my word for it; try casting all your cares on Him and see that He will have mercy and abundantly pardon. Try giving God first place in your life and discover for yourself that the Lord is gracious.
You can be sure that the man or woman who recognizes their need for divine help, and relies on the LORD God for that help, will be blessed.
It is not said that we could be, we might be, we ought to be blessed. We will be blessed! Throughout scripture the point is made from beginning to end that they who trust in the Lord will be blessed. You want to be blessed with the peace of God? Trust in the Lord with all your heart!
“Fear the Lord, for those who fear Him lack nothing.” (v. 9)
Wow! Did you hear the psalmist say that those who fear God lack nothing? Does he really mean “lack nothing?”
When I look back upon my life, I can say without hesitation that my respect for my creator . . . my sustainer . . . my redeemer has been at a high level ever since I came to know him personally. He is truly my Father in heaven, hallowed be His Name. On Him I depend to supply my needs.
I can testify from personal experience that if my family and I trusted the Lord, He provided for us. Of course, there were times when the going got tough, especially during seminary days - when my wife and I wondered where our next meal was coming from – but we did not starve.
My concern is that there are so many in our world today who are starving due to the lack of food. Feed the Hungry organizations are doing a good job of getting food to poor people - in our own country and throughout the world - but we must do more. Christians must give so that others might live!
As you have opportunity, donate a few of your pennies to organizations that feed the hungry; in so doing, Jesus said, “you minister unto me.”
“For all their strength, young lions become famished, but those who reverence God lack nothing essentially good.” (v. 10)
The intent of the psalmist seems to be that there are times when even the strongest of God’s created beings go without the essentials of water and food for awhile – even to the point of being on the verge of starving; there are people in the world today who live in countries where lions roam fields in search of prey; those lions will find it; but let us never forget about humans in our world today who need to be fed.
Would you agree that the least we can do is to contribute to agencies that make it their business to get food to starving people?
Perhaps someone is thinking, “If they reverence God, they will lack nothing good.”
What we must understand is that God depends on those who must feed those who have not; and we do so out of reverence for God; Christians help feed the hungry, not to bring glory and honor to ourselves, but out of reverence for God, for God is love; and if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.
As God the Father has loved us by giving us good things, let us show our love for others by helping to provide good things for them. You can help by saying your prayers for those who are hungry; you can help by saving a few pennies along the way, perhaps in a jar of some kind, and when the opportunity comes, you can turn pennies into a love offering, and you can help by sending your love offering to some trustworthy agency that will take it and add it to the offerings of others for a worthy cause.
When you go through the “down” experiences of life . . .
Why not let God lift you “up” to a higher level of being,
By calling on Him to care for your spiritual needs . . .
By consenting to the watch care of His guardian angel . . .
By committing yourself to care for those who lack good things . . .
When you cooperate with God in these ways - trusting Him to take control of your life, trusting Him to calm your fears, trusting Him to turn your “downs” into “ups” – simply trusting Him every day - you will be blessed. Selah.
