MAKING MUSIC FROM SHARPS AND FLATS IN LIFE
Sermons Based on Selected Psalms
Psalms Sermon XV – Psalm 145
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 145 . . .
In the sports world, they have what they call the Hall of Fame. There can be no greater honor than for an athlete to be inducted into this society; this is so because the Hall of Fame recognizes the greatness of those whose skills and accomplishments far excel all others in their sport.
My favorite attraction at Disney World is the Hall of Presidents. The caricatures and mannerisms of those who served in the highest office in the land depict each one as a person of greatness who served honorably with distinction.
Certain national parks in our country, as well as various monuments located in our national and state capitols, commemorate the lives of those who achieved greatness in the world of government.
The greatness of men and women is a theme that echoes throughout the many eras of American and world history. We are a people who love to recognize the greatness of those who have gone before us. In our psalm for today, David - who himself was the greatest of all earthly kings - extols the greatness of God.
Psalm 145:3 . . .
In Sunday school when I was coming along, kids were taught a little chorus with these words:
“My God is so great, so strong and so mighty! There’s nothing my God cannot do! The mountains are his, the rivers are his, The stars are his handiwork too.”
Several years ago, a song writer by the name of Rich Mullins wrote the words to another chorus that is sung today in a lot of churches:
“Our God is an awesome God,
He reigns from heaven above
With wisdom, power and love,
Our God is an awesome God.”
There have been so many song writers since the time of David who, like the psalmist, found it so easy to recognize the greatness of God; and then it was only natural for them to express their discovery in poetry which lent itself to musical tunes that folks love to sing.
In this 145th psalm, David praises God in four different categories: David praises God for His work of redemption --- 145-4-7 . . .
What mighty works was David thinking of? Do you suppose he had in his mind that mighty act when God sent a great flood in which God saved a righteous believer by the name of Noah and his family?
Perhaps he was thinking of the time when God gave an elderly couple by the name of Abraham and Sarah a child even though it appeared to be humanly impossible for Sarah to conceive.
Surely, he must have also had in mind the ten plagues that occurred in Egypt in order to force Pharaoh to let God’s people go; and who could ever forget the miracle of the death angel passing over the households of God’s people to spare them the death of their first-born children?
Not only all of that, but God led His people through the midst of the Red Sea on dry ground; God made the walls of Jericho fall; God gave victory to Gideon and 300 men against an enemy army of 140,000 soldiers.
These were acts of redemption – mighty acts performed by God to save His people from destruction.
Miracles of all miracles, God declared His greatness when a virgin conceived and gave birth to the Son of God who was given the name “Jesus” because He would “save the people from their sins” – an act which in fact was accomplished by the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God’s Son and our Savior! Only the greatness of God could have wrought the greatest miracle known to man!
And today, God continues to show His greatness when He forgives repentant sinners and restores them to favor with Him. He takes men and women who are as good as “dead” in their trespasses and sins, and He makes them alive in Christ Jesus.
God is so great that He takes alcoholics, drug addicts, perverts and all the rest of those who have fallen into the gutter, and He changes them into men and women fit for the kingdom of heaven. Our God IS an awesome God!
David praises God for His compassion --- 145:8-9 . . .
It has been difficult at times for me to understand how God can be so slow to anger – especially when His children “mess up” so often. Not a day goes by that I do not ask God to forgive me for my sins, faults, failures, shortcomings, mistakes and errors of judgment. As human beings, we mess up; but as God’s children, we are loved by Him; He cares; He knows; He understands; He forgives.
Oftentimes God showed mercy when Moses got on his knees and cried out to God for patience and forgiveness toward the children of Israel.
At other times, God spared those who deserved punishment for the sake of the righteous folks who begged God to give them another chance.
God even forgave Nineveh, a godless nation that sought to destroy God’s people and wipe them off the face of the earth, but only because the king and the people of Nineveh repented.
What God did for enemies when they repented, God will certainly do for His people when they repent. It is no secret that God our Father waits to give us a second chance . . . is ready, willing and able to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Our God IS an awesome God!
David praises God for His kingdom --- 145:10-13a . . .
What an awesome thought for you and me to consider that, whether we are inductees into a hall of fame or just ordinary folks - like most of us - every one of us who name the name of Jesus and claim Him as Lord and Savior, every one of us belongs to the kingdom of God.
Of His kingdom, there shall be no end, and we shall reign with Him forever and forever. Amen. Our God IS an awesome God!
David praises God for His faithfulness --- 145:13b-20 . . .
The psalmist sees God’s faithfulness in the blessings that He gives to each one of His children:
He gives help to those who fall and are bowed down. The best thing we can do for ourselves when we literally fall is to allow someone to help us get back on our feet; and if that is not possible, we are reminded that God is able to lift our spirits even though we are bent over.
He extends an open hand in order that our needs might be satisfied – whether our need is food or any other basic need. God our Father makes a way for needs to be met in a way that is best for the one who has a need.
He blesses us with His nearness. He is never far away from us. He is there when we need Him most. His presence will never forsake us, both now and forevermore.
His protection is a blessing that we can count on. No enemy can is powerful enough to “do us in” when we trust in God. The heavenly Father is on our side. He will guide us and protect us all the way from here to there. So, there is no need to fear. Our God IS an awesome God!
Considering these reasons for praising God, let us celebrate God’s greatness - 145:21 . . . Our God IS an awesome God! Selah.
