Mirth in the Midst of Madness -- As we continue with our Series we come to the End of the Hymn portion of the Psalm. We have Covered David’s I. Praise to God II. His Prayer to God last week we covered III. The Protection from God. today we will cover….
IV. The Promises of God (vs. 8-10) Many people tend to focus on the Precepts of the Bible (Namely the Commandments) and Faith to take into account the abundance of Promise contained to the Believer.
A. The Goodness of God. (8)
1. Tasting -- Out of the Senses that we enjoy, I think tasting is one of my favorites...I love good tasting food. Food is necessary to sustain life of which taste is not essential in order to obtain Nourishment. However Taste is all about Pleasure...Enjoyment. Thus I think the focus of how one should relate to God in this context.
Tä·am' -- to taste; figuratively, to perceive: -- how do we Identify certain foods and spices? Through tasting --
David is encouraging the reader of the Psalm if you will Try God...Taste...Him you will see that He is Good.
Unfortunately -- God continues to get a bad rap, and people continue to perceive Him as Hard and Demanding and unreasonable. A Glorified TaskMaster.
I.e. How many remember taking Caster Oil or Cod Liver Oil? -- It was supposed to be medicine and good for you, but the TASTE would literally cause a one to Hurl (COD LIVER OIL)
So many show up to Worship God with this mentality -- “I guess I have to go to Church and Take my medicine.” Or Must Pray and read my Bible...Got to take my Daily Medicine.
But let someone pass out some homemade Chocolate Cookies and people are like...man that’s good.
Mrs Lona made a Beautiful Cake for Rain’s wedding...however looking at it and admiring the beauty of it is not the full purpose for which it was created. It was meant to be eaten, it was made to taste Good.
Our Relationship with the Father….is meant to be more that Nourishment (The Bread of Life) Not only GOOD FOR YOU...IT IS MEANT TO TASTE GOOD ALSO.
(Psa 63:5 NKJV) My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, And my mouth shall praise [You] with joyful lips.
(Psa 119:103 NKJV) How sweet are Your words to my taste, [Sweeter] than honey to my mouth!
2. Trusting -- “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Him”
When we learn to Trust...is when we really begin to enjoy.
I have been known to cook up some tasty food...but sometime when I try to feed my wife a bite of what I have prepared she still doesn’t trust me…”What is it” she will say...I will follow up with “Trust me it’s really Good”
I feel like this is the point the Psalmist is trying to get across to the reader.
Try the Lord...The Relationship you can have with Him will taste better than anything you can imagine...TRUST ME! (Rom 10:11 NASB) For the Scripture says, "WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED."
(Psa 36:7 NKJV) How precious [is] Your lovingkindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings.
B. The Grace of God.(9) --
1. Fear (9) we have the Hebrew word yä·ra' -- again….not to stand in fear but rather to stand in AWE!
(Mar 9:2, 5 NKJV) Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up on a high mountain apart by themselves; and He was transfigured before them. ... Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, "Rabbi, it is good for us to be here;”
Everyone to whom the Lord chose to give a glimpse of His Glory what kept them from literally bursting into flames was His Grace.
IT Is JESUS….the Personification of GRACE & TRUTH came to reassure us that The FATHER’s intentions of you are for GOOD.
(Jer 29:11 NKJV) For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.
Every encounter the believer had with the Resurrected Christ or His Angels began with “Fear Not...or Be not Afraid”
2. Family (9) “saints” This is why we can stand in Awe yet not afraid! We have been grafted into the Family of God -- We have received the Spirit of Adoption and given and New Identity, a New Name.
Saints -- kä·doshe' -- Sacred, Holy One, Set apart.
It’s important to remember where we have come from. Yes we were Sinners; We need to remain Humble and remember that this Saintly Status was not earned by us nor deserved. It was a Gift given out of the Goodness of the Heart of Almighty God in Christ JESUS!
(Eph 2:19 NKJV) Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,
3. Fortune (By Grace through Faith) -- I’m not a prosperity preacher in the sense of the stereotype that it is today.
I’m a Prosperity Preacher in the sense that...that in all the years I have been trusting in the Lord I have Lacked for nothing. My Focus is not on my Abundance but in the God’s Abundance.
And if My Father is Rich...then by proxy the Children are Rich.
David in the End had amassed more wealth than any earthly King -- No Soloman...read your bible...It was David who stored up the wealth that Soloman used to build the Temple and Yes later continued to add to it. Sources say: Figuring in Inflation Soloman would be worth over 2 Trillion -- They say others had more wealth...David & Solomon were not rich because of GOLD they were rich because of GOD!
C. The Guarantee of God. (10) This is a supporting verse for (vs.9b)
1. Seekers not Slackers -- So who can be the recipients of this Goodness?
“Those who seek the Lord” Nothing like a hungry lion on a mission for food...they will not rest until their hunger has been satisfied.
People who live only for the Kingdom of this World continue to add more and more to the coffers, and yet are never Satisfied.
WHY? Because that huge void in the life of every human being can only be filled by the presence of the Living God -- A placed reserved for The HOLY SPIRIT!
(Mat 5:6 NKJV) Blessed [are] those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.
(Mat 6:31-33 NKJV) "Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' "For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
Who’s Righteousness are we seeking?
2. In His Goodness there are no Lackers (10b) “shall not lack any good thing.”
This Passage began with Tasting and It ends with being Satisfied.
There is nothing quite so satisfying and sitting down for a good mean that “Taste Good” enjoying it to the fullest and pushing away from the table totally Satisfied….”Man that was so good….I’m Full”
When you come seeking the Lord...you will never leave empty, hungry and lacking.
(Psa 37:25 NKJV) I have been young, and [now] am old; Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, Nor his descendants begging bread.
