Psalm 28:1-9, 1 Kings 3:5-15, 1 Corinthians 15:1-11, Luke 18:9-14.
A). PRAYER AND PRAISE.
Psalm 28:1-9.
There is only one God who hears and answers prayer. His name is YHWH: the One who ‘is, and was, and is to come’ (cf. Revelation 1:8); the maker of the heavens and the earth (cf. Psalm 121:2). He is ‘the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ’ (cf. Ephesians 1:3a).
David proposes to make his “cry” known to the “LORD my rock” (PSALM 28:1a). The concept of the LORD as a rock of refuge to whom we may continually come resonates throughout the Bible (e.g. Psalm 62:6-8).
Furthermore, Jesus is the ‘rock’ of our salvation. When Peter said, ‘Thou art the Christ, the son of the living God’ (cf. Matthew 16:16); Jesus replied, ‘and upon this rock will I build my church’ (cf. Matthew 16:18). The Apostle Paul spoke of the spiritual rock which followed the children of Israel during their wilderness wanderings, and concluded, ‘and that Rock was Christ’ (cf. 1 Corinthians 10:4).
The Psalmist fears that if the LORD does not answer his prayer, he will be “like them that go down into the pit” (PSALM 28:1b). Without God, we can do nothing (cf. John 15:5) – and our plight would be the same as those who are dead in the ground, or who have sunk into the pits of hell.
David intensifies his appeal: “Hear the voice of my supplications, when I cry unto thee” (PSALM 28:2). This would no doubt include the inner voice of his silent prayers. We lift up empty hands towards the only one who can fill them, to Jesus our Saviour and Lord.
“Draw me not away with the wicked” (PSALM 28:3a) is an appeal not to be numbered with them, as one of them. ‘Who is on the LORD’s side?’ asked Moses (cf. Exodus 32:26). The hypocrisy of the wicked is that they ‘speak peace to their neighbours, but mischief is in their hearts’ (PSALM 28:3b).
When David says, “Give them according to their deeds” (PSALM 28:4), he is not being vindictive, but was content to leave the balancing of the scales of justice up to the LORD (PSALM 28:5). Given two opportunities to slay Saul, David refused to lift up his hand against him (cf. 1 Samuel 24:7; 1 Samuel 26:10).
“Blessed be the LORD, because He hath heard the voice of my supplications” (PSALM 28:6). Prayer gives way to blessing the LORD who has so blessed us (cf. Ephesians 1:3). Desperation gives way to elation when we trust the LORD.
When David returned praise, he announced that “The LORD is my strength and my shield” (PSALM 28:7a). When we “trust” in the LORD with all our “heart,” we are “helped.” Therefore our “heart” greatly rejoices, and we sing His praises (PSALM 28:7b). This is wholehearted Christianity.
Yet our wholehearted Christianity does not stand alone: the Psalmist switches from the singular to the plural (PSALM 28:8-9). We may distance ourselves from the company of the wicked (cf. Psalm 26:4-8), but we are a part of ‘a great multitude which no man can number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues’ who worship the LORD and the Lamb (cf. Revelation 7:9-10).
“The LORD is MY strength” (PSALM 28:7a); and “The LORD is THEIR strength,” says David” (PSALM 28:8a). And thus, ‘he that is feeble among them shall be as David’ (cf. Zechariah 12:8)
“And He is the saving strength of His anointed” (PSALM 28:8b). We look to our anointed king, Jesus, for our salvation – of whom David was but a type.
PSALM 28:9 is a prayer for the whole church militant upon the earth:
“Save thy people.” Help us to work out the salvation you have worked in (cf. Philippians 2:12-13).
“And bless thine inheritance.” Bless us with every spiritual blessing which is ours in Christ Jesus (cf. Ephesians 1:3).
“Feed them also.” Feed thy sheep with bread FOR life, and with THE Bread OF life.
“And lift them up for ever.” And bring us home at last into glory.
BENEDICTION: Hebrews 13:20-21.
B). WISDOM AND WORSHIP.
1 Kings 3:5-15.
In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night. “Ask what I shall give thee,” offered the LORD (1 KINGS 3:5). We should take up these offers of the LORD: ‘Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you’ (cf. Matthew 7:7). Jesus said, ‘Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full’ (cf. John 16:24).
Solomon began his response by reflecting upon the LORD’s mercy and covenant kindness towards David. Humbly, he acknowledged that he, like David his father, is but a servant. In fact, he acknowledged that he is “a little child” in that “I know not how to go out or come in” among such an innumerable multitude of “thy” people (1 KINGS 3:6-8).
Ministers should take note here: it is God’s church, not ours. David did make one disastrous attempt to number them, as if they were his own (cf. 2 Samuel 24:10). Certainly, the church of our Lord Jesus Christ is a ‘number which no man can number’ (cf. Revelation 7:9).
“Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart (literally, a listening heart) to judge THY people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this THY so great people?” (1 KINGS 3:9). Sometimes the size of the task might all but overwhelm us, especially when we consider our own smallness. But against that attitude, we must lay hold upon the greatness of our God!
It pleases God when we pray unselfishly. Rather than long life for himself, riches for himself, or the life of his enemies, Solomon had asked for himself “understanding to discern judgment” (1 KINGS 3:10-11).
Solomon’s wisdom is a gift of God (1 KINGS 3:12; cf. Proverbs 2:6; Proverbs 8:15-17). When we pray aright, God grants all that we ask, and more besides (1 KINGS 3:13; cf. Proverbs 3:16).
Interestingly, however, “length of days” is conditional (1 KINGS 3:14; cf. Exodus 20:12; Ephesians 6:1-3). The covenant is sure (cf. 2 Samuel 7:12-16), but covenant obedience is the condition for “length of days.”
When Solomon awoke and realised his dream, he made his way to Jerusalem. There Solomon “stood before the ark of the covenant of the LORD,” and offered sacrifices. Then he made a feast for all his servants (1 KINGS 3:15).
C). A PROCLAMATION TO BE BELIEVED.
1 Corinthians 15:1-11.
Sometimes it is necessary for Christian people to get back to the basics of their faith, to remind themselves what they are about. Here in 1 Corinthians, Paul is not teaching his readers something new, but reviewing that which he taught them from the very beginning (1 Corinthians 15:1). Perhaps now, as much as at any other time, the Church needs to remind herself of the fundamental truths of the gospel.
Paul does not deny that the majority of the congregation are still standing in the truth (1 Corinthians 15:1), but he still exhorts them to “hold fast” (1 Corinthians 15:2). We need to reiterate, from time to time: 'This is the faith of the Church. This is our faith, and so we believe and trust.'
The gospel which Paul preached was no different from that of the other Apostles, nor was it any different from that which the Church had received. The good news is that Christ has died (1 Corinthians 15:3), Christ is risen (1 Corinthians 15:4), and that Christ will come again (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:23). All this was in fulfilment of the Scriptures.
The death of Jesus is foreseen in Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53. His resurrection is foretold in Psalm 16:10, and in the typological accounts of Abraham and Isaac (Genesis 22), and Jonah and the big fish. Our resurrection upon the Lord's return is anticipated in Job 19:25-27.
The evidence in favour of Jesus' resurrection is overwhelming. He was seen by Peter and “the twelve”; by five hundred of His followers at once (most of whom were still living when Paul wrote, and others who had “fallen asleep” and were no doubt awaiting their own resurrection); by James the brother of Jesus (who no doubt needed some convincing); then by the apostles again; and then by Paul himself “as one born out of due time” (1 Corinthians 15:5-8). In any court of law a matter is established by two or three witnesses, but some of these people had not even believed it themselves, but now were willing to suffer for the truth of it (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:30).
The testimony is unanimous. Whether the other Apostles proclaimed it, or Paul himself, so they preached, and so the Church believed (1 Corinthians 15:11).
D). A PHARISEE AND “THE” SINNER.
Luke 18:9-14.
Jesus had just told His disciples a parable to encourage them to importunity in prayer (Luke 18:1). Now He turned back to the Pharisees (cf. Luke 17:20-21) to warn them, and those like them, against despising others and approaching God in a self-righteous way (Luke 18:9). That is Jesus’ stated purpose in the second parable of this chapter.
We must understand the sharpness of contrast between the two characters in Jesus’ story (Luke 18:10). “Pharisee” was not always the term of reproach that it is today, and in fact many people looked up to the Pharisees because of their scrupulosity in matters pertaining to the law of God. The “tax-gatherer”, however, was the ultimate bad guy – a collaborator with the occupying Romans, and usually not averse to lining his own pockets by defrauding his neighbours (cf. Luke 19:8).
Now these two men went up to the Temple to pray. Nothing wrong with that – until, that is, we are allowed to eavesdrop on their prayers. The time of prayer during the morning and evening services would be just after the sacrifice had been made, and the officiating priest went into the most holy place to offer incense before the ‘mercy-seat’ (cf. Luke 1:9-10).
The Pharisee stands to pray, but his words hardly deserve to be called a prayer. They are full of self-congratulation – and although he does address “God” he is merely “praying thus WITH HIMSELF” (Luke 18:11). Every other word seems to be “I”, as if God owed him rather than vice versa.
There is no confession, no petition, because the wretched man can see nothing wrong in himself. Furthermore, this man’s goodness is only discovered by disparaging his neighbour, making comparisons between his supposed righteousness and the tax-gatherer’s lack thereof. Yet before the LORD, ‘all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags’ (Isaiah 64:6).
Where the law commands just one fast per year, that on the Day of Atonement, the Pharisees would fast twice a week (Luke 18:12). This would be on the market days, on Mondays and Thursdays, so that the hypocrites could strut around with their disfigured faces and draw the maximum amount of attention to themselves (cf. Matthew 6:16). Where the law required the tithing of certain incomes, but not all, this self-styled paragon tithed everything.
Now, since the Pharisee demanded a comparison, so Jesus holds his verdict on this man’s prayer until he has spoken of the other. Possibly the Pharisee stood apart, lest he might be polluted by other men’s lack of holiness. The tax-gatherer stood apart for another reason.
The tax-gatherer felt his unworthiness so acutely that he could not even so much as lift up his eyes to heaven. The awakened sinner smites his breast as one who mourns (cf. Luke 23:48), and throws himself on the mercy of God. In a brief sentence he makes both honest confession and petition, and exercises both repentance and faith (Luke 18:13).
Interestingly, the tax-gatherer does not use the usual word for ‘mercy’, but rather uses the language of propitiation: “God, be propitious to me”. Remember that this petition was probably being made just as the incense was being offered before the mercy-seat. Unlike the Pharisee, who at least noticed the tax-gatherer standing there, the tax-gatherer was oblivious in that moment of anyone there but himself: he calls himself “THE sinner” (as if there was only one!)
Now we have before us, in embryo, Jesus’ teaching on what the Apostle Paul would later call ‘justification by faith, without the works of the law’ (Romans 3:28; Galatians 2:16). This was not a doctrine dreamed up by Martin Luther, or Augustine of Hippo, or even by Paul himself, but is contained right here in the teaching of Jesus: “I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than that other” (Luke 18:14).
The warning for us is not to look down on others (Luke 18:9), but always to recognize our low place before God: “for everyone who exalts himself shall be abased, and he that humbles himself shall be exalted” (Luke 18:14).
