Love the place where God’s glory dwells! (2)
[Psalms 26]
One day, I had scanned all the very old pictures in church albums to introduce our church history in a slide. As I scanned the old photos, I thought about how the years have passed so quickly. But while looking at the old photos of those who had been coming to our church from a long time ago, I thought that the spiritual attitude of faithfulness is really important in the true faith life. In particular, I think it's really precious to be serving the same church faithfully for a long time in the many church situations, in which there are a lot of people who move around from church to church.
David, the psalmist in Psalms 26, was truly faithful man. He confesses that he had walked in his integrity because he loved the place where God's glory dwells (vv. 1, 11). Here “I have walked in my integrity” doesn’t mean that David was perfect and innocent like God. It means that David was never assimilated at that time with the guilty crowd (vv. 4, 5) (Park). In a word, David faithfully acted wholeheartedly [“The word “integrity” is “tom” in the Hebrew language and has the meaning of sincerity, wholeheartedness (Park)]. In other words, David, who loved the place where the glory of God dwells, walked sincerely and wholeheartedly. I want to meditate on three things about the lessons we can learn from David, who had acted faithfully.
First, those who act faithfully don’t waver, but trust in the Lord.
Look at Psalms 26:1 – “Vindicate me, O LORD, for I have walked in my integrity, And I have trusted in the LORD without wavering.” David steadfastly trusted in the Lord, even in the difficult circumstances he was in. Rather, he took the difficult situation as an opportunity to pray to God. David prayed, “Examine me, O LORD, and try me; Test my mind and my heart” (v. 2). Here, the word “Examine” means ‘look deeply into the heart,’ and the word “Test” means ‘to put on a trial of fire to purify the metal’ (Park). ‘These words seem to refer to the shaking of things with something like tribulation because there are impurities in the person’s faith here (Park). We need to shake ourselves through adversity. The reason is that without pain and adversity, we don’t look deeply into our hearts. We seem to have time to stop and look back on ourselves only when there is a painful event. David not only took the difficult and painful situation he faced as an opportunity to look deeply into his heart through the eyes of God, but furthermore, he used that situation as an opportunity for him to be refine himself. Therefore, David was steadfast in his dependence on God. Like David, we must act faithfully, but we must trust in the Lord without wavering.
Second, those who act faithfully walk in the Lord’s truth.
Look at Psalms 26:3 – “For Your lovingkindness is before my eyes, And I have walked in Your truth.” In the midst of adversity, David didn’t compromise with the sinful world and the wicked, but faithfully walk in the word of the Lord. Although he could sit with a vain man and walk with unfaithful man, he lived a life of faith that transcended all those situations. How was this possible? How could David walk in the truth of the Lord, even among the false people and in the false world? It was because of the Lord’s lovingkindness. In other words, David was able to walk in the Lord’s truth because he saw His lovingkindness before his eyes as he looked at himself, even in trouble and adversity, as the opportunity to refine his will and heart. Are we living with the spiritual eyes to see God's lovingkindness?
Last week, I experienced God's lovingkindness as I was reading the book “Be Decisive” by Pastor Warren Wiersbe. I felt God's lovingkindness through not only the God’s prophet word to His servant Prophet Jeremiah, but also protecting Jeremiah until the word of prophecy was fulfilled. When I applied this word to my church, like God will fulfill His promise of Matthew 16:18 – “… I … will build My church” – and will protect me until His promise will be fulfilled, I was comforted and encouraged greatly. Since David saw God's lovingkindness before his eyes, he could walk in the truth of the Lord without compromising with the vain and the cunning people. We can think of this in reverse. In other words, the reason why do we sometimes compromise in adversity without acting in His truth is because we don’t see God's lovingkindness before our eyes. In the absence of this spiritual experience of seeing the Lord’s lovingkindness with our spiritual eyes and when only our physical eyes focus on the adversity we face, we cannot help but compromise the truth.
We can describe three things about life of David who walked in the truth of the Lord through His lovingkindness:
(1) David was not with those who didn’t follow the truth.
David didn’t even go with deceitful men and pretenders. He hated the assembly of evildoers (vv. 4-5). Here, the “deceitful men” refers to those who don’t walk in the Lord’s truth (Park). David, who walked in His truth, didn’t follow the principle of those who didn’t act according to the truth of the Lord (Park). Here, the “pretenders” refers to those who cover up themselves, those whose content is the most evil but outwardly pretend to be the most good people (Park). Anyone who walks in the truth can distinguish these pretenders. They can distinguish the evildoers who pretend to be good outwardly but inwardly false. Furthermore, David hated the gatherings of evildoers, the gatherers of evildoers, and didn’t want to have fellowship with the fellows of the wicked, that is, the ones who who are self-indulgent without steadfastness in practicing morally, and do whatever they want.
(2) David had fellowship with God as he lived a pure life.
Look at Psalms 26:6 – “I shall wash my hands in innocence, And I will go about Your altar, O LORD.” This is to keep in mind the fact that the priest washes his hands before starting to serve on the altar (Exod. 40; Deut. 21:6, 7, 30-33). David came to the altar and purified his usual day life before fellowship with God (Park). I think it is like living a pure life during the week and coming up before the Lord's on Sunday and have fellowship with God.
(3) David thanked God and declared all God’s wonders.
Look at Psalms 26:7 – “That I may proclaim with the voice of thanksgiving And declare all Your wonders.” Thankfulness for what God has done is a personal responsibility that the person should have (Park). But David further went on to testify to others what God had done in his life. He took on the responsibility of the evangelist to let others know God and be saved (Park).
Third and last, those who act faithfully love the church.
Look at Psalms 26:8 – “O LORD, I love the habitation of Your house And the place where Your glory dwells.” This means that David would love the temple of God, the church. Then, what do those who love the church where the glory of the Lord dwells do?
(1) Those who love the church faithfully hate lies.
How can those who love the church built on the rock of truth like lies? They have no choice but to hate lies and sins. We must hate that sin so that the lies and sins will never enter into the church. Especially in pain, we look into the depths of our hearts with the eyes of the Lord, so that we can realize the sin of hypocrisy in us and repent thoroughly.
(2) Those who love the church faithfully aren’t with sinners.
Those who walk in the truth aren’t with false sinners and don’t listen to them. This is because there is a wicked scheme in their hands and full of bribes in their right hands (v. 10).
(3) Those who love the church faithfully hate the assembly of evildoers.
Those who love the church where God's glory dwells hate the assembly of evildoers that is without God's glory. The reason is because God hates that kind of assembly. This is what God said through Prophet Isaiah: “Bring your worthless offerings no longer, Incense is an abomination to Me New moon and sabbath, the calling of assemblies -- I cannot endure iniquity and the solemn assembly. I hate your new moon festivals and your appointed feasts, They have become a burden to Me; I am weary of bearing them” (Isa. 1:13-14).
I remember crying as I was singing the Korean gospel song “As The Water Cover The Sea.” I miss the tears that were shed as I was thinking of the day when the glory of God will fill the whole world. As we live in this sinful world, as God's holy name is defiled, I would like all of us to praise God with our hearts that repents our sins of bringing shame to God's glory, and to long for the glory of God. I believe that day will come. I believe that the world full of God's glory, the day of full praise and worship to God in that glory will come. Until that day come, let us walk by faith, longing for the glorious place of God as we live in this sinful world. I hope and pray that no matter what, we will not be moved by trusting in God completely, and we will live in the Lord’s truth without compromising falsehood in a false world, and will love the Lord’s church that Jesus bought with His precious blood even more.
Korean Hymn “I Love Thy Kingdom, Lord”:
(1) I love Thy Kingdom, Lord, The house of Thine abode, The Church our blest Redeemer saved
With His own precious blood.
(2) I love Thy Church, O God; Her walls before Thee stand, Dear as the apple of Thine eye,
And graven on Thy hand.
(3) For her my tears shall fall, For her my prayers ascend; To her my cares and toils be given,
Till toils and cares shall end.
(4) Beyond my highest joy I prize her heavenly ways, Her sweet communion, solemn vows,
Her hymns of love and praise.
(5) Sure as Thy truth shall last, To Zion shall be given The brightest glories earth can yield,
And brighter bliss of heaven. Amen.
Trusting in the Lord who is the Head of the Victory Presbyterian Church and remembering the tears of love that the Spirit enabled me to shed as I was singing the hymn “I Love Thy Kingdom, Lord,”
James Kim
(With heart of loving the Lord and of His church)