Who redeems your life from the pit
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits…Who redeems your life from the pit… Psalm 103:1-2, 4a
Have you been commanding your soul to bless the Lord? If you have, you have likely experienced some resistance, but as you stick with it, strength, victory, joy, and resolve will rise up within you.
While you bless the Lord, are you also focusing on His benefits? He has pardoned all your iniquities and is the One who heals all your diseases. Both of these benefits were foretold by the prophet Isaiah. He wrote, “Surely our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried; yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed” (Isaiah 53:4-5).
The Lord has also redeemed your life from the pit according to the psalmist. In Tuesday’s blog, I mentioned that the benefit, “Who pardons all your iniquities” was the most important benefit on the list, and therefore was mentioned first.
You may wonder why I believe that pardoning of sin is more important than having a life that is redeemed from the pit. Romans 5:12 states, “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned.” It was Adam’s sin that opened the door to sickness, death, and loss of fellowship with God. Without the complete forgiveness and remission of sin, neither you nor I would be able to enter eternal life with God when we died. The alternative—eternal separation from God—is the only available outcome for us unless we receive full forgiveness of our sin through the substitutionary work of Jesus Christ.
With this in mind, when David lists the fact that God redeems your life from the pit, this benefit hinges upon receiving the pardon of sin. First accept His wonderful forgiveness of your sin through Jesus Christ, and then, when you take Jesus as your Lord, He absolutely redeems your life from eternal separation from God!
Who redeems your life from the pit…
What is the pit? One writer asked, “If life is a bowl of cherries, then why am I in the pits?” Is the pit as simple as this tongue-in-cheek comment suggests, merely a drag of a life? Or is it more specific, referring, perhaps, to what is commonly called the “pit of hell”?
The word pit in Hebrew is shachath and can mean a literal pit or, indeed, the pit of hell. It also can refer to destruction or can signify the grave (see http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=H7845&t=KJV ).
Therefore, whether He is redeeming your life from hell, an early grave, or a pit of destruction poised to ensnare you for months or years, He redeems your life from the pit. It is my opinion that this benefit is good towards all of the above. The bottom line is: He redeems your life from the pit. Don’t forget it!
What exactly does the Lord do when He redeems something? The answer to this question caught me off guard.
Ga’al, the Hebrew for “redeem” means, first of all, “to redeem, act as kinsman-redeemer, avenge, revenge, ransom, do the part of a kinsman.” The source further points out that this word infers that the One who redeems “…act[s] as kinsman, [does] the part of next of kin, act[s] as kinsman redeemer” (http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=H1350&t=KJV) .
When God redeems your life from the pit, He does so as your next of kin. He redeems your life because of His intimate sense of kinship with you. To Him, you are His next of kin, and He relates to you as such, with tender love, mercy, and concern.
At times, you can feel as if no one really cares, as if you are absolutely alone in life. Of course, as a believer, you know that God is for you and loves you, but that truth doesn’t necessarily hit home when you feel isolated, ignored, or invisible.
But when you read that God, as your next of kin, went to bat to redeem you—not just a nebulous “everyone”—can you picture Him, as I did, peering throughout history from before the beginning of time for the exact way and due season to redeem you—you, yourself? As I thought about this, I realized that I had tears in my eyes.
Perhaps you have no one in your life—either as next of kin or dear friend—willing to go to bat for you, to take up your cause, or to simply be there for you when you need a hand out of the pit. But here’s the good news: you do have a Redeemer. He, the God of the universe, has chosen to be your next of kin. Even if others forsake you, He is not ashamed of you. He, from the very foundation of the earth, carefully prepared the way for your life to be redeemed from destruction. And that’s worth remembering.
Hebrews 2:11 says it very clearly. “For both He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one Father; for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren.”
Your God—your closest Kinsman—through the blood of His dear Son, has redeemed your life from the pit. Never forget it.
Blessings to you as you bask in this redemptive love of your closest Kinsman!
Dorothy
Read MoreWho heals all your diseases
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits; Who pardons all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases. Psalm 103:1-3
David the psalmist commanded himself to bless the Lord. You sometimes feel like blessing the Lord, but if you’re like me, that desire comes and goes. I admit it—I have nothing to hide—there are plenty of times when the last thing I want to do is to bless the Lord. Fortunately, I have the example of David, and I see him, the great psalmist of Israel, commanding himself to bless the Lord. That tells me very clearly that even powerful worshippers don’t always feel like blessing God! But David did it anyway; he insisted that everything within him bless the holy name of the Lord—mind and emotions as well, whether they wanted to or not.
He also instructed his soul to forget none of God’s benefits. Hebrews 2:1 states, “For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it.” Two witnesses—one from Psalm 103 in the Old Testament and one in Hebrews 2 from the New—warn that it is far easier to forget the Lord’s benefits and to drift away from His Word than we care to think. That’s why David commanded himself to forget none of the Lord’s benefits. He was intimately aware of the drift factor.
You and I are also more than capable—despite our “pedigree”—to drift away from the Word of God. That’s why I have challenged you this week to challenge yourself to forget none of His benefits. Command yourself to think upon what He’s done for you. Insist that you spend time recounting the benefits Jesus has provided for you. And bless Him as you meditate on His provisions.
The Lord has not only provided pardon for your sins, but He has also included healing in His package of benefits for you. This aspect of God’s benefit package is still somewhat controversial for some reason; however, controversy does not negate the fact that it is written, “Who heals all your diseases.”
David understood that healing was one of the benefits that God provided in the earlier benefit package. Now, in Christ, healing is still included in our covenant with God—a covenant that is described in Hebrews as “a better covenant, which was established upon better promises” (Hebrews 8:6b).
In Matthew 8, after Jesus touched the hand of Peter’s sick mother-in-law, she got out of bed, healed of her illness, and busied herself with serving Him. Matthew followed that anecdote with the following commentary, “This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet: ‘He Himself took our infirmities and carried away our diseases'” (see Matthew 8:14-17).
After Jesus rose from the dead and appeared to His disciples, He commissioned them to “go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation” (Mark 16:15). He further instructed them to “lay hands on the sick, and they will recover” (Mark 16:18b).
Peter, an eyewitness of the life of Jesus, declared to everyone present at Cornelius the Gentile’s home, “You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him” (Acts 10:38), revealing to Jews and Gentiles alike the universality of the healing mercies of God, available to everyone, despite their background.
Peter later wrote in his first letter, “and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed” (I Peter 2:24), further instructing believers—both in his time and for the ages to come—that the substitutionary work of Jesus on the cross was for the purpose of forgiving sin and healing disease. Matthew had quoted Isaiah 53 in his commentary after Jesus healed Peter’s mother-in-law; here Peter quoted the same chapter in Isaiah when he declared, “for by His wounds you were healed” (see Isaiah 53:5).
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits…Who heals all your diseases.
Do not allow yourself the luxury of forgetting the benefit of healing that Jesus purchased for you at such a steep price. Don’t give yourself wiggle-room to drift away from or neglect so great a salvation (see Hebrews 2:3). Since healing is one of your benefits, like David you must make a conscious effort not to let it drop off the radar of your thoughts.
Are you concerned about how the sweeping overhaul of our nation’s healthcare industry will ultimately impact your life? David, the psalmist of old, has left you a very timely and clear set of instructions.
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits…Who heals all your diseases.
Refuse to forget the healing benefit that is yours through Jesus.
Dorothy
“This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:8-9
“My son, give attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your sight; keep them in the midst of your heart. For they are life to those who find them and health to all their body.” Proverbs 4:20-22
“So we have the prophetic word strongly confirmed. You will do well to pay attention to it, as to a lamp shining in a dismal place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.” 2 Peter 1:19 Holman Christian Standard Bible
Read MoreWho pardons all your iniquities
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits; Who pardons all your iniquities… Psalm 103:1-3a
I have challenged you to challenge yourself to bless the Lord on a daily basis. Do it whether you feel like it or not. Do it whether it is practical or not. Do it when you have energy; do it when you are exhausted. Do it when you’re at the top of your game; do it when you have failed. Do it in the midst of the daily grind and the monotony of life.
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits! (Psalm 103:1-2.)
I don’t know about you, but I love benefits. I was thrilled to have a job that provided a wonderful benefit package, and had that package been withdrawn by the powers-that-be, you’d better believe they would have heard about it!
But God has provided an even better benefit package for His people—one that puts corporations, unions, businesses, and all other employers to shame. That package of benefits was superb in David’s time; however, the upgraded benefits we have received in Christ are top shelf—the premiere, highest-priced package—complete and with nothing lacking. And those benefits have been paid for in full by our Employer, Provider, Physician, Counselor, and Protector!
Everything that David discovered in his benefit package from God is included in the far more expansive package that Christ purchased for you by His death on the cross. It was God’s early benefit package that David commanded his soul not to forget. Have you ever commanded yourself to forget none of God’s benefits? My guess is that now would be an excellent time to make yourself remember all of them.
Why would you need to force yourself not to forget any of God’s benefits, seeing as they are so wonderful? Hebrews 2:1 answers that question. “For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it.” God’s benefits are first spiritual, and as they are received by you in faith, then they filter down into the natural realm of your life and bring transformation. As a result of this sequence, a waiting period usually occurs between faith and its manifestation, and this is the time when impatience and distraction can lead to drifting away from—or forgetting—what you know about God and His benefits. Soul, forget none of His benefits!
David commanded himself not to forget that it was the Lord “Who pardons all your iniquities”. The very first benefit listed—and therefore the most important—was the forgiveness of sin. David knew God as the One who pardoned all his iniquities, but God was able to pardon that sin because of the Sacrificial Lamb to come, Jesus Christ. God’s forgiveness of everyone’s sin—past, present, and future—was, then and now, based solely on the fact that a Substitute came to earth. That Substitute took the punishment each of us deserved and bore the full price for our sin. That’s why a Holy God can pardon you and me—our sins have already been judged and the punishment has already been borne by our Substitute, Jesus.
When I was a teacher, I sometimes had substitutes come into my classroom for me when I was sick or had a workshop to attend. Although I left plans for that sub, anything that happened that day in my class was on the sub. If a student had a temper tantrum, the sub dealt with it. If someone threw up on themselves, I didn’t have to clean it up. If—God forbid—a shooter entered my room that day, it would be on the sub, not me.
Our Substitute, the Lord Jesus Christ, took up our lesson plans—human flesh and blood—and in our place bore the full brunt of the punishment that we deserved. Because of this huge sacrifice of substitution, God is free to pardon our iniquities once and for all—and He has.
Now I command my soul to never forget that the Lord has pardoned all my iniquities. David only saw a shadow of the Messiah’s coming substitution through the sacrificial bulls, goats, and lambs, but I know the Messiah, Himself, Jesus, the Lamb of God, who substituted for me that day on the cross. And you know Him, too, if you have made Him your Lord. If not, He’s a prayer away, ready to enter your life for the asking. With Him comes the full package of benefits, already paid for and freely given.
Never let yourself forget that He has pardoned your iniquities. Keep this truth close to your heart, and bless the Lord! You are pardoned. Your sins have been forgiven!
Thank You, Lord!
Dorothy
Read MoreSoul–bless the Lord!
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits; Who pardons all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases; Who redeems your life from the pit, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion; Who satisfies your years with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle. Psalm 103:1-5
Benefits. All over the nation, people are worried about losing their benefits. Millions have already lost theirs. Several million more have lost their jobs. Others have never had any benefits at all. And some of those who do receive benefits are facing pay cuts. Our nation is in a benefit crisis. And that’s not even the greatest issue facing us!
The overhauling of the healthcare system in the United States has solved a few problems; however, it has created a multitude of other problems that we’ll just have to wait until it gets implemented to find out about all of them (to paraphrase a certain representative from California who will remain unnamed). For the last several months, more and more information is being made available about this massive legislation and its effects. Yet even now, less than two months before the exchanges open on October 1st, prices for the various mandatory insurance products are either missing or are next to impossible to find on the government website sponsoring it (and I’ve looked). As a result, the adults of this nation are like grain thrown into the air to fall back down into the winnowing basket, only to be tossed up again and again and again.
A sense of disturbance and lack of balance seems to permeate the atmosphere over the nation. Equilibrium and the comforting sense of sameness are being challenged and toppled. Change is good, we hear, yet if it is, why do so many Americans feel utterly disoriented?
Ready or not, here we come. This is the mix into which we are being tossed, and all of us have major decisions to make. Most of the choices before us are neither desirable nor comfortable, but one choice—one glowing, life-giving, sustaining choice—stands alone, immovable in the storm called Change swirling around us.
“…I am the Lord, I change not” (Malachi 3:6a). Standing rock-solid in the midst of the upheaval rolling in on every wave is the One who is the same, yesterday, today, and forever (see Hebrews 13:8). He is the Ancient of Days and has witnessed the beginning and end of each generation as well as the rise and fall of every kingdom and empire. And it is to Him alone that we are ultimately accountable.
The psalmist David experienced more than his share of chaos and upheaval. Although he became the king of Israel, he was not immune to conflict, turmoil, and challenge—even while on the throne.
Psalm 103 was born in the heart of this man very familiar with difficulties and trials. When David wrote it, he was speaking to himself, not God. Let this truth sink in. David was commanding himself to bless the Lord.
You, too, in the face of the various complexities of your life, have the choice before you: bless the Lord. Here’s how it might play out within your soul.
Soul, bless the Lord. Bless Him whether you feel like it or not. Yes, emotions, that includes you, too. Mind, bless God! Will, bless the Lord! You don’t feel like it? I didn’t ask you if you felt like it! Just do it–bless the Lord! All that is within me—mind, feelings, dreams, desires, hopes, fears, concerns, gifts, talents, dysfunctions—all that is within me, bless His holy name! (And by the way, devil, if you insist on tagging along, I’m going to be blessing the Lord. It won’t be very comfortable for you. Too bad, so sad!)
As David directed his soul yet again to bless the Lord in verse 2, he instructed himself to go a step further. Not only did he insist that he bless the Lord, but he commanded himself to forget none of God’s benefits.
David had both a clear understanding of his dependence on God and an unashamed recognition of his need to force himself to focus on the Lord and His benefits.
As a Christian in this tumultuous, changing time in our nation, I challenge you to challenge yourself to bless the Lord. I challenge you to daily stake out the territory of your mind, your will, and your emotions for honoring God. I challenge you to do it without first consulting with your emotions or circumstances to get permission. Just do it!
Are you concerned about your benefits? I challenge you to join me daily this week as we search out every one of the benefits listed in the first five verses of Psalm 103, and I believe that if you do, you will gain confidence that the One who sees the end from the beginning will, indeed, care for you.
Bless the Lord!
Dorothy
Read MoreCan God move in public schools?
Can God move in public schools? Intellectually, you know He can. However, if you keep up with current events and trends in education, you are less likely to believe that He will.
Be encouraged as I share two stories of God’s big, beautiful invasion on public school turf.
My pastor’s wife taught high school physical education as a young woman before she got married and attended Bible school with her new husband. After several months of planting imperishable seed in the lives of the girls she taught, this godly role model found herself in the middle of an unquenchable move of God among her students.
During P.E. class one day, girls began to ask her questions about faith in God and how to get saved. She shared with them, aware of the public school taboo she was violating, and soon led the entire class in a prayer to receive Jesus as Lord. Not only were the girls saved, but many of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in tongues.
Later when she shared this wonderful outpouring with us, she said that girls were running in the locker room and halls, praising God and speaking in tongues! Can God move in a public school? He certainly did then.
Yeah, you may think. She was a cute, hip, young teacher, and that happened years ago. That sort of thing could never happen now!
Do you suppose that now–2013–it is just too difficult for God to navigate through the halls of public education? Well, buckle up…we’re heading to the coast to a progressive-run state where God is impotent and utterly irrelevant. Or so the left-leaners think…
My friend is a middle-school teacher in what is undeniably one of the most—if not the most—progressive state in the union.
Whereas my pastor’s wife was in her 20s during the P.E. class outpouring, my friend is in her mid 50s, an age that is not known to stir the buzz among most 13 and 14 year-olds.
She began a Christian club for interested middle-schoolers. Other students soon found out about the weekly club held during lunchtime, and they began packing this teacher’s large classroom. Soon kids started getting saved on a regular basis. She had guest speakers—local pastors—who spoke to the students about Jesus as the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Kids kept coming, and new kids were added to the number getting saved.
As you might suspect, though, the ACLU caught on to the Christian club and threatened the school with a lawsuit. My friend was told to stand down. She had learned about the legal rights of Christian young people to meet on school property for the purpose of common religious interests, however, so she was equipped to hold her ground on behalf of the Christian club.
The ACLU backed off on the following conditions: pastors were no longer allowed to speak; my friend could not lead the meeting in any manner; and the students had to take on all leadership roles of the club—including planning, speaking, and prayer. If it was not entirely student-driven and maintained in the future, the club would have to disband.
Following much prayer and discussion with her husband and the parents of some of the students, she determined to abide by the new set of rules imposed by the ACLU so the kids could still meet.
She cringed in anticipation of what her seventh and eighth graders would come up with, and her fears were justified. Gone was the eloquence of the pastors; gone was the maturity that her own input had once provided. The first meeting after the ACLU’s threats was definitely seventh and eighth grade in flavor, tone, and quality.
As she sat in the back of the room, relegated to the role of sponsor only and not speaker, she was struck by just how goofy and middle-schoolish the program was. But the next thing that happened absolutely caught her off guard. One of the students gave an altar call, and all over the room, seventh and eighth graders responded, some with tears in their eyes. The ACLU’s demands served not to quench the Spirit, but to inaugurate a more intense move of God!
Not only were more students getting saved, but seventh and eighth graders were taking up the mantle of godly leadership as they ministered to their peers at their own level.
This club is still going strong and boys and girls are still getting saved, discipled by one another, and learning to become effective leaders.
Can God move in public schools? Pray, be available, and just watch Him!
Dorothy
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