Today’s Bible Translation
Bible translation used in today’s episode: Ch. 30 NIRV, Ch. 31-32 CEV
Podcast Introduction
This Psalms Wednesday. Our chapters will be 30-32 I’m calling the episode, “The Grace of God.” I will of course have an introduction for you before reading each chapter.
And it’s December 14th, so we’ll have Christmas Question number 14 today, sent in by —-Of course, our Christmas expert, James Cooper of whychristmas.com has an answer for him.
And it’s Wednesday, so we will have a short time of prayer.
Design: Steve Webb | Photo: Benjamin Voros on Unsplash
Comments on Psalms 30-32
One thing we learn from the Psalms is that David didn’t hold back. When he was down, he wrote about it. When he was up, he wrote about that. Of course, we know that David was far from a perfect man, right? Sure, he was the kid who killed Goliath. He became the king of Israel. He wrote these wonderful songs, which became the book of Psalms. But he was also a failure as a father, judging by what happened to his family, he was an adulterer and a murderer.
The fact that he had the failings he had, and still was called a man after God’s own heart should give each one of us encouragement, especially in the light of the sacrifice that Jesus made for us. In His death, burial and resurrection, Jesus conquered sin and death. So for those who have asked Him to be their Lord and Savior, we know that God sees us through the lens of grace.
So when we stumble, let’s not let circumstances keep us down. Let the fact of God’s grace give us strength to stand up and keep reaching for the prize.
James Cooper’s Links
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Transcript
Psalms 30-32: The Grace of God (LSFAB S13E074)
[TEASER – 0:00]
Keep reaching for the prize.
[INTRO S13E074 – 0:09]
Coming to you from Riverside, California, this is the Lifespring Family Audio Bible and podcasting since 2004, I’m your OG Godcaster, Steve Webb. This is the daily podcast where we are reading together through the entire Bible in a year. The website is lifespringmedia.com. I’m glad you’re here. This is Psalms Wednesday, and our chapters will be 30 through 32. I’m calling the episode “The Grace of God.” And I will of course have an introduction for you before reading each chapter.
And it’s December 14, so we’ll have Christmas question number 14a, 14b, and 14c sent in by Mike Haner. Of course, our Christmas expert, James Cooper, has answers on all three. And being Wednesday we will have a short time of prayer.
But before we read, let’s pray.
[OPENING PRAYER – 0:57]
Our Father, we thank you so much for our time together around your Word. We thank you for it. We thank you for your Word and for the time together. I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
[INTRO TO PSALM 30 – 1:11]
Psalms, chapter 30. The title of this psalm depending on the translation is “A song, a song at the dedication of the house of David.” Some translations use the word “temple” instead of “house,” so “A song at the dedication of the temple of God.” The King James, the New King James, the Complete Jewish Bible, the Christian Standard Bible, Holman Christian Standard, etc. all say, “the house of God.” And then a couple of the newer translations like the New Living Translation, the Contemporary English Version, and even the older Revised Standard Version use the word “temple.”
Well, some scholars believe that this was written by David for the dedication of David’s Palace, which was built before the temple. Others including Charles Spurgeon believe that David wrote it before the temple was ever built. You see, God had told David that he would not be the one to build a temple, but that his son, Solomon, would be the one to build it. So perhaps he wrote this song so that it could be sung at the dedication of the temple. We don’t know for sure.
Well, with there being no across-the-board agreement on whether this was for the dedication of David’s palace or the temple, all I can say is it doesn’t really matter for our purposes. The fact is that the psalm doesn’t even mention the house or the temple. Whether it was for the palace or the temple, David wanted everybody’s attention to be on God. This is really a psalm of praise for God or to God. With that said, here’s Psalms chapter 30.
[PSALM 30 (NIRV) – 2:47]
Psalms, chapter 30.
(1) Lord, I will give you honor.
You brought me out of deep trouble.
You didn’t give my enemies the joy of seeing me die.
(2) Lord my God, I called out to you for help.
And you healed me.
(3) Lord, you brought me up from the place of the dead.
You kept me from going down into the pit.
(4) Sing the praises of the Lord, you who are faithful to him.
Praise him, because his name is holy.
(5) His anger lasts for only a moment.
But his favor lasts for a person’s whole life.
Weeping can stay for the night.
But joy comes in the morning.
(6) When I felt safe, I said,
“I will always be secure.”
(7) Lord, when you gave me your help,
you made Mount Zion stand firm.
But when you took away your help,
I was terrified.
(8) Lord, I called out to you.
I cried to you for mercy.
(9) I said, “What good will come if I become silent in death?
What good will come if I go down into the grave?
Can the dust of my dead body praise you?
Can it tell how faithful you are?
(10) Lord, hear me. Have mercy on me.
Lord, help me.”
(11) You turned my loud crying into dancing.
You removed my clothes of sadness and dressed me with joy.
(12) So my heart will sing your praises. I can’t keep silent.
Lord, my God, I will praise you forever.
[INTRO TO PSALM 31 – 4:14]
Psalm 31. The title is “To the chief musician.” And Charles Spurgeon said of this psalm, “The dedication ‘To the chief musician’ proves that this song of mingled measures and alternate strains of grief and woe, was intended for public singing and thus a deathblow is given to the notion that nothing but praise should be sung.”
So David sometimes sang the blues. But isn’t that point that Spurgeon made interesting? How many songs are written for the church today that are not songs of praise? I daresay not many, and perhaps that’s appropriate. But as we’ve seen from our reading of the Psalms thus far, David did not shy away from writing about the troubles in his life. And the fact that so many of the Psalms reflect the difficulties that we sometimes face tells us that God wants us to bring those troubles to him. Like a good loving father, he wants us to trust him, to help us in the midst of difficult times.
Now, portions of the psalm are quoted in many other places in the Bible as well. Most notably, the last words Jesus spoke on the cross were from verse 5, “Into your hand, I commit my spirit.” Jeremiah quoted verse 13 six times in the book of Jeremiah, and the Apostle Paul quoted verse 24, in Psalms 16:13.
[PSALM 31 (CEV) – 5:39]
Psalms, chapter 31.
(1) I come to you, Lord,
for protection.
Don’t let me be ashamed.
Do as you have promised
and rescue me.
(2) Listen to my prayer
and hurry to save me.
Be my mighty rock
and the fortress
where I am safe.
(3) You, Lord God,
are my mighty rock
and my fortress.
Lead me and guide me,
so that your name
will be honored.
(4) Protect me from hidden traps
and keep me safe.
(5) You are faithful,
and I trust you
because you rescued me.
(6) I hate the worshipers
of worthless idols,
but I trust you, Lord.
(7) I celebrate and shout
because you are kind.
You saw all my suffering,
and you cared for me.
(8) You kept me from the hands
of my enemies,
and you set me free.
(9) Have pity, Lord!
I am hurting and almost blind.
My whole body aches.
(10) I have known only sorrow
all my life long, and I suffer
year after year.
I am weak from sin,
and my bones are limp.
(11) My enemies insult me.
Neighbors are even worse,
and I disgust my friends.
People meet me on the street,
and they turn and run.
(12) I am completely forgotten
like someone dead.
I am merely a broken dish.
(13) I hear the crowds whisper,
“Everyone is afraid!”
They are plotting and scheming
to murder me.
(14) But I trust you, Lord,
and I claim you as my God.
(15) My life is in your hands.
Save me from my enemies
who hunt me down.
(16) Smile on me, your servant.
Have pity and rescue me.
(17) I pray only to you.
Don’t disappoint me.
Disappoint my cruel enemies
until they lie silent
in their graves.
(18) Silence those proud liars!
Make them stop bragging
and insulting your people.
(19) You are wonderful,
and while everyone watches,
you store up blessings for all
who honor and trust you.
(20) You are their shelter
from harmful plots,
and you are their protection
from vicious gossip.
(21) I will praise you, Lord,
for showing great kindness
when I was like a city
under attack.
(22) I was terrified and thought,
“They’ve chased me
far away from you!”
But you answered my prayer
when I shouted for help.
(23) All who belong to the Lord,
show how you love him.
The Lord protects the faithful,
but he severely punishes
everyone who is proud.
(24) All who trust the Lord,
be cheerful and strong.
[INTRO TO PSALM 32 – 8:05]
Psalms 32 is again “a Psalm of David.” And many translations add that this is “a maskil” or “maskil.” Some translations say “a contemplation.” “Maskil” is a Hebrew word and a better translation than “contemplation” might be “instruction.” There are twelve Psalms with this title of which this is the first. We find both instruction and contemplation in this psalm and the word “selah” is found three times. And it’s believed that “selah” of course means to stop and think about what we’ve just read. So whether it’s “an instruction” or “a contemplation” to stop and think about what you’ve read or heard, makes sense. G. Campbell Morgan wrote, “This is a Psalm of penitence, but it is also the song of a ransomed soul rejoicing in the wonders of the grace of God. Sin is dealt with. Sorrow is comforted. Ignorance is instructed.”
[PSALM 32 (CEV) – 9:01]
Psalms, chapter 32.
(1) Our Lord, you bless everyone
whose sins you forgive
and wipe away.
(2) You bless them by saying,
“You told me your sins,
without trying to hide them,
and now I forgive you.”
(3) Before I confessed my sins,
my bones felt limp,
and I groaned all day long.
(4) Night and day your hand
weighed heavily on me,
and my strength was gone
as in the summer heat.
(5) So I confessed my sins
and told them all to you.
I said, “I’ll tell the Lord
each one of my sins.”
Then you forgave me
and took away my guilt.
(6) We worship you, Lord,
and we should always pray
whenever we find out
that we have sinned.
Then we won’t be swept away
by a raging flood.
(7) You are my hiding place!
You protect me from trouble,
and you put songs in my heart
because you have saved me.
(8) You said to me,
“I will point out the road
that you should follow.
I will be your teacher
and watch over you.
(9) Don’t be stupid
like horses and mules
that must be led with ropes
to make them obey.”
(10) All kinds of troubles
will strike the wicked,
but your kindness shields those
who trust you, Lord.
(11) And so your good people
should celebrate and shout.
[COMMENTARY – 10:17]
One thing we learn from the Psalms is that David didn’t hold back. When he was down, he wrote about it. When he was up, he wrote about that. Of course, we know that David was far from a perfect man, right? Sure, he was the kid who killed Goliath. He became the king of Israel. He wrote these wonderful songs, which became the book of Psalms, but he was also a failure as a father judging by what happened to his family, and he was an adulterer and a murderer.
The fact that he had the failings he had and still was called a man after God’s own heart should give each one of us encouragement, especially in the light of the sacrifice that Jesus made for us. In his death, burial, and resurrection, Jesus conquered sin and death. So for those who have asked him to be their Lord and Savior, we know that God sees us through the lens of grace.
So when we stumble, let’s not let circumstances keep us down. Let the fact of God’s grace give us strength to stand up and keep reaching for the prize.
[LIFESPRING FAMILY HOTLINE – 11:22]
Yes, Jesus said in 2 Corinthians 12:19, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Well, what do you think? Call the Lifespring Family Hotline at +1-951-732-8511, or go to comment.lifespringmedia.com, or send me an email at st***@*************ia.com.
Tomorrow is Poetry Thursday and our reading will be Job 21 through 22.
[CHRISTMAS QUESTIONS – 11:49]
Mike Haner from not that Paris, Perris, California just down the road from me wrote this. “I have a few questions that may have already been asked. But here they are. Number one, where did the tradition of door-to-door carolers start? Number two, where did the imagery of Santa with a flying sled and reindeer come from? And number three, has Christmas always been about giving gifts to each other?” Well, that is three questions. So let’s see what James does with them.
[JAMES COOPER ANSWERS – 12:17]
So three questions in one today. Where did the tradition of door-to-door carolers start? Well, let’s think about what carols are. They actually come from a pre-Christian word meaning to dance or sing in joy and they’re originally sung at the pagan midwinter festivals. You can also have carols for any song of joy during the year, but we’ve really only got Christmas carols remaining. The first Christmas carol as such as we could think of it today was around in 129 when a Roman bishop said that a song called “Angel’s Hymn” should be sung at a Christmas service in Rome. Another famous early Christmas hymn, not really a Carol, was written in 760 by Caymus of Jerusalem for the Greek Orthodox Church. Soon after this, many composers all over Europe started to write Christmas carols, however, not many people liked them, as they were all written and sung in Latin, which most people couldn’t understand. So they’d sort of died out by the early 1200s.
But that changed in 1223 when St. Francis of Assisi invented the nativity play in Italy. The people in the plays sang songs or canticles that told the story during the plays. Sometimes the choruses of these new carols were in Latin, but normally they were sung in language that people could understand. These canticles and carols started to spread in France, Spain, Germany, and other European countries. One early carol like this was written in 1410. Sadly, only a small fragment of it exists. The carol was about Mary and Jesus meeting different people in Bethlehem. Most carols from this time and the Elizabethan period were untrue stories loosely based on the Christmas story about the Holy Family, where they were seen more of the entertainment rather than religious songs. They were usually sung in homes and in pubs rather than in churches. Traveling singers and minstrels started singing these songs and carols, and the words were often changed to the local people where ever they were traveling around. One carol that changed like this is “I Saw Three Ships” which of the version that we have nowadays speaks about three ships sailing into Bethlehem, which is about 50 miles from the nearest sea, so that’s kind of unlikely.
Also, around these times, you had the mystery plays. These were sort of a medieval version of Nativity stories and other Bible stories acted outside churches, mainly on Christmas Eve and around Easter to tell people stories from the Bible. The first one was of Christmas trees. Paradise trees were also used during these plays. And they were sometimes taken around the streets from house to house advertising the plays and if people sang those as well, well, I guess that’s an early form of carol singing. But carol singing as we really know today came around in the 17th and 18th century with people called “Waits.” These were bands of people led by important local leaders such as council leaders, and they were the only ones who had power in the towns and villages to take money from the public. If others did this, they were sometimes charged as beggars. They were called “Waits” because they sang on Christmas Eve, which is sometimes known as “watchnight” or “waitnight” because of the shepherds were watching their fields when the angels appeared to them.
Carols became very fashionable in the Victorian times when two men called William Sandys and David Gilbert collected lots of old Christmas music from villages in England. They published proper carol books, taking carols out of the pub and back into the churches. Also during this time, many orchestras and choirs were being set up in the cities of England, and people wanted Christmas songs to sing. Many new carols were also written during this period like “Good King Wenceslas.” These new carol services were created and became popular as did the customers singing carols in the streets. The service of Nine Lessons and Carols perhaps the most famous carol service of them all was created and first performed in 1880. It was invented by Edward Benson who was the Bishop of Truro. He later became the Archbishop of Canterbury, and the first service was held at 10 pm on Christmas Eve in Truro cathedral. So there we are, a bit about Christmas carols.
The next question is about Santa and his famous flying reindeer. We were first introduced to them in 1823 in the poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas” or “Twas the Night Before Christmas” by Dr. Clement Clarke Moore. A couple of years before in 1821, an anonymous poem called “Old Santa Claus With Much Delight” was published in New York. This was the first time that Santa or St. Nicholas had been described in the sleigh being pulled by a reindeer. But two years later, we got lots of reindeer with Clement Clarke Moore describing St. Nicholas arriving with “a miniature sleigh and eight tiny reindeer.” And this was the first time we got some names. The original eight reindeer were Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, and Blitzen. But Donner’s also become Dunder and Donder over the years, and Blitzen’s also been called a Blixem, Blixen, and Blicksem.
We first learned about Rudolph in 1939 when he was written about in a book by Robert L. May for the Montgomery Ward department stores. Rudolph then had a cartoon made about him in 1948 and the famous song “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” was written in 1949. In 1902, the author Frank L. Baum who wrote “The Wizard of Oz” also wrote a book called “The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus.” In it, a team of 10 reindeer are listed and they had rhyming names in pairs. They were Flossie and Glossie, Racer and Pacer, Fearless and Peerless, Ready and Steady, Feckless, and Speckless. So there we are. There seems to be lots of reindeer, and they must go in rotation because they’ve got a lot of work to do on Christmas Eve.
The final question is, Has Christmas always been about giving gifts to each other? Well, if we think back to the Christmas story, Jesus as a newborn well probably when he was one or two, got three very different gifts from the wise men, gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And if you’d like to know more about that, please listen to the show where I explained more about the wise men and their gifts. So yes, Christmas has always been about gift-giving. And actually, before Christmas, it was about gift-giving, as exchanging small presents was part of Saturnalia and other winter solstice festivals. Another large part of giving gifts at Christmas come through St. Nicholas, the first Santa. He was a bishop in the 300s in what’s now part of Turkey, and he was famous for giving gifts and helping out the poor. So that’s another reason that Christmas is about gifts.
But St Nicholas, Santa, Sinterklaas, Father Christmas isn’t the only gift giver around the world. In Germany, there’s Das Christkind, which translates as “the Christ child,” but it isn’t a baby. The Christkind is often described as a young girl with Christ-like qualities, often having blond hair and sometimes little angel’s wings. In Spain and many other Catholic countries, you get your presents on Epiphany, the sixth of January from the wise men. In parts of Italy, also on Epiphany, you might get some presents from an old lady called Befana. And in Russia and other countries that were influenced by Communism after World War Two, you’ll normally get your presents at New Year’s Eve. And they’re brought to you by Grandfather Frost. So depending on where you are in the world, you get your presents at a different time, and they’re brought to you by a host of different people. Well, I guess it gives Santa a bit of a rest.
[STEVE WEBB – 19:14]
Mike, thank you for asking. I think James as usual did a great job with ’em, don’t you? Awesome job, James. And James gave me four links to put on the show notes page. So take a look at them at lifespringmedia.com/s13e074. Keep the questions coming in. I still have a few open slots and that means you still have a chance to get in the drawing for a pair of tickets to see the “Jesus Revolution” movie when it comes out in February of 2023. Each question you send in will get you an entry whether or not I use your question on the show, and I will be giving away two pairs of tickets. Plus we have a second drawing for a signed copy of my book “Webb’s Easy Bible Names Pronunciation Guide” which you can find out more about at easybiblenamesguide.com. For that drawing, each question I use on the show will get you an entry. Both drawings will be done on Christmas Day. So send your questions into st***@*************ia.com and put “Christmas question” in the subject line.
[PRAYER REQUESTS AND PRAISES – 20:14]
Again, we got no new prayer requests. So let’s pray.
Our heavenly Father, no matter what’s going on, in and around us, we know that you are the same yesterday, today, and forever and you’re always worthy of and deserving of our praise and our worship. You are above all, you are our Sovereign LORD and KING. You have all power and all glory, and we pray, Lord, that our lives will glorify you. You have created us and you have redeemed us. Help us, Lord, to be the people you created us to be.
We remember Kathi, Cassie, Kevin, and his family, and those for whom we’ve prayed for over the past months who have brought their needs to you here. Continue Lord to minister to each one of them in your perfect and loving way according to your will.
I pray Lord for the Lifespring family now and ask you to bless each one. Thank you for bringing us together here to get to know you better through reading your Word. I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Our next time of prayer together will be on Sunday if you have a prayer request or a praise you’d like to share with the family go to prayer.lifespringmedia.com
[OUTRO S13E074 – 21:31]
Comment on the show by calling the Lifespring Family Hotline at +1-951-732-8511 or by going to comment.lifespringmedia.com or by emailing me at st***@*************ia.com. For our Christmas music today we have B.F. Taylor with “What Child Is This?” And until tomorrow, may God bless you richly. Thank you for making me a part of your day. My name is Steve Webb. Bye.
[B.F. TAYLOR SINGS WHAT CHILD IS THIS? – 21:59]
What Child is this, who laid to rest,
On Mary’s lap is sleeping?
Whom angels greet with anthems sweet,
While shepherds watch are keeping?
This, this is Christ, the King,
Whom shepherds guard and angels sing:
Haste, haste to bring Him laud,
The Babe, the Son of Mary!
What Child is this, who laid to rest,
On Mary’s lap is sleeping?
Whom angels greet with anthems sweet,
While shepherds watch are keeping?
This, this is Christ, the King,
Whom shepherds guard and angels sing:
Haste, haste to bring Him laud,
The Babe, the Son of Mary!
This, this is Christ, the King,
Whom shepherds guard and angels sing:
Haste, haste to bring Him laud,
The Babe, the Son of Mary!
Transcribed by https://otter.ai
Transcript corrected by Denise
The post S3E073-Psalms 30-32: The Grace of God first appeared on Lifespring! Media.
