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Psalm 96:4-5 says, “For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols.” Some translations render the phrase “worthless idols” as “nothings,” or “non-entities.” We are commanded to avoid the worship of idols not only because it is immoral, but because it is vain. Idols are simply the fantasies of the imagination of wicked men. Therefore, idols can only disappoint, and those who trust in them become like them.

God sovereignly determines the boundaries of nations, as well as their lifespan. Throughout history, the average lifespan of national empires has been approximately 250 years. From the Assyrian Empire to the Ottoman Empire, each appears to follow the same trend: 1) The Age of Pioneers, 2) The Age of Conquests, 3) The Age of Commerce, 4) The Age of Affluence, 5) The Age of Intellect, and 6) The Age of Decadence & Decay. This final stage is always marked by a departure from religion, frivolous materialism, and a massive influx of immigration and the welfare state. America has officially reached the 250 year mark and seemingly checks all the boxes of the Age of Decadence & Decay. So is America’s time up? Is it too late to repent? And most importantly, what effect will America’s fate have on the Church of Jesus Christ?

Psalm 78:4 says, “We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might, and the wonders he has done.” Only the most vile of men would resolve to hide the beauty of the Gospel from their own children. And yet, some parents hide the Gospel from their children by neglecting to proclaim its TRUTH in word (failure to include the children in weekly corporate- worship at a biblically faithful church, failure to lead their children in daily family-worship in the home, failure to provide their children with a Christian education in their schooling). Still, other parents conceal the Gospel from their children by neglecting to demonstrate its POWER in deed (failure to live a transformed life evidenced by the Fruit of the Spirit).

The psalmist believes that God will continue to be good to Israel as a whole, but he is doubting whether or not God will be good to him personally. His doubt stems from his consistent experience of seeing wicked people around him prosper. In this particular psalm, the psalmist has reached a point where his doubt has fully developed into bitterness and envy. However, all of this changes when he enters the sanctuary of the Lord.

Moments before his execution, Polycarp famously said, “Eighty and six years have I served Him, and He never did me any injury: How then can I blaspheme my King and my Savior?” Psalm 71:5-17 says, “For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, O Lord, from my youth. Upon you I have leaned from before my birth; you are he who took me from my mother's womb. My praise is continually of you... O God, from my youth you have taught me, and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds.” In other words, both Polycarp (the disciple of the Apostle John) and the author of Psalm 71 served the Lord faithfully from birth. This does not mean that they were regenerate from birth, it simply means that they were raised by their parents as “Christians.” So what does it look like for parents to raise their children in such a manner?

One genre in the book of Psalms is called “imprecatory psalms.” The word “imprecation” simply means “curse” or “judgment.” These psalms are often difficult for New Testament Christians to reconcile with the teaching of Jesus: “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you” (Luke 6:27-28). The key is to carefully observe how the New Testament apostles use Psalm 69.

God is the “savior of all people” in the sense of physical preservation, but God is only the savior of “those who believe” in the spiritual and eternal sense (1 Timothy 4:10). God is the “common grace savior” of all, and God is the “special grace savior” of some (the elect). In other words, God cannot bless anyone apart from his grace, spiritual blessing (eternal) or physical blessing (temporal). “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights” (James 1:17).

Psalm 63:2 says, “So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory.” While on the run from his son Absalom, David has been effectively cut off the land of Israel, and most significantly, the sanctuary. Therefore, the psalmist is deprived of the praise of God, the people of God, and the presence of God. He is consumed by a desperate, and even violent, thirst for the pleasure and privilege of the presence of God in public worship. David longs to appear before his God. David knows that the sweetest times in the presence of God are not found in private devotion, but in public worship.

For the past 18 months, Christians (and especially pastors) have been presented with a simple choice: Either forsake the gathering to minimize the physical threat of death to our bodies, or continue to gather to minimize the spiritual threat of damnation to our souls. Some overly zealous Calvinists might object at this point by insisting that God is sovereign over salvation, and therefore, he is capable of preserving the souls of his elect, even in the absence of physically gathering together on the Lord’s Day. However, I might remind these Calvinists that the same God who is sovereign over salvation is sovereign over everything, and therefore, he is also quite capable of preserving the health of his people as they diligently seek to obey his commands.

According to Psalm 59, King Saul and his men were like starving, wild dogs that trap their prey right before tearing it to shreds. David's own home had been surrounded by this bloodthirsty mob. David's enemies are characterized by nothing but sheer rage and unrestrained evil. They are not capable of being persuaded by reason, if only someone would provide the facts in an honest and compelling manner. These were men who had willingly pledged their allegiance to an irrational king, a king who had completely succumbed to his own madness and fierce jealousy.

This week Connor Hensley an Elder at Covenant Bible church preaches from Psalm 57.