A BEND IN THE ROAD

Psalm chapter 71






Today we are walking in: A Bend In The Road








Deuteronomy 9:3


Understand H3045 therefore this day, that the LORD thy Yah is he which goeth over before thee; as a consuming fire he shall destroy them, and he shall bring them down before thy face: so shalt thou drive them out, and destroy them quickly, as the LORD hath said unto thee.


UNDERSTAND


Today we look to the word-UNDERSTAND- H3045 yada’--to perceive and see, find out and discern


The Torah testifies...............


Exodus 36:1

Then wrought Bezaleel and Aholiab, and every wise hearted man, in whom the LORD put wisdom and understanding to know H3045 how to work all manner of work for the service of the sanctuary, according to all that the LORD had commanded.


Deuteronomy 1:13

Take you wise men, and understanding, and known H3045 among your tribes, and I will make them rulers over you.


The prophets proclaim..................


Isaiah 6:9

And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive H3045 not.


Isaiah 29:24

They also that erred in spirit shall come H3045 to understanding, and they that murmured shall learn doctrine.


Isaiah 41:20

That they may see, and know, H3045 and consider, and understand together, that the hand of the LORD hath done this, and the Holy One of Israel hath created it.


Jeremiah 4:22

For my people is foolish, they have not known H3045 me; they are sottish children, and they have none understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge. H3045



The writings bear witness...........................


1 Chronicles 28:9

And thou, Solomon my son, know H3045 thou the Yah of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever.


Job 28:23

Yah understandeth the way thereof, and he knoweth H3045 the place thereof.


Psalm 82:5

They know H3045 not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of course.






Psalm 71 is an incredible jewel in the Scriptures – Most scholars believe it was written by David when he was going through some heart-wrenching times as a result of his sons. Absalom had turned on his father and attempted to seize the throne. Adonijah tried to usurp the throne as well, but David had already promised it to Solomon. The cost to David was horrendously heavy; his aging heart was burdened with a deep grief few of us will ever experience. The Most High’s children have no immunity whatsoever to pain or suffering. Trials can come through friends, or enemies or aging and bad health, but they can also come from The Most High Himself. Peter wrote, “Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trials you are going through, as though some strange thing is happening to you” (1 Pet 4:12). Some things cannot be learned through lectures or the written word; they must come at the cost of bruised hands and bloody knees – there are an infinite number of different kinds of trials.
The Most High sends trouble into our lives to “strengthen us” and to make us better children in His family. Little by little, over a period of many years, we are stripped of all the things in life that gave us security. It is a season of slowly developing anxiety. David was under attack from his own children… in the midst of his insecurity, he found that The Most High was his refuge, his rock, and his fortress. In those times when we feel the hostile forces of the universe pursuing us, we long for a “strong refuge” – the kind of security that can only be found in The Most High Himself. A powerful leader is invariably self-reliant and independent – it simply comes with the territory. He charts his own course and depends on his own resources. But sooner or later, he reaches his limit, and he finds he is not self-reliant after all. When their power hits its limit, they will seek a power higher than themselves and begin to experience a feeling of dependency. In that moment of transformation, we come to suddenly realize, “I don’t control my world after all! I have no more ideas and nowhere to run or hide! Most High, only You can rescue me! Make haste to help me, O Most High!”
Someone has said that Psalm 71 is filled with great praise and great complaining all at once. David’s pilgrimage embodies both “human defeat” and “godly victory” – and that is not an insignificant footnote, for we tend to lack a true understanding of adversity these days. When David saw the worst life had to dish out for him, he could still remember the perfection and faithfulness of The Most High: “In You, O The Most High, I put my trust… deliver me in Your righteousness… incline Your ear to me.” Whenever we face trials, we need to remember who The Most High is – sometimes we get so focused on our “trials” we forget to focus on “Him.” Five times in Psalm 71 David mentions the “righteousness of The Most High” (verses 2, 15, 16, 19, 24). David understood that there was one thing he must do when trials were swirling around his head – he must never forget that The Most High is righteous and good, and He is The Most High who can be trusted. Things may be bad, but The Most High is never any less in control, nor does He lower His love for us. Ultimately, we fall on our knees and say, “My The Most High, my hope is in You!”
David reminded himself that The Most High had proved “faithful to him” throughout his life. There in the midst of his suffering, he cried out, “But still I will continue to hope in You and praise You” (71:14). This is the mark of the truly godly person. Praising The Most High generally does not happen until we step just far enough outside our own entrenched emotional defenses to take a good look at where The Most High really is. David began to question, “The Most High, now that I am old, are You finished with me?” Never assume The Most High is through with you. Gray hair means nothing. In The Most High’s way of doing things, the best is always yet to come. Have you gradually bought into a worldview based on Murphy’s Law – “Whatever can go wrong will go wrong?” Psalm 71 takes you down a road that leads precisely in the opposite direction. Your cynicism is replaced by faith. You see a godly future in which The Most High bends the world’s distorted hopes into His beautiful plan. David has confidence in the future because he has confidence in the One holding it. He writes, “You shall increase my greatness, and encourage me on every side” (71:21).
Trials are for our “benefit,” as unwelcome as they are at the time. They make us better men and women. When you have walked through the fire, people begin to listen to you. When you have the wisdom borne of suffering, you begin to have the tools to accomplish something in the world. As The Most High’s children, “We must learn to live with the insecurities and the ambiguities of life, knowing that we are secure in HaMaschiach; for He is The Most High.” The psalmist in Psalm 119 said, “Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep Your word… . it is good for me that I was afflicted, that I may learn Your statutes” (119:67, 71). Testing makes you walk the straight path, while the untested go astray.
For every kingdom citizen, in this journey of life, the road will “bend” in a different direction. When we meet the bend in the road we must look to The Most High for the “grace” to meet that defining moment.
Even to those of us who follow HaMaschiach, the topics of pain and suffering and ultimate meaning are complex and confusing. How can we cope with them? The Bible tells us that life is like a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes – it is like grass that grows for a season only to be cut down and scattered by the winds. “ Life is a journey, and we must all walk the path.” So many of the psalms are written for pilgrims on the path – one of the most helpful is that of Psalm 21. In this psalm we can hear the psalmist crying out, “The Most High, I need guidance for my journey… I’ve lost my way… will You show me where to go?”
I will lift up my eyes to the hills – from whence comes my help? My help comes from the Most High, who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to be moved, He who keeps you will not slumber…
The Most High shall preserve you from all evil, He shall preserve your soul. . . forevermore.
In spite of all the “perils” we encounter, we can trust the The Most High. We are never too small for His caring. The Most High’s Word reminds us that “we are kingdom citizens and strangers in a foreign land” whose roads are filled with hazards. The road is long, weary, and dangerous. It winds through veils of tears, but the long winding road finally comes to the City of The Most High, the place of joy and feasting. That is the biblical view of life in this world. There are numerous passages that describe the “mountains” as a place of blessing (Mt. Moriah, Mt. Sinai, Mt. Zion, Mt. Olivet, Mt. Carmel), but we know all too well that mountains can also be a place of danger. The godly kingdom citizens, have always found a sense of majesty in the “high country” – the mountains of life – but they have also found a sense of danger and a fear of the unknown. The psalmist says to himself, “I will lift up my eyes to the hills” – then he breaks off and asks the question, “From whence comes my help?” He tells himself, “I’ve looked to the mountains, and I find no help… I’ve looked within, and I find no guidance… finally I looked up, and realized the source of my help – “My help comes from The Most High!” The Most High is not merely the Creator of all things, He is the Sustainer of all things as well (Col 1:16-17). If The Most High numbers the hairs on your head, don’t you think He’s up to date on the larger issues of your life? He will not allow your foot to be moved. Such thoughts should renew our strength to carry on.