Weekly Devotion ( Psalm 40-44)
Psalm 40
In the beginning of Psalm 40, David dedicated thanksgiving and praise to God’s salvation for him. Originally, he was trapped in the sins of the world, unable to extricate himself. Now, God makes him stand on the rock, and every christian who has truly been saved and regenerated should feel the same way-having God to rely on. If we don’t feel deeply about this, it means that the root of our salvation has not been firmly planted. May the Lord have mercy and make me have a clear distinction between being in the world and being in Christ. Verses 6-7 of chapter 40 teaches us that offering sacrifices in a superficial ritual is just a sacrifice on the surface level, and that we shouldn’t stop at this level. Instead, we have to appreciate the deeper mystery of salvation. The Book of Hebrews (10:5-7) points out that the death of Jesus on the cross is considered to have completed the ultimate goal of sacrifice set up by God. For this reason, we should also offer our bodies as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1-2 ), in order to accomplish God’s ultimate redemption of sinners. Therefore, in this chapter, David was not satisfied with his previous salvation experience, and continued to seek God, begging Him not to abandon him. He knew that without God’s continuous protection, his past sins would catch up to him and take him captive.
>
Psalm 41
From a worldly perspective, the king of a country must exercise autocratic (or despotic) rule, but the king of Israel should exercise a pastoral monarchy according to God’s will. David knew his primary responsibility was to care for the needs of the needy and not to follow the counsel of the wicked, although this will lead to all kinds of malicious attacks from the enemy especially when he is sick. His enemies, including his close friends who had won his trust, would love to see him die and seize his throne in one swoop. But David knew that the enemy’s plot was futile, because God was with him, and David called on God to heal his disease, so that he could regain the kingship. This is also when these wicked people would get retribution and try to lead the people of Israel away from the way of God. The result of attempting to worship idols and earthly values is definite failure. This was David's responsibility as king of Israel and not the kind of unloving behavior we see when believers refuse to forgive others' transgressions because of personal grievances. The two should be distinguished.
>
Psalm 42
The ‘second book of the Psalms’ is referring to chapters 42-72. From the beginning of this chapter until the 49th chapter, its author is identified as a descendant of Korah, and Korah himself was the leader who led the rebellion in the wilderness (Numbers 16), but God’s grace still favors Korah’s Descendants, as the Kohathites among the Levites, they may administer the holy things in the Tabernacle and Temple. Here, for unknown reasons, the author is in exile in a foreign country and cannot enter the sanctuary to meet God, so he sends out a prayer of longing for God. The author thirsts to experience the joy of worshiping God with everyone in the temple again, since there will be no peace in his heart otherwise, only pain, sorrow and irritability. Brothers and sisters, when we find ourselves far away from God, do we also suffer from the same pain, or do we not know that the depression and irritability in our hearts is the result of being far away from God?
>
Psalm 43
Psalm 43 is often considered to be the same as Psalm 42. From this, we can probably guess that the author was forbidden to enter the sanctuary to serve and worship God after being falsely accused and wronged. The author prayed to God to remember the pain in his heart, to avenge him, and to guide him back to Jerusalem and the sanctuary, where he could meet God face to face, because God was his true pursuit and true joy. God will let him watch, wait, and give God all praise. Thank the Lord, because of the great work of redemption completed by the Lord Jesus on the cross so that us christians don’t have to go to the designated sanctuary to meet Him like the Jews did at that time. Just as Jesus said: “Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.” (John 4:23) Today, God is building churches everywhere and translating the Bible into all languages. Our hearts must come to the church that preaches the truth of God according to the revelation of the truth of the Bible. This way, we can form the body of Christ with all the members built together, and God will be with us forever!
>
Psalm 44
In chapter 44, the author first offered praise and thanks for God’s frequent leadership of Israel in ancient times (verses 1-8), but from verse 9 onwards, he suddenly turned his back and blamed God for abandoning his people and scattering Israel among the nations to be dishonored among their neighbors. Did God really abandon His covenant with His people for no reason? The author seems to have forgotten that whether God blesses or curses Israel is dependent on whether the Israelites obey God’s commandments (cf. Deuteronomy 11:26-28). On the contrary, they self-righteously assumed that they have not violated God's covenant (verses 17-18), which is why they asked God to wake up and stop hiding His face and ignoring their cry for help. They even requested that instead, God rise up and carry out redemption according to His mercy. Although the author here blamed God with a self-righteous heart, he still knew that without God's love and blessings, they can only sit around and wait to perish. Here is one of the sentences quoted by Paul in Romans 8:36: "Yet for your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered" (v. 22). Our take away from this should be that when we suffer, it is not because of sin but for righteousness, which is to be rewarded with the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, there is no such thing as suffering for no reason. Although the author has many misunderstandings about God and is blaming Him for what happened, he knows God holds the keys to eternal life. This is what this chapter requires us to understand in particular.
***
Shop all products, journals, and devotions from LumenCollectives here.
每周灵修 诗篇40-44
诗篇 第40篇
⼤衛詩篇（40）的開⾸，就將感恩讚美獻給了當初神對他的拯救。 原本他陷在世界的泥沼中，不得⾃拔。如今神使他站⽴在磐⽯上，有神依靠 這其實也應當是我們每⼀個真正蒙恩重⽣基督徒的真實感受。如果我們若對 此感受不深的話，那就說明我們救恩的根還未扎牢，求主憐恤，使我對在世 界中和基督裡有清楚的分辨。本詩篇6-7節中教導我們不將獻祭停留在⼀種表 ⾯遵⾏的儀式上，⽽是要體察其中更深的救恩奧秘。希伯來書（10：5-7）點 出了耶穌的⼗字架受死才算完成了神設⽴獻祭的終極⽬標，對此我們也當將 ⾝體獻上當作活祭（羅12:1-2），才算成就了神對罪⼈的終極救贖。所以⼤衛 在本詩篇中並未就以往的得救經歷為滿⾜，⽽是繼續尋求神不要丟棄他，因 為若沒有神持續的保守，過去的罪還會追上他，將他擄去。
诗篇 第41篇
在世⼈看來，⼀國之君所⾏的必然是專制統治，但是神⼼意中的以 ⾊列王要施⾏的是牧養式的君權。⼤衛知道他的主要責任就是關懷窮乏⼈的 需要⽽不從惡⼈的計謀。這雖然會遭致仇敵各種惡意的攻擊，尤其是乘他患 病之際，恨不能使他死去，⼀舉奪取他的王位，這其中包括那些曾得他信任 的密友。但⼤衛知道仇敵的圖謀是徒勞的，因為神與他同在，⼤衛呼求神治 癒他的病，使他可以重新執掌王權，使這些惡⼈得着報應，使他們妄圖帶領 以⾊列百姓離開神道，去膜拜世界偶像和價值的企圖歸與失敗。這是⼤衛作 為以⾊列君王當負的責任。不是那種我們信徒常因私⼈恩怨，不赦免別⼈過 犯的沒有愛⼼之舉。這兩者應當區別開來。
诗篇 第42篇
詩篇從第42篇起到72篇稱是詩篇中的第⼆卷書。 從本篇開始直到第49篇，其作者都指明是可拉的⼦孫，⽽可拉本⼈曾是 當初在曠野中帶頭率眾叛亂的⾸領（民16），但神的恩典仍眷顧着可拉的後 代，作為利未⼈中的哥轄族，他們可在會幕和聖殿中管理聖物。這裡因不知 什麼原因，作者流亡在異鄉，無法進⼊聖所朝⾒神，所以發出思念渴想神的 禱告。詩⼈但願能重享從前與眾⼈在神殿裡⼀同敬拜神的喜樂，否則⼼中不 得平安，只有傷痛憂悶和煩躁。弟兄姊妹們，當我們發覺⾃⼰遠離神時，是 否也有這樣的痛苦，或者我們不知⾃⼰⼼中的憂悶煩躁，恰恰是遠離神的後 果？
诗篇 第43篇
43篇常被認為與42篇是同⼀篇，從中⼤概我們可以猜想作者是受了 ⼈的誣告，蒙了不⽩之冤，才被禁⽌進⼊聖所事奉敬拜神的。詩⼈求神記念 他⼼中的傷痛，為他伸冤，重新引導他來到耶路撒冷，來到聖所，能當⾯朝 ⾒神，因為神才是他真正的尋求，真正的喜樂所在。他當仰望等侯，將⼀切 讚美歸給他。感謝主，因着主耶穌在⼗字架上完成的救贖⼤⼯，我們基督徒 不必像當時的猶太⼈那樣，到指定的聖所來朝⾒祂，正如耶穌說：「然⽽時 候將到，現在就是了，那⽤⼼靈按真理敬拜⽗的，才是真正敬拜的⼈，因為 ⽗在尋找這樣敬拜祂的⼈。」（約4:24新譯本）如今，神在各地建⽴教會， 並將聖經翻譯成各國語⾔。我們的⼼靈定當照著聖經真理的啟⽰，來到宣講 神真理的教會，與眾肢體組成基督的⾝體，同被建造，神就與我們永遠同 在！
诗篇 第44篇
詩⼈在本篇（44）中，先是為神在古時常常帶領以⾊列得勝獻上讚 美感謝（1-8節），但從第9節起，突然轉回責怪神棄絕了祂的百姓，使以⾊ 列被分散在列邦中，在鄰國中受羞辱。神真的無緣無故丟棄神⽴約的百姓 嗎？但是詩⼈彷彿忘記了神對以⾊列的祝福和咒詛是視以⾊列⼈是否遵⾏神 的誡命⽽來（參申11:26-28），反⽽⾃義地認為⾃⼰並未違背神的約（17- 18），故求神睡醒，不要再掩⾯不顧他們的困境，⽽是要起來憑著神的慈愛 來施⾏救贖。這裡作者雖然帶着⾃義的⼼埋怨神，但是他仍然知道，若沒有 神的慈愛眷顧，他們只能坐等滅亡。這裡其中的⼀句：「我們為你的緣故終 ⽇被殺，⼈看我們如將宰的⽺」（22節），在羅⾺書中為保羅引⽤（羅 8:36），這裡體現了另⼀種⼈所受的苦不是因罪⽽是為義，那是要得着天國 的賞賜。所以，⼈沒有哪種苦是無緣無故⽽受的。詩⼈儘管對神有許多的不 明⽩，甚⾄責怪，但他知道神有永⽣之道，他還能歸誰呢？（約8:68）。這 是本詩讓我們要特別領悟的。
***
