Monday, February 16, 2015

Psalm 15 ... Prayers to God & Promises of God to the Church

1 Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle?
who shall dwell in thy holy hill?
 

2 He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness,
and speaketh the truth in his heart.
 

3 He that backbiteth not with his tongue,
nor doeth evil to his neighbour,
nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour.
 

4 In whose eyes a vile person is contemned;
but he honoureth them that fear the Lord.
He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not.
 

5 He that putteth not out his money to usury,
nor taketh reward against the innocent.
 

He that doeth these things shall never be moved.

Comments by Joan Boney

In Psalm 15, there are a list of subjects followed by the statement:  The doer of these things shall never be moved.

Here is the list:

2 He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness,
 

and speaketh the truth in his heart.
 

3 He that backbiteth not with his tongue,
 

nor doeth evil to his neighbour,
 

nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour.
 

4 In whose eyes a vile person is contemned;
 

but he honoureth them that fear the Lord.
 

He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not.
 

5 He that putteth not out his money to usury,
nor taketh reward against the innocent.
 

He that doeth these things shall never be moved.

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We, by the Holy Spirit that is in us, can know what to do when the above issues of this life come across our path.   By the Spirit of God we can know the will of God for the Spirit of God will lead us by reminding us of things to show us the will of God in that exact issue.  As we do that shown by the Spirit of God we may be condemned by worldly people but not by God and that is all that matters.  We will never be able to make worldly people think well of us anyway no matter what we do.  When they are inclined to judge and condemn us they will do so but only God has the authority to condemn us.  Therefore the apostle Paul says the following.

Romans 8 ... For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called:and whom he called, them he also justified:and whom he justified, them he also glorified.
31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? 32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? 33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. 34 Who is he that condemneth?


Therefore what is really important in every dealing is this:  What does God want me to do?

The Holy Spirit shows us what God wants us to do.

An example:  A woman who lives across the street from me became offended at me 8 or 9 years ago.  I tried to reason with her but she refused to hear me and continued hostile toward me.  Recently a man was trying to deliver firewood to my house and he got mixed up and went to her house.  She showed visible hostility toward me over this.  The next day I was thinking of writing her a note explaining what happened.  I turned to God with this and when I did the Holy Spirit reminded me of the following scripture:  Matthew 15:14 Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.  I knew by this God was show me to "leave her alone".  So that is what I did and have continued to do when she comes to mind.

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Psalm 15:4 ...  He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not.

To swear to our own hurt could happen when we foolishly say we will do something and later regret we promised that.  

If we realize we have "sworn" (promised) wrongly, and if we fail to change we condemn ourselves in the sight of God.  We must be willing to back down from our own word when that which we have promised is the wrong way to go.

An example of someone holding to his own word and doing that which was wrong is Herod.

Mt. 14 ... 3 For Herod had laid hold on John, and bound him, and put him in prison for Herodias 'sake, his brother Philip's wife. 4 For John said unto him, It is not lawful for thee to have her. 5 And when he would have put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet. 6 But when Herod's birthday was kept, the daughter of Herodias danced before them, and pleased Herod. 7 Whereupon he promised with an oath to give her whatsoever she would ask. 8 And she, being before instructed of her mother, said, Give me here John Baptist's head in a charger. 9 And the king was sorry:nevertheless for the oath's sake, and them which sat with him at meat, he commanded it to be given her. 10 And he sent, and beheaded John in the prison.

Even if we have given our word to do something, if we find it is the wrong thing to do we must not do it.  We must free ourselves from our word when necessary.

Prov. 6 ... 1 My son, if thou be surety for thy friend, if thou hast stricken thy hand with a stranger,
2 Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth.
3 Do this now, my son, and deliver thyself, when thou art come into the hand of thy friend;
go, humble thyself, and make sure thy friend.
4 Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids.
5 Deliver thyself as a roe from the hand of the hunter, and as a bird from the hand of the fowler.


Mt. 11 ... Jesus says ... 28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart:and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Pray over the matter and do what you believe God shows you to do after prayer.