Rajesh

Counsel from Psalm 62 for People Disheartened by the Recent Elections

November 17, 2012

The outcome of the recent elections has left many dedicated, honest people who love their country greatly disheartened. Psalm 62 provides some biblical counsel for such people.

Assailed by murderous (62:3), lying opponents (62:4), David counseled both himself (62:5) and others (62:8, 10) about who and what to turn to in such times of trouble. His counsel may be summarized in the following points:

1. Wait in silence for God alone to save you (62:1, 5)

David begins the Psalm by declaring that he was waiting in silence for help from God (62:1a) because his salvation was from God (62:1b), who alone was his rock, salvation, and stronghold (62:2a). In light of these realities, he was confident that he would not be greatly shaken (62:2b).

After inquiring of his enemies about how long they intended wickedly to assail him (62:3-4), he challenged himself to do the very thing that he had already been doing—wait silently for God only (62:5a). He understood that he should do so because his hope was in God (62:5b), who alone was his rock, salvation, and stronghold (62:6a). Being mindful of these truths, he assured himself that he would not be shaken (62:6b).

Repeating these truths in the psalm (62:1-2; 5-6), David emphasized their importance. He then added that his salvation and glory were resting on God (62:7a). His refuge, the “rock of his strength,” was in God (62:7b).

Believers should wait confidently and in quite repose for God’s deliverance. Despite the advancement of evil that is taking place, God is on the throne, and He alone is worthy of our hope and trust. In His time and way, He is going to deal righteously with the vicious, lying people who are assailing ordinary, God-fearing people with their media propaganda and pernicious policies.

2. Trust in God at all times (62:8a)

Based on God’s being both David’s refuge (62:7) and a refuge for His people (62:8a), they are to put their trust in Him at all times. Whether we experience political defeat or victory, our trust must be in Him. Now is the time for us to turn to God all the more.

3. Pour out your heart before Him (62:8b)

David conjoined trust in God with praying earnestly to Him with our whole heart. We need now to turn to God in prayer individually and corporately like we never have before. He is our only hope in these dark times.

4. Counsel yourself to think properly about people (62:9)

David reminded himself that both lowly men, who are only vanity, and men of high rank, who are a lie, are ultimately vain beings who are hopelessly underweight on God’s balances; in fact, both individually and corporately, they are lighter than breath (62:9). The recent advancement of many people to positions of power and influence, many of whom sadly will likely prove to be unrighteous public officials, should not deceive us into thinking more of them than is fitting. God is in control, and we should turn our entire focus towards His exaltation over all men, righteous and unrighteous, poor or rich, lowly or powerful.

5. Do not put your trust or hope in any evil means of earthly advancement (62:10)

David warns us not to trust in oppression, robbery, or increasing wealth. Although many oppressors are prospering materially in our day, their earthly advancement through unrighteous means is vain and will not be lasting. In a time when temptations to be unrighteous in our dealings with other people will undoubtedly increase, we must resolve that we will only advance in godly ways that display that our hearts are trusting wholly on God as our hope.

6. Hear what God has repeatedly spoken about His power and lovingkindness to repay every man according to his work (62:11-12)

Repeatedly hearing God’s speaking to him, David was solidly grounded in key ultimate realities: both power and lovingkindness are God’s because He is the Lord who is over all (62:11-12a). Because He righteously repays every man in keeping with his deeds, lovingkindess is His (62:12b).

Although evil men may advance in power, they do so only because God’s power has put them there for His own purposes. He will repay them for all that they do in their exercise of their God-given authority.

Similarly, when the righteous do not advance politically, they can yet be assured that God will repay them for their righteousness in spite of His not advancing them in that sphere. His lovingkindness will not allow them to be ashamed ultimately of their trust in Him.

God’s Counsel for Our Times

In the midst of the increasingly trying circumstances that righteous people will undoubtedly face as a result of the outcome of the recent elections, we must entrust ourselves wholly to the supreme power and lovingkindness of our God. No evil man will ultimately prosper because God the righteous Judge of all will repay him for his evil.

Moreover, no righteous man will ultimately fail to prosper because our Judge’s power and lovingkindness will repay us for our trust and hope in Him. Our God reigns—let us take heart, trust, pray, and do good to all men, especially our brethren, until our Lord comes.

In Exposition, Prayer

New Spanish Guitar Resources – 11.13.12

November 13, 2012

I have added PDFs and mp3s for two hymns (Estoy Bien, Noche de Paz) and for another study of sixteenth note rhythms:

Estoy Bien – PDF mp3

Noche de Paz – PDF mp3 mp3(slower)

Sixteenth Note Rhythm Study – PDF mp3 mp3(slower)

In Guitar Music, Spanish

The Ten Longest Chapters in Scripture (by Total Number of Words)

November 10, 2012

Based on my research using BibleWorks 7, the ten chapters in Scripture with the most words all have more than 1700 words each:

Leviticus 14 – 1713 words

1 Samuel 17 – 1719 words

Genesis 24 – 1816 words

Ezekiel 16 – 1820 words

Jeremiah 51 – 1853 words

Leviticus 13 – 1857 words

Numbers 7 – 1939 words

Deuteronomy 28 – 2075 words

1 Kings 8 – 2139 words

Psalm 119 – 2445 words

Some Interesting Stats for Bible Readers

In Bible reading

Does David's Choice Support Voting for the Lesser of Two Evils?

November 5, 2012

In the upcoming presidential election, many of us who are dedicated Bible-believing Americans may still be unsure about how we should vote. Ultimately, God’s sovereign control of all things has faced us with this situation, and we must decide what to do.

For quite some time, I have been very dissatisfied with the approach of voting for the lesser of two evils, which many have advocated should determine how to vote in such situations. I have been praying over much of that time for God to give me wisdom to know what to do.

Recently, God directed my thinking to a biblical account that seems to have some relevant parallels to some aspects of the upcoming presidential election.

2 Samuel 24 (1 Chronicles 21)

After David sinned by numbering the Israelites (2 Sam. 24:1-10; 1 Chr. 21:1-8), God gave Him a choice of three possible punishments (2 Sam. 24:12-13; 1 Chr. 21:9-12). He was thus unavoidably faced with the necessity of choosing among multiple undesirable choices.

David chose what he believed would be the least unfavorable one for him and entrusted himself to the Lord’s mercies in making his choice (2 Sam. 24:14; 1 Chr. 21:13). Although his choice still brought great suffering for him and his people (2 Sam. 24:15-25; 1 Chr. 21:14-27), he at least knew that he had made that choice believing that the outcome would have been worse with either of the other choices.

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

We Americans collectively as a nation have been very sinful. For example, more than 50,000,000 unborn Americans have been aborted since 1973.

Many Christians hold that God is already judging us for our sinfulness. Whether or not we are directly experiencing His judgment in the current political challenge that we face, we know that He has providentially put us in a position that many of us believe forces us to have to make a difficult choice: not voting, voting third party, writing in a candidate, or voting for a Republican ticket about which many of us have serious reservations.

Of these choices, not voting clearly would increase the chances of a Democrat presidential victory, which would be, as best as I am able to determine now, the worst possible outcome of all. Because there is no realistic chance that a third party or write-in candidate could win this election, voting either of these ways would have the same ultimate effect as not voting would.

Choosing to vote for the Republican ticket, we would at least not contribute to a victory for the Democrats in this election. Even if we were to do so, however, God may yet judge us further by allowing the Democratic ticket to win on Tuesday.

Perhaps, however, He will have mercy on us and not allow them to win.

Applying David’s Example to Voting on Tuesday

David chose what he believed was the least undesirable choice among the only choices that he had in his situation. His ultimate trust was not in his choice but in the mercy of God.

In spite of the serious reservations that many of us may yet have about voting for the Republican presidential ticket on Tuesday, the Scriptural record of David’s choosing the least undesirable choice seems to me to provide some biblical basis for doing so. Like David entrusted himself to God’s mercy in making his choice, we too can confidently entrust ourselves to God’s mercy about many of the unknowns that we still will face in making such a choice.

In Theology

Does Pregnancy Caused by Rape Justify an Abortion?

November 4, 2012

Rape is a horrible atrocity that wicked people commit against their fellow human beings. When a woman who is raped becomes pregnant, is her suffering the brutal injustice of rape justification for her to have an abortion?

Many people believe that an unwanted pregnancy caused by rape is a legitimate ground for an abortion. They reason that the woman has already suffered horribly and that her carrying the child would only add to her suffering. What’s more, they argue that her seeing the child would be a perpetual painful reminder of the rape.

Others justify having an abortion in such cases because of the financial burdens having the child would inflict on the woman or because of her inability or unwillingness to accept the weighty responsibility of raising such a child. Ultimately, many assert that the woman’s body is hers, and she is free to do whatever she wants to do with it.

These arguments for aborting a baby conceived through rape focus on various aspects of the mother’s life after the rape. Do they, however, truly justify her having an abortion?

As a Christian who believes the Bible, I believe that the only way to answer this question properly is to allow everything in Scripture that pertains to it to bear on the position taken. Many have previously capably addressed this question from various scriptural perspectives.

This post approaches answering the question from the perspective of the Scripture’s emphasis on God as the sovereign One who alone enables any woman in any setting to conceive a child. Many passages highlight this truth in ways that directly bear on the question at hand.

God Alone Enables Women to Conceive

Human conception is not merely the automatic result of physical relations between a man and a woman. Scripture records the cases of many couples who were unable to conceive children, including the following:

Abraham and Sarah (Gen. 16:1-2; cf. 18:12-14; 21:2)

Isaac and Rebekah (Gen. 25:21)

Jacob and Rachel (Gen. 29:31; 30:1-2; 22-24)

Manoah and his wife (Judg. 13:2-3)

Elkanah and Hannah (1 Sam. 1:5, 19; 2:21)

A Shunammite man and his wife (2 Kings 4:14; 16-17)

Zacharias and Elisabeth (Luke 1:7, 24-25)

In each case, only supernatural intervention by God allowed these couples finally to have the blessing that they longed for but did not have for so many years.

These passages clearly imply that God alone enables any woman to conceive. Moreover, in various ways, many other Scriptures confirm the validity of this inference (Gen. 20:17-18; 29:32-33; 30:17; Exod. 23:26; Deut. 7:14; Ps. 113:9; 139:13-16; Is. 7:14; Matt. 1:20; Luke 1:36-37; Heb. 11:11).

Pregnancy Caused by Rape

Because God alone enables conception, women who become pregnant through rape thus become pregnant in the will of God.[1] God knows all about the horrible circumstances in which they became pregnant. For His sovereign purposes, He has allowed them to become pregnant in that way.

Viewed scripturally, when a pregnancy occurs as a result of rape, the woman can be confident that God allowed it to be so. Because God, who knows everything about her present circumstances (and also everything about what her future circumstances will be) has enabled her to conceive, she can be confident that God has willed for to be pregnant in this way at this time.

As difficult as it may be for her to accept this truth, she should by faith trust God and not abort the child that God has allowed her to conceive. If she truly is unable to care for the child, giving the child to be adopted after it is born is a way for both her and her baby to go on with their lives in the will of God.

Conclusion

For many reasons, including the truth that God alone enables any woman to conceive, a pregnancy caused by rape does not justify a mother’s having an abortion.

[1] Scripture records two instances of woman who were raped without any mention that they became pregnant: Dinah (Gen. 34); Tamar (2 Sam. 13). Although we cannot be dogmatic, the lack of mention suggests that we are to conclude that they did not become pregnant.

In Theology

Let Us Praise Our Uniquely Transcendent, Humble, and Gracious Lord!

November 3, 2012

Psalm 113 emphatically challenges people to praise the Lord by commanding them four times to do so (113:1 [3x]; 9). The remainder of the psalm fills out our understanding of this command in instructive ways.

EXPOSITION

The psalmist begins with three successive plural imperatives:

“Praise ye the LORD. Praise, O ye servants of the LORD, praise the name of the LORD” (113:1).

These imperatives indicate that he is forcefully calling upon God’s servants to praise Him. All of us who are His servants should learn from this teaching that we have a special obligation and privilege to praise God.

The next two verses amplify the teaching of verse one:

“Blessed be the name of the LORD from this time forth and for evermore. From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the LORD’S name is to be praised” (113:2-3).

The psalmist expresses his desire that the name of the Lord would be forever blessed and then declares that His name is to be praised all the day long. Because God’s name is always worthy of praise, we learn that we should diligently praise Him throughout the day on every day.

The final six verses highlight certain aspects of the praiseworthiness of the Lord. First, we learn of His unmatched transcendence:

“The LORD is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens” (113:4).

Because our God is gloriously exalted over all His creation, we should praise Him.

Second, through a rhetorical question that answers itself, we learn of His uniqueness:

“Who is like unto the LORD our God, who dwelleth on high, Who humbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven, and in the earth!” (113:5-6).

Unlike any other exalted beings, whether heavenly or earthly, the Most High God is humble and displays His humility by His attention to the things in the heaven and the earth. Because of His unique person and character, we should praise Him.

Third, the psalmist highlights the praiseworthiness of the Lord by specifying His gracious care for two types of people: (1) the poor and the needy; (2) the barren woman. The Lord exalts the poor and needy in an extraordinary way:

“He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth the needy out of the dunghill; That he may set him with princes, even with the princes of his people” (113:7-8).

Because our uniquely transcendent God humbles Himself to care for such abject people who have no hope aside from Him, we should praise Him.

In addition to His glorious exaltation of the poor and needy, our praiseworthy Lord satisfies the intense longing of another group of people who also have no hope aside from Him:

“He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children” (113:9a).

His gracious fulfilling of their yearnings should lead us to praise Him.

In view of all that he has set forth in the psalm, the psalmist then concludes the same way that he began:

“Praise the Lord!” (113:9b).

Blessed be His name!

APPLICATION

Psalm 113 charges God’s servants to praise Him because He is the uniquely transcendent and humble God who graciously cares for people who have no hope but Him! In view of its teaching, all people should respond by doing three things.

First, those who are not God’s servants should become His servants. No matter how poor and needy you may be, by faith you should come to the One who rewards all those who diligently seek Him (Heb. 11:6). Whatever your life’s condition may be, He is the only One who will truly satisfy your heart’s deepest longings.

Second, all those who are His servants should diligently praise Him throughout the day on every day. They should praise Him because He is exalted above all, He humbles Himself to attend to His creation, and He graciously exalts the destitute and satisfies those who are longing for blessings that only He can provide.

Third, as the psalmist does in Psalm 113, we should exhort others to praise His name and instruct them to do so by setting before them the Lord’s unique transcendence, humility, and graciousness.

Let us all praise our uniquely transcendent, humble, and gracious Lord! May His name be blessed forevermore.

In Exhortation, Exposition

Every Believer Should Learn from John 5 How to Be Like Jesus in Evangelizing Sinners

October 30, 2012

John 5 is probably not a chapter that many believers turn to when they think about how they should evangelize people. A close look at the passage, however, reveals that it is a very valuable account from which we should learn how we are to evangelize sinners.

Many points establish the vital evangelistic importance of John 5. First, a direct statement from Jesus shows that it is an account of His evangelizing sinners: “But I receive not testimony from man: but these things I say, that ye might be saved” (John 5:34). We, therefore, must learn from this passage how we are to be like Jesus in evangelizing sinners.

Second, a comparison of John 5 with John 3 and John 4, two texts which typically receive far more attention than John 5 does in discussions about key evangelistic texts, brings out the importance of John 5. The evangelistic account in John 5 (5:1-47 [47 verses]) is more than twice the length of the Nicodemus account (John 3:1-21 [21 verses]) and five verses longer than the Samaritan woman account (John 4:1-42 [42 verses]). If, then, we consider John 3 and 4 as significant for our learning to evangelize sinners the way Jesus did, we should much more consider John 5 to be so.

Third, John 5 shows that Jesus emphasized His agency in His witness to an extent that is widely lacking in the evangelistic practices of our day. In addition to two direct statements of His inability to do anything “of Himself” (John 5:19, 30), Jesus stressed that He was sent by the Father (John 5:23, 24, 30, 36, 37, 38), that He was given His authority by the Father (John 5:22, 27), and that He had come in His Father’s name (John 5:43). Thus, He communicated His agency at least eleven times in His evangelistic witness on this occasion!

We must, therefore, learn from Jesus Himself that evangelizing sinners properly does not consist only of testifying to His deity. A proper evangelistic witness stresses both His deity and His agency.

Fourth, Jesus specifically emphasized His judicial agency as part of the truth that these sinners were to believe in order to be saved. He did so by His juxtaposing key statements: (1) He highlighted that their right response to God’s doxological purpose (John 5:23a) for giving all judgment to the Son (John 5:22) would be to honor the Son even as they honored the Father (John 5:23b) and that their failing to respond in that way would be to dishonor the Father (John 5:23c); (2) He then solemnly declared that believing His message, which included that vital teaching about the doxological purpose of God for making Jesus His judicial agent, was how they would have everlasting life and not come into condemnation (John 5:24)!

Jesus, therefore, evangelized these sinners by underscoring to them His judicial agency as part of what He said to them so that they would be saved (John 5:34). Believers must learn from Jesus to include testimony to His judicial agency as part of their evangelistic witness to sinners (cf. Acts 10:42; 17:31; Rom. 2:16).

Fifth, Jesus testified at length to His central role in bringing about the future bodily resurrection of the dead (John 5:25-29). When we evangelize sinners, we thus should not just talk about Jesus’ bodily resurrection from the dead.

Rather, we should also tell them that Jesus will bring about the bodily resurrection of all the dead (John 5:28) to either life (John 5:29a) or damnation (John 5:29b). Based on that fact, we should then urge them to come to Him, so that they may have eternal life (John 5:40).

Sixth, even though the sinners whom Jesus was testifying to were seeking to kill Him (John 5:16), Jesus still evangelized them by confronting them directly with hard truths about themselves that they needed to hear in order to be saved. He informed them that they were not rightly related to His Father because they did not have His word abiding in them (John 5:38). He revealed that they did not have the love of God in them (John 5:42).

Jesus exposed the reality that their receiving honor from one another and not seeking the honor that only God can provide made them unable to believe what they needed to believe in order to be saved (John 5:44). He even challenged them that their trust in Moses was not what it needed to be because they did not really believe what Moses said as they should have (John 5:45b-47).

We must learn from Jesus to confront people in a similar manner with the truths that they really need to hear to be saved. We must also learn from Him to persist in evangelizing hardened people, as God providentially provides us opportunities to do so.

Given the many vital truths that John 5 reveals about how Jesus evangelized sinners, every believer should carefully learn from John 5 how he is to be like Him in evangelizing sinners.

In Evangelism, Exhortation

Let Us Sing to the Lord!

October 28, 2012

In many ways, Scripture teaches believers to sing to the Lord:

(1) Examples of believers singing to Him (Exod. 15:1; Acts 16:25);

(2) Examples of believers’ resolving to do so (2 Sam. 22:50; Ps. 104:33);

(3) Prophecies about those who will sing to Him (Isa. 52:8; Jer. 31:12; cf. 1 Chr. 16:33);

(4) Commands for people to sing to Him (1 Chr. 16:23; Ps. 33:2);

(5) Mutual exhortation for people to sing to Him (Ps. 95:1-2)

(6) Instruction that a believer’s doing so is good (Ps. 92:1) and pleasant (Ps. 135:3)

(7) Record of the Lord’s gracious working on behalf of a believer so that he would sing to Him (Ps. 30:11-12)

(8) Explanation that obedience to the command for believers to be filled with the Spirit will result in their singing to Him (Eph. 5:18-19)

(9) Visions of people singing to Him in heaven (Rev. 15:2-4; cf. 5:8-14)

Based on this abundant revelation, let us all sing to the Lord as long as we live and have our being (Ps. 104:33)!

In Exhortation, Music

In Gratitude for Those Who Help the Multitudes Who Have Need of a Physician

October 23, 2012

All the Synoptic Gospels report that Jesus affirmed that sick people have need of physicians (Matt. 9:12; Mk. 2:17; Lk. 5:31). Through the experience of helping my sister with a recent surgery that she had to have, I have a greater appreciation for dedicated doctors and other medical caregivers.

Recently, my sister suffered an accidental orbital fracture to her left eye. She had to have surgery to repair the damage. The surgeon commented something to the effect that her fracture was an extensive one.

I drove my sister from Cookeville, TN, where she lives, to the surgical clinic in Nashville where she had her surgery. The Lord mercifully allowed her surgery to go well, and we were all very grateful when we were able to see her in the recovery room.

For the next 48 or so hours, she needed considerable help with her post-operative care. For the first twelve or so hours, she needed assistance with walking and moving around the house because of the aftereffects of the anesthesia that she had received.

To reduce the swelling, frozen peas in snack-pack sized Ziploc-type bags had to be continually kept over wet, cold compresses placed over her eye. The compress had to be changed whenever it was no longer wet and cold, which typically took around 30 minutes or so. In addition, drops had to be placed in her eye four times a day and antibiotic ointment applied three times a day to the area immediately by the outer corner of her eye.

For various reasons, I ended up being the one who did most of the work of changing her compresses and applying the drops and the ointment. Doing so, I had a small taste of what many medical personnel routinely have to do in providing necessary care for those who are sick.

I thank God for the wonderful work that millions of dedicated medical personnel do in caring for those who have need of a physician! May God richly reward each one for his labor:

Psa 41:1 <To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.> Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the LORD will deliver him in time of trouble.

² The LORD will preserve him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed upon the earth: and thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies.

³ The LORD will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing: thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness.

In Health, Testimony

Guitar Music and Chords for "Cristo Me Ama"

October 19, 2012

Here are the melody and guitar chords for Cristo Me Ama in my chord-solfeggio format for Spanish hymns.

In Guitar Music, Spanish

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