Samuel D. High
sdhigh@aristotle.net
-----Original Message-----
From: Apostle Tom <pressingon@hotmail.com>
Sent: Fri, 23 Nov 2007 03:27:43 -0600
To: <pressingon@hotmail.com>
Subject: Morning Manna (Nov. 24); BP: Ps. 34; RBTTY: I Peter 1; Ez. 22-23
November 24 “On Words and Meditations”
“I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.”
Psalm 34:1
The words of the mouth always reveal the meditations of the heart.
David was a wanted man. King Saul hated him and wanted him dead, even though the young shepherd boy-future king had done nothing wrong. Oh, how great the agony of soul when we’ve been falsely accused, misrepresented and maligned! But, as today’s Manna so aptly points out, we must still remember to “bless the Lord at all times and let His praise be continually in our mouth.”
Sitting in cave with a bunch of guys, who are “distressed, in debt and discontented” (I Sam. 22:1-2) isn’t the kind of setting where praise and thanksgiving usually abound. Think about it: Caves are dark, dirty and dank. . .cold and filled with bats and guano. There are no padded pews, stained-glass windows and pipe organs anywhere around. So, how in the world can David say, “I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth”? Has he got a screw loose or something?
No, David was simply seeking to “encourage (Heb. ‘chazaq’—‘to fasten upon, seize, be strong, strengthen, cure, help, restrain, conquer, etc.’) himself in the Lord” (I Sam. 30:6). He knew others’ words of comfort are good—but they still cannot lift that mantle of heaviness from us. Only Jesus, the Promised One from God, can do that (Is. 61:1-3) and even He cannot do it until we turn our problems over to Him and begin “blessing and praising His Holy Name.” Hallelujah!!
Think of it, Pilgrim:
Isn’t the old saying, “Misery loves company” true? Assuredly it is. And, in an attempt to comfort ourselves, i.e., “lick our wounds,” it’s easy to invite others to join us in doing so. If you don’t believe it, sit in your local coffee shop early one morning and eavesdrop on the table nearby where the others have gathered to share the latest gossip. Most likely, you’ll hear quite a bit of bitterness, sarcasm and slander as they talk about what’s wrong with the world instead of what’s right with God.
That’s why we’re told to “not make friends with an angry man” (Prov. 22:24) because soon we’ll “end up just like him and get a snare to our soul” (v.25). Simply put, being around a person “with a bitter root” (Heb. 12:15) will soon “defile (Grk. ‘miaino’—‘contaminate, taint, sully, etc.’) us,” causing us to be further down-in-the dumps.
Could it be that’s why David also wrote, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my Strength and my Redeemer” (Ps. 19:14)? Could it be that he, as a Hebrew, knew that we are basically “creating” with our words and need to “guard our hearts with all diligence, because from it spring the issues of life—i.e., the things we deem most important or are focusing on” (Prov 4:23)? May the Holy Spirit help us, like Job, to “bridle our tongues today so we won’t sin with our lips” (Job 2:10)—and the surest way to do this is by “blessing the Lord at ALL times as His praise CONTINUALLY fills our mouth.”
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