today we're going to be<\/p>\n
continuing our series in the songs<\/p>\n
and as we've said before the songs are<\/p>\n
the prayer book of the bible<\/p>\n
they detail all aspects of the human<\/p>\n
experience<\/p>\n
and they do so as prayers to god<\/p>\n
[Music]<\/p>\n
fear joy grief hope gratitude<\/p>\n
anger love they're all there in the<\/p>\n
songs<\/p>\n
and our text for today is psalm 59 uh<\/p>\n
which is another song that's connected<\/p>\n
to<\/p>\n
david's life<\/p>\n
but it also has very real implications<\/p>\n
for our lives too<\/p>\n
because what david is dealing with in<\/p>\n
this psalm is something that<\/p>\n
we all in one way or another will deal<\/p>\n
with at some point in our lives<\/p>\n
especially if you live in a city like<\/p>\n
bangkok<\/p>\n
what david is dealing with is serious<\/p>\n
mistreatment and injustice<\/p>\n
and the question of this psalm is what<\/p>\n
do you do when you become the object of<\/p>\n
serious mistreatment and injustice<\/p>\n
and how do you deal with the anger and<\/p>\n
frustration that comes from it<\/p>\n
will be<\/p>\n
um<\/p>\n
um so if you if you spend enough time<\/p>\n
around people<\/p>\n
eventually at some point you'll find<\/p>\n
yourself in a very similar situation<\/p>\n
that david is in<\/p>\n
china that is<\/p>\n
becoming the object of serious<\/p>\n
it's very unlikely that you'll have<\/p>\n
people trying to literally kill you<\/p>\n
like david did<\/p>\n
however also like david it's more likely<\/p>\n
that words may be said about you<\/p>\n
for no apparent reason and oftentimes<\/p>\n
those words can feel like a sword<\/p>\n
piercing<\/p>\n
some very important things to tell us<\/p>\n
about how to handle mistreatment<\/p>\n
and injustice as well as the anger that<\/p>\n
comes from it<\/p>\n
that's a<\/p>\n
so first we're going to put the psalm in<\/p>\n
its context<\/p>\n
and then we're going to look at david's<\/p>\n
response<\/p>\n
why he can respond that way and how we<\/p>\n
can respond that way<\/p>\n
so the subheading of the psalm is<\/p>\n
connected to yet another time<\/p>\n
saul tries to kill david<\/p>\n
in this case it's in first samuel 19 and<\/p>\n
what happens is<\/p>\n
prior to this incident david has slayed<\/p>\n
the giant goliath and he's very popular<\/p>\n
amongst the people and he's had a very<\/p>\n
successful military career<\/p>\n
the people are dancing and singing<\/p>\n
praises about david and saul grows very<\/p>\n
jealous<\/p>\n
one day david's in saul's house and saw<\/p>\n
hurls a spear<\/p>\n
at david intending to kill him saul<\/p>\n
misses david escapes<\/p>\n
but that night saul sends his men to<\/p>\n
david's own house<\/p>\n
to watch it and to kill him in the<\/p>\n
morning<\/p>\n
i<\/p>\n
david learns about this and in the<\/p>\n
middle of the night he escapes from his<\/p>\n
own house<\/p>\n
david faces serious mistreatment and<\/p>\n
injustice<\/p>\n
for no fault of his own<\/p>\n
so verses 103 tell us that they're after<\/p>\n
his blood<\/p>\n
and they lie and wait for him but he's<\/p>\n
done nothing to deserve this<\/p>\n
david is outnumbered and his very own<\/p>\n
place of safety<\/p>\n
his own home his own refuge is no longer<\/p>\n
safe<\/p>\n
that we command<\/p>\n
you know how if you're at work or at<\/p>\n
school and people are spreading rumors<\/p>\n
about you<\/p>\n
or you have a conflict with a co-worker<\/p>\n
you know that once that clock hits 3 p.m<\/p>\n
or 5 p.m or 7 p.m or whenever<\/p>\n
you'll be free to go home<\/p>\n
you can look forward to 5 p.m because<\/p>\n
you know once the clock says it's time<\/p>\n
to go home<\/p>\n
you can go back to your friends and<\/p>\n
family and rest<\/p>\n
my club<\/p>\n
david doesn't have that luxury because<\/p>\n
for david his enemies have come to his<\/p>\n
look at verses 3-6 they return that<\/p>\n
evening snarling like dogs and prowl<\/p>\n
about the city<\/p>\n
david has no respite no physical place<\/p>\n
of rest<\/p>\n
and these men versus six to eight tell<\/p>\n
us also hold a significant power<\/p>\n
advantage<\/p>\n
they know that david is powerless and<\/p>\n
they know that he can't do anything<\/p>\n
about the situation<\/p>\n
that's why it says in verse 7 and they<\/p>\n
think who can hear us<\/p>\n
of course if you're talking loudly<\/p>\n
snarling like dogs of course people are<\/p>\n
going to hear you<\/p>\n
you know what happened<\/p>\n
what this verse reveals to us though is<\/p>\n
the posture of heart<\/p>\n
of these men<\/p>\n
who can hear us is actually a boast<\/p>\n
that's saying who can do anything about<\/p>\n
us<\/p>\n
in their own eyes they hold all the<\/p>\n
power they believe that anything can be<\/p>\n
accomplished by their numbers<\/p>\n
they outnumber david and so they boast<\/p>\n
that no one can do anything about them<\/p>\n
so david is in a tough spot he's<\/p>\n
outnumbered<\/p>\n
his main place place of refuge is taken<\/p>\n
from him<\/p>\n
he's the object of serious mistreatment<\/p>\n
and injustice<\/p>\n
what does he do<\/p>\n
to practice<\/p>\n
david turns to god and asks for help<\/p>\n
and this is not a general god help me<\/p>\n
kind of prayer that we're used to<\/p>\n
if we read closely we see that david is<\/p>\n
angry<\/p>\n
and that he's<\/p>\n
yourself to punish all the nations show<\/p>\n
no mercy to wicked traders<\/p>\n
this isn't just a call for help it's a<\/p>\n
call for vengeance<\/p>\n
david has taken his case to god and he's<\/p>\n
praying<\/p>\n
he's appealing to god to punish the evil<\/p>\n
evildoers<\/p>\n
now the bible gives us a very nuanced<\/p>\n
view of anger<\/p>\n
that contrasts with our own cultures we<\/p>\n
want anger<\/p>\n
from<\/p>\n
in our culture a lot of us do not<\/p>\n
express our anger we say oh i'm not<\/p>\n
i'm okay i'm a good person and good<\/p>\n
people don't get angry<\/p>\n
we stifle our anger and we deny it and<\/p>\n
we pretend that it doesn't exist<\/p>\n
and that actually puts us out of touch<\/p>\n
with reality<\/p>\n
because when we do that a root of<\/p>\n
bitterness builds up in us<\/p>\n
and anger slowly poisons us<\/p>\n
or in john 11 where jesus is about to<\/p>\n
raise lazarus from the dead<\/p>\n
right next to where it says jesus wept<\/p>\n
it also says he was moved with anger<\/p>\n
one commentator tells us that he was<\/p>\n
moved with anger<\/p>\n
because of the destruction and the power<\/p>\n
of the great enemy of humanity<\/p>\n
death<\/p>\n
so what the bible says is that it's<\/p>\n
always wrong to deny your anger because<\/p>\n
it leads to bitterness and will poison<\/p>\n
you if you don't admit it<\/p>\n
bro<\/p>\n
look at jesus moved with fury when he<\/p>\n
sees death<\/p>\n
why is it okay for jesus to be angry<\/p>\n
because his anger<\/p>\n
because anger is energy directed when<\/p>\n
something good is being threatened<\/p>\n
long duty prayer<\/p>\n
we should be angry when we see injustice<\/p>\n
and we should be angry when good things<\/p>\n
are being threatened<\/p>\n
and if we're not it's because we're out<\/p>\n
of touch with reality<\/p>\n
and if we do not get angry when<\/p>\n
something good is being attacked<\/p>\n
we're not like god we're not like jesus<\/p>\n
so david's angry at the injustice that<\/p>\n
he's facing and his response is to pray<\/p>\n
he takes his anger and his appeal for<\/p>\n
justice and instead of taking it into<\/p>\n
his own hands<\/p>\n
he puts it in god's hands<\/p>\n
this goes against what people in ancient<\/p>\n
cultures would do<\/p>\n
because back in those days as well as in<\/p>\n
our time<\/p>\n
when someone wrongs us we want to hurt<\/p>\n
them back<\/p>\n
home an eye for an<\/p>\n
eye a tooth for a tooth that's how it<\/p>\n
was back then<\/p>\n
and that's how it is today<\/p>\n
and this is not only with our actions we<\/p>\n
can exact vengeance with our words and<\/p>\n
our thoughts<\/p>\n
when we deny our anger and we pretend it<\/p>\n
isn't there we're being poisoned by it<\/p>\n
because we think we know what the person<\/p>\n
who wronged us<\/p>\n
our own desire to be the judge and the<\/p>\n
executioner<\/p>\n
when we face injustice leads us to<\/p>\n
harden our own hearts<\/p>\n
towards those who harm us<\/p>\n
upon<\/p>\n
but see what david does he takes himself<\/p>\n
out of the judge's seat<\/p>\n
and he goes to god he doesn't let his<\/p>\n
anger keep him away from god<\/p>\n
his anger leads him to god and he<\/p>\n
expresses his anger fully<\/p>\n
i do nothing<\/p>\n
verse 11 says do not kill them or my<\/p>\n
people will forget<\/p>\n
on the surface that seems very merciful<\/p>\n
but what david is saying is for god to<\/p>\n
extend his judgment over a long period<\/p>\n
of time<\/p>\n
so that people would see god's justice<\/p>\n
death is too quick a punishment he's<\/p>\n
praying for god to make an example out<\/p>\n
of his enemies<\/p>\n
and and it leads us to this question why<\/p>\n
can david ask god for justice<\/p>\n
why can he trust that god will exact<\/p>\n
justice<\/p>\n
foreign<\/p>\n
so one reason david can respond this way<\/p>\n
is because he knows that god is just<\/p>\n
he trusts in god's ability to do<\/p>\n
something about the situation<\/p>\n
and david asking god for justice we see<\/p>\n
that david is not overwhelmed<\/p>\n
by the injustice surrounding him<\/p>\n
his circumstances are terrible and yet<\/p>\n
he says but you laugh at them lord<\/p>\n
even though david david himself is<\/p>\n
powerless<\/p>\n
and is intimidated by the world god is<\/p>\n
not<\/p>\n
and david has seen god work in his life<\/p>\n
before when he slayed goliath<\/p>\n
when god saved him from saul in the past<\/p>\n
so another reason david can respond to<\/p>\n
this manner is because of his experience<\/p>\n
he can say you are my strength you are<\/p>\n
my fortress<\/p>\n
my god on whom i can rely because he has<\/p>\n
experienced god in the past<\/p>\n
and he knows that god can do something<\/p>\n
but the deeper reason that david can ask<\/p>\n
god for justice is not just because he<\/p>\n
believes that god<\/p>\n
can do something about it<\/p>\n
so the deeper reason that david can do<\/p>\n
this<\/p>\n
is because he believes that god has in<\/p>\n
mind<\/p>\n
his good that god will do something<\/p>\n
about it because he cares for david<\/p>\n
david believes something many of us<\/p>\n
don't believe<\/p>\n
david believes that god has his<\/p>\n
well-being and heart and that's why<\/p>\n
david can take<\/p>\n
his case to god and say you do something<\/p>\n
about it<\/p>\n
david doesn't say consume them in my<\/p>\n
wrath he says consume them in your wrath<\/p>\n
because he believes that god cares for<\/p>\n
him<\/p>\n
he goes to the only person in the<\/p>\n
universe who has the power to judge<\/p>\n
and will someday make all things right<\/p>\n
who has the knowledge to judge because<\/p>\n
he truly knows what the person deserves<\/p>\n
and who has the right to judge because<\/p>\n
if any of us prayed<\/p>\n
god let us all get what we deserve we<\/p>\n
all would die<\/p>\n
he's a croatian theologian and he says<\/p>\n
something like this<\/p>\n
miroslav<\/p>\n
if you think believing in a god of<\/p>\n
justice and judgment leads to violence<\/p>\n
you've had a very comfortable life you<\/p>\n
have never had your home burned<\/p>\n
or friends or relatives raped or killed<\/p>\n
the<\/p>\n
he says i need to know that there is a<\/p>\n
god who has the power to judge and has<\/p>\n
the right to judge<\/p>\n
because if i don't know that i will pick<\/p>\n
up a sword and go kill them myself<\/p>\n
if we do not know that god is just we<\/p>\n
will be controlled by violence<\/p>\n
and we will be controlled by revenge<\/p>\n
but if we know that god is just it means<\/p>\n
that we can seek justice<\/p>\n
but not pain<\/p>\n
our lives won't be distorted or<\/p>\n
controlled by anger or violence<\/p>\n
because we have brought our anger into<\/p>\n
the presence of god<\/p>\n
and this is what david does um<\/p>\n
yeah verses 10 to 13 that aren't up<\/p>\n
there um<\/p>\n
yeah that's what david does he takes his<\/p>\n
anger into god's presence and in doing<\/p>\n
so he's free<\/p>\n
there is no bitterness<\/p>\n
look at verses 16-17 the tone has<\/p>\n
completely shifted<\/p>\n
david now sings of god's steadfast love<\/p>\n
and strength<\/p>\n
and even though he's still under attack<\/p>\n
he praises god in his heart for being<\/p>\n
his fortress and refuge<\/p>\n
because david knows that god cares for<\/p>\n
him david's able to give up his desire<\/p>\n
to be the judge<\/p>\n
he's able to turn to the true judge with<\/p>\n
his anger<\/p>\n
and to trust that justice will one day<\/p>\n
come<\/p>\n
home<\/p>\n
so that's why david even as he's as he's<\/p>\n
experiencing<\/p>\n
all these bad things he can sing and<\/p>\n
hide in god his fortress<\/p>\n
now what does that mean for us<\/p>\n
one of the ways the bible talks about<\/p>\n
sin is that is it is a fundamental<\/p>\n
distrust of the heart<\/p>\n
it's a fundamental distrust that god<\/p>\n
doesn't care<\/p>\n
and as a result of this distrust we take<\/p>\n
our lives into our own hands and we<\/p>\n
decide<\/p>\n
how to best live we decide what will<\/p>\n
bring us the most happiness<\/p>\n
if only i had that job or that<\/p>\n
relationship<\/p>\n
or if only i looked a certain way or<\/p>\n
made that amount of money<\/p>\n
then i would be happy<\/p>\n
and when we live that way we are<\/p>\n
especially sensitive<\/p>\n
to bitterness because when what we value<\/p>\n
the most is attacked<\/p>\n
we won't be able to let go<\/p>\n
we will not want justice we will only<\/p>\n
want revenge<\/p>\n
when we take our well-being into our own<\/p>\n
hands<\/p>\n
we become vulnerable and we won't be<\/p>\n
able to handle injustice<\/p>\n
it's only when we know that god has our<\/p>\n
well-being at heart<\/p>\n
and that god will bring justice can we<\/p>\n
be equipped to handle injustice and<\/p>\n
serious mistreatment<\/p>\n
and both of those statements that god<\/p>\n
has our well-being at heart and that<\/p>\n
justice will come<\/p>\n
there are actually two sides of the same<\/p>\n
coin<\/p>\n
if god isn't just if he doesn't get<\/p>\n
angry at good<\/p>\n
and wonderful things being threatened<\/p>\n
and destroyed then there's no hope for<\/p>\n
any of us who suffers<\/p>\n
if god isn't just if god does not have<\/p>\n
our<\/p>\n
our well-being at heart we might as well<\/p>\n
pick up the sword and get revenge<\/p>\n
ourselves<\/p>\n
but if god is just if he does get angry<\/p>\n
at<\/p>\n
injustice oppression and suffering and<\/p>\n
if he does get angry at sin<\/p>\n
then all hope is there for you and me if<\/p>\n
he gives us<\/p>\n
all what we deserve we won't be here<\/p>\n
the garden of gethsemane jesus was<\/p>\n
betrayed and arrested<\/p>\n
it was an unjust trial that took place<\/p>\n
at night<\/p>\n
jesus was ambushed by a large crowd<\/p>\n
armed with swords and clubs<\/p>\n
nice one guess so many<\/p>\n
fierce men conspired against jesus for<\/p>\n
no<\/p>\n
offense or sin of his own verse three he<\/p>\n
had done no wrong<\/p>\n
and that yet they are ready to attack<\/p>\n
him verse four he was flogged<\/p>\n
beaten spat upon and ultimately hung on<\/p>\n
a cross to die<\/p>\n
honduras<\/p>\n
and later when jesus is on the cross and<\/p>\n
as he's dying he says<\/p>\n
father forgive them<\/p>\n
forgive them what about the cost what<\/p>\n
about justice does jesus not care about<\/p>\n
anyone who's been wronged here knows<\/p>\n
that there is a debt to be paid<\/p>\n
that there's a cost and you can either<\/p>\n
try to make<\/p>\n
the person who wronged you pay the debt<\/p>\n
or with extreme emotional difficulty you<\/p>\n
can try to forgive them<\/p>\n
the woman<\/p>\n
but someone has to absorb the cost in<\/p>\n
order to restore that relationship<\/p>\n
and if it is that hard at the human<\/p>\n
level think of how much harder<\/p>\n
it is to absorb the cosmic cost of sin<\/p>\n
the cost of all the evil and sin and<\/p>\n
injustice of humanity<\/p>\n
how is god going to reconcile to us<\/p>\n
so verse 17 that i've highlighted in<\/p>\n
hebrew it literally says<\/p>\n
the god who shows me steadfast love<\/p>\n
on the cross jesus experienced the<\/p>\n
greatest injustice of all<\/p>\n
jesus experienced mistreatment at the<\/p>\n
ultimate level he was destroyed<\/p>\n
for no fault of his own concern<\/p>\n
but he voluntarily did it so that we<\/p>\n
would know<\/p>\n
that we can trust him and that justice<\/p>\n
will come<\/p>\n
he showed us steadfast love<\/p>\n
he said<\/p>\n
because jesus experienced the ultimate<\/p>\n
injustice for you<\/p>\n
when you face injustice and suffering<\/p>\n
you know that you can trust the ultimate<\/p>\n
judge to bring justice<\/p>\n
you won't be destroyed by injustice and<\/p>\n
mistreatment anymore<\/p>\n
it'll still hurt it'll still be painful<\/p>\n
but it won't destroy you<\/p>\n
would and when we understand the gospel<\/p>\n
we are able to not only handle injustice<\/p>\n
but we're also able to love our enemies<\/p>\n
when you're experiencing serious<\/p>\n
mistreatment look to jesus and see him<\/p>\n
experiencing injustice for you<\/p>\n
look at the debt that he forgave you and<\/p>\n
when you do that<\/p>\n
and it's very hard work but when you do<\/p>\n
that you'll be able to forgive others as<\/p>\n
well<\/p>\n
yes<\/p>\n
it's only when you look at jesus and<\/p>\n
seeing see him experiencing injustice<\/p>\n
enduring mistreatment will you be able<\/p>\n
to handle injustice without being<\/p>\n
destroyed by it<\/p>\n
and it's only through looking at jesus<\/p>\n
and his resurrection will you know that<\/p>\n
one day god's going to make all things<\/p>\n
okay<\/p>\n
father we pray that you would give us<\/p>\n
what we need in order to love our<\/p>\n
enemies<\/p>\n
it is incredibly difficult god and yet<\/p>\n
it's something that you call us to do<\/p>\n
help us to look to you lord jesus to see<\/p>\n
you not only loving<\/p>\n
but dying for your enemies and would<\/p>\n
that help us to endure when mistreatment<\/p>\n
comes our way<\/p>\n
we pray god that through your holy<\/p>\n
spirit you would take these truths we've<\/p>\n
seen in your word today and that you<\/p>\n
would make it real<\/p>\n
in our hearts and in our lives<\/p>\n
in jesus name amen<\/p>","english_search_text":"","":"","teacher":null,"original_publish_date":"20210301","video_url":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=XwIK6pGq7Zg","video_id":"XwIK6pGq7Zg","video_duration":"37:14","channel_name":"Grace City Bangkok","video_description":"\u0e04\u0e33\u0e40\u0e17\u0e28\u0e19\u0e32\u0e1b\u0e23\u0e30\u0e08\u0e33\u0e2a\u0e31\u0e1b\u0e14\u0e32\u0e2b\u0e4c 28 \u0e01\u0e38\u0e21\u0e20\u0e32\u0e1e\u0e31\u0e19\u0e18\u0e4c 2564\nFebruary 28, 2021\n\n\u0e04\u0e38\u0e13 \u0e19\u0e34\u0e23\u0e31\u0e19\u0e14\u0e23\u0e4c \u0e01\u0e34\u0e15\u0e15\u0e34\u0e01\u0e38\u0e25\u0e2a\u0e34\u0e07\u0e2b\u0e4c\nNiran Kittikulsingh\n\n\u0e23\u0e2d\u0e04\u0e2d\u0e22\u0e04\u0e27\u0e32\u0e21\u0e22\u0e38\u0e15\u0e34\u0e18\u0e23\u0e23\u0e21\n\u0e2a\u0e14\u0e38\u0e14\u0e35 59\n\nLonging for Justice\nPsalm 59\n\nGrace City Bangkok Church\n\u0e04\u0e23\u0e34\u0e2a\u0e15\u0e08\u0e31\u0e01\u0e23\u0e40\u0e01\u0e23\u0e0b\u0e0b\u0e34\u0e15\u0e35\u0e49\u0e01\u0e23\u0e38\u0e07\u0e40\u0e17\u0e1e\n\nGrace from the Word leading the Church to love the city\n\u0e1e\u0e23\u0e30\u0e04\u0e38\u0e13\u0e08\u0e32\u0e01\u0e1e\u0e23\u0e30\u0e04\u0e33\u0e19\u0e33\u0e04\u0e23\u0e34\u0e2a\u0e15\u0e08\u0e31\u0e01\u0e23\u0e23\u0e31\u0e01\u0e2a\u0e31\u0e07\u0e04\u0e21"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1000","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1000"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1000\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1001,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1000\/revisions\/1001"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/999"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1000"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1000"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1000"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}