Psalm 64:10 Let the righteous rejoice in the Lord
and take refuge in him;
let all the upright in heart praise him!

When I read this Psalm this morning I thought I was reading about modern American politics! I guess this just shows that human nature has been perverted from the beginning, and only the externals change. Our current society would be unrecognizable, certainly magical, to someone from David’s time, but the basic things of the human soul haven’t changed. That’s why the Bible is as relevant today as when it was written, and for that matter, why the US Constitution is as vital today as when it was written. That’s certainly more recent than King David! We keep running into the reality that God is outside of time, so all times are the same to Him. That’s why it is so important that Jesus said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” (Matthew 5:17) That is recorded right after the Beatitudes, and it’s followed by various passages that intensify things that are stated in the Old Testament. God knew our hearts when He spoke to Moses and the prophets, and He certainly knows our hearts today. That’s why He spoke through Malachi, “I the Lord do not change. So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed.” (Malachi 3:6) He knew what He was getting into when He created us and gave us free will; He’s not surprised by our stupidity. That’s precisely why He caused the Bible to be written: so that we would better understand our own proclivities and know how to stay out of trouble. We can’t avoid trouble completely, because we have to live with everyone else, such as the people David was writing about in this Psalm, but if our focus is on God and walking with Him, we will be blessed indeed. (John 16:33) That’s why we need to keep reading the Bible, regardless of how many times we’ve read it before, to ingrain it in our heart and mind. (Psalm 119:11)

This is an awareness that has grown in me over the years. I guess it’s a sign of maturity! I am not to be surprised at my own failures, much less at the failures of others, but at the same time I’m not to excuse them. I am to remember that God has provided a way out of it all through His Son, and both walk in that way myself and proclaim it to all who will receive it. I am to keep taking in His Word, though I first read through the Bible by the time I was 10. I’m still learning to live it out! I am to keep sharing His truth with those around me as He speaks it to my heart, always confirming it with and grounding it in the Bible. The Holy Spirit is the reliable guide for that. I am to rejoice that He knows me completely, better than I know myself, and likewise rejoice in the privilege of learning to know Him better, looking forward to the time when “I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.” (1 Corinthians 13:12)

Father, thank You for Your timeless Word. Thank You for speaking through it to me day by day, drawing me closer to You. Help me be more and more effective in sharing it with others in ways they can receive it, so that they too may be protected from the wiles of the devil and their own foolishness, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!