DoctriVotional Series I, Volume V

Introduction

Doctrivotional is a collection of doctrine, on an commentary level, for application. This series of application is taken from the Word of God, considering 1) the meaning of the words; 2) the times when the Word was spoken for application; 3) the parallel of the times from then to now; 4) for the application of the Word now.

God's Word is a Living Word. It is as applicable today as when it was written, as it was before it was written, when God's Spirit bore witness of the Word to be made canon. The Christian life depends on doctrine and experience of doctrine. Doctrivotional gives you the doctrine, and the ways of application, for the experience of doctrine. This series is dedicated to knowing the Word for the purpose to experience the Word, through proper application. It is where doctrine meets devotional—where the Word meets individuals fully devoted to living God's Word, living by the Living Word.

The series coincides with a chronological Bible-in-a-year program (included). The chronological plan is based upon historical research of when the events in the Bible took place, upon popular belief. This plan was chosen for the understanding of application of God's Word as it was given, and the mirroring of how it can be applied for the reader today.

This volume will explores II Samuel, I Kings, I Chronicles, II Chronicles, Psalms, and Song of Solomon.

The Book of PSALMS

The book of Psalms is a poetic book which meaning, Book of Praises, (Hebrew); or, pious songs, (Greek). It is not only a poetic book of praises, but a book of instruction (didactic), prophecy of Messiah (Messianic), plea for help against enemies (imprecatory), and repentance and cleansing (penitential).

Hebrew poeticism is written in parallel of rhythmic thoughts, as oppose to parallel of rhythmic words. From this, the Hebrew poetic form is paralleled in one of three ways: either synonymously (parallel of identical thoughts), or antithetically (parallel of contrasted thoughts), or synthetically (parallel of thought enhancing another).

These poetic forms meet in a book of the walk of God's people, whether in praise, plea, delight, despair, vengeance, humility, and any other state of being you might find yourself in this Christian walk. The book, therefore, contains Hebrew poeticism of any place we may find ourselves in our walk with God.

The book of Psalms is composed by at least six authors: Moses, David, Solomon, Asaph (or the families of him), the sons of Korah, and Ethan.

Day 123

Chronological Bible-in-a-year Reading:

Psalms 106-107

Application Reading:

Psalm 107:1-9:

O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy. And gathered them out of the lands, from the east, and from the west, from the north, and from the south. They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way; they found no city to dwell in. Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them. Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses. And he led them forth by the right way, that they might go to a city of habitation. Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.

"O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever." This is a universal call of praise to be given to the LORD, so that none is exempt from this call to praise Him. Why? – Because He is good! Not only this, but all men partake and taste of this goodness. The sun shines on the righteous as well as the unrighteous; refreshing rain is given to the righteous and the unrighteous. The seasons come to both, food is given to both, the very breath of God that makes one physically life is given to both. In this, His mercy extends to all that He, in His goodness, has made (Psalm 145:9). He is good in His mercy, which is to all. He is good in that this mercy is faithful to the one as well as to the other; and good, that this faithful mercy is as faithful as the day He gives, whether it is a day of rain or shine, which is a day given to all.

"Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy." Unlike the universality of the above, herein is a specific call to the redeemed. For it is the redeemed that do not only partake of the goodness of His mercy, but also partake of the goodness of His grace. These are whom He hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy. First, let us remember that this is literal of Israel. They had been redeemed from the hand of Egypt, in a two-fold redemption: bringing out of Egypt, and bringing into the land of promise. Fundamentally, to be redeemed is to be delivered from the hand of the enemy. This is extensive. In the first, we can say that we have been redeemed from God's enemies: sin, Satan, self, the world – all of whom are the enemy of what we were originally created for, in the likeness of God's own image and professor of His goodness. They are the enemy of us because they work against our original creation. However, since the fall, we are a different creation, that in likeness of Satan our father, and his self-love. Therefore, we can say, with the use of the word redeemed, that to be redeemed is to be delivered from God Himself being your enemy: to be delivered, redeemed, from the hand of God. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God (Hebrews 10:31), which the redeemed are redeemed from. Indeed, praise ye the LORD!

In the Old Testament, a kinsman-redeemer was a surety in a trial, one who paid a debt for another, and a restorer of the dead. He had to pass three qualifiers for the title and office: relationship to the one in need of redemption, ability to pay the requirement for redemption/restore the dead's house fully, and willingness to do so. In the case of having a debt, Christ paid the debt. In the case of needing a surety in trial, your surety had to be the equal of your opposing party; so it is that Christ is the Surety/Advocate for us against God, for He is equal to God...He is God. In the case of restoring the house of the dead, Christ restored us to life by His death, by reconciling us to God, by His husbandry of taking us on to take us (that is, our sins) with Him to the grave and then take us (that is, justified) with Him where He is seated in heavenly places. To live eternally is most certainly to be restored from the dead. A mere paragraph cannot describe His glories as Redeemer; but do know this, those He has redeemed are redeemed – and you, being redeemed, need to be saying He is good!

"And gathered them out of the lands, from the east, and from the west, from the north, and from the south. They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way; they found no city to dwell in. Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them. Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses." We mentioned the two-fold redemption above. For literal Israel [in their Egyptian redemption], there was a wilderness between the two parts. For many redeemed, this is the same. Many encounter a wilderness prior to their crying out to the Lord. Many need this wilderness to cry out to the Lord, as many have many gods that pervert their minds from the true God. Therefore many even praise God for this wilderness, where their idols were ripped from them, where they were taken off a pedestal of being a self-god (as they couldn't do for themselves what God could do for them; vainly, they used to think they could, and worshipped what their hands could do; but now in the wilderness, they know better), where they saw God as...God. It is in a mountain in this desert of a wilderness that God proclaimed Himself as I AM to Moses (Exodus 3:1); and it is in this wilderness that many redeemed see that God is the I AM, and they, and all others, are not. You need some bread, well here is God saying, I AM; you need some water, God says, I AM; you need a refuge, God says, I AM. Even if the wilderness has been a place where you liken to the Israelites when God gave them the ten commandments, and see Him as a terrible God, fearing Him who can kill both body and soul, that you cry for an intercessor/mediator as Israel cried for Moses to intercede/mediate. Oh I pray that the wilderness does do that to many souls, for then they can hear Christ Jesus say, I AM...that Intercessor and Mediator," which will glorify Christ in their magnification of His office.

"And he led them forth by the right way, that they might go to a city of habitation." Though Israel stayed in the wilderness longer than intended (due to rebellion to move forward into the land of promise), rest assured that the wilderness was purposeful. I do hope the last paragraph began the realization of the purposes of it for you. When none else can feed us, let God feed us; when no other tailor can clad us, let Christ clad us with the robe of righteousness; when none can shelter us, let us hide in the shadow of the Almighty; when none can quench our thirst, let us open our eyes to the well, like Hagar, of Living Water. The wilderness is where and when, truly, there is none else beside Him, and we live the Word. God Himself, in the Word, tells us, I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me, (Isaiah 45:5). Praise God that He rips falseness by the wilderness.

Having Him as God, He did lead forth by the right way, that they might go to a city of habitation. You will recall when He first led them out of Egypt, there was another way (Exodus 13:17), but for reasons stated in the Word, it was not the right way. Therefore, though the way He led was through the wilderness by the Red Sea, it was the right way to lead to their habitation of Canaan. God will lead you to the right way. Faithful is He who called you, who will also do it (I Thessalonians 5:24). Regardless of the confusion of your thoughts to His, His thoughts are higher than yours. Regardless to the lack of understanding to go via the wilderness, His ways higher than yours. Indeed, His Way (the right way) is higher, for it will lead you to that high city for habitation, that high city whose builder and maker is God.

"Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!" We are drawn back to the start, that all men should praise God for His goodness. This is a universal call to praise. Even the unrighteous are the praise of the goodness of His mercy, considering that they do not receive (at least not while they are alive) what they truly do deserve, and the sun shines on them faithfully as it does to the righteous. They are also the praise of His goodness of longsuffering, and they will be so until they become converted and sing with the redeemed, if they are to be converted, or until they be to the praise of the goodness of His holiness in the vindication thereof.

"For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness." However, if they shall be converted, and take that journey out of the land of bondage, to a city whose builder and maker is God, going through the purposeful wilderness, they will find satisfaction for a longing soul, filling of the hungry soul. They will find satisfaction and filling by God Himself, with