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Psalms 119:21-24 ESV
Who are the insolent? They are those who do not show due respect for other people. They are also the brazen, the shameless who show scorn for others, marked by contemptuous disregard of others. They are evildoers, meanies, abusers, users, manipulators, liars and cheats. Their flesh is their god whom they worship and give all their love and adoration to. For they live for self-pleasure and self-gratification regardless of who they hurt in the process.
Now these who are insolent can be people in positions of power and rule, such as government heads, and/or CEOs of corporations, and/or the wealthy and powerful of the world (the elite) who are the ones really running the world. And some of them are pastors of church congregations (or of what is falsely being called “church”), and some of them are church elders and deacons, and some of them are heads of households who exercise authority over those within their households.
But they aren’t just people in positions of rule and authority over others, for they are regular people, too. And some (or many) of them are also among those who profess faith in Jesus Christ, and some of them will use religion as a way to abuse others, too. But they are the selfish and the self-driven who are guiding their own steps and who are not yielding their lives over to the will of God. For they are those who wander from God’s commandments in order to do what ought not to be done.
But they are also those who will excuse away their insolence and their disobedience with all sorts of lame excuses for why they are living as they are. For, even though they may profess faith in Jesus Christ, they do not honor him as Lord of their lives, but they deny him by their actions and by how they treat others, for some of them will show scorn and contempt to those who are following the Lord Jesus with their lives. And some of them will do this because they resent those whose faith in Jesus is strong.
And so the psalmist here is praying to God to take away from him such scorn and contempt, for he had kept the testimonies of the Lord. And even though there were rulers and others who were plotting evil against him, he remained faithful to the Lord and to meditating on his statutes. For the testimonies of the Lord were his delight. They were his counselors. But if we remain faithful to the Lord in keeping his commandments (New Covenant), does that guarantee us that God will rescue us from scorn and contempt?
If we read the New Testament Scriptures and the words of Jesus and of the apostles we will soon learn that we are destined for such treatment as this. For Jesus said that if we follow him that we will be hated and mistreated like he was, and that we will be scorned and mocked and falsely accused of wrongdoing, etc. For we are called of God to share in the fellowship of Christ’s sufferings, becoming like him in his death. For if we follow Jesus with our lives, the same kinds of people who hated him will hate us, too.
So, although the Lord Jesus may give us relief from our suffering, from time to time, and he may remove us from situations where we are being persecuted, and he may send us someplace else sometimes, he doesn’t promise us in this life that we will totally be free from suffering or persecution and from being treated with scorn and contempt. For the closer our relationship is with our Lord, and the greater our obedience to him, the more we are going to be hated and opposed and scorned.
[Matt 5:10-16; Matt 10:16-25; Matt 24:9-14; Matt 28:18-20; Lu 6:22-23; Lu 21:12-19; John 15:1-21; Jn 16:33; Acts 1:8; Acts 14:22; Acts 26:18; Rom 5:3-5; Rom 12:1-8; 1 Co 12:1-31; 2 Co 1:3-11; Eph 4:1-16; Eph 5:17-27; Phil 3:7-11; Col 3:16; 1 Thess 3:1-5; Jas 1:2-4; Heb 3:13; Heb 12:3-12; 1 Pet 1:6-7; 1 Pet 2:9; 1 Pet 4:12-17]
He Lifted Our Burdens
An Original Work / February 15, 2014
Based off Isaiah 9:2-7
People walk in darkness.
They abide in their sin.
It has power o’er them.
True belief escapes them.
Jesus Christ came to save them.
He gave His life up for them;
Crucified; died for our sin,
So we might be forgiven,
And have life up in heaven.
Many come to know Him.
God’s love now o’erflows them.
They rejoice in vict’ry.
Their sin is but hist’ry.
We were once bound in slav’ry.
Jesus lifted our burdens;
Set us now free from Satan,
So we now walk in freedom.
Sin has no more dominion.
Praise be to our Savior!
He showed us His favor.
He took all our burdens;
Cast them all upon Him.
He is our mediator;
The Light which shines in darkness.
Counselor in our troubles;
He gives peace now in our hearts;
Joy which is everlasting.
“You rebuke the insolent, accursed ones,
who wander from your commandments.
Take away from me scorn and contempt,
for I have kept your testimonies.
Even though princes sit plotting against me,
your servant will meditate on your statutes.
Your testimonies are my delight;
they are my counselors.”
Who are the insolent? They are those who do not show due respect for other people. They are also the brazen, the shameless who show scorn for others, marked by contemptuous disregard of others. They are evildoers, meanies, abusers, users, manipulators, liars and cheats. Their flesh is their god whom they worship and give all their love and adoration to. For they live for self-pleasure and self-gratification regardless of who they hurt in the process.
Now these who are insolent can be people in positions of power and rule, such as government heads, and/or CEOs of corporations, and/or the wealthy and powerful of the world (the elite) who are the ones really running the world. And some of them are pastors of church congregations (or of what is falsely being called “church”), and some of them are church elders and deacons, and some of them are heads of households who exercise authority over those within their households.
But they aren’t just people in positions of rule and authority over others, for they are regular people, too. And some (or many) of them are also among those who profess faith in Jesus Christ, and some of them will use religion as a way to abuse others, too. But they are the selfish and the self-driven who are guiding their own steps and who are not yielding their lives over to the will of God. For they are those who wander from God’s commandments in order to do what ought not to be done.
But they are also those who will excuse away their insolence and their disobedience with all sorts of lame excuses for why they are living as they are. For, even though they may profess faith in Jesus Christ, they do not honor him as Lord of their lives, but they deny him by their actions and by how they treat others, for some of them will show scorn and contempt to those who are following the Lord Jesus with their lives. And some of them will do this because they resent those whose faith in Jesus is strong.
And so the psalmist here is praying to God to take away from him such scorn and contempt, for he had kept the testimonies of the Lord. And even though there were rulers and others who were plotting evil against him, he remained faithful to the Lord and to meditating on his statutes. For the testimonies of the Lord were his delight. They were his counselors. But if we remain faithful to the Lord in keeping his commandments (New Covenant), does that guarantee us that God will rescue us from scorn and contempt?
If we read the New Testament Scriptures and the words of Jesus and of the apostles we will soon learn that we are destined for such treatment as this. For Jesus said that if we follow him that we will be hated and mistreated like he was, and that we will be scorned and mocked and falsely accused of wrongdoing, etc. For we are called of God to share in the fellowship of Christ’s sufferings, becoming like him in his death. For if we follow Jesus with our lives, the same kinds of people who hated him will hate us, too.
So, although the Lord Jesus may give us relief from our suffering, from time to time, and he may remove us from situations where we are being persecuted, and he may send us someplace else sometimes, he doesn’t promise us in this life that we will totally be free from suffering or persecution and from being treated with scorn and contempt. For the closer our relationship is with our Lord, and the greater our obedience to him, the more we are going to be hated and opposed and scorned.
[Matt 5:10-16; Matt 10:16-25; Matt 24:9-14; Matt 28:18-20; Lu 6:22-23; Lu 21:12-19; John 15:1-21; Jn 16:33; Acts 1:8; Acts 14:22; Acts 26:18; Rom 5:3-5; Rom 12:1-8; 1 Co 12:1-31; 2 Co 1:3-11; Eph 4:1-16; Eph 5:17-27; Phil 3:7-11; Col 3:16; 1 Thess 3:1-5; Jas 1:2-4; Heb 3:13; Heb 12:3-12; 1 Pet 1:6-7; 1 Pet 2:9; 1 Pet 4:12-17]
He Lifted Our Burdens
An Original Work / February 15, 2014
Based off Isaiah 9:2-7
People walk in darkness.
They abide in their sin.
It has power o’er them.
True belief escapes them.
Jesus Christ came to save them.
He gave His life up for them;
Crucified; died for our sin,
So we might be forgiven,
And have life up in heaven.
Many come to know Him.
God’s love now o’erflows them.
They rejoice in vict’ry.
Their sin is but hist’ry.
We were once bound in slav’ry.
Jesus lifted our burdens;
Set us now free from Satan,
So we now walk in freedom.
Sin has no more dominion.
Praise be to our Savior!
He showed us His favor.
He took all our burdens;
Cast them all upon Him.
He is our mediator;
The Light which shines in darkness.
Counselor in our troubles;
He gives peace now in our hearts;
Joy which is everlasting.
