Psalms 69:28- Where were we?

[newton3005]

If you should come across any Verses in the Bible that are straight-forward, you are lucky. Psalms 69:28 is NOT one of those Verses. Its quest for ambiguity blazes like a neon sign amidst the signs of the prophets that some see as written in town halls. What do prophets have to do with Psalms 69:28? Only they can explain. Anyway...

The whole Psalms 69 has David calling on God to show retribution against David’s enemies. Psalms 69:28 denotes one possibility as to their fate. What Book does this verse refer to? David hints of the possibility that it is the book of the righteous. But is it only of the righteous? And if so, is it only of those that have been destined to be righteous and, under God, have succeeded?

Consider that God does not reverse actions he has taken. To put it in perspective, some may argue ‘Well, God DID pull Jonas out of the great fish and land him ashore, didn’t He?’ Yes, but that assertion becomes washed out if you consider that it was God’s intent from the beginning that Jonas end up being ashore. After all, how else could he have warned the Ninevans of their pending disaster? And of that disaster, God doesn’t carry it out even though He originally said he would—but that’s different from taking action.

There is a strong inference of only the righteous being meant to be in God’s Book; otherwise, if any of them were to sin, God would have to take them out, and that would indicate a degree of fallibility that God doesn’t have. And even though God in Exodus 32:33 says to Moses He will take the sinners out of His Book, there is a strong inference they were never in God’s Book to begin with.

When were the righteous put there? When were WE put there? The safe answer is we who were put there have been predestined. When would this predestination have taken place? The logical answer is before we were born and so haven’t had a chance to get into mischief. Some Verses hint at this. Ephesians 1:4-5 says “Even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will...” Romans 8:29 says, “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.”

Safe to say, we have all been predestined, whether or not we are in His Book. God, in Romans 9:13 is quoted as saying “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated,” the context being that God knew before they were born which of them He would love and who He would hate. Our lives have been mapped out before us. We can try to fool God, but that’s already in God’s Plans for us. And if we are conscientious enough to strive for righteousness, that’s in God’s Plans too.

We are where God wants us to be.

 

[Diamond72]

What Book does this verse refer to?

This is the book of life. There is no question about that. Revelation 3:5 says, "I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life". In my opinion every name is written in God's book of life, from the foundation of the world. Their name has to be blotted out of the book of life so that they are no longer counted with the righteous who live holy and sanctified lives before God.

Exodus 32:33 The LORD replied to Moses, "Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot out of My book.

Safe to say, we have all been predestined,

We are all predestine to be saved. In psalm 139 15 God writes the book of our life at or before our conception. The Angels are given to help us to follow God's plan for us and our life. We still have free choice. Because we have the breath of life. In the Bible, nephesh is used over 700 times and is often translated as "soul".

 

[David Lamb]

We are all predestine to be saved. In psalm 139 15 God writes the book of our life at or before our conception. The Angels are given to help us to follow God's plan for us and our life. We still have free choice. Because we have the breath of life. In the Bible, nephesh is used over 700 times and is often translated as "soul".

What biblical passage says that all are predestined to be saved? Writing to the Christians at Ephesus, Paul said:

“3 ¶ Blessed [be] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly [places] in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, 5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,” (Eph 1:3-5 NKJV)

If everybody is predestined to be saved, then it what sense were Christians chosen in Christ?

 

[Diamond72]

What biblical passage says that all are predestined to be saved?

The Bible says that God is not willing that any should perish. 2 Peter 3:9 You can take that from there any way you want. Do you really think God creates people with the intent of destroy them? The Bible is clear that people are to judge themselves. 2 Corinthians 13:5 says, "Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves."

 

[David Lamb]

The Bible says that God is not willing that any should perish. 2 Peter 3:9 You can take that from there any way you want. Do you really think God creates people with the intent of destroy them? The Bible is clear that people are to judge themselves. 2 Corinthians 13:5 says, "Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves."

But the whole of 2 Peter 3:9 says:

“The Lord is not slack concerning [His] promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” (2Pe 3:9 NKJV)

Who are the "us"? Well, to whom is he writing?:

“Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:” (2Pe 1:1 NKJV)

Yes, Christians, so the "us" in 3:9 refers not to everybody, but to Christians, who also need to repent of sins. As he goes on to say, this is especially true in view of the Second Coming of Christ.

And of course all who call themselves Christians should do what 2 Corinthians 13:5 says, and examine themselves to see whether they are really Christians, relying on Christ the Saviour.

However, none of that means that nobody is going to be unsaved.

 

[Diamond72]

However, none of that means that nobody is going to be unsaved.

God wants everyone to be saved. He did not create them to destory them. That makes no sense at all. People 100% decide for themselves. God does not tamper with their choice one way or the other. We are called to live holy, sanctified righteous lives before God. If people think they are saved no matter what then they have no motivation to live right before God. Next your going to try to tell me we do not have to live right before God.

 

[com7fy8]

Well, let's see >

"Let them be blotted out of the book of the living,
. And not be written with the righteous."
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(Psalm 69:28)

Well, it says that. And I trust that if God truly changes a person to become a child of God, then God keeps the person who has trusted in Jesus > Ephesians 1:12 < this scripture does not actually say what I just said, but if I trust in Jesus, how can I then still have control of myself??

I would trust my will to Him >

"for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure." (Philippians 2:13)

So, one explanation I think of is > this Psalm verse was written before Jesus came and brought in our very sure New Covenant which includes how God does not fail to finish all He has begun in every adopted child in Jesus >

"being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ." (Philippians 1:6)

So, possibly Psalm 69:26 is talking about Jews who are God's people, but they are wicked; and so David says let them be blotted out. Even so, Ezekiel 33:11 says >

"'Say to them: "As I live," says the Lord GOD, "I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?"'" (Ezekiel 33:11)

So, from this I consider God can mean the wicked get blotted out, but still may turn from their evil ways and live. He does not say how long they are to be blotted out.

And we need to evaluate how hasty we are to judge that an evil person can never be saved. There are ones who feel certain wrong people are beyond help and hope. But we need to feed on Ezekiel 33:11, then, if we are tempted to judge wrong people permanently. Love "hopes all things", we have in 1 Corinthians 13:7.

 

[David Lamb]

God wants everyone to be saved. He did not create them to destory them. That makes no sense at all. People 100% decide for themselves. God does not tamper with their choice one way or the other. We are called to live holy, sanctified righteous lives before God. If people think they are saved no matter what then they have no motivation to live right before God. Next your going to try to tell me we do not have to live right before God.

If a person is not saved then the fault is entirely theirs, not God's. If a person is saved, then the credit for that is entirely God's, not the saved person's. Once saved, a person will increasingly display the fact that they are saved in the way they live, as Paul writes to the Christians at Ephesus:

“8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; [it is] the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” (Eph 2:8-10 NKJV)

I'm certainly not going to tell you that "we do not have to live right before God." Of course we do.