May 7, 2025 • 22 mins
Podcast Introduction
Today our reading is Psalms 87-89. Afterwards, I’ll have some thoughts to share with you, and I’m calling today’s episode “Always Deserving.”
Comments on Psalms 87-89
In Psalm 87 we read how God loves Zion, used in this case to mean Jerusalem. There is an obvious tone of joy with this Psalm.
But Psalm 88 is full of anguish. The writer is pouring out his heart to God. In the opening, he confesses that God is his savior, and immediately begins telling God about the anguish he is in, and seems to wrap up by saying that it is God who has put him in this place. And yet, remember how the author opened, with a confession that God is his savior. So as bad as things are, there is hope.
And then Psalm 89 begins with praises to God with all of His love, majesty, faithfulness, might, righteousness and justice. And the covenant that God made with David is remembered, but David's descendants have forsaken God's law, and therefore God has withdrawn his protection and blessings from Israel. And then the Psalm ends much as it begins, with promises of eternal praise to God.
The fact is that despite outward circumstances, God is worthy of praise. He is worthy when life is good, and He is worthy when life is hard. He is our savior in both places. He does not change, but our surroundings do. He is eternal, but our lives here on earth are just a spark, a fleeting moment in time.
But despite the short span of our life, we have a responsibility to make it matter. There is a reason God put you here. You are not an accident. Your life has purpose.
What is that purpose? For each of us, the primary purpose is to bring glory to God. Isaiah 43:6b-7:Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth—everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”
So what does that actually mean? How can you and I glorify God? By praising Him. By worshipping Him. By proclaiming His greatness. By doing His will. Each of us must do these things in our own unique way, because He has different specific things He wants us to accomplish.
How do I know that? Because of the following verses:
4There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. 5There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. 6God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us.
7A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. 8To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice12:8a Or gives a word of wisdom.; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge.12:8b Or gives a word of knowledge. 9The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing. 10He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages,12:10 Or in various tongues; while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said. 11It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.
1 Corinthians 12:4-11 (NLT)
So God gifts each of us differently, because He has a different specific will for each of us. That's one of the greatest things in the believer's life: discovering his or her gifts. But that is an entirely different discussion.
For now, it is enough to remember that despite outward circumstances, God is always worthy of praise, and please, beloved, always remember: He has a purpose for you. You are incredibly important to God.
Design: Jason Paschall | Photo: City Church CA on Unsplash
Today's Bible Translation
Bible translation used in today's episode: Ch. 87-89 NIV
Today's Music
Scott Krippayne - O Sacred Head, Now Wounded
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Steve Webb (00:00):
Hey guys, Steve Webb here. As I record this, it's a
little past 8 pm on Tuesdaynight. I had some unforeseen
home maintenance issues today.Fun, fun. And this is actually
the first chance I've had todayto be able to sit down in the
studio. And there's no way Ihave time to do a show for you,
so I'm going to play lastseason's Psalms 87 through 89
episode for you so we stay onschedule. And I'm sorry, there
(00:23):
won't be an Essentials segmenttoday, but we'll pick up next
Wednesday. And since there won'tbe a praises and prayer requests
segment either please be prayingfor Adam Curry who has what
should be his last oral surgeryprocedure today, Wednesday. As I
understand it, it's scheduled tobe about a three-hour operation.
So please pray that it goes asplanned and with no
complications and that Adam hasa quick recovery. I know he
(00:47):
would appreciate your prayers.And now here's the show.
There's a reason God put youhere.
This is the Lifespring FamilyAudio Bible, coming to you from
Riverside, California.Podcasting since 2004, I am your
(01:08):
OG Godcaster, Steve Webb.Welcome. This is the daily show
where we're reading through theentire Bible in a year. Today
our reading is Psalms 87 through89. Afterwards, I'll have some
thoughts to share with you andI'm calling today's episode
"Always Deserving." And since weare in the Psalms, I'll give you
a brief introduction beforereading each psalm. The show
(01:28):
notes page for today's episodeis at
lifespringmedia.com/s12203. Youcan email me at
steve@lifespringmedia.com. Let'sbegin.
Psalm 87 is entitled "A Psalm ofthe Sons of Korah. A song."
We've already talked about theSons of Korah on the show, so I
won't take time to do thattoday. And here's what Charles
(01:51):
Spurgeon wrote about Psalm 87.“This ‘Psalm or song’ was either
composed by the sons of Korah,or dedicated to them: as they
kept the doors of the house ofthe Lord, they could use this
beautiful composition as a Psalmwithin the doors, and as a song
outside.”
Psalms, chapter 87. He hasfounded his city on the holy
(02:15):
mountain. The Lord loves thegates of Zion more than all the
other dwellings of Jacob.Glorious things are said of you,
city of God (02:22):
“I will record Rahab and Babylon among those
who acknowledge me— Philistiatoo, and Tyre, along with Cush—
and will say, ‘This one was bornin Zion.’” Indeed, of Zion it
will be said, “This one and thatone were born in her, and the
Most High himself will establishher.” The Lord will write in the
register of the peoples (02:44):
“This one was born in Zion.” As they
make music they will sing, “Allmy fountains are in you.”
The title of Psalm 88 is "Asong. A psalm of the Sons of
Korah. For the director ofmusic. According to mahalath
leannoth. A maskil of Heman theEzrahite." This title actually
(03:08):
gives us quite a lot ofinformation. Let's break it
down. "A song." It's meant to besung yet this is a very sad
song, and it's regarded as oneof the saddest psalms. "A psalm
of the Sons of Korah." We knowthat the writer or writers was
from the Sons of Korah. "For thedirector of music." Some
(03:28):
translations say "To the ChiefMusician." This was either the
worship leader or some believeit was written to God. Myself, I
tend to believe the latter."According to mahalath
leannoth." Some translationssay, "Set to mahalath leannoth."
This could be a reference to atype of musical instrument, or
(03:48):
perhaps it was a familiar tune."A maskil of Heman the
Ezrahite." Well, "a maskil" aswe've mentioned before, seems to
indicate that this is a specialkind of psalm of great value,
useful for instruction or to bemeditated on. Thirteen of the
psalms are maskils. "Heman theEzrahite." Well, this name is
(04:09):
mentioned in Scripture manytimes during the times of both
David and Solomon. If eachmention refers to the same man,
he was an exceptional person,indeed. He had great wisdom. He
was a Kohathite, one of the Sonsof Korah. He served in temple
worship as both a singer and amusician. He was a prophet, and
he had many sons and daughters.I would say that given his
(04:33):
exceptional abilities, we knowthat this song was well written.
Back to Charles Spurgeon, hewrote, "In this Psalm, Heman
makes a map of his life’shistory, he puts down all the
dark places through which he hastravelled. He mentions his sins,
his sorrows, his hopes (if hehad any), his fears, his woes,
(04:53):
and so on. Now, that is realprayer, laying your case before
the Lord."
Psalms, chapter 88. Lord, youare the God who saves me; night
and day I cry out to you. May myprayer come before you; turn
your ear to my cry. I amoverwhelmed with troubles and my
(05:13):
life draws near to death. I amcounted among those who go down
to the pit; I am like onewithout strength. I am set apart
with the dead, like the slainwho lie in the grave, whom you
remember no more, who are cutoff from your care. You have put
me in the lowest pit, in thedarkest depths. Your wrath lies
(05:34):
heavily on me; you haveoverwhelmed me with all your
waves. You have taken from me myclosest friends and have made me
repulsive to them. I am confinedand cannot escape; my eyes are
dim with grief. I call to you,Lord, every day; I spread out my
hands to you. Do you show yourwonders to the dead? Do their
(05:56):
spirits rise up and praise you?Is your love declared in the
grave, your faithfulness inDestruction? Are your wonders
known in the place of darkness,or your righteous deeds in the
land of oblivion? But I cry toyou for help, Lord; in the
morning my prayer comes beforeyou. Why, Lord, do you reject me
(06:17):
and hide your face from me? Frommy youth I have suffered and
been close to death; I haveborne your terrors and am in
despair. Your wrath has sweptover me; your terrors have
destroyed me. All day long theysurround me like a flood; they
have completely engulfed me. Youhave taken from me friend and
(06:38):
neighbor— darkness is my closestfriend.
The title of Psalm 89 is "Amaskil of Ethan the Ezrahite."
The name Ethan seems to be acommon name among the Jews.
There are several Ethan'smentioned in Scripture. Ethan
the Ezrahite is mentioned in 1Kings 4:31 as a man of great
(06:58):
wisdom. That verse says he,Solomon, "was wiser than anyone
else, including Ethan theEzrahite—wiser than Heman,
Kalkol and Darda, the sons ofMahol." So it seems from this
verse that Ethan that Ezrahitewas second only to Solomon in
his wisdom.
Psalms, chapter 89. I will singof the Lord’s great love
(07:21):
forever; with my mouth I willmake your faithfulness known
through all generations. I willdeclare that your love stands
firm forever, that you haveestablished your faithfulness in
heaven itself. You said, “I havemade a covenant with my chosen
one, I have sworn to David myservant, ‘I will establish your
line forever and make yourthrone firm through all
(07:44):
generations.’” The heavenspraise your wonders, Lord, your
faithfulness too, in theassembly of the holy ones. For
who in the skies above cancompare with the Lord? Who is
like the Lord among the heavenlybeings? In the council of the
holy ones God is greatly feared;he is more awesome than all who
(08:04):
surround him. Who is like you,Lord God Almighty? You, Lord,
are mighty, and yourfaithfulness surrounds you. You
rule over the surging sea; whenits waves mount up, you still
them. You crushed Rahab like oneof the slain; with your strong
arm you scattered your enemies.The heavens are yours, and yours
(08:26):
also the earth; you founded theworld and all that is in it. You
created the north and the south;Tabor and Hermon sing for joy at
your name. Your arm is endowedwith power; your hand is strong,
your right hand exalted.Righteousness and justice are
the foundation of your throne;love and faithfulness go before
(08:47):
you. Blessed are those who havelearned to acclaim you, who walk
in the light of your presence,Lord. They rejoice in your name
all day long; they celebrateyour righteousness. For you are
their glory and strength, and byyour favor you exalt our horn.
Indeed, our shield belongs tothe Lord, our king to the Holy
(09:10):
One of Israel. Once you spoke ina vision, to your faithful
people you said (09:14):
“I have bestowed strength on a warrior;
I have raised up a young manfrom among the people. I have
found David my servant; with mysacred oil I have anointed him.
My hand will sustain him; surelymy arm will strengthen him. The
enemy will not get the better ofhim; the wicked will not oppress
(09:36):
him. I will crush his foesbefore him and strike down his
adversaries. My faithful lovewill be with him, and through my
name his horn will be exalted. Iwill set his hand over the sea,
his right hand over the rivers.He will call out to me, ‘You are
my Father, my God, the Rock mySavior.’ And I will appoint him
(09:59):
to be my firstborn, the mostexalted of the kings of the
earth. I will maintain my loveto him forever, and my covenant
with him will never fail. I willestablish his line forever, his
throne as long as the heavensendure. “If his sons forsake my
law and do not follow mystatutes, if they violate my
(10:20):
decrees and fail to keep mycommands, I will punish their
sin with the rod, their iniquitywith flogging; but I will not
take my love from him, nor willI ever betray my faithfulness. I
will not violate my covenant oralter what my lips have uttered.
Once for all, I have sworn by myholiness— and I will not lie to
(10:42):
David— that his line willcontinue forever and his throne
endure before me like the sun;it will be established forever
like the moon, the faithfulwitness in the sky.” But you
have rejected, you have spurned,you have been very angry with
your anointed one. You haverenounced the covenant with your
servant and have defiled hiscrown in the dust. You have
(11:05):
broken through all his walls andreduced his strongholds to
ruins. All who pass by haveplundered him; he has become the
scorn of his neighbors. You haveexalted the right hand of his
foes; you have made all hisenemies rejoice. Indeed, you
have turned back the edge of hissword and have not supported him
(11:25):
in battle. You have put an endto his splendor and cast his
throne to the ground. You havecut short the days of his youth;
you have covered him with amantle of shame. How long, Lord?
Will you hide yourself forever?How long will your wrath burn
like fire? Remember how fleetingis my life. For what futility
(11:47):
you have created all humanity!Who can live and not see death,
or who can escape the power ofthe grave? Lord, where is your
former great love, which in yourfaithfulness you swore to David?
Remember, Lord, how your servanthas been mocked, how I bear in
my heart the taunts of all thenations, the taunts with which
(12:08):
your enemies, Lord, have mocked,with which they have mocked
every step of your anointed one.Praise be to the Lord forever!
Amen and Amen.
Well, Beloved, in Psalm 87, weread how God loves Zion, used in
this case to mean Jerusalem.There's an obvious tone of joy
(12:29):
with this psalm. But Psalm 88 isfull of anguish, the writer is
pouring out his heart to God. Inthe opening, he confesses that
God is his Savior, and thenimmediately begins telling God
about his anguish. And he seemsto wrap up by saying that it is
God who has put him in thisplace. And yet remember how the
author opened with a confessionthat God is his Savior. So as
(12:53):
bad as things are, there ishope. And then Psalm 89 began
with praises to God with all ofhis love, majesty, faithfulness,
might, righteousness, andjustice. And the covenant that
God made with David isremembered, but David's
descendants have forsaken God'slaw, and therefore, God has
withdrawn his protection andblessings from Israel. And then
(13:15):
the Psalm ends, much as itbegins, with promises of eternal
praise to God. Beloved, the factis that despite outward
circumstances, God is worthy ofpraise. He is worthy when life
is good. And he's worthy whenlife is hard. He is our Savior
in both places, in both times,both circumstances. He doesn't
(13:37):
change but our surroundings do.He is eternal, but our lives
here on Earth are just a spark,a fleeting moment in time. But
despite the short span of ourlife, we do have a
responsibility to make itmatter. There's a reason God put
you here. You're not anaccident. Your life has purpose.
(13:57):
What is that purpose? Well, foreach of us, the primary purpose
is to bring glory to God. Isaiah43:6-7 says, "Bring my sons from
afar and my daughters from theends of the earth— everyone who
is called by my name, whom Icreated for my glory, whom I
formed and made.” So what doesthat actually mean? How can you
(14:19):
and I glorify God? Well, we cando it by praising him, by
worshiping him, by proclaiminghis greatness, by doing his
will. Each of us must do thesethings in our own unique way
because he has differentspecific things he wants us to
accomplish. You say, "Steve, howdo you know that?" Well, because
of the following verses. 1Corinthians 12:4-11 says, "There
(14:44):
are different kinds of spiritualgifts, but the same Spirit is
the source of them all. Thereare different kinds of service,
but we serve the same Lord. Godworks in different ways, but it
is the same God who does thework in all of us. A spiritual
gift is given to each of us sowe can help each other. To one
person the Spirit gives theability to give wise advice, or
(15:08):
gives a word of wisdom.; toanother the same Spirit gives a
message of special knowledge, orgives a word of knowledge. The
same Spirit gives great faith toanother, and to someone else the
one Spirit gives the gift ofhealing. He gives one person the
power to perform miracles, andanother the ability to prophesy.
(15:28):
He gives someone else theability to discern whether a
message is from the Spirit ofGod or from another spirit.
Still another person is giventhe ability to speak in unknown
languages, or in varioustongues; while another is given
the ability to interpret what isbeing said. It is the one and
only Spirit who distributes allthese gifts. He alone decides
(15:48):
which gift each person shouldhave." So, Beloved, God gifts
each of us differently becausehe has a different specific will
for each of us. That's one ofthe greatest things in the
believer's life, discovering hisor her gifts, and that is an
entirely different discussion.For now, it's enough to remember
that despite outwardcircumstances, God is always
(16:10):
worthy of praise. And please,Beloved, always remember that he
has a purpose for you. You areincredibly important to God.
What do you think? I'd love toknow. Go to the show notes page
at lifespringmedia.com/s12e203.Scroll down to the bottom of the
page and let me know what you'rethinking. My reading tomorrow
(16:31):
will be Proverbs, chapter 13.
Boost. I have to share thiscomment I got today from Cindy
Gardner. She wrote, "Hi Steve.My son Andrew gifted me an
Executive Producer for show 202,today. I've been meaning to
contact you to say thank you forthis podcast. Last August, he
(16:54):
asked me if I would commit tolistening to this podcast he
heard about on "No Agenda." Iwas already doing a
Read-Through-the-Bible-in-a-Yearplan. But I agreed. Can you ever
really have too much of God'sWord? We have listened
faithfully every day. I reallyenjoy your comments on the
reading of the day. And I lovethe church history section.
Thank you for being faithful towhat God has called you to do. I
(17:16):
wanted you to know you arebuilding God's kingdom. My heart
was already full today as I'm achildren's ministry director.
And this was our Missions Week.I spent the past four days with
people I only get to see inperson once a year. Then I ended
up driving down the freewaycrying like a baby as I heard
the end of your show. God is sogood to me. I probably won't get
(17:37):
to meet you on this side ofheaven. But I will look forward
to meeting you on the otherside." She signed, "Cindy."
Well, Cindy, thank you so muchfor that email. You really made
my day. I appreciate it, thankyou. And having been a
children's ministry directormyself, I'll pray for you 'cause
that truly is a calling. Thankyou, Sister, for your service to
God's kingdom. God bless you.
(18:10):
On this date in church history,March 23rd, 1729, Johann
Sebastian Bach's St. MatthewPassion was performed for the
first time in Leipzig, Germany.Today the oratorio is considered
one of the most sublimemasterpieces in Western music.
From its score comes thehaunting Good Friday hymn "Oh
Sacred Head Now Wounded".
Scott Krippayne (18:32):
Oh Sacred Head now wounded, with grief and
shame weighed down. Nowscornfully surrounded
with thorns thine only crown. Ohsacred head what glory...
Steve Webb (18:59):
That was from Scott Krippayne's "Hymns" album. I'll
have a video of the song on theshow notes page. Scott Krippayne
is an enormously talented singerand songwriter. I've played his
music for many years with hispermission on the Lifespring!
podcasts. And in addition to thehonor of appearing on my
podcasts, listen to this fromhis website ScottKrippayne.com.
(19:20):
Scott Krippayne is anEmmy-nominated songwriter and
producer based in the Seattlearea with 16 number ones 22
other top 10 singles and over500 songs recorded. Scott has
enjoyed a productive career withsuccess in multiple genres. His
songs have appeared on releasesby Demi Lovato, Bebe Rexha (Is
(19:44):
that how you say that?), JordanSparks, Smash Mouth, Kool & the
Gang, Cutlass, and Joy Williamsof the Civil Wars among others.
In addition to having varioussongs used in films, Scott also
penned the theme song for theNick Jr. hit series Paw Patrol
and has song placements on ABC,NBC, CBS, FOX, Netflix, MTV,
(20:08):
VH1, Disney, and the Lifespring!podcast (No, I added that),
Disney, and more. So yeah,there's a download for ya. And
on this date in church history,March 23, 1812, Stephen R. Riggs
was born. He was a missionaryfor the American Board of
Commissioners for ForeignMissions to the Dakota Indians
(20:30):
from 1837 to 1883. He translatedthe Dakota language into
writing. He prepared a Dakotadictionary and translated most
of the Bible into the Dakotalanguage. Wow. So we know what
his spiritual gift was, don'twe?
(20:57):
Let's pray. Our heavenly Father,help us to remember to praise
you in the good times and thebad. You truly are worthy of our
worship at all times. And evenin the hard times, you're
worthy. You use those times tostrengthen us and grow our
faith. And Lord, show us thespecific purpose you have for
each one of us. Help us toaccomplish what you have in mind
(21:18):
for us. Holy Spirit, speak to usand guide us as we seek your
direction. Help us to hear yourvoice. Bless us today, Lord,
and, as Jabez prayed in 1Chronicles, chapter 4, enlarge
our territories. Let us do greatthings for your glory, Lord. I
pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.If you have a prayer request or
(21:40):
a praise you want to share, goto prayer.lifespringmedia.com
and you'll find a form there tofill out, easy peasy.
Have you shared the show today?Come on, you could do it.
Comment on the show atlifespringmedia.com/s12e203.
(22:04):
Email me atsteve@lifespringmedia.com. And
if the Lifespring! Family AudioBible is one of the highlights
of your day, please go tolifespringmedia.com/support and
donate. Pray about it and do asthe Lord leads.
Lifespringmedia.com/support. Andby the way for those of you who
send sats my way as you listento the show on one of those
(22:24):
shiny new modern up-to-date anddownright cool Podcasting 2.0
apps that all the cool kids areusing today, thank you. I see
the sats coming in and Iappreciate it. God bless you.
And if you haven't gotten one ofthose awesome new apps, what are
you waiting for? Go tonewpodcastapps.com and try one
out. Until tomorrow, may Godbless you richly. Thank you for
(22:47):
being here. My name is SteveWebb. I love hanging with you.
Bye.
Hey guys, Steve Webb here. As I record this, it's a
little past 8 pm on Tuesdaynight. I had some unforeseen
home maintenance issues today.Fun, fun. And this is actually
the first chance I've had todayto be able to sit down in the
studio. And there's no way Ihave time to do a show for you,
so I'm going to play lastseason's Psalms 87 through 89
episode for you so we stay onschedule. And I'm sorry, there
(00:23):
won't be an Essentials segmenttoday, but we'll pick up next
Wednesday. And since there won'tbe a praises and prayer requests
segment either please be prayingfor Adam Curry who has what
should be his last oral surgeryprocedure today, Wednesday. As I
understand it, it's scheduled tobe about a three-hour operation.
So please pray that it goes asplanned and with no
complications and that Adam hasa quick recovery. I know he
(00:47):
would appreciate your prayers.And now here's the show.
There's a reason God put youhere.
This is the Lifespring FamilyAudio Bible, coming to you from
Riverside, California.Podcasting since 2004, I am your
(01:08):
OG Godcaster, Steve Webb.Welcome. This is the daily show
where we're reading through theentire Bible in a year. Today
our reading is Psalms 87 through89. Afterwards, I'll have some
thoughts to share with you andI'm calling today's episode
"Always Deserving." And since weare in the Psalms, I'll give you
a brief introduction beforereading each psalm. The show
(01:28):
notes page for today's episodeis at
lifespringmedia.com/s12203. Youcan email me at
steve@lifespringmedia.com. Let'sbegin.
Psalm 87 is entitled "A Psalm ofthe Sons of Korah. A song."
We've already talked about theSons of Korah on the show, so I
won't take time to do thattoday. And here's what Charles
(01:51):
Spurgeon wrote about Psalm 87.“This ‘Psalm or song’ was either
composed by the sons of Korah,or dedicated to them: as they
kept the doors of the house ofthe Lord, they could use this
beautiful composition as a Psalmwithin the doors, and as a song
outside.”
Psalms, chapter 87. He hasfounded his city on the holy
(02:15):
mountain. The Lord loves thegates of Zion more than all the
other dwellings of Jacob.Glorious things are said of you,
city of God (02:22):
“I will record Rahab and Babylon among those
who acknowledge me— Philistiatoo, and Tyre, along with Cush—
and will say, ‘This one was bornin Zion.’” Indeed, of Zion it
will be said, “This one and thatone were born in her, and the
Most High himself will establishher.” The Lord will write in the
register of the peoples (02:44):
“This one was born in Zion.” As they
make music they will sing, “Allmy fountains are in you.”
The title of Psalm 88 is "Asong. A psalm of the Sons of
Korah. For the director ofmusic. According to mahalath
leannoth. A maskil of Heman theEzrahite." This title actually
(03:08):
gives us quite a lot ofinformation. Let's break it
down. "A song." It's meant to besung yet this is a very sad
song, and it's regarded as oneof the saddest psalms. "A psalm
of the Sons of Korah." We knowthat the writer or writers was
from the Sons of Korah. "For thedirector of music." Some
(03:28):
translations say "To the ChiefMusician." This was either the
worship leader or some believeit was written to God. Myself, I
tend to believe the latter."According to mahalath
leannoth." Some translationssay, "Set to mahalath leannoth."
This could be a reference to atype of musical instrument, or
(03:48):
perhaps it was a familiar tune."A maskil of Heman the
Ezrahite." Well, "a maskil" aswe've mentioned before, seems to
indicate that this is a specialkind of psalm of great value,
useful for instruction or to bemeditated on. Thirteen of the
psalms are maskils. "Heman theEzrahite." Well, this name is
(04:09):
mentioned in Scripture manytimes during the times of both
David and Solomon. If eachmention refers to the same man,
he was an exceptional person,indeed. He had great wisdom. He
was a Kohathite, one of the Sonsof Korah. He served in temple
worship as both a singer and amusician. He was a prophet, and
he had many sons and daughters.I would say that given his
(04:33):
exceptional abilities, we knowthat this song was well written.
Back to Charles Spurgeon, hewrote, "In this Psalm, Heman
makes a map of his life’shistory, he puts down all the
dark places through which he hastravelled. He mentions his sins,
his sorrows, his hopes (if hehad any), his fears, his woes,
(04:53):
and so on. Now, that is realprayer, laying your case before
the Lord."
Psalms, chapter 88. Lord, youare the God who saves me; night
and day I cry out to you. May myprayer come before you; turn
your ear to my cry. I amoverwhelmed with troubles and my
(05:13):
life draws near to death. I amcounted among those who go down
to the pit; I am like onewithout strength. I am set apart
with the dead, like the slainwho lie in the grave, whom you
remember no more, who are cutoff from your care. You have put
me in the lowest pit, in thedarkest depths. Your wrath lies
(05:34):
heavily on me; you haveoverwhelmed me with all your
waves. You have taken from me myclosest friends and have made me
repulsive to them. I am confinedand cannot escape; my eyes are
dim with grief. I call to you,Lord, every day; I spread out my
hands to you. Do you show yourwonders to the dead? Do their
(05:56):
spirits rise up and praise you?Is your love declared in the
grave, your faithfulness inDestruction? Are your wonders
known in the place of darkness,or your righteous deeds in the
land of oblivion? But I cry toyou for help, Lord; in the
morning my prayer comes beforeyou. Why, Lord, do you reject me
(06:17):
and hide your face from me? Frommy youth I have suffered and
been close to death; I haveborne your terrors and am in
despair. Your wrath has sweptover me; your terrors have
destroyed me. All day long theysurround me like a flood; they
have completely engulfed me. Youhave taken from me friend and
(06:38):
neighbor— darkness is my closestfriend.
The title of Psalm 89 is "Amaskil of Ethan the Ezrahite."
The name Ethan seems to be acommon name among the Jews.
There are several Ethan'smentioned in Scripture. Ethan
the Ezrahite is mentioned in 1Kings 4:31 as a man of great
(06:58):
wisdom. That verse says he,Solomon, "was wiser than anyone
else, including Ethan theEzrahite—wiser than Heman,
Kalkol and Darda, the sons ofMahol." So it seems from this
verse that Ethan that Ezrahitewas second only to Solomon in
his wisdom.
Psalms, chapter 89. I will singof the Lord’s great love
(07:21):
forever; with my mouth I willmake your faithfulness known
through all generations. I willdeclare that your love stands
firm forever, that you haveestablished your faithfulness in
heaven itself. You said, “I havemade a covenant with my chosen
one, I have sworn to David myservant, ‘I will establish your
line forever and make yourthrone firm through all
(07:44):
generations.’” The heavenspraise your wonders, Lord, your
faithfulness too, in theassembly of the holy ones. For
who in the skies above cancompare with the Lord? Who is
like the Lord among the heavenlybeings? In the council of the
holy ones God is greatly feared;he is more awesome than all who
(08:04):
surround him. Who is like you,Lord God Almighty? You, Lord,
are mighty, and yourfaithfulness surrounds you. You
rule over the surging sea; whenits waves mount up, you still
them. You crushed Rahab like oneof the slain; with your strong
arm you scattered your enemies.The heavens are yours, and yours
(08:26):
also the earth; you founded theworld and all that is in it. You
created the north and the south;Tabor and Hermon sing for joy at
your name. Your arm is endowedwith power; your hand is strong,
your right hand exalted.Righteousness and justice are
the foundation of your throne;love and faithfulness go before
(08:47):
you. Blessed are those who havelearned to acclaim you, who walk
in the light of your presence,Lord. They rejoice in your name
all day long; they celebrateyour righteousness. For you are
their glory and strength, and byyour favor you exalt our horn.
Indeed, our shield belongs tothe Lord, our king to the Holy
(09:10):
One of Israel. Once you spoke ina vision, to your faithful
people you said (09:14):
“I have bestowed strength on a warrior;
I have raised up a young manfrom among the people. I have
found David my servant; with mysacred oil I have anointed him.
My hand will sustain him; surelymy arm will strengthen him. The
enemy will not get the better ofhim; the wicked will not oppress
(09:36):
him. I will crush his foesbefore him and strike down his
adversaries. My faithful lovewill be with him, and through my
name his horn will be exalted. Iwill set his hand over the sea,
his right hand over the rivers.He will call out to me, ‘You are
my Father, my God, the Rock mySavior.’ And I will appoint him
(09:59):
to be my firstborn, the mostexalted of the kings of the
earth. I will maintain my loveto him forever, and my covenant
with him will never fail. I willestablish his line forever, his
throne as long as the heavensendure. “If his sons forsake my
law and do not follow mystatutes, if they violate my
(10:20):
decrees and fail to keep mycommands, I will punish their
sin with the rod, their iniquitywith flogging; but I will not
take my love from him, nor willI ever betray my faithfulness. I
will not violate my covenant oralter what my lips have uttered.
Once for all, I have sworn by myholiness— and I will not lie to
(10:42):
David— that his line willcontinue forever and his throne
endure before me like the sun;it will be established forever
like the moon, the faithfulwitness in the sky.” But you
have rejected, you have spurned,you have been very angry with
your anointed one. You haverenounced the covenant with your
servant and have defiled hiscrown in the dust. You have
(11:05):
broken through all his walls andreduced his strongholds to
ruins. All who pass by haveplundered him; he has become the
scorn of his neighbors. You haveexalted the right hand of his
foes; you have made all hisenemies rejoice. Indeed, you
have turned back the edge of hissword and have not supported him
(11:25):
in battle. You have put an endto his splendor and cast his
throne to the ground. You havecut short the days of his youth;
you have covered him with amantle of shame. How long, Lord?
Will you hide yourself forever?How long will your wrath burn
like fire? Remember how fleetingis my life. For what futility
(11:47):
you have created all humanity!Who can live and not see death,
or who can escape the power ofthe grave? Lord, where is your
former great love, which in yourfaithfulness you swore to David?
Remember, Lord, how your servanthas been mocked, how I bear in
my heart the taunts of all thenations, the taunts with which
(12:08):
your enemies, Lord, have mocked,with which they have mocked
every step of your anointed one.Praise be to the Lord forever!
Amen and Amen.
Well, Beloved, in Psalm 87, weread how God loves Zion, used in
this case to mean Jerusalem.There's an obvious tone of joy
(12:29):
with this psalm. But Psalm 88 isfull of anguish, the writer is
pouring out his heart to God. Inthe opening, he confesses that
God is his Savior, and thenimmediately begins telling God
about his anguish. And he seemsto wrap up by saying that it is
God who has put him in thisplace. And yet remember how the
author opened with a confessionthat God is his Savior. So as
(12:53):
bad as things are, there ishope. And then Psalm 89 began
with praises to God with all ofhis love, majesty, faithfulness,
might, righteousness, andjustice. And the covenant that
God made with David isremembered, but David's
descendants have forsaken God'slaw, and therefore, God has
withdrawn his protection andblessings from Israel. And then
(13:15):
the Psalm ends, much as itbegins, with promises of eternal
praise to God. Beloved, the factis that despite outward
circumstances, God is worthy ofpraise. He is worthy when life
is good. And he's worthy whenlife is hard. He is our Savior
in both places, in both times,both circumstances. He doesn't
(13:37):
change but our surroundings do.He is eternal, but our lives
here on Earth are just a spark,a fleeting moment in time. But
despite the short span of ourlife, we do have a
responsibility to make itmatter. There's a reason God put
you here. You're not anaccident. Your life has purpose.
(13:57):
What is that purpose? Well, foreach of us, the primary purpose
is to bring glory to God. Isaiah43:6-7 says, "Bring my sons from
afar and my daughters from theends of the earth— everyone who
is called by my name, whom Icreated for my glory, whom I
formed and made.” So what doesthat actually mean? How can you
(14:19):
and I glorify God? Well, we cando it by praising him, by
worshiping him, by proclaiminghis greatness, by doing his
will. Each of us must do thesethings in our own unique way
because he has differentspecific things he wants us to
accomplish. You say, "Steve, howdo you know that?" Well, because
of the following verses. 1Corinthians 12:4-11 says, "There
(14:44):
are different kinds of spiritualgifts, but the same Spirit is
the source of them all. Thereare different kinds of service,
but we serve the same Lord. Godworks in different ways, but it
is the same God who does thework in all of us. A spiritual
gift is given to each of us sowe can help each other. To one
person the Spirit gives theability to give wise advice, or
(15:08):
gives a word of wisdom.; toanother the same Spirit gives a
message of special knowledge, orgives a word of knowledge. The
same Spirit gives great faith toanother, and to someone else the
one Spirit gives the gift ofhealing. He gives one person the
power to perform miracles, andanother the ability to prophesy.
(15:28):
He gives someone else theability to discern whether a
message is from the Spirit ofGod or from another spirit.
Still another person is giventhe ability to speak in unknown
languages, or in varioustongues; while another is given
the ability to interpret what isbeing said. It is the one and
only Spirit who distributes allthese gifts. He alone decides
(15:48):
which gift each person shouldhave." So, Beloved, God gifts
each of us differently becausehe has a different specific will
for each of us. That's one ofthe greatest things in the
believer's life, discovering hisor her gifts, and that is an
entirely different discussion.For now, it's enough to remember
that despite outwardcircumstances, God is always
(16:10):
worthy of praise. And please,Beloved, always remember that he
has a purpose for you. You areincredibly important to God.
What do you think? I'd love toknow. Go to the show notes page
at lifespringmedia.com/s12e203.Scroll down to the bottom of the
page and let me know what you'rethinking. My reading tomorrow
(16:31):
will be Proverbs, chapter 13.
Boost. I have to share thiscomment I got today from Cindy
Gardner. She wrote, "Hi Steve.My son Andrew gifted me an
Executive Producer for show 202,today. I've been meaning to
contact you to say thank you forthis podcast. Last August, he
(16:54):
asked me if I would commit tolistening to this podcast he
heard about on "No Agenda." Iwas already doing a
Read-Through-the-Bible-in-a-Yearplan. But I agreed. Can you ever
really have too much of God'sWord? We have listened
faithfully every day. I reallyenjoy your comments on the
reading of the day. And I lovethe church history section.
Thank you for being faithful towhat God has called you to do. I
(17:16):
wanted you to know you arebuilding God's kingdom. My heart
was already full today as I'm achildren's ministry director.
And this was our Missions Week.I spent the past four days with
people I only get to see inperson once a year. Then I ended
up driving down the freewaycrying like a baby as I heard
the end of your show. God is sogood to me. I probably won't get
(17:37):
to meet you on this side ofheaven. But I will look forward
to meeting you on the otherside." She signed, "Cindy."
Well, Cindy, thank you so muchfor that email. You really made
my day. I appreciate it, thankyou. And having been a
children's ministry directormyself, I'll pray for you 'cause
that truly is a calling. Thankyou, Sister, for your service to
God's kingdom. God bless you.
(18:10):
On this date in church history,March 23rd, 1729, Johann
Sebastian Bach's St. MatthewPassion was performed for the
first time in Leipzig, Germany.Today the oratorio is considered
one of the most sublimemasterpieces in Western music.
From its score comes thehaunting Good Friday hymn "Oh
Sacred Head Now Wounded".
Scott Krippayne (18:32):
Oh Sacred Head now wounded, with grief and
shame weighed down. Nowscornfully surrounded
with thorns thine only crown. Ohsacred head what glory...
Steve Webb (18:59):
That was from Scott Krippayne's "Hymns" album. I'll
have a video of the song on theshow notes page. Scott Krippayne
is an enormously talented singerand songwriter. I've played his
music for many years with hispermission on the Lifespring!
podcasts. And in addition to thehonor of appearing on my
podcasts, listen to this fromhis website ScottKrippayne.com.
(19:20):
Scott Krippayne is anEmmy-nominated songwriter and
producer based in the Seattlearea with 16 number ones 22
other top 10 singles and over500 songs recorded. Scott has
enjoyed a productive career withsuccess in multiple genres. His
songs have appeared on releasesby Demi Lovato, Bebe Rexha (Is
(19:44):
that how you say that?), JordanSparks, Smash Mouth, Kool & the
Gang, Cutlass, and Joy Williamsof the Civil Wars among others.
In addition to having varioussongs used in films, Scott also
penned the theme song for theNick Jr. hit series Paw Patrol
and has song placements on ABC,NBC, CBS, FOX, Netflix, MTV,
(20:08):
VH1, Disney, and the Lifespring!podcast (No, I added that),
Disney, and more. So yeah,there's a download for ya. And
on this date in church history,March 23, 1812, Stephen R. Riggs
was born. He was a missionaryfor the American Board of
Commissioners for ForeignMissions to the Dakota Indians
(20:30):
from 1837 to 1883. He translatedthe Dakota language into
writing. He prepared a Dakotadictionary and translated most
of the Bible into the Dakotalanguage. Wow. So we know what
his spiritual gift was, don'twe?
(20:57):
Let's pray. Our heavenly Father,help us to remember to praise
you in the good times and thebad. You truly are worthy of our
worship at all times. And evenin the hard times, you're
worthy. You use those times tostrengthen us and grow our
faith. And Lord, show us thespecific purpose you have for
each one of us. Help us toaccomplish what you have in mind
(21:18):
for us. Holy Spirit, speak to usand guide us as we seek your
direction. Help us to hear yourvoice. Bless us today, Lord,
and, as Jabez prayed in 1Chronicles, chapter 4, enlarge
our territories. Let us do greatthings for your glory, Lord. I
pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.If you have a prayer request or
(21:40):
a praise you want to share, goto prayer.lifespringmedia.com
and you'll find a form there tofill out, easy peasy.
Have you shared the show today?Come on, you could do it.
Comment on the show atlifespringmedia.com/s12e203.
(22:04):
Email me atsteve@lifespringmedia.com. And
if the Lifespring! Family AudioBible is one of the highlights
of your day, please go tolifespringmedia.com/support and
donate. Pray about it and do asthe Lord leads.
Lifespringmedia.com/support. Andby the way for those of you who
send sats my way as you listento the show on one of those
(22:24):
shiny new modern up-to-date anddownright cool Podcasting 2.0
apps that all the cool kids areusing today, thank you. I see
the sats coming in and Iappreciate it. God bless you.
And if you haven't gotten one ofthose awesome new apps, what are
you waiting for? Go tonewpodcastapps.com and try one
out. Until tomorrow, may Godbless you richly. Thank you for
(22:47):
being here. My name is SteveWebb. I love hanging with you.
Bye.
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