As the Deer

As The Deer

As the deer panteth for the water

So my soul longeth after You.

You alone are my heart’s desire

And I long to worship You.

This is the first verse of the song “As The Deer.” It is a beautiful song often sung at youth events based on Psalm 42:1. The song itself describes the longing to worship a loving God. The song describes God as strength, a shield, more valuable than any material thing, and the giver of real, long lasting joy. There is a slight problem with the song and the verse from which the song comes. Yes, both are about the strong desire to worship God. The Psalmist wrote that as a deer has a strong desire for water, he desires to worship the Lord but his reasoning is different than that of the cherished song.

“My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?” (Psalm 42:2). The Psalmist felt as if he had been separated from God. It is thought that David may have written this Psalm while on the run from Absalom. It would make sense that David would feel as if he had been rejected by God in a situation like this. David even described his tears as his sustenance and as asking him, “Where is your God?” (v. 3). David could go back to the days when he was in Jerusalem. In those days he could go to house of worship with the faithful Jews. He could keep the holy days and lift his voice in praise and joy to his God (v. 4). Now? Now, he is on the run. The Psalm itself seems bleak as the writer felt overwhelmed by trials he faced comparing it to being swept away by a flood (v. 7). His oppressing enemies say to him, “Where is your God?” (v. 10; 43:2).

Despite these feelings the Psalmist reminds himself, “Despite how I feel God really has not left me. Why am I so downcast about this situation? I can praise God for the help He will give me!” (v. 5). Despite his sadness, he still referred to God as “my God” (v. 6, 11). The Psalmist calls upon God to judge these enemies (43:1).   He would continue to praise God despite the difficulties. Why? God will be the “health of my countenance.” Even though this writer feels that God may not be with him at the moment, he realizes that God will shine His countenance which will strengthen the Psalmist’s countenance. God is still “my God.” (Psalm 42:11; 43:5). The Psalmist knows that he will one day praise God as he did once before (Psalm 43:4) but for the moment, “As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God” (Psalm 42:1).

Now, I am not saying that we are in error when we sing this song. When we sing this song, are we aware of the context from whence it came? It should bring us to a further appreciation of the song. The Psalmist wrote this in a time of desperation and sadness. It was in a time when he felt far from the presence of God and he looked forward to a time when he could stand in the presence of the One he loved. This made him yearn for the Lord even more. Christians were once under the oppression of sin. This caused a separation from God. Through His Son, we could be free from the shackles of sin and in good spiritual health. We have the ability to stand in the presence of God to worship Him. We are His children and He is Our God. And that should make us long to worship Him.

This Prophet Went Before God on Behalf of a Sinful Nation! He was BLOWN AWAY By What He Was Told!

Is it okay to say, “I hate click bait?” Just in case it is not, I will just say that I hold a strong disdain for click bait. You may be asking, “What is click bait?” If you have no idea what it is then you are the luckier out of the two of us. The technical definition is “content, especially that of a sensational or provocative nature, whose main purpose is to attract attention and draw visitors to a particular web page.” To make things easier I have included a checklist of what one would normally see.

·         Is it vague?

·         Is there some form of feel good attachment to it?

·         Are the words: SHOCKING, BLOWN, AWAY, AMAZING, or WOW in all caps?

·         Is the subject of the article hated by a particular group?

·         Will you have trouble guessing what happens next?

·         Is it a list with a certain number BLOWING YOU AWAY?

·         Will your faith in humanity be restored?

·         Is a baby or small animal involved in some way?

·         Does every sentence end in an exclamation point!

Any number of these would point to click bait. A title might read something like this: “You’ll be BLOWN AWAY by the SHOCKING thing that happens when an AMAZING one armed baby monkey is handed a guitar! His third song left a group of orangutans in tears and restored an alligator’s faith in humanity! Musicians hate him!” These links contain articles that usually contain nothing good.

Now that the definition is out of the way, we should focus on something that could be confused for click bait but is far from it. There was a prophet who went to God concerning a nation which was steeped in sin. He had gone a number of times but felt that God was ignoring him. He cried out because the Law was being loosely held, violence ran rampant in the streets, and those who in power were extremely corrupt (Hab. 1:1-4). He is the prophet Habakkuk and what he is told next was truly shocking. How do we know? “Behold ye among the heathen, and regard, and wonder marvellously: for I will work a work in your days, which ye will not believe, though it be told you.” (Hab. 1:5). God told the prophet, “You will not believe me after I have told you (v. 5).” What shocking revelation was Habakkuk going to find out?

A New World Power is Coming to Sweep the World. “For, lo, I raise up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, which shall march through the breadth of the land, to possess the dwellingplaces that are not theirs.” (Hab. 1:6). God was going to raise the Chaldeans up to be a great and fearsome nation. This proud group of people would march forward to take land which was not theirs through force. This action would be swift and with much fierceness (v. 8). The kings and princes of other nations would be viewed as jokes to the Chaldean people, who would lay siege to their cities and conquer all who stood in their way (v. 10).

A Great Nation Was Ready to Fall. Something was implied in the statement about the Chaldeans being raised up. The nation of Assyria was ready to fall. This implication is backed up by the prophetic statements given by Nahum. God claimed Nineveh, the capital, and the country would be washed away (Nah. 1:7; 2:6). Many would be murdered and those who are would be carried away into captivity (Nah. 3:10). After the Chaldeans were done with the Assyrians, the surrounding area would rejoice at the destruction of such a horrific nation (Nah. 3:19).

Judah Would Fall to the Chaldeans. Habakkuk realized that God meant something else by this statement. Habakkuk initially asked God why He was not taking care of the problem that was a sinful Judah. God told him, “I am going to use the Chaldeans to do just that.” Habakkuk was quite literally shocked to hear such a statement. Had Judah gone the way of the unrighteous? Yes, Habakkuk had affirmed how the unjust were afflicting the righteous. But the question he initially asked was, “God, You are too pure to behold such wicked people, why the Chaldeans?” (v. 11-17). Habakkuk failed to realize one important point.

The Chaldeans Would One Day Fall. God refers to the future destruction of the Babylonians people while speaking to the prophet. In Habakkuk 1:6-11, God refers to the pride of the Chaldean people by referring to their scoffing at the princes and kings, trusting in their own gods, and how their dignity proceeded themselves. He affirms knowledge of their wickedness by telling Habakkuk that the Chaldeans were not “upright” but how the just would live by faithful obedience (2:4). Having understood what God intended to do, the prophet pronounces five inspired woes against the unrighteous (2:5-20) and a full trust in God’s plan (3:18-19). After the destruction of the Chaldean people, there would be a time when the children of Israel would return to their homeland.

The Feel Good Part of the Story. This would not be complete without the heartwarming part. After the destruction of the Chaldean people, there would be a time when the children of Israel would return to their homeland. Habakkuk would go on to say, “Thou wentest forth for the salvation of thy people, even for salvation with thine anointed; thou woundedst the head out of the house of the wicked, by discovering the foundation unto the neck. Selah.” (Hab. 3:13). It is quite obvious that the reference to salvation would concern the salvation of God’s people but the inspired statement may be a little broader that one might think. The ultimate form of salvation occurs to those who are obedient to the gospel of Christ (Rev. 1:5). After all, He is the Messiah, which means “the Annointed One.” Keep in mind that this is only heartwarming for those who have been obedient to the truth (2 Thess. 1:6-8).

The prophet Habakkuk went before God on behalf of a sinful nation. Not only did the revelation he received shock him, but it also encouraged the prophet to trust in the might of God. In it, man is also reminded of the wonderful hope that is found in Christ Jesus.

Trust in the Lord (4)

Trust in the Lord Because This Life is a Gift from Him (v. 15-18).

This Earthly Life is a Gift from God (v. 15-16).

“Ye are blessed of the LORD which made heaven and earth. The heaven, even the heavens, are the LORD'S: but the earth hath he given to the children of men” (Psalm 115:15-16). The One who was blessing Israel was not just any ordinary being. He was the one who made Heaven and earth. Heaven is the habitation of God but He made earth explicitly for the usage of mankind. Ponder that for a moment. God gave man the life which he lives (Gen 2:7). He created man in His own image (Gen 1:26-27). He also created this earth for the explicit usage of mankind. This was not given to any other creature. It was just given to man. This life is a gift from the God of Heaven.

This Earthly Life is Eventually Gone (v. 17).

“The dead praise not the LORD, neither any that go down into silence” (Psalm 115:17). Those who are in the grave cannot worship God. Those beings go down into the grave in silence. The point is that there will come a time when it is impossible to follow the will of God and giving Him proper worship. This was the point that Isaiah made in Isa. 39:18-19.

If I want to Praise God in Eternity, I Must Praise Him in Time (v. 18).

“But we will bless the LORD from this time forth and for evermore” (Psalm 115:18). While there is opportunity praise should be given to the Creator by His creation. Why? There will come a day when our voices will be silenced on this earth. We should want it heard in another world. This praise can only come from those who are faithful to the will of God.

Those who are faithful are those who:

Hear His Word (Rom. 10:17).

Believe on that Word (Heb. 11:6).

Repent of Sins (Luke 13:5).

Confess Christ as the Son of God (Rom. 10:10).

Baptized for the Remission of Sins (Mark 16:16).

Lives Faithfully Until Death (Rev. 2:10).

Do you trust in the Lord enough to obey His will?

Trust in the Lord (3)

Trust in the Lord Because of His Loving Favor (v. 9-15).

The Lord is Merciful to Us (Help and Shield) (v. 9-11).

“O Israel, trust thou in the LORD: he is their help and their shield. O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD: he is their help and their shield. Ye that fear the LORD, trust in the LORD: he is their help and their shield.” (Psalm 115:9-11). The people who are being oppressed at this time may have an inclination to turn to these idols. The exhortation here is as follows. Since God is omnipotent and the idols are impotent, we know who we are to trust! Trust in the Lord and in His Power!

The Lord is their help. He will offer them assistance in their time of need. “But if thou wilt go, do it, be strong for the battle: God shall make thee fall before the enemy: for God hath power to help, and to cast down” (2 Chronicles 25:8). He is the one who can deliver them from this mess. The Lord is their shield. That means He is their protector. Remember what God called Egypt? Trust was placed in Egypt whom God referred to as “a broken reed.” People would be a lot happier if God was their shield (Deut. 33:29).

The Lord is Mindful of Us (Blessing and Increase) (v. 12-14).

“The LORD hath been mindful of us: he will bless us; he will bless the house of Israel; he will bless the house of Aaron. He will bless them that fear the LORD, both small and great. The LORD shall increase you more and more, you and your children” (Psalm 115:12-14). God never forgot about the Israelites. He had always been “mindful” of them before, during, and after their struggles. Keep in mind, it was their own actions which led them to captivity. He would bless them and continue to bless them. Soon, they would be released from the captivity and allowed to live in the land as once before. There would also be a great increase of the people. This shows that God would protect them, the seedline, and cause the people to abound as they once had.