The Leading of Gods' Truth and Light
THE LEADING OF GOD’S TRUTH & LIGHT 8/3/08 p.m.
PSALM 43
Prayer to God in Time of Trouble
1 Vindicate me, O God,
And plead my cause against an ungodly nation;
Oh, deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man!
2 For You are the God of my strength;
Why do You cast me off?
Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?
3 Oh, send out Your light and Your truth!
Let them lead me;
Let them bring me to Your holy hill
And to Your tabernacle.
4 Then I will go to the altar of God,
To God my exceeding joy;
And on the harp I will praise You,
O God, my God.
5 Why are you cast down, O my soul?
And why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God;
For I shall yet praise Him,
The help of my countenance and my God.
A prayer for God to Vindicate and deliver
1 Vindicate me, O God,
And plead my cause against an ungodly nation;
Oh, deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man!
Vindicate vin•di•cate \ˈvin-də-ˌkāt\ vt
-cat•ed; -cat•ing [L vindicatus, pp. of vindicare to lay claim to, avenge, fr. vindic-, vindex claimant, avenger] ca. 1571
1 obs : to set free : deliver
2 : avenge
3 a : to free from allegation or blame
b (1) : confirm, substantiate
(2) : to provide justification or defense for : justify
c : to protect from attack or encroachment : defend
4 : to maintain a right to syn see exculpate, maintain — vin•di•ca•tor \-ˌkā-tər\ n[1]
We are not to avenge ourselves or bear a grudge
Le 19:18 18 You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.
Vengeance belongs to the Lord
Dt 32:35-36 Vengeance is Mine, and recompense;
Their foot shall slip in due time;
For the day of their calamity is at hand,
And the things to come hasten upon them.’
36 “For the Lord will judge His people
And have compassion on His servants,
When He sees that their power is gone,
David set the example
1 Sa 24:11-12 11 Moreover, my father, see! Yes, see the corner of your robe in my hand! For in that I cut off the corner of your robe, and did not kill you, know and see that there is neither evil nor rebellion in my hand, and I have not sinned against you. Yet you hunt my life to take it. 12 Let the Lord judge between you and me, and let the Lord avenge me on you. But my hand shall not be against you.
Ro 12:19-21 19 Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 Therefore
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
If he is thirsty, give him a drink;
For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.”
21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
wrath: divine chastisement [2]
Don’t be glad when your enemy has trouble
Pr 24:17-18 7 Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles; 18 Lest the Lord see it, and it displease Him,
And He turn away His wrath from him.
2 For You are the God of my strength;
Why do You cast me off?
Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?
Why do we go through troubles?
Dt 8:3 So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord.
The Christians’ prayer request
3 Oh, send out Your light and Your truth!
Let them lead me;
Let them bring me to Your holy hill
And to Your tabernacle.
4 Then I will go to the altar of God,
To God my exceeding joy;
And on the harp I will praise You,
O God, my God.
The Christians’ preservation
Ps 40:11 11 Do not withhold Your tender mercies from me, O Lord;
Let Your lovingkindness and Your truth continually preserve me.
The Christians’ wisdom & direction
Ps 119:105 105 Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.
Pr 6:23 23 For the commandment is a lamp,
And the law a light;
Reproofs of instruction are the way of life,
The Christians’ destination Your tabernacle = Gods’ dwelling place
Ps 17:2 2 Let my vindication come from Your presence;
Let Your eyes look on the things that are upright.
5 Why are you cast down, O my soul?
And why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God;
For I shall yet praise Him,
The help (salvation)of my countenance and my God.
Don’t fret, trust God, praise God, your means of mental composure and your God
countenance : bearing, demeanor : calm expression : mental composure
----
\
\ə\ abut \ə\ kitten, F table \ər\ further \a\ ash \ā\ ace \ä\ mop, mar
\au̇\ out \ch\ chin \e\ bet \ē\ easy \g\ go \i\ hit \ī\ ice \j\ job
\ŋ\ sing \ō\ go \ȯ\ law \ȯi\ boy \th\ thin \ṯẖ\ the \ü\ loot \u̇\ foot
\y\ yet \zh\ vision, beige \ḵ, n, œ, ue, y\ see Guide to Pronunciation
vt verb transitive
L Latin
pp past participle
fr from
ca circa
n northern, noun
[1]Merriam-Webster, I. (2003). Merriam-Webster's collegiate dictionary. Includes index. (Eleventh ed.). Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, Inc.
[2]Merriam-Webster, I. (2003). Merriam-Webster's collegiate dictionary. Includes index. (Eleventh ed.). Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, Inc.