Transitions...

Nope, I haven't fallen off the face of the earth and I also haven't given up on this project :) However we are in the process of moving from one state to another so I am pretty much entirely distracted by this and other personal matters going on with extended family. There is love and support but not much joy in those matters. Somehow, it just seemed appropriate to take a break. I'll be back in a week, unless otherwise inspired. Peace to you all <3

Verse 3: Psalm 9:14 (H1523)

Psalm 9:14 "That I may show forth all thy praise. In the gates of the daughter of Zion I will rejoice in thy salvation."

(3 of the 44 H1523)

In Psalm 9 David praises God for His righteous involvement in ruling the country. It acknowledges God as King forever, the ultimate judge and yet also a refuge for the oppressed. It gives God credit for the nation being above it's enemies. By the end, when we get to verse 14, he has gotten more acute with his praises. He doesn't just mention the nation and it's enemies, he turns to talking about himself and his own salvation through God's interaction. In verse 13 David says, "Have mercy upon me, O Jehovah; Behold my affliction which I suffer from them that hate me, Thou that liftest me up from the gates of death;" and for what purpose? Verse 14 says it is to "show forth all thy praise." 

God is a relational God. In the midst of all this war between two nations, David recognizes that he has been snatched from the hands of death by God personally. And that is not just the reason he praises God, he claims that praising Him is the whole reason he was saved in the first place. 

When I see this, I'm just going to be honest but I get a few questions. Did God save him because He knew David would praise Him? And why would that matter to God to be praised? Is He just a people pleaser with the desire for a gold star? Is he just sitting up in heaven getting ideas about how to earn love? "Oh! I know what I'll do, he'll really like this! I'll snatch him from death and THEN he'll really love Me. He'll tell everyone and I'll be so cool then!"

Yeah. Something tells me God's not so codependent as me. Yeesh, its kind of hard to look at myself so honestly! Isn't it so horrible how we do things like that? I am sure I am not alone in struggling with "Approval Addiction." Sucha sneaky little booger too, that one. Anyway, back to David and God.

It's clear there is a purpose to God's actions and all the analysis in the world won't reveal the full extent of purpose in those actions. But we do have the benefit of hindsight here, being in the future and all. We know David doesn't have a clean slate kind of life, he commits some pretty raunchy sins at some points. And we also know he is considered a man after God's own heart (1 Samuel 13:13-14). Even though this is said before David's reign, I am pretty sure the all knowing God knew it was coming. 

He also knew all the ways David would acknowledge Him. Think of how many Psalms there are! And how many belong to David himself, no matter the circumstance, he cried out to God for help or in praise or both. He sets a supreme example for all of us about relationship and God. God doesn't just play chess with the armies of nations, removed from our own everyday lives. He is in them, involved, and desiring our interaction. This, to me, makes sense of the claim that David makes, that he is saved from death to praise God and rejoice in His salvation. When David does that, it lets us know something God seems quite determined to let us know: that He loves us enough to save us from death. So then it makes sense why He would save a man He knows will praise Him for it, publicly. I think it's because there's that hope that, maybe, if we aren't listening to His voice telling us then we will listen to David's.  And I think maybe He's right :)