Psa 89:30-37 “Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound”

Part 4 – “If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed”

God has made provision for His people to overcome through the chastening and scourging grace that every son must experience if they are being received in this life (Heb 12:6), and even if “his children forsake my law” or “walk not in my judgments” or “break my statutes” or “keep not my commandments”, God has devised a means to redeem us from the earth in our corrupt and marred vessels, promising to “visit their transgression with the rod” and “their iniquity with stripes” of verses 30 to 32 of our study this evening.

God’s words apply to His people primarily inwardly, and we value those fiery words of eternal life that very few have been given eyes and ears to see and hear today. We believe these are the words of eternal life that we must experience judging us in our earth (Isa 26:9, 1Pe 4:17) and we know that it is because the holy spirit convicts us of sin that is in our members that we can become more than conquerors over sin through Christ, our hope of glory (Joh 6:68, Php 1:29, Joh 8:31, 1Pe 4:12, Rom 2:4, Rom 7:23, Col 1:27).

Part of being predestinated is that we will be convicted of who we are (Mat 4:3, Luk 22:70, 1Jn 4:17, 1Jn 3:1). What needs to change in our life is part of what happens when we are being sanctified by God’s word and justified by God (Rom 8:30-33). That conviction leads to actions that are caused of God through Christ who is working this in the life of the body of Christ. It is a process to come to see our nakedness, our self righteousness, and every other thing that God says must be destroyed and will be little by little by the hand of God (Deu 7:22).

We will grow as a body in a tenderheartedness to want to cover the sins of others as witnessed in these verses (Luk 23:34, 1Jn 4:17, Gen 9:22-23). Our lot in this life is like Christ to see our raiment parted for which the world around us cast the lots (Luk 23:34). This symbolism reminds us of how the world wrongly separates Christ’s clothing (his word) as they determine where that cloth will go via the process of casting lots which witnesses our disobedience in our flesh which is not yet subject unto Christ. God has determined in advance what we would do in regard to disobedience (Act 4:27-28) and the symbolism of where lots are cast (Luk 23:34) is there to remind us that it is only Aaron (Christ and His body) who is to have this judgment close to his heart (Exo 28:30) that rightly divides the word of God as Christ and his people have (Joh 5:30). The singleness of mind in judgment witnesses to the fact that Christ’s body is not divided. We are one cloth subject to our high priest, who is typified by Aaron who has the Urim and Thummim close to his heart, which symbolizes our desire to cleave to Christ who is our Urim and Thummim in our heavens (Col 1:27) who enables us to rightly divide the word, the cloth (Exo 28:30). Today instead of following this physical law and method of Israel to determine whether or not they would go into battle (Exo 28:30) we are blessed to determine God’s will by pressing toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus who enables us to go to war not against flesh and blood but against the powers and principalities that we war against (Php 3:14, Eph 5:17, Rom 12:1-2, Eph 6:12).

To quote an email received this week, “our righteousness can unwittingly overshadow God’s righteousness” this statement helps us explain why those seven worse spirits must come back into the lives of those who are called and chosen to endure unto the end. These spirits must take up residence for a season so that the deeper crushing (Mat 21:44) which comes from the stone falling on us will burn up that self-righteous spirit that naturally clings to the first man Adam which says “haven’t I done many wonderful works”. The answer to that question is “yes, but do you understand from your heart that it was Christ doing those works in you both to will and to do”, because if we do, and God has got us to that point, it is because we have been blessed to become disciples indeed through enduring through the crushing experience that we need in this life so we can be strenghthened, settled and established in the Lord. Then we can say with Christ, even after we have done many wonderful works as Christ did, “don’t call me good, there is one good” of Mar 10:18).

Tonight’s study is the fourth part in our multi-part study entitled “Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound”, with the subtitle “If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed”.

It seems like some kind of strange contradiction does it not? God says those with whom he is working are the ones who are going to…:

Psa 89:30 If his children forsake my law, and walk not in my judgments;
Psa 89:31 If they break my statutes, and keep not my commandments;

….but not if we consider the next part of this section of scripture that shows us what He will do with those with whom He is dealing in this age and receiving as children of God through chastening and scourging (Heb 12:6) then this tells us a much different story of a Father who is simply bringing His first born, kind of first-fruit children, into an accounting which is what all the world in time will have to do.

Psa 89:32 Then will I visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes.

We can liken these heavier trials that burn away our self-righteousness that blinds us to a disobedient spirit to the taking away of our straw to make bricks, as was mentioned this week in an email. Yes, God makes it harder for his children to whom much has been given (Luk 12:48), and His expectation of us is to bring forth much fruit to His glory (Joh 15:8) through the much tribulation and affliction that fills up what is behind of the afflitions of Christ for his body’s sake (Col 1:24). Every man’s work is made manifest by taking away the wood, hay and stubble.

Exo 5:7 Ye shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as heretofore: let them go and gather straw for themselves.
Exo 5:8 And the tale of the bricks, which they did make heretofore, ye shall lay upon them; ye shall not diminish ought thereof: for they be idle; therefore they cry, saying, Let us go and sacrifice to our God.
Exo 5:9 Let there more work be laid upon the men, that they may labour therein; and let them not regard vain words.

1Co 3:12 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
1Co 3:13 Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.
1Co 3:14 If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.

Pharoah’s expectation was that he was going to destroy Israel’s relationship with God by making things harder, just like we know evil men will wax worse and worse and the love of many will wax cold if God allows that, but we now are blessed to see and believe that He who is in us is greater than all those powers and principalities as was mentioned in last week’s study (1Jn 4:4, Eph 1:21, Col 1:27). This is the occasion and witness that God seeks against the world to demonstrate to all mankind in time that the gates of hell will not prevail against His little flock, the weak of the world, (Luk 12:32) no matter how heated the trials become because (1Pe 4:12), we will prevail through Christ and be more than conquerors through our Lord who gives the body of Christ the ability to endure all things (Mat 16:18, Php 2:13, Php 4:13). This is why we must arm ourselves with His mind and suffering and know that we can go through the fire that matures us and causes us to cease from sinning (Rom 8:36-37).

1Pe 4:1 Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin;

Joh 8:31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
Joh 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

God’s exceedingly great and precious promises give us hope to overcome as He enables us to endure (Php 2:13) until the end together as one body of Christ who “know the joyful sound”, which we hear in each other and experience and share as we bear each other’s burdens through the fiery process of judgment to which we have been called.

Dan 3:23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
Dan 3:24 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king.
Dan 3:25 He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.

Psa 89:30 If his children forsake my law, and walk not in my judgments;
Psa 89:31 If they break my statutes, and keep not my commandments;
Psa 89:32 Then will I visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes.
Psa 89:33 Nevertheless my lovingkindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail.
Psa 89:34 My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips.
Psa 89:35 Once have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto David.
Psa 89:36 His seed shall endure for ever, and his throne as the sun before me.
Psa 89:37 It shall be established for ever as the moon, and as a faithful witness in heaven. Selah.

Our first verses:

Psa 89:30 If his children forsake my law, and walk not in my judgments;
Psa 89:31 If they break my statutes, and keep not my commandments;
Psa 89:32 Then will I visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes.

As we know, if it is written we are going to do it, if God says don’t do, it is because it is in our nature to want to do it. Adam and Eve are the first humans to make this point very clear. You could not have a more perfect scenario, which was all of the Lord and pronounced as being something that was very good (Gen 1:31). So God set the stage for Adam and Eve and all of their children to “forsake my law, and walk not in my judgments” as well as “break my statutes, and keep not my commandments“.

They were His children just as we are, and the only way that the foolishness that was just naturally in their heart was going to be driven away was with a rod, which symbolizes the word of God that when we hear it chastens and scourges our foolishness, when we hear it and become doers of it (Rom 2:13).

Pro 22:15 Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.

Rev 11:1 And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.
Rev 11:2 But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.

Christ’s sinful flesh and His body the church were and are considered iniquitous by God and must be visited by stripes if we are to learn obedience and overcome in this age (Isa 53:5, Heb 5:8).

Psa 89:33 Nevertheless my lovingkindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail.

This is a verse that fills us with hope and comfort knowing that the Lord will be with us in the deepest shadows of the valley of death moments of our life. Sin separates us from God and truly makes us feel like we are being abandoned and that God is taking away from us our comfort, which we so cherish in Him. God knows how we feel when we go through trials, Christ knows how we feel, and it is because of Christ’s experience of being on the cross that we can be comforted by our high priest who lived these words in this 33rd verse.

Mat 27:46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

Heb 4:15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

It is in the ninth hour of judgment (1Pe 4:17) upon His flesh that Christ calls out to our Father, and it is after three fervent prayers which demonstate the process of judgment that Christ was sent an angel to strenghthen him to enable him to be taken by the hands of an angry mob that were going to scourge him and crucify him. What tremendous power being demonstrated for our sake that we can be more than conquerors through Christ, if we are granted to endure until the end and continue in His word! He will not “suffer my faithfulness to fail”.

Luk 22:43 And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.
Luk 22:44 And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.

Psa 89:34 My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips.
Psa 89:35 Once have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto David.
Psa 89:36 His seed shall endure for ever, and his throne as the sun before me.

Here we have three more verses that give us confirmation that God’s word cannot be broken. Pilates response “what I have I written I have written” found in (Joh 19:22) was not something Pilate decided to say to demonstrate to us that he had free moral agency but rather was being uttered according to the counsel of God’s will, who works all things, or as stated in verse 34, “nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips” (Eph 1:11).

We have a myriad of diamond examples of God’s sovereignty and need to be reminded of the promises that are there for our encouragement as they act as an ointment or annointing on Christ’s feet preparing us for whatever we must endure today as we go without the camp with our Lord (Joh 12:3, Heb 13:13). We need that comfort from each other and in His word right now (Heb 10:25)!

God does not lie to David, but He will send a lying spirit to cause us to believe a lie and try our hearts through that test (Eze 14:9, Deu 13:1-3, 2Th 2:11). When we are told “once have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto David”, we are seeing an old covenant expression of these verses in the new testament.

Heb 6:17 Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath:
Heb 6:18 That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:
Heb 6:19 Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;

God’s “seed shall endure for ever, and his throne as the sun before me” because He changes not, and because He changes not, we are able to change and go from glory to glory as we approach the unapproachable light through Christ, who is the Sun of righteousness in whom we have our inheritance.

Eph 2:18 For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.

Mal 3:6 For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.

2Co 3:18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

1Ti 6:16 Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.

Heb 11:27 By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.

Joh 14:9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?

Eph 2:6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

Eph 1:18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,

Joh 14:20 At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.

Psa 89:37 It shall be established for ever as the moon, and as a faithful witness in heaven. Selah.

This last verse of our study likens what God is doing unto us as something that shall be “established for ever as the moon” and “as a faithful witness in heaven”.

We do need to ‘Selah’ and pause and contemplate what is being said here. The moon reflects the sun of righteousness, who is Christ and can be likened unto Babylon or the churches of this world, but the positive use of the moon in this case reminds us that we are blessed to be as our Master and will reflect his light unto the earth “for ever”^H5769 or to the world today and during the millenium, “as a faithful witness in heaven”, meaning our heavens have been given power to be those who are used of God to witness His light to the world (Rev 11:3).

After the witness is complete of the positive example of the moon, then we know that all these types and shadows are no longer needed and so were told this:

Joh 14:20 At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.

Rev 21:23 And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.

This sun and moon within us and all the old heavens are destroyed within us as were told in this verse in 2Pe 3:10, which is another way of saying we go without the camp with our Lord and suffer the reproach that He did to whatever degree He will prepare us to endure. The fullness of this verse in Joh 14:20 is being prophesied of in Rev 21:23.

The point keeps coming back in our study that “If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed”. If we are blessed to be those who go without the camp, we will have our heavens purified in this age, and that is our prayer, that we can be of one mind (Php 2:2) with all those angels whom God is using today to strenghthen us in the garden or without the camp where His mercy is being extended so that we can be purified and become His “disciples indeed” through that experience.

Next week, God willing, we will cover Psalms 89:38-45 where again we will see how God’s word is not for the weak of heart but those who have been strengthened by the bread of life to be able to endure an age that is fast becoming more and more as it was in the days of Noah with the earth full of violence and mens hearts failing them for those things coming upon the earth.

Psa 104:15 And wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face to shine, and bread which strengtheneth man’s heart.

Luk 21:26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.

Next week we will look at how God’s first-fruit workmanship, which He determined from the foundation of the world to endure unto the end, must go through the fiery judgments needed to unite us in the mind of Christ that has a deep continual and enduring reverence for our Father. That singleness of mind is what Christ’s body is being granted to develop today by dying daily and carrying our cross so that we can meet the challenges that we are promised are going to keep coming until our Lord returns.

Joh 8:29 And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.

Gal 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

1Co 15:31 I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.

Mar 8:34 And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

Mat 24:6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.