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August, 2024 (Vol.58-No.8) |
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Preached by Dr. Gene Scott on December 24, 1989 Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee; in whose heart are the ways of them. Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well; the rain also filleth the pools. They go from strength to strength, every one of them in Zion appeareth before God. Psalm 84:5-7 TURN IN YOUR BIBLE TO PSALM 84. I have preached on this psalm more times and in more places around the world than any other message in all my years of ministry. But I do not like it, because it reminds me that I have not yet attained the state it describes. That must mean I still need this message. And if I need it, I suspect that you might need it too. We read, beginning at verse 5, “Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee; in whose heart are the ways of them. Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well; the rain also filleth the pools. They go from strength to strength, every one of them in Zion appeareth before God.” Let’s look at the first word in verse 5, “blessed.” Please circle that word in your Bible. There are a number of alternative translations in The Word: The Bible from 26 Translations. One translation says, “O the blessedness of the men…” while another says, “How happy the men…” Another translation says, “Happy the man…” and another says, “Happy are the…” Unfortunately, none of these alternative translations is adequate. The words “blessed” and “happy” do not convey the true meaning of the word in the original Hebrew text. The Hebrew word translated “blessed” describes a state of being, no quality of which ever changes. When we think of the word “blessed,” we normally associate it with specific experiences, relationships, or things that caused us to have a temporary feeling of euphoria. There is nothing wrong with the words “happy” or “blessed,” but the word in this psalm does not describe a one-time event; it describes a constant state of blessing that never changes. Most people experience occasional high points in their lives. Some people are always seeking the next pleasurable experience, while others keep trying to recreate a past experience. Indeed, the seeking of such experiences can sometimes lead to addictions. But this verse says there is a kind of blessing that never changes. Instead of being something to aspire to, it is a base or foundation on which you can stand. This state of unchanging blessedness does provide, among other things, happiness, though I prefer to use the word “joy.” This state could better be described as a joyous, felt awareness of needing nothing, or a sense of satisfaction. It is close to what God promises in 2nd Corinthians 9:8 to the “hilarious” giver: He enables that person to stand alone, needing nothing. Psalm 84:5 makes it clear that not everyone has this blessed state. It says, “Blessed is the man.” The blessing is to a particular kind of person. I would have us note that the word “man” is used generically, so this promise applies equally to both men and women. But what do we know about this blessed man? The one who has this blessed state is “passing through the valley of Baca.” Circle the word “passing.” That means he is not standing still. This might seem like a subtle distinction, but the blessed man is both in a process of change and in a process that is changing. If you compare your present circumstances to where you were at this time last year, you might not feel very blessed today. Certain things that gave you joy, satisfaction, and hope are now gone. Some people have lost their homes. Others have lost loved ones. Some have lost their position. Things are not the same as they once were. In 1st Kings 17, God sent the prophet Elijah to a brook to sustain him when there was no rain in the land. But after a while, the brook dried up. F.B. Meyer taught that God had to dry up the brook in order to teach His servant to trust the Giver of the gifts, instead of the gifts that God had given him. As many times as I have preached on this psalm, I still find it hard to accept the fact that there is no stopping point on this Christian journey. We are pilgrims down here on earth. Our destination is not only a place called heaven, it is also a position that God has ordained for us. God is training us to rule and reign with Him throughout eternity! In those rare times when my circumstances bring me joy, I often try to persuade God to let me stay there. I cannot resist the temptation to try to twist His arm and say, “Why can’t I rest here, without any more challenges?” Or I might say, “Why can’t I take some of my past blessings with me? I do want to go to heaven, and I do want to be trained for the position to which I was called. But God, can’t You see that I would be so much better off if I could hold on to the blessings You have given me? If we must move on, can’t You wait until I load up my wagon?” Our problem is that we do not want the change, we do not trust the change, and we do not trust the “Changer.” Inevitably, we think we know better than God. We think we know what must be added to His plan. In fact, as we end this year and begin a new year, I do not think I can stand much more change. I want to take my favorite things with me, but it has become clear to me that this is not God’s will. I have finally accepted it: it is God’s will that we go through change, because the man who has the unchanging state of blessing is on a journey. There is no stopping point, which is why there must always be new challenges to our faith. What else can we learn about this blessed man? “Blessed is the man…Who passing through the valley of Baca…” Many translators have interpreted the words “the valley of Baca” to mean “the valley of weeping.” The Anglican Book of Common Prayer reads, “Who going through the vale of misery…” I like that translation better. I have been through so many vales of misery that my tears have run dry. True Christianity is realistic. There is much nonsensical preaching today that says your valley is not real, and that you only think you are in a valley. No, you are really in it! The preachers of “positive thinking” are liars. Look at the lives of the people in God’s book, including Abraham, who was the father of faith, David, and the apostle Paul. All of them went through valleys; valleys are part of the blessed man’s journey. You might wish you were an exception to the rule, but if you are, then you are not a blessed man. We sometimes wonder why God does not simply remove the valleys. But there is nothing in this psalm that suggests God will remove them. This blessed state encompasses a life that is involved in the process of change, and that process requires that you periodically be brought into valleys of weeping or vales of misery. Maybe you have been in your valley for a long time. That does not mean God has left you, nor does it mean you have left God. There are people who will nod in agreement with God’s word, and they are absolutely certain they will be able to go right through their next valley. But when a real hardship hits them, they are devastated. I want to make this very clear so that you will understand it when hardship hits you: even if you tithe and do all the good things you are supposed to do, you will inevitably find yourself in a valley. Blessed men go through valleys of weeping, but the important thing is that they go through them. Blessed men and women do not quit! They do not dwell in the vale of misery. Now let me point out some of the dangers people succumb to in a valley. The worst thing you can do is ask, “Why am I in this mess?” The word “why” should be stricken from your vocabulary! Whenever we are in a valley, the devil loves to punish us with our consciences. The older I get, the more I understand this trick of Satan, and I have learned to resist it. The devil loves to make us think we did something wrong. We are prone to think, “I wouldn’t be in this mess if I hadn’t caused it.” Now, that is probably true, but so what? God’s word says in 1st John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Jesus also promised in John 6:37, “Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” Even if you are to blame for your valley, that was yesterday, and today is today. Commit it to the cross. Get up, hold your head up, and go forward! It does not matter whether or not you are to blame: blessed men go through! Of course, that is easier said than done. For example, there are people who have stopped tithing and think, “It has been so long since I have tithed, I could never repay what I have taken from God. I know that God’s word says I am under a curse if I do not tithe, but there is simply no way for me to start tithing again.” That is folly. Just start over right now! I imagine someone who has failed and is thinking, “I am so ashamed of the way I have behaved. I can’t suddenly start acting cheerful after I did something so terrible! Everyone will think, ‘After what you did, you have no reason to act happy.’” Satan is very tricky. He convinces people that they must keep acting miserable lest they appear inconsistent. They are afraid that someone might doubt the genuineness of their former misery if they show up happy. So they decide that in the name of Christian integrity, they must continue to suffer in their gloom and despair. I will use a few more illustrations that might sound ludicrous, but I am talking about our attitude. Imagine someone thinking, “I have complained about being poor for so long, I can’t suddenly stop complaining about it. After all, if I start acting like I am rich, people might think I robbed a bank!” Or someone might think, “I lost my wife recently. If I show up smiling today, people might think I am having an illicit affair. So, in order to appear ‘holy,’ I must keep on grieving!” Some people think they must go through a minimum period of grieving before they can move on, so they prolong their own valley in order to convince others of their piety. Again, it does not matter what caused your circumstances; commit it to the cross and start over. On the other hand, let’s assume you are innocent. You might be thinking, “I didn’t do anything to deserve my situation! I was just trying to do my best for God, yet here I am in a mess. Woe is me!” Some people find joy in holding a club over God’s head. Which is more joyful: doing things God’s way or blaming Him for everything? Be honest. Like Laurel and Hardy, it is easier to tell God, “Another fine mess You have gotten me into!” I can imagine someone thinking, “For all of these years, God has been making me go forward. But now that I know I am not responsible for my valley, I can tell Him, ‘I will not move from this place until You deliver me. And I will not do another thing until You admit that You shouldn’t have done what You did to me! I’m not to blame!’” Pardon my bluntness, but God does not really give a damn whether you are to blame or are innocent. There is not one word in this verse about the cause of the valley. Whether you are guilty or innocent, the promise in either case is “Blessed men go through.” Some people want to stay in their valley because of the attention it gets them. Everyone feels sorry for you when you are in a valley of weeping. There are even people who would rather see you down than up: they want you to fail so they can be the ones to help you. But God wants you to be strong. Perhaps your current valley is lasting longer than the previous ones. But how do you think growth happens? Perhaps you have even lost hope. What is God’s word if it is not a source of hope? Faith is not the result of feelings. Feelings are the result of faith properly placed. What is the next promise in this psalm? Blessed me “passing through the valley of Baca make it a well…” A better translation says they turn their valley into “a place of springs.” That means blessed men not only go through their valley, but they turn it into a place that will bless and refresh others. What is the key to attaining the blessed state described in this psalm? Verse 5 says it: “Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee,” that is, whose strength is in God. It is easy enough to agree with this, until you need to live it. But as I look back over the years, I see my strength was the greatest when my strength was in God. I was the most blessed when I had nothing but God. As you follow God and take Him at His word, you will find that He does honor His word. He does give you many of the things He has promised you. But Satan will subtly help you to shift your eyes toward those things and away from God and His word. And you will suddenly turn loose of God’s word and grab hold of those things that were the result of trusting His word. It is a spiritual law: God will take from you the things you are holding on to that cause you to lose your grip on His word. I am still preaching the same thing I preached when I came to pastor this church fourteen years ago: “Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee.” Do you say you cannot cope with what God has done to you, or more specifically, what He has taken from you? Let’s be honest: wasn’t God right? You have not been able to say that your strength is in God, because your source of strength has drifted to some gift, some blessing, some circumstance, or some person. So God, who knows the heart, took that blessing away. Then you were left floundering, with nothing to grip, because you had turned loose of His word. What else do we know about this blessed man? “Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee; in whose heart are the ways of them.” Notice that the words “of them” in the King James Version are in italics. That means they were added by the translators. A better translation would be “in whose heart are the ways of Thee,” because it refers to the ways of God. Moffatt’s translation says, “Happy are they who, nerved by thee, set out on pilgrimage!” Blessed men get their strength from God, and in their heart are His ways. Do you know what our problem is? We want God to bend to our ways. But the blessed man’s heart is connected to God’s way. This man whose strength is in God knows that He has promised never to leave us nor forsake us. Let everything else be taken away from us; God is still there. A man in whose heart are the ways of God knows that He can be trusted. The blessed man knows the promise, “The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD.” He knows the promise, “As thy days, so shall thy strength be.” He knows that when we stumble, God has promised to pick us up. He knows that we can trust God’s leading. The blessed man never gives up, because he knows that God is always with him. And no matter how dark his circumstances might look, he will not doubt in the dark what God has told him in the light. The ways of God are firm, settled, and without reproach. Learn to trust Him. As always, I can make an application to our tithes and offerings. What better way to demonstrate our recognition of His ways and His sovereignty over our lives than by our giving? God has made it clear that His ways are to bless the tither. The state of blessing promised by this psalm never changes, because the God who is with us never changes. Praise His Name! **************************************************** Reprinted with permission from Pastor Melissa Scott | August, 2024 Wingspread | July, 2024 Wingspread | June, 2024 Wingspread | May, 2024 Wingspread | March, 2024 Wingspread | April, 2024 Wingspread | February, 2024 Wingspread | January, 2024 Wingpread | | Year 2019 Wingspreads | August, 2016 Wingspread | 2016 Wingspreads | 2014 Wingspreads | 2013 Wingspreads | 2012 Wingspreads | 2011 Wingspreads | 2010 Wingspreads | 2009 Wingspreads | 2008 Wingspreads | 2007 Wingspreads | 2006 Wingspreads | 2005 Wingspreads | 2004 Wingspreads | 2003 Wingspreads | 2002 Wingspreads | 2001 Wingspreads | August, 2001 Wingspread | November, 2001 Wingspread | December, 2001 Wingspread | 2000 Wingspreads | 1999 Wingspreads | 2015 Wingspreads | Year 2017 Wingspreads | 2018 Wingspreads | Year 2020 Wingspreads | Year 2021 Wingspreads | Year 2022 Wingspreads | Year 2023 Wingspreads | Year 2024 Wingspreads | | Return Home | Current Wingspread | Wingspread Archives | Contact Us | |
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