Psalm 36: Man's Wickedness - God's Perfection

In Psalm 36, there are 6 verses that describe man’s wickedness (verses 1-4; 11-12) and then 6 verses that describe God’s perfections (vs. 6-10). There are 13 descriptions of man’s wickedness, and 14 accounts of God’s perfections.

The number 13 in the bible represents rebellion and lawlessness. Nimrod, the mighty hunter who was 'before the Lord' (meaning he tried to take the place of God - Genesis 10:9), was the 13th in Ham's line (Ham was one of Noah's three sons who survived the flood). Thirteen represents all the governments created by men, and inspired by Satan, in outright rebellion against the Lord. The dragon, a symbol for Satan, is found 13 times in Revelation. Satan is behind all rebellion against God.

The number 14 in the bible represents deliverance and salvation. It is also a double of the number 7, which represents completion. In the verses of this Psalm that describe God’s perfection, there are 14 pronouns: (Your, You).

Here are the 13 descriptions of man’s wickedness:

The wicked man has no fear of God

The wicked man flatters himself

The wicked man loves to sin

The wicked man hates others

The wicked man speaks deceitfully

The wicked man turns from wisdom

The wicked man turns from goodness

The wicked man plots evil through the night

The wicked man walks in evil

The wicked man loves what God hates

The wicked man crushes others with their pride

The wicked man pushes people around

The wicked man falls down and is unable to rise again

Here are the 14 descriptions of God perfections:

God’s mercy is as vast as the heavens

God’s faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds

God’s righteousness is as powerful as the mountains

God’s justice is as deep as the oceans

God’s care extends to every man and creature

God’s love is precious and unfailing

God’s shelter under His wings is secure

God’s provision is abundant
God's drink springs from His hand

God’s pleasures flow like a river

God’s life pours out like a fountain

God’s light gives us light for our eyes

God’s kindness extends to all who know Him 
God’s virtue covers the upright in heart

The number 14 also represents David - the numerics of his name add up to 14: D_V_D represent the numbers 4+6+4=14. David was the 14th generation from Abraham. Then there were another 14 generations to babylon and another 14 generations to Jesus (Matt. 1:1-17). Jesus is the Divine King who is descended from David.

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all! It is nearly over, but I wanted to shout out to all the wonderful Mums out there. For those of you who are hurting - just remember that the Lord is not only our Father - He also has a MOTHER'S HEART. He is full of comfort and compassion, and has made a place under His wings for us to hide and find peace - here are 7 things to expect from being under the wings of God - the place of His Mother Heart:

• He loves each one of us – we are the “apple of His eye” the part of the eye that is protected at all costs: "Keep me as the apple of your eye…hide me under the shadow of your wings.”  Psalm 17:8

• He has made a hiding place for us – perfectly hidden from all danger and trouble “…hide me under the shadow of your wings.”  Ps. 17:8

• He draws us close – close enough to be under the shadow Ps. 91:1 “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most HighShall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.”

• He has made a place of refuge for us – a shelter from every degree of storm. "For my soul takes refuge and finds shelter and confidence in you; yes in the shadow of your wings will I take refuge..."  Ps. 57:1; 61:4

• He gives us a new song and perfect joy in this place of safety under His wings. "Because You have been my help, therefore in the shadow of Your wings will I rejoice and sing."  Ps. 63:7.

• He brings miraculous provision and escape for us when we come under His wings. The Children of Israel were carried on His wings through the wilderness – these were days of supernatural provision and great miracles every day. Deut. 32:11

• He has healing in his wings – healing for our body, soul and spirit. "But unto you who revere and worshipfully fear my name shall the sun of righteousness arise with healing in His wings and His beams, and you shall go forth and gambol like calves released from the stall and leap for joy."  Mal. 4:2  (AMP)

Run under His wings and find shelter - this is a place you will easily in prayer.

7 Things God Directly Promises in Psalm 91

Psalm 91

1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
 Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress;
My God, in Him I will trust.”

3 Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler[a]
And from the perilous pestilence.

4 He shall cover you with His feathers,
And under His wings you shall take refuge;
His truth shall be your shield and buckler.

5 You shall not be afraid of the terror by night,
Nor of the arrow that flies by day,

6 Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness,
Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.

7 A thousand may fall at your side,
And ten thousand at your right hand;
But it shall not come near you.

8 Only with your eyes shall you look,
And see the reward of the wicked.

9 Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge,
Even the Most High, your dwelling place,

10 No evil shall befall you,
Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;

11 For He shall give His angels charge over you,
To keep you in all your ways.

12 In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.

13 You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra,
The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.

14 “Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him;
I will set him on high, because he has known My name.

15 He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will deliver him and honor him.

16 With long life I will satisfy him,
And show him My salvation.”

This is such an interesting psalm - It goes from statements that the psalmist says about the Lord, to direct things that each of us should do...right on into a prophetic passage of 7 things that the Lord speaks in the 1st person through the psalmist:

He directly promises that:

- V14 He will deliver or rescue you

- V14 He will set you on high - this is a place of His protection

- V15 He will answer you when you call on Him

- V15 He will be with you in times of trouble

- V15 He will give you honor when He delivers you 

- V16 He will give you a long life that is fully satisfying

The Lord promises all of these 7 things if we do these 6 things (note...the number 6 is the number for man, and the number 7 is the number for God)

I will:

- V1 I will make His presence my place of abiding

- V2 I will say that the Lord is my refuge and fortress – I will speak this with my mouth

- V2 I will put all my trust in him no matter what I see with my eyes

- V5-6 I will not be afraid no matter what comes against me in the day or the night

- V8 I will look at what God does to the wicked - there are lessons to learn here 
- V13 I will tread on every kind of evil thing no matter how strong it appears to be

As I mediate on this Psalm tonight, I am praying for two men who have recently been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer - this is for Richard W and Terry F - please join me in prayer for all who have serious illnesses, and particularly Richard and Terry - thank you. If you would like prayer for someone who is battling serious illness or personal issues, just leave their name in the comments section below.

Prepare Your Soul To Be Restored

The Lord desires to restore our soul (Psalm 23:3). I have been meditating on verses that bring our souls into a state of readiness for the Lord to do this healing work. He delights in bringing wholeness and restoration to every part of our lives. This is all a large part of the journey I am on right now…so it has been a delight to meditate on these verses.

The main Hebrew word used for "soul" in my search is:  nephesh which means:

Life, appetite, mind, desire, emotion, passion, that which breathes, the breathing substance or being, living being, self, seat of appetites, emotions or passions, activity of the mind or will, or character.

Here are 12 steps to walk in as we prepare for the Lord to restore and heal our soul:

Ps. 66:16

Come and hear, all you who fear God,
And I will declare what He has done for my soul.

• Make your heart and your soul a sanctuary for the presence of the Lord. Expand the altar of your heart and make room for the Lord – He is coming among us in greater and greater measures in these days. I know that the Lord is speaking here of the physical sanctuary that Solomon was to build, but we are also called to build a sanctuary in our hearts -

1Chron. 22:19 Now set your heart and your soul to seek the Lord your God. Therefore arise and build the sanctuary of the Lord God, to bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord and the holy articles of God into the house that is to be built for the name of the Lord.”

• Seek the Lord with all your heart and soul. It is time to seek the Lord with renewed passion. Something inside us needs to remain “sleepless” regarding this issue – diligently searching for Him and listening for His voice. When we seek Him with all our heart and soul, He will be found. In these verses we can hear a cry that rises from the depths of the soul – to the point of “panting” for God as one who is completely thirsty and longing for Him -

2Chron. 15:12 Then they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul;

2Chron. 15:15 And all Judah rejoiced at the oath, for they had sworn with all their heart and sought Him with all their soul; and He was found by them, and the Lord gave them rest all around.

Ps. 42:1 As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God.

Ps. 42:2  My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?

Ps. 63:1 O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water.

Ps. 84:2 My soul longs, yes, even faints For the courts of the Lord; My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.

Lam. 3:25 The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, To the soul who seeks Him.

Matt. 22:37 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ (Mk. 12:30, 33; Lu. 10:27)

• Let your soul wait for Him. He seems to be calling us in these days to wait, or linger in His presence – sometimes it is not necessary to do or say anything – just wait silently with great expectation -

Ps. 33:20 Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and our shield

Ps. 62:1, 5 Truly my soul silently waits for God; From Him comes my salvation.

My soul, wait silently for God alone, For my expectation is from Him.

Ps. 130:5-6 I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, And in His word I do hope.

My soul waits for the Lord More than those who watch for the morning— Yes, more than those who watch for the morning.

• Release joy into all you do. Let joy permeate your soul and affect all those around you. As we deal with our heart and soul in an intensive way, there can be a tendency to become melancholy and overly introspective – at least that is how I can often find myself. I am sometimes tempted to become isolated and withdrawn from others. I believe that the Lord rarely intends for us to become reclusive in this way – the closer we get to Him; the greater should be our testimony to others. Don’t forget to mark this journey with joy. Think of all these things that he has done, and fill your soul with joy, Don’t become so consumed with yourself that you can’t lift up the hearts of those around you -

Ps. 34:2 My soul shall make its boast in the Lord; The humble shall hear of it and be glad.

Ps. 35:9 And my soul shall be joyful in the Lord; It shall rejoice in His salvation.

Ps. 71:23 My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing to You, And my soul, which You have redeemed.

Is. 61:10 I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, My soul shall be joyful in my God; For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

• Yield your soul to the Lord and trust in Him – make Him your hiding place.

There certainly are seasons when we need to tuck ourselves away to spend more time with the Lord. We will find that He is a trustworthy friend and a sure hiding place - 

Ps. 57:1 Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me! For my soul trusts in You; And in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge, Until these calamities have passed by.

• Stir up your soul to follow the Lord wherever He goes – stay very close to Him.

the Hebrew word for "follow" in this verse is dabaq - it means to cling, or cleave to something, to stay close, to be joined together, to overtake. It is up to us to run after Him - to stay close by His side and join ourselves to Him in such a way that we become "one" with Him -

Ps. 63:8 My soul follows close behind You; Your right hand upholds me. 

• Surrender your soul to its longings for the presence of the Lord.

The soul is the seat of our passions and desires. Make the presence of the Lord the focus of your greatest craving -

Ps. 84:2 My soul longs, yes, even faints For the courts of the Lord; My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.

When our body is thirsty, it seems to shout loudly – demanding water and drawing great attention to this need. Allow your spiritual thirst to take over your soul in the same way. Make your thirst for God the loudest voice in your soul and give in to this longing.

Ps. 143:6 I spread out my hands to You; My soul longs for You like a thirsty land.

• Lift up your soul in praise.

This is the greatest conclusion to our quest of filling out soul with more of the Lord – worship with all your soul!

Ps. 103:1-2 Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits:

(103:22; 104:1, 35; 119:175; 143:8; 146:1)

• Discipline your soul to keep the testimonies and commands of the Lord.

When we walk in the fear of the Lord, we will delight in keeping God’s Word and walking in obedience to His commands -

Ps. 119:129 Your testimonies are wonderful; Therefore my soul keeps them.

Ps. 119:167 My soul keeps Your testimonies, And I love them exceedingly.

• Quiet your soul and make it still.

No matter what you are going through – allow your soul to be still and listen to the voice of the Lord rather than to your own thoughts and conclusions. Trust Him just as a child trusts his mother and father.

Ps. 131:2 Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul, Like a weaned child with his mother; Like a weaned child is my soul within me.

• Feed your soul with God’s abundance.

Taste and see that the Lord is good – feed on Him and enjoy the nourishment that only He can bring.

Is. 55:2 Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And let your soul delight itself in abundance.

• Purify your soul.

We have a tendency to think that the Lord needs to do all the work while we sit back and complain. In this passage, Peter is instructing us to purify our own soul through obedience.

1Pet. 1:22 Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart.


This is part 1 - part 2 can be found HERE