My Helper - Part 1 of 2

Oh, for a thousand tongues to sing, my great Redeemer's praise, The worries of my God and King, the triumphs of His grace. This is Lestare Bradley, Jr., welcoming you to another broadcast of the Baptist Bible Hour. I'm sure there are some of you that have intended to write us and have never gotten around to it. I encourage you to write, and if you can, help with the support of the program.

We depend on our listeners for that support. Our address is the Baptist Bible Hour, Box 17037, Cincinnati, Ohio 45217. Turn with me to the 30th Psalm. Reading Psalm 30, begin with the first verse. I will extol thee, O Lord, for thou hast lifted me up, and hast not made my foes to rejoice over me. O Lord my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me. O Lord, thou hast brought up my soul from the grave. Thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.

Sing unto the Lord, O ye saints of His, and give thanks at the remembrance of His holiness. For His anger endureth but a moment, in His favor is life. Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. And in my prosperity, I said, I shall never be moved. Lord, by thy favor, thou hast made my mountain to stand strong. Thou didst hide thy face, and I was troubled. I cried to thee, O Lord, and unto the Lord I made my supplication.

What profit is there in my blood when I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise thee? Shall it declare thy truth? Hear, O Lord, and have mercy upon me. Lord, be thou my helper.

Thou hast turned for me my morning into dancing. Thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness. To the end, that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O Lord, my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever. Spoke recently from the 23rd Psalm and entitled the message, My Shepherd. We entitled the message as we look at this psalm, My Helper. Verse 10, Hear, O Lord, and have mercy upon me. Lord, be thou my helper. Divide the psalm into three categories.

The first is pride, secondly, prayer, and thirdly, praise. It is believed that this psalm was written following David's experience in numbering Israel. Several things about it would seem to indicate that, although some hold a different point of view as to the exact time and the particular experience to which he refers. But it does seem to fit well at that very difficult time in David's life after suffering the consequences of his actions that took place for no other reason but that he was lifted up in pride.

He speaks of that in the sixth verse. And in my prosperity, I said, I shall never be moved. In my prosperity, I said, I shall never be moved.

Here is pride. He'd gone through some difficult times. He'd gone through some difficult times. He'd had those dark seasons when Saul was seeking his life, but eventually he becomes elevated to the throne.

He's reigning over the people of God. The time of prosperity has come, and in the day of prosperity, he said, I'm secure. No more running from my enemies.

No more dark times that I've experienced in the past. I'm safe. I shall not be moved.

The word here actually speaks of being shaken. I shall not be moved or I shall not be shaken, which has the meaning of careless ease. All is well. And with that frame of mind, it's easy to forget the need to trust the Lord. Everything is going according to plan. All is well with me, so I'm safe.

I'm secure. And all of us need to draw from this lesson the serious consequences that may come as a result of feeling at ease, a careless sense of ease, saying that all is well when it is not. Go to the book of 2 Samuel chapter 24. The first verse presents something that may immediately raise a question. And again, the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he moved David against them to say, go number Israel and Judah. Now the Lord had specifically said that David was not to number the people, and as a result of numbering them, didn't try to take really a complete census count.

He was interested in numbering the fighting men so that he could boast in the strength of his army. And as a result of doing that, a plague was sent upon the people. 70,000 men died because the king had disobeyed the Lord. So what do we understand it to mean when it says, the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he moved David against them to say, go number Israel and Judah. Well, it's interesting when we compare this passage to the book of 1 Chronicles, chapter 21, reading the first verse, and Satan stood up against Israel and provoked David to number Israel.

We have what would appear to be two conflicting statements. In the book of 1 Chronicles, it says that Satan provoked David to number Israel. In the book of 2 Samuel, it says that the Lord kindled his wrath and moved David against them to go and number them. Well, we know that since God had forbidden David to number the people, that he did not entice him, coerce him to do that which he had already commanded him not to do. We see that Satan did in fact entice him, but obviously, God withdrew the restraints and in that sense, suffered it to be.

Some of the things we see there are similar to what we read in Job's experience. Some like to emphasize the fact that all of the troubles that came upon Job were inflicted by Satan, and certainly, he was involved, but God had withdrawn the restraints and removed the heads and allowed Satan to impose these afflictions. And so, David does that which had been forbidden.

Now he's given some counsel and advice by those who are close to him. Verse 3 of 2 Samuel 24, And Joab said unto the king, Now the Lord thy God add unto the people, how many soever they be, and hundredfold, and that the eyes of my lord the king may see it, but why doth my lord the king delight in this thing? His advisor says there's no real reason for numbering the people. Why do you want to do it? I don't understand what your motive is. What are you going to accomplish by it?

It's not necessary at all to do this. Nevertheless, David has determined to do what he has decided upon. As a result, the prophet comes to confront him. He's given the opportunity to choose three possibilities as to what may be suffered. He casts himself upon the mercy of God, but according to verse 15 it says, So the Lord sent a pestilence upon Israel from the morning even to the time appointed, and there died of the people from Dan to Beersheba seventy thousand men. You can understand why David was going through some dark times when he realized that in his pride, determining that he would make his own choice and do what was right in his eyes, it had brought about the death of seventy of his own men.

So he disobeyed. He did that which he was pleased to do, but he felt great pain and distress as a result of it. Back in this 30th Psalm in verse 3, he says, O Lord, thou hast brought up my soul from the grave. Thou hast kept me alive that I should not go down to the pit. Some believe that David was struggling with physical illness and was near to death, and that may have been, but it would seem that there was great anguish of soul.

He felt that the burden was so heavy, the struggle was so great, that he was going down to the pit, down to death itself as a result of his own actions. In the 24th chapter of 1 Samuel, after we read of that plague, it says in the 16th verse, And when the angel stretched out his hand upon Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord repented him of the evil and said to the angel that destroyed the people, It is enough. Now stay thine hand, and the angel of the Lord was by the threshing place of Aranah the Jebusite. It is interesting that it is at this location that the plague is stayed, and that it is here that David makes a sacrifice. Verse 24, the king said unto Aranah, the king is ready to make an offering here, and Aranah says you can take the threshing floor, I will provide the animals, I will provide what you need. But the king said, Nay, but I will surely buy it of thee at a price, neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the Lord my God, of that which doth cost me nothing. So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. And David built there an altar unto the Lord, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings, so the Lord was entreated for the land, and the plague was stayed from Israel. Certainly David's attitude differed greatly for many today. He said, I will not offer to the Lord that which has cost me nothing.

I am not going to accept the threshing floor as a gift, I must buy it. I am ready to make whatever sacrifice necessary to come before the Lord with the appropriate offering. And as a result of the offering made, the plague was stayed.

It's also interesting to note that this then became the location where the temple was ultimately built. And so David goes through great anguish, a time of great darkness, a time of weeping, when he realizes that his choice was a foolish one. He had disobeyed God, and he brought death and devastation upon his own people. See, pride is a great sin. Pride is the root of many other sins.

The pride of the ungodly is often that which is used to describe them, distinguishing them from those who have been humbled by divine grace. We turn to Psalm 10, verse 4 says, The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God. God is not in all his thoughts. Because of his pride, because of his arrogance, because of his self-will, because of his exalted view of himself, God is not in his thoughts. His ways are always grievous. Thy judgments are far above, out of his sight. As for all his enemies, he puffeth at them. He hath said in his heart, notice how this language is so close to what David had said, He hath said in his heart, I shall not be moved, for I shall never be in adversity.

This is the language of the wicked. He says, I can make my own plan. I can chart my own course. I can live as I please. I shall never be moved. I will not face adversity.

All will be well with me. Is that not the attitude of teeming multitudes today? As men rush madly on, seeking the pleasures of this world, giving little thought to the sovereign creator, often no thought at all to the fact that there is a judgment day that will one day dawn, and that they must stand in the presence of the Almighty Holy God. No thought about God in a positive way, but assuring themselves that there is no need for alarm, that they will never falter. That's very much the spirit that is described in the 12th chapter of the Gospel of Luke, where Jesus tells us about a man who prospered. See, that's what brought David to this place of pride. Now there's nothing wrong with prosperity if a man is blessed with great material possessions as Abraham was, but he's a man of faith and he uses his resources to the glory of God.

That's wonderful. But you know, there are some people that just can't handle prosperity. As long as they're struggling, as long as they're facing difficulties along the way, they seem to have a humble spirit.

They know the importance of trusting God. But once prosperity comes, they're ensnared by it. They delight in it. They not only appreciate the material things that they now have at their grasp, they like the prestige that it gives them among men. They like the recognition that it brings. They become self-focused. They feel to be self-sufficient.

They're not walking any longer by faith, independence upon God. Jesus says in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 12, verse 16, He took a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully. And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do? Because I have no room where to bestow my fruits.

And he said, This will I do. I will pull down my barns and build greater. And there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.

There's prosperity. Don't have any place to put this great harvest. I'll just tear down the barns.

I've got to build bigger barns. All things going well. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years. Take thine ease. Eat, drink, and be merry. What's he saying? I'll never be moved. I'll never be shaken.

All's going well for me. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee. Then who shall those things be which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God. Prosperity can bring destruction. Prosperity can foster this carefree self-assurance that causes a man to lose touch with reality. But while this describes those that forget God and don't think about God, let's think about the experience of the Lord's own people.

How pride becomes a problem with them as well. They too can reach the place to say, all is going as we had hoped. Maybe better than we had ever imagined. We'll not be shaken. We'll not be moved.

All is well. Let's turn to the book of Deuteronomy, chapter 8, verse 7. For the Lord thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of the valleys and hills.

My, what a remarkable transition. Coming from the bondage of Egypt, coming from the wilderness wanderings, into a land that's described as having fountains and springs, a land of wheat and barley and vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of oil, olive and honey, a land wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarceness. Thou shalt not lack anything in it, a land whose stones are iron and out of whose hills thou mayest dig brass. When thou hast eaten an artful, then thou shalt bless the Lord thy God for the good land which he hath given thee. Beware that thou forget not the Lord thy God in not keeping his commandments and his judgments and his statutes which I command thee this day. Lest when thou hast eaten an artful and hast built goodly houses and dwell therein, and when thy herds and thy flocks multiply and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied and all that thou hast is multiplied, then thine heart be lifted up and thou forget the Lord thy God which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt from the house of bondage.

Verse 17, And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth. And you know, that's exactly what happened when the people came into the land. They forgot that the Lord had brought them on the way, provided for them every step of the journey through the wilderness. They were able to draw water from wells that they did not dig, eat the fruit of trees that they had not planted. God blessed them and prospered them above every other nation on this earth.

But they forgot the Lord and they began to worship the false gods around them. Has there ever been a time in your life that you have momentarily forgotten why you were prospered? Did you begin to take a little pride in it?

Say, well, because of my education, because of my skills, because of my personality, because of my ability to deal with people. Whatever it was, you gave some credit to yourself. And you failed to recognize that whatever I have, I have because God has blessed me to have it.

And as surely as we forget that, and we're full of self-confidence, we're boasting in what we have, we're elevated in pride. Not only have we dishonored the Lord by failing to recognize Him as the giver of every good and perfect gift, but it's in those moments of self-focus and pride that we make other terrible decisions. It was at that moment when David was feeling good, feeling good about himself, feeling good about his job, and he made that terrible decision, I'm going to number the people. And how many times when all has been going well, and you've been proud of your accomplishments, you then made some decisions that you could see later on were very bad decisions. You weren't honoring God. You weren't putting Him first. You weren't prayerful for His guidance and direction.

You made decisions that brought about some consequences that maybe you had to suffer for some period of time. But you know that not only can happen as far as individuals are concerned, it can happen as far as the church is concerned. In the book of Revelation chapter 3 verse 17, Jesus Christ, the head of the church, is speaking through John saying, Because thou sayest, I am rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing, and knowest not that thou art wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, I counsel thee to buy me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich and white, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear, and anoint thine eyes with high salve, that thou mayest see. Here's a church that says we're in great shape. We're increased with goods.

We have need of nothing. But the Lord's assessment of the condition of that church is that they are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. A church can become self-sufficient and elevated in pride in a number of ways.

We're thankful for our heritage. But a church can become proud of its history, proud of its heritage, and fail to give honor to the head of the church, Jesus Christ. We believe that sound doctrine is tremendously important. But a church can be elevated in pride about its orthodoxy and forget about the person of Jesus Christ. A church can feel like because of the talent of its members, because of the plans and schemes that it implements, and neither by the fact that they stand in opposition to the plans that others may use, that somehow this gives them the stability and the strength that they need. Certainly we are all keenly aware of the fact that we need help in these challenging times especially.

And how good to be reminded that we have a helper in the Lord our God. If you'd like to get this complete message on CD, request it when writing us. That's Baptist Bible Hour, Box 17037, Cincinnati, Ohio 45217. We'll greet you next time. This is LeSara Bradley, Jr. bidding you goodbye and may God bless you. Praising my Savior all the day long. Perfect submission, all is at rest. I in my Savior am happy and blessed. Watching and waiting, looking above.

Filled with this goodness, lost in His love. This is my story, this is my song. Praising my Savior all the day long. This is my story, this is my song. Praising my Savior, praising my Savior, praising my Savior all the day long.