‘His Covenant’

The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant.

Psalm 25:14

God deals with us by covenant. In the simplest terms, a covenant is an agreement or we may even call it a contract, wherein both parties participate. Regarding God’s first covenant with humanity, which He made with Adam and Eve, our first parents, we understand that it was a covenant of works. In order for that covenant to continue unbroken, Adam and Eve had the obligation to obey perfectly, which at the time, they were capable of doing. They chose not to obey, and thereby brought sin and death to us all. After that, God revealed to them, and to us, His Covenant of Grace. The redemption of any of us who have descended from Adam and Eve, by ordinary generation depends utterly and completely upon this Covenant of Grace. The only way for us to understand this covenant, the nature of it, the ramifications of it, the manner in which it relates to us, and our obligations to it, is for us to understand the Person and Work of Christ. God shows His Covenant to those who hold Him in reverential awe, by showing them Christ. If we would understand the importance of the satisfaction of the Law of God in precept, then we must look to the life of Christ. If we would understand the importance of the satisfaction of the Law in penalty, then we must look to the death of Christ. If we would understand justification, adoption, and sanctification, then we must look to the Person and Work of Christ. We cannot know God and understand His Covenant without looking full into the Face of Jesus Christ. Today let us lift up our eyes to see Him, Who is the means by whom God will reveal His Covenant to us.

Our Glorious Covenant-Keeping God,
we rejoice that You condescend to us who are of low estate.
We praise You that You show us Christ,
The Author and Finisher of our faith.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

Inheriting the Earth

His soul shall dwell at ease; and his seed shall inherit the earth.

Psalm 25:13

Since the rise and spread of humanity there has been a continual contest for the domination of the earth. One civilization has succeeded another. We have witnessed conquerors, dictators regimes and Reich’s. Someone somewhere is always plotting and planning for control over whatever territory they can annex by whatever means necessary. By contrast to all this seeking of world domination, we observe the spreading of the Kingdom of Christ. Christ declared before His crucifixion, ‘My kingdom is not of the world.’ The Kingdom of Christ supersedes all the kingdoms of this world. The means by which Christ’s Kingdom advances is not in a physical way, but in a spiritual way.  Here David says, ‘His soul shall dwell at ease; and his seed shall inherit the earth.’ This brings us immediately, to Christ’s statement in the Sermon on the Mount. He said, ‘The meek shall inherit the earth.’ Christ is referring to those whom He saves by Free and Sovereign Grace. They are not meek by nature, but by Grace. They do not strive for rulership, yet Christ makes them ‘kings and priests.’ They are not the folk whom the world system recognizes, yet they are those whom Christ recognizes as His Sheep. They hear His voice and follow Him. These are those who will ‘inherit the earth.’ The people of God need not strive to conquer, to begin or sustain wars, or to dominate by force of arms. Our path to the inheritance of the earth lies in looking to Christ as Our Savior and Lord. As He succeeds, we succeed. As He rules, we rule. This is a spiritual campaign in which love, joy, and peace are the characteristics which most reflect our Leader.

High King of Heaven,
we rejoice that You rule over all the earth.
We praise You that You give it unto whomsoever You will.
Evermore lead us, into Christlikeness and prepare us to inherit the earth.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

Dwelling In Prosperity

His soul shall dwell at ease; and his seed shall inherit the earth.

Psalm 25:13

As David seeks the guidance of the Lord, he articulates truth along the way. We have before us one such truth. David remarks, referring to the person who is taught of God, ‘He himself shall dwell in prosperity.’ Sadly, this truth has suffered greatly at the hands of the ‘health and wealth’ handlers of the Scripture. Because a person rests by faith in Christ, does not guarantee that they will always be healthy and wealthy in the physical sense of the terms.  Many of the choice people of God suffer illness and are often the poor, or perhaps less well-off financially. Primarily, David is speaking in spiritual terms. While we may say that the following of the ways of God is, in fact, generally healthier, and tends more to diligence which yields prosperity, we cannot make that a cause-effect equation. Having said that, what does David mean? David is taking the long term view of things . He is saying that God through Christ has bestowed upon us unfathomable wealth. We may not, as yet, come into the full experience of that, but we are ‘kings and priests,’ having been made so by Christ. We shall ‘inherit the earth,’ according to Christ Himself. Our spiritual standing guarantees a long-term prosperity in all the things that really matter. Christ possesses all things and, in turn, makes us to dwell in prosperity.

Our Great and Gracious God,
we rejoice that You possess all things.
We praise You that You make us to succeed
in every way that matters
and will see to it that we dwell in prosperity.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

‘Therefore He Teaches’

Good and upright is the LORD: therefore will he teach sinners in the way.

Psalm 25:8

David greatly desired that God would teach him His ways and lead him in His paths. We find David articulating this desire repeatedly throughout the Psalm before us. What is interesting to note is that as David pleads his case, he makes no attempt to tout his own virtue. Rather, he presses his case based upon the character of God. Our text for today is an example of his reasoning. He says, ‘Good and upright is the Lord: therefore will he teach sinners in the way.’ God’s mercy and righteousness are the grounds of His instruction of sinners in the paths of righteousness. The great manifestation of God’s character is the Person and Work of Christ. It is by showing us Christ that God shows us His ways and teaches us His paths. If we would know God, we must, by all means, know Christ. In the Person of Christ we see the Character of God on display. When David is citing the goodness and uprightness of God, he is, in a de facto, way coming very quickly to Christ. We recognize that God is good and upright. That brings us very quickly to Christ as well. This divests us of all hope and reliance upon ourselves, our own will, and our own righteousness. Because God is good and upright, He will teach us, by ever showing us more of Christ. Today, let us appeal to the Good and Upright God to show us Christ, in ways we have not seen before.

O God of truth and uprightness,
We rejoice that with You there is a
vast storehouse of knowledge and understanding.
We praise You that it is Your intention to
reveal to us this truth and knowledge
by evermore showing us Christ.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

Not Ashamed

Yea, let none that wait on thee be ashamed….

Psalm 25:3a

For centuries, the people of God have waited upon Him in various situations. Abraham waited upon God for the fulfillment of His promise of an heir. Moses waited upon God for the fulfillment of His promise to bring Israel into the land. Simeon waited for God to fulfill the promise that he would behold Messiah with his own eyes. These are a smattering of examples of a host of people who have waited upon God. David was also waiting upon God. As one who was a holy man of old, who spoke as he was moved by the Holy Ghost, David uttered a heartfelt petition, not only for himself, but for all the people of God who wait. He says, ‘Indeed, let no one who waits on you be ashamed.’ God answers this request in another place. Isaiah, quoting God directly, declares, ‘they shall not be ashamed that wait for me.’ Throughout His life and ministry, Christ gave evidence that He had come to fulfill the promises of God to His people. Even now, the people of God are waiting for Christ to return, according to His word. Will we be ashamed who have waited for Him? No, we will not. Christ is as good as His word. The last two quotations of Christ in Revelation, are affirmations that Christ will return. No one who has waited for God thus far has found that He is either unwilling or unable to fulfill His promises. Thus far, all has come to pass. All that He has promised, which He has yet to fulfill, He will complete in the fullness of time. Today, we look to Christ to give us wisdom to see things as He sees them and to wait for Him to fulfill His promises, knowing that we shall not be ashamed.

Our Good and Never-failing God,
we praise You that You are ever faithful.
We rejoice that You will bring to pass
all that You have promised.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning