Pastor Joe Fuiten, July 30, 2006

 

 

On July 26, 2006 the Washington State Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act defining marriage as between a man and woman.  This was an unexpected victory for authentic marriage.  It is hard to overstate the magnitude of this victory for future generations of school children and for our society.

After we read the Scripture, I have asked Kristen Waggoner, attorney for the interveners and member of Cedar Park, to comment on the ruling.

 

Psalms 18, Selected Portions, Page 389.

1 I love you, O LORD, my strength. 2 The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. 3 I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies. 4 The cords of death entangled me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me. 5 The cords of the grave coiled around me; the snares of death confronted me. 6 In my distress I called to the LORD; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears.

 

16 He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters. 17 He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me. 18 They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the LORD was my support.

 

29 With your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall. 30 As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him. 31 For who is God besides the LORD? And who is the Rock except our God? 32 It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. 33 He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to stand on the heights. 34 He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze. 35 You give me your shield of victory, and your right hand sustains me; you stoop down to make me great. 36 You broaden the path beneath me, so that my ankles do not turn.

 

46 The LORD lives! Praise be to my Rock! Exalted be God my Savior! 47 He is the God who avenges me, who subdues nations under me, 48 who saves me from my enemies. You exalted me above my foes; from violent men you rescued me. 49 Therefore I will praise you among the nations, O LORD; I will sing praises to your name. 50 He gives his king great victories; he shows unfailing kindness to his anointed, to David and his descendants forever.(NIV)

 

Kristen Waggoner

 

            Psalm 18 is simultaneously aimed at heaven but rooted in the earth.  It makes the connection between what has happened on the earth and what God has done.  As such, it is very valuable for us in doing the same.

            The opening verse, “I love you. O Lord, my strength,”  launches the comparison.  The Lord who is in heaven is the strength of David on the earth.  A warrior in battle needs lots of things.  In all cases, God met those needs for David.

God is himself a warrior who delights in helping David be a great warrior.  Verses 7-15 are a description of God as he advances in battle.  This has to be one of the most awesome descriptions of God’s power ever written.  The earth itself is shaken by the advancing of this heavenly warrior.  Possibly David had been helped in one of those physical ways in the past.  Maybe the fall of night saved him.  Possibly a storm came up that allowed him to win a battle or escape a defeat.  There might be some basis in fact for these descriptions.  More likely, they are the most powerful things that David has ever seen and he sees God as in charge of all that.

I love the way verse 16 follows these powerful acts.  When God arrives on the scene, what does he do?  God reaches down from on high and rescues David from deep waters.  He is rescued, snatched from the jaws of defeat.

Verses 19 through 28 are a celebration of David’s keeping of his end of the bargain.  David knows that he has obligations before God.  He must do certain things if God is to rescue him.  David has been faithful.  He has lived the righteous life.  Because God delights in David, he saves him.  He keeps his light burning so he can fight another day.

Starting with verse 29 David is once again energized for the battle.  God gives him strength.  Verse 32 summarizes it.  “It is God who arms me with strength.”  All the way through verse 45 he celebrates his victories.  He re-lives the battles.  He recalls the clash of swords and the shouts of the battlefield.  The memories are vivid, but not more real than the presence of God that accompanies him.

          If we never fight God’s battles, we can never win God’s victories.  If we never build God’s Temple, we can never experience the joy of seeing it filled with God’s presence.  If we never take on the challenges of ministry, we will never know God’s deliverance from its challenges

 

          What emerges out of this chapter is an understanding of the connection between the physical and spiritual.  Events in the physical world caused David to worship in the spiritual.

            Some people can really relate to the spiritual dimensions of heaven and the things of the spirit.  Their connection with God is very mystical.  Others are physically oriented.  Their faith is very connected to this earth.  David is unique in the way in which he bridges the two.  He is very connected to physical things, as this chapter shows, but he also has a real heart for worship and for things “spiritual.”  I think this dual-dimension is what made him want to build a temple for the Lord.  He was spiritual, but his faith was very rooted to the earth.

            We won a tremendous victory in the Supreme Court, but we give praise to God for winning the victory.

                Indeed, this is David’s secret.  He can connect the events of his life to God.  Listen to him in chapter 8:1-2 “O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. 2 From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.”  He does the same thing in chapter 9:1-4 “I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders. 2 I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High. 3 My enemies turn back; they stumble and perish before you. 4 For you have upheld my right and my cause; you have sat on your throne, judging righteously.”

            Can you do that?  The prayer  before meals is for this purpose.  The meal before me causes me to give thanks to God.  It should apply equally to Monday morning going to work or the house you return to after work.

            Yesterday Linda was picking up dolls and toys from the floor for the second time in two days.  They were signs the family had been there and that was a reason to give thanks.  I remember a lady telling me one time about her snoring husband.  She didn’t get annoyed.  She gave thanks to God for the husband she had beside her.  A couple of weeks ago at Stillwater Hill Community Church, the children in the basement were making noise.  One member commented that it was good to hear the sound of children again in the church.

            Have you ever suffered?  Could you say it like this? “When I was weak I was overwhelmed by terror and sadness.  Evil people violated my soul as if there was no God.  But I thank you mighty Savior for hearing my cry and finding me in my distress.  You have lifted my soul from the miry clay and have given me a new and fresh outlook on life.  I bless you, redeemer of my life.”