Acts 10:17-23

Some may think it was very convenient for the church to make this vision of Peter's up to justify allowing the  Gentiles in, but it is entirely consistent with what Jesus said in Matthew 15:11.

Just after receiving the vision, the men arrive. The Holy Spirit gives further instructions to Peter, ensuring that he does indeed meet them. We should not take this as meaning we should expect the Spirit to tell us every little thing, but this was a momentous occasion for Peter. We do not appreciate what a big thing it was for a Jew to treat a Gentile is equal, and equal in the eyes of God. What we can take from this is that if God does ask us to do very difficult things He will also provide all the spiritual support that we need, and will communicate with us.

The men relate the tale of what happened to Cornelius, and why they were at Peter's house. They also emphasise that Cornelius was a godly man, and respected by the Jewish people. Note that God did not make the situation impossibly difficult for Peter. Ie He did not choose a drunkard or sexually immoral Gentile. God does have some regard for us and our sensibilities, and usually takes us one step at a time, though sometimes they might be very big steps!

Acts 10:9-16

If Cornelius had based his decision on the state of Peter at the time the angel appeared to him he would not have gone. For Peter was a Jew, albeit a Christian one, and Jews did not mix with Gentiles. But Cornelius rightly based his decision on what God said, trusting that God had everything under control, which of course He did. We need to learn from this, for we can base our decisions on the way things are, whereas God's instructions to us are based on the way things are and what He is going to do about it, and God does not tell us everything that He is going to do. In this case He was going to change Peter's mind.

Peter went up on the roof of his house to pray. Note that Cornelius' men were already on their way, God often seems to leave things very late! Peter was hungry and about to have something to eat. At this point he fell into a trance and received a vision of all sorts of unclean animals coming down from heaven on a sheet and was told to eat them. Now to eat these animals was forbidden in the Law, hence Peter's reaction, but the voice told him not to call anything unclean that God has made pure. This happened three times, just to make sure that Peter got the message.

So we see here that God is able to change our prejudices. Now Peter's attitudes were based on the Law and the way he had been brought up. They weren't wrong, but they needed to change. God is able to change our minds and our attitudes.

Acts 10:1-8

We now come to the next major move in the break out of the gospel to the whole world, the conversion of Cornelius.

I mentioned in the last post the importance the New Testament places in godly behaviour, and we see another example of it here. Cornelius and his family were god fearers, they prayed to God and gave generously to the poor. The text says explicitly that God remembers what they had done, ie their actions influenced God's actions.

People sometimes, in objection to the gospel, say something like "what about good people who do not believe in Jesus". Well, here we see an example of "what about ...". God notes what they have done and takes steps to reveal the Lord to them, and when they see the Lord they are absolutely delighted.

An angel appears to Cornelius and gives him specific instructions. Cornelius is initially scared, but then he receives instructions, and immediately obeys them.

Angels play a role at a number of key stages in the gospels and Acts, but note that they come at the instigation of God, not at man's request. We should not pray for God to send an angel. We should just pray for what we need, if God chooses to send an angel to answer the prayer then so be it. Moreover, he will normally send one in order to achieve His purpose, as here when He is going to do something which no one expected, or was planning.

Acts 9:32-43

We now move back to Peter. Two incidents are recorded which show Peter performing miracles in much the same way that Jesus did, in fact the incidents would fit quite happily in the gospels.

First Peter is travelling about, and goes to Lydda. Aeneas had was paralysed and had been in this state for eight years. Peter told him that Jesus healed him, and told him to roll up his mat. This is very similar to the healing of the paralytic whose friends lowered him through the roof to see Jesus (Mark 9:1-8). So we see the same Jesus working through His disciples.

Next on to Joppa. Tabitha was a good person, but she became sick. As an aside we should note two things. One is that the New Testament is quite happy to talk about good and bad people, just because we are all sinners saved by grace does not mean that it doesn't make any difference how we live. The second is that good people can get sick. All sickness is not a direct result of sin.

Friends of Tabitha sent for Peter to help. We might ask why they could not heal her themselves, but, as mentioned in an earlier post, most of the miracles were carried out by the apostles. People were crying and generally making a commotion. Peter clears them out, prayed and told her to get up. So Peter raised a woman from the dead. Again, this is similar to Jesus raising a dead girl (Mark 5:39-42).

Acts 9:20-31

Saul spent several days with the disciples and immediately started preaching about Jesus in the synagogue. This must have caused something of a surprise! See how God was using the abilities Paul previously had, the difference was that they were now directed towards serving Christ. Everyone knew who Saul was and what he had previously been doing, now he was doing the very opposite. By the Spirit he was made more and more powerful and proved to all that Jesus was the Messiah.

His new opponents did not let matters rest, and now sought to use the tactics that Saul had employed against Christians, they plotted to kill him. However, Saul learnt of their plans and the disciples rescued him by lowering him in a basket out of the city. In some ways this was a rather ignominious exit for Saul.

He went to Jerusalem, but quite reasonable the disciples were rather reluctant to let him join them, no doubt assuming it was some sort of plot to infiltrate them. God's answer was to use Barnabas who explained to the disciples what had happened, and how Saul had been proclaiming the Lord in Damascus. So he was allowed to join the believers. So Saul continued proclaiming Christ as Lord, particularly with the Hellenistic Jews, so they tried to kill him. So Saul had to be helped to escape again, this time to Tarsus, his birthplace.

The church then enjoyed a time of peace and grew in numbers.

Acts 9:10-19

We know nothing about Ananias except what we are told here, and Paul's later recollections of the incident, yet he played a pivotal role in the life of Paul, and hence in the life of the world. He must have lived a godly life day by day, and was no doubt an asset to the local church. Then he was given a vital task to perform, and one that required great obedience.

God tells him exactly what to do, sometimes God's word to us will be very specific. Now Ananias knew who Saul was and the sort of man he was, so not unnaturally he questioned God. Note that God is perfectly happy to be questioned by Ananias. God actually seems to have very little problem with people complaining directly to Him. Problems arise when people complain to other people about God, as with the Israelites in the desert.

Ananias then obeys God. Note also it is not an easy word he has to take, for he has to tell Paul how much he will suffer. God had also prepared the way by giving Saul a vision of Ananias. When they meet Paul is healed and baptised.

Acts 9:1-9

Back to Acts. The first 8 chapters describe the birth of the church, and its break out into Samaria. Now we come to its break out into the rest of the world. There are two key events which formed the foundation for this. One was the conversion of Saul (later to be called Paul), and the other was the actions of Peter. Saul's conversion on the Damascus road is the first one to be described.

This incident shows above all the sovereignty of God, and that we should never imagine that we have everything worked out. We first came across Saul when he was holding the coats of those stoning Stephen and approving of the whole affair. We should notice that there is no indication of Saul having any change of heart. He was on his way to Damascus to persecute as many Christians as possible. Saul's heart was set on destroying the church, the only reason he was saved as because of the sovereign act of God. We sometimes place too much emphasis on the human side. We should pray fervently for friends or relations (or enemies) who do not believe. There may be no signs of the least bit of interest on their part, but this does not mean that nothing will happen.

God intervened in a dramatic manner, appearing as a bright light and speaking to Saul. Jesus asked Saul why he persecuted Him. Saul has no idea who Jesus is. Jesus then commands him to go into the city. Note that there is no overt repentence here, no debate, just God commanding Saul what to do, and Saul obeying.

Saul was now blind and was led to the city, where he fasted for three days.

Genesis 50

Joseph was very emotional over the death of his father. He then had Jacob's body embalmed so that it could be taken back to Israel in the future. Joseph and his brothers took the body to the land of Canaan, so that its burial could be a prophetic statement. They then returned to Egypt.

The brothers were now very concerned, thinking that Joseph had been merciful to them only because of their father Jacob. Now that Jacob was gone they feared that Joseph would vent his fury on them for the way they had treated him.

So they sought to deceive Joseph by saying that Jacob had commanded him to continue to look after his brothers. Joseph knew exactly what was going on. They need have no fear, for Joseph's heart had been changed over the years. He knew what God was doing, so he held nothing against his brothers.

Are there people in your life who you hold things against, or are resentful about? The solution is to find out what God is doing. The healing for all our problems, physical, emotional or whatever, is in Jesus. If we walk with God, then we will find that many issues are dealt with.

Joseph too died, but left a command that when the Israelites returned to Israel his bones were to be taken there as well.

Genesis 49

Jacob gathers all his sons so that he can "bless" them, so in some cases it isn't the sort of blessing you want! In fact Jacob's own words a re a better description of what he is doing, telling them what will happen in the days to come. What is the basis for these "predicitons"? It is the life of faith and experience of walking (and wrestling) with God.

Reuben, although the firstborn, will suffer because of his sexual misconduct. Actions have consequences. Likewise Simeon and Levi will suffer because of their violence.

Judah means praise, and Judah inherits the birthright of his three brothers. Judah will have the mantle of authority. Note that praise goes together with authority. If we want to have authority in our life then (i) we need to act rightly; and (ii) we need to praise God.

Zebulun and Issachar get a relatively brief mention. Dan will both provide justice, and be deceitful. Gad, Asher and Naphtali, likewise get brief mentions.

Joseph receives the longest blessing. The difference between him and the rest is that he is marked out by God, and strengthened by God.  Benjamin is mentioned last.

Jacob gives instructions for his burial, and then dies.

Genesis 48

Jacob is about to die, and so he meets with Joseph, who takes Ephraim and Manasseh with him. At the end of his life Jacob is still directed by the promise that God gave to him many years ago, and the future God had promised to him. Jacob knew too that the promise was for his descendants, not just for him (Acts 2:39). We can all learn from this attitude. 

Ephraim and Manasseh will be treated as if they were Jacob's own sons. This would affect the inheritance rights they had.

Jacob then blessed Ephraim and Manasseh. Now Manasseh was the older and should have received the first blessing, but Jacob blessed Ephraim first. Why did he do this? Maybe Jacob remembered his own situation. Jacob passes on his blessing to the boys.

Genesis 47

Joseph arranged things so that his brothers and family received favourable treatment. The brothers said they were shepherds, as Joseph had instructed them to do, and Pharaoh gave them the land of Goshen. Jacob also blessed Pharaoh.

The famine got progressively worse and caused increasing difficult for the people. The people came to Joseph for help. In the first year he took their livestock in exchange for grain. 

This saw them through for one year. So the next year Joseph took their land in exchange for grain. So there is a gradual enslavement of the people happening, with everything belonging to Pharaoh. However, the people were grateful to Joseph for "saving" them. The people had to pay a 20% tax to Pharaoh.

Jacob, meanwhile, made Joseph promise to take his bones back to Israel when they would eventually return there.

Genesis 46

Interestingly God speaks to Jacob before he goes to Egypt. Remember that Jacob himself had been warned against going to Egypt, hence the need for a word from God that it was OK to go. God understands our feelings and emotions and takes greater account of them than we imagine. So Jacob and all his possessions and family went off to Egypt. Remember too that Mary and Joseph fled to Egypt with Jesus at one point (Matt 2:14).

We then get a complete genealogy of Jacob's family.

When Joseph met Jacob he hugged his father and wept. Jacob was happy that now he had seen his son, who was alive and not dead. Joseph makes arrangements to ensure that his family is properly looked after.

Genesis 45

Finally Joseph can hold out no more and makes himself known to his brothers. Maybe some of the actions he had carried out before would help his brothers to realise that it was really him. For a long time had passed, and it would be difficult for them to believe.

Joseph also understands what God was doing over the last few years with the whole series of events. See how he treated his brothers. First he sent all the others away so that he could see them in private. Then he deals with them mercifully, not making them feel bad about the past.

Joseph tells his brothers to go and bring Jacob back. They were also to tell Jacob about all the honour that Joseph had received. Pharaoh too commanded them to take riches with them.

Not surprisingly Jacob was delighted to receive the news.

Genesis 44

Joseph continues with his shenanigans and gets his servants to hide his silver cup in Benjamin's sack. He does this to enable him to falsely accuse the brothers of deceiving him. 

The brothers. not surprisingly, protested that they had not stolen anything, but then were in dismay when the cup was found, especially as it was in Benjamin's sack.

They admitted guilt, even though they had done nothing wrong in this instance. Joseph only wants to detain Benjamin, which in some ways makes the situation worse for the rest. Judah explains the background, and pleads with Joseph.

Genesis 43

Eventually circumstances, along with Judah's reasoning, forced Jacob to reconsider his refusal to send Benjamin.

Jacob gives the brothers some more gifts to take, hoping to see the safe return of his son. Jacob seems resigned to the situation.

When they meet Jospeh's steward they "confess" to taking the silver (though it was Joseph who put it there).  Then Jospeh meets with them and inquires of their father again.

Jospeh is finding it difficult to control his emotions. The brothers were seated in age order, and Benjamin was given more than the others. Joseph seems to be doing all he can to hint who he is, without saying so explicitly.

Why does Joseph take such a circuitous route to revealing himself?

Genesis 42

Joseph's family were affected by the drought like everyone else. Jacob tells his sons to go off to Egypt to get grain, but keeps Benjamin at home. After Joseph, Benjamin was his favourite son, as he too had Rachel as a mother.

The brothers had to meet Joseph, and though he recognised them, they did not realise who he was. This is not surprising as several years had passed, and as far as they were concerned he would be a slave in some far off place, or even dead. They bowed down to him in fulfilment of his first dream.

Joseph plays them along, this was a ploy to get Benjamin to come as well. The brothers felt guilty about what they had done to Joseph. Guilt is something we cannot get rid of by denying the truth, repentance is the only solution to guilt.

Joseph had one brother put in prison, but also secretly returned the silver to the remaining brothers. However, the brothers so this as a curse, bringing even more guilt upon them. Guilt stops us seeing things properly.

Jacob initially would not agree to Benjamin going down to Egypt.

Genesis 41:41-57

This was a sudden promotion if ever there was one. Joseph went up from the jail to being in charge of the whole land of Egypt. Pharoah gave him all the privileges and authority of office.

God had given Joseph wisdom on how to manage and organise, and so the whole of Egypt stored up reserves of food during the years of plenty.

The seven years of plenty were followed by the years of famine, just as Joseph had said they would. When you think about it is quite amazing that Pharaoh was prepared to submit the whole economy of Egypt on the basis of the dreams. Think how hard our governments find it to store up provisions during the good times, rather than just spending it.

Since they had followed Joseph's plans, the nation had food during the famine, unlike many of the surrounding nations. Indeed, many surrounding nations came to Egypt for food.

Genesis 41:1-40

The fulness of God's plan now starts to reveal itself. There are two points we should note:

• There is no way Joseph could have, or was expected to, work out how God was going to fulfil things.
• Joseph was in a position to see the fulfilment because he acted righteously in the various situations he was in.

Living by faith often involves doing things God's way even when we cannot see how it is all going to work.

Note that the cupbearer had forgotten to tell Pharoah, but God acted anyway. Pharaoh had two dreams that troubled him, then the cupbearer finally remembered that Joseph could interpret dreams. So Joseph was called to court, and Joseph made it clear that it was God who enabled him to interpret dreams.

Joseph interpreted the dreams about seven years of plenty and then seven of famine. He also suggested that Pharaoh should put someone in charge of distribution, and Joseph ended up being the man in charge.

Genesis 40

While Joseph was in prison he again made the best of things and was given responsibility. However, he probably thought God had forgotten about him and could see no way out, but God was working behind the scenes. It is vital for us to remember that God does not tell us everything, and does things that we have no inkling of. Often we imagine that all that we see is all that there is. This is not the case.

Here God was working in the palace to bring salvation and promotion to Jospeh. The baker and cupbearer offended the king and were thrown into prison. While there they both had dreams. Joseph offered to interpret their dreams for them. Actually it is quite amazing that Joseph still had faith in dreams, given the way his dream seemed to be working out!

The cupbearer received a favourable interpretation, but the baker a bad one. Events worked out just as Joseph said they would, but the cupbearer forgot about Jospeh. However, as we will see, God was just waiting for the best time.

Genesis 39

This is a refreshing contrast from the previous chapter, but also a warning that righteous behaviour can lead to suffering.

Joseph was sold to Potiphar as a slave. "The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered". We see here an example of true prosperity, and how to handle adversity. The circumstances of life had worked against Joseph, partly through his own boastfulness, and partly through the evil behaviour of his brothers. The solution lay in the way that he acted. When in difficult situations we usually focus on what other people should do to put things right. The Biblical teaching is that we should first focus on ourselves and what we can do to put things right. Part of the fruit of the Spirit that receives several mentions in the New Testament is self-control. We focus on controlling everyone and everything else except ourselves. If we focus on our own behaviour we will actually get on a lot better. This is what Joseph did here and he concentrated on being a good slave.

As a result, Joseph's good behaviour was noted and he was promoted. The blessing of God was on Joseph and it spread to those around him. We too should seek to be people who bring blessing to others.

However, there was also a trap, as Potiphar's wife sought to seduce Joseph. Joseph refused and acted with integrity. This did not bring immediate reward, and he ended up being falsely accused of rape, and so ended up in  prison. The path our life takes will not always be smooth.

Genesis 38

This is not the most edifying of chapters! It contrasts sharply with the following chapter, where Joseph resists temptation.

Judah makes one wrong decision after another, and suffers the consequences. First he marries a Canaanite woman. They had two sons and one died. Following customs of the tine, Onan was to marry his brother's widow. Though he went through the motions, he made sure that they would not have a child, for the child would not legally be his. So Onan died as well.

Tamar, the widow, lived as a widow. Judah's own wife died as well. Then Tamar ended up sleeping with her father. Both were at fault here, for Tamar deliberately set out to entice Judah, and Judah was quite happily to sleep with a prostitute.

There is an important lesson here. If Judah had resolved not to sleep with a prostitute, then Tamar's plan would not have worked. By pursuing righteousness we make it less likely that we fall for the devil's traps. Notice also that this happened soon after Judah's wide had died, so some may say he was suffering from grief and in a way it was understandable. Understandable or not, his actions caused all sorts of trouble. We must not let our emotions lead us into, or excuse us, from wrongdoing.

Genesis 37:12-28

Joseph was isolated from his brothers and treated differently, both by them and by his father. Jacob sent him off to see how they were doing, or maybe effectively to spy on them.

Verse 15 seems to indicate that Joseph didn't really know what he was doing or where he was going. A man helped him and pointed him in the right direction.

Joseph was not a welcome sight for his brothers, and their hatred had reached such a pitch that they wanted to kill him. Reuben was the first born and possibly felt responsible, so he tried to lessen their actions. So in the end they just beat him up and threw him in a hole. Then some traders came along and they saw an opportunity to make some money, so they sold him as a slave. They got twenty shekels for Jospeh.

Finally they soaked his cloak in goat's blood to deceive Jacob. It is ironic that Jacob is deceived in a similar way as he deceived his own father. Meanwhile Joseph was sold on as a slave in Egypt.

Genesis 37:1-11

We now move on to Joseph and his dreams. Jacob was living in the land of Canaan, but it would be several hundred years before it was truly their land, and there would be a time of slavery before this came about.

Jacob had some pretty unlikeable traits, and Joseph is no different! The account starts off with Joseph snitching on his brothers. In fact the whole scenario was geared to make Jospeh a hate figure in the eyes of his brothers. He snitched on them, he was his father's favourite, and soon he would boast about his dreams. Yet God worked through all this to achieve His purposes.

Jacob made his favouritism obvious by giving Joseph a multi-coloured robe, thus increasing the jealousy of his brothers. Joseph had the first of his dreams and then told his brothers about it. As if this wasn't bad enough he had another dream, and in this one his brothers and his parents all bowed down to him. Again he told them all about it.

Now of course the dreams were to come true, but before this happened God had a great deal of work to do in Joseph's life.

Psalm 21

In Psalm 20 David had called on the blessing of the Lord. Now he seems to give thanks for having received it. The Lord gave David strength and victory.

David has received the answers to his prayers and The Lord has bestowed on him splendour and majesty. We need to read this carefully, for we carry a lot of religious baggage. We are rightly aware of our sinfulness and complete need of Christ's sacrifice on the cross. God saves us as helpless sinners, but He does not leave us as helpless sinners, and that is certainly not our destiny. At the beginning He created us in His image (male and female), we were the pinnacle of His creation and were to have dominion over the earth. Then we sinned. In Christ we are restored, and God has great plans for us.

How does David enjoy this success? It is because he has learnt to work in partnership with the Lord (obviously with the Lord as the senior partner!). For we see in verses 7 onwards that David trusts in the Lord and the Lord appears with him in battle. That is how we are meant to live.

Psalm 20

This Psalm was quite probably written as a preparation for battle. In a sense it is a declaration of blessing, so let's look at what the blessing is that we live under.

David starts with God answering us in our distress. We sometimes have the notion that if only we had enough faith then we would never be in distress, but this is fantasy thinking. There will be times when we are in distress, but in the midst of them we can be confident that the Lord will answer and protect us.

We receive help from God's sanctuary. This is echoed in the New Testament when Paul speaks in Ephesians about us having every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms (Eph 1:3).

We have no need to offer sacrifices now, for we have the one true sacrifice of Jesus Christ. We can be certain that God remembers that sacrifice, and He treats us according to the death and life of Jesus, not according to what we deserve.

We will be successful. Some may find this difficult, as success can be associated with certain types of cheap prosperity teaching. But in rightly rejecting some of the nonsense that goes under the name of prosperity teaching, we should ensure that we do not throw out true Biblical teaching. Success and victory are part of our heritage in Christ. We achieve this not by relying on human strength and wisdom, but by trusting in God.

Psalm 19

In this Psalm David begins by proclaiming how creation declares the glory of the Lord. There is a lot of nonsense spoken these days about how science and religion are in opposition, but there is no need for this. The more we learn of the world, the more of God's glory becomes apparent.

David then moves on to the Law of the Lord. There is no separating the wonders of God's creation and His moral attributes. The Law of the Lord is good for man. It is not something that constrains us, but something that brings true freedom, refreshing the soul.

The ways of the Lord make a man wise. They bring joy to the heart and light to our eyes. When we are struggling we should seek the Lord's way, for it is the only way that will bring life.

The fear of the Lord goes together with this. To fear the Lord means to have reverence for Him and to know that it is His ways that we need to know and follow. The Lord's ways are worth much more than gold.

David closes by acknowledging his own sin and weakness. When we look at the greatness of God it can be wonderful, but then we look at ourselves and this can put us in fear. The answer is to humble ourselves before the Lord, depending upon His grace.

Psalm 18:16-24

The Lord reached down to help David. The most almighty God is willing and able to help us, whatever situation we find ourselves in. 

David was not in a little bit of trouble, but in deep waters. He was facing a powerful enemy, foes who were too strong for him to deal with by himself. We should take heart from this when we face circumstances that are overwhelming us, for our God is a God who rescues us from enemies that are too strong for us. Indeed, when He took the Israelites into the promised land, it was a land occupied by people stronger than they, but God was with them, so they could overcome. The enemies confronted David in the day of his disaster, ie at the worst possible time, but God rescued him. We need not fear any circumstance.

Then we have a section where David declares that the Lord has dealt with him according to his righteousness and his uprightness. How are we to apply this to ourselves? In two ways. On the one hand we rely on the righteousness of Jesus, His perfect life, perfect sacrifice and resurrection are the basis for our confidence. On the other hand we are to seek to live lives of integrity, life will go better, and we will be stronger, if we do so. There is no conflict in the Bible between relying only on Christ's righteousness and striving to live upright lives.

Psalm 18:25-50

People like to complain about God, but the way God appears is dependent upon the condition of our heart. If we are faithful and pure we will find God to be faithful and pure. But if we are devious we will find that God can outwit us quite easily. The Lord favours the humble over the proud. This is a fundamental tenant of the Bible.

The Lord keeps our lamps burning. In the midst of a struggle He supplies us with strength, and gives us light in dark times. So no matter what the circumstances we can have confidence that in Christ we are able to overcome.

David then continues with further attributes of God. His way is perfect and His word flawless. There is no one like our God. The Lord equips us with His attributes. Here David talks about being trained for war. Now the through the Holy Spirit we are sanctified and made more and more like Christ.

So David was able to pursue and defeat his enemies, and David reigned victorious. David endured many difficulties, and at times defeat seemed certain, but in the end it was his enemies who were defeated, because of the saving power of the Lord.

Psalm 18:1-15

This Psalm is also contained 2 Samuel 22. It was written towards the end of his life, and, as it says in 2 Samuel 22, is a Psalm of praise to the God who rescued him from all his enemies and Saul. The God whom we serve is the God who rescues us. So when we face difficulties we should rejoice, for we can be certain that God will rescue us. This does not mean things will necessarily be easy, for many of David's Psalms involve him crying out for help and telling of his anguish, but the result is certain.

The first 3 verses sum up what David has learnt about God during his life. He loves God, and God is his strength. He is a source of strength and protection in all circumstances. David has called upon the Lord many times, and each time the Lord has saved him.

David called out of his distress, and God heard him. Often when we cry out to God we may not feel full of faith, but even so God hears us. The key point is that we call out to the Lord, that in itself is an act of faith.

When God heard David He acted, and His action affected the heavens and the earth. When we call out to God things change. When He hears us He does things that change the world. We need to meditate on the wonder of this, and the implications for our life. We can often feel so small and think we are at the mercy of forces and events beyond our control. But we worship the God who created all things, and He makes decisions and takes action on our behalf.

Psalm 17

David makes a plea to the Lord for justice. 

He starts off by reminding God that he, David, has been upright. This may jar with some of us, thinking that we are righteous only because of what Christ has done for us. This is true, but even so there are times when we are in the right and yet are treated unjustly. We should live lives of integrity and should shun evil ways, such as accepting bribes. If we do this we have a clear conscience, and it is a lot easier to walk with God and to resist opposition when we do have a clear conscience.

David seeks refuge in the Lord, and to be shown the wonders of God's loves. 

David is completely honest about what he thinks of those who are out to get him. We may find some of the things he says a bit hard to take (eg verse 14).