09/07/2020 DAB Transcript

Song 5:1-8:14, 2 Corinthians 9:1-15, Psalms 51:1-19, Proverbs 22:24-25

Today is the 7th day of September welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I’m Brian it’s great to be here with you today as we move into this new week. And we started the book of Song of Solomon yesterday and my wife joined me as we do every year and we’ll conclude the Song of Solomon today. So, she’s here again, which is always a treat, always a treat when we come to this particular portion of Scripture and we get to do this together. So, let’s dive in. We’re reading from the Christian Standard Bible this week. Song of Songs chapters 5, 6, 7, and 8 today.

Commentary:

Okay. In the Psalms today we’re reading from David and he is repenting. Like he is pouring his heart out in some of the most beautiful but heartfelt like deep words of repentance. And it’s great to refer back to. Like this posture is pouring yourself…like falling down knowing what you’ve done, repenting before God. And we have the opportunity now to like…like this Psalm was written because of a set of circumstances that David had navigated into and we know that story now because we’ve already passed through that story. So, we remember Uriah the Hittite, one of the 30 mighty men, one of the most loyal servants of David, the king. David took his wife, Bathsheba while he was off at war and she became pregnant. And, so, he brought Uriah back and tried to get him to go home to his wife, like a cover-up. That didn’t work because Uriah was loyal and wouldn’t…wouldn’t basically…wouldn’t leave the men of the camp…wouldn’t like…wouldn’t go home and have the pleasures of home while they’re in battle. And, so, in the end David had Uriah put on the front lines where he was killed and Nathan the prophet confronted, on behalf of the Lord, confronted the king and once the full clarity, like once David’s sanity returned basically, once he realized fully, like the weight of what he had done then this Psalm was written. So, knowing that back story brings clarity to the words, “be gracious to me God according to your faithful love, according to your abundant compassion. Blot out my rebellion. Completely wash away my guilt and cleanse me from my sin for I am conscious of my rebellion and my sin is always before me. Against you, you alone I have sinned and done this evil in your sight”, right So, David is crushed by this. Like it is crushing him, the rebellion, the…the…what's…what’s gonna happen now, the chaos, just the evil of it all and he’s coming to God and trying to repent, “purify me with hyssop and I will be clean. Wash me and I will be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness. Let the bones you have crushed rejoice. Turn your face away from my sins and blot out all my guilt. Create a clean heart in me. Renew a steadfast Spirit within me. Don’t banish me from your presence. Don’t take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore the joy of your salvation to me.” Okay, like these are very, very famous well-known passages of Scripture that we’ve probably heard before, probably heard many times before. Now we know where they came from now. Now we know their context. And context as we’ve learned throughout the year so far is so very very important. We were reading just the other day about the sorrow that leads to repentance in the writings of Paul. And, so the Bible is kind of leading us through this territory, right? Job and then Ecclesiastes, the sorrow that leads to repentance, Psalm 51. Like we’re crossing through this territory as we cross into new seasons of the year. And this is the time to consider the ways in which we need to repent. And even the Song of Solomon, which is beautiful in its poetry and always a wonderful experience to be able to read that together with Jill, but the love that’s described there, like if we look at that love as Christ loving us, that level of passion, that depth, like…like to rebel against that is a crushing thing. Like we were talking about, the sorrow…when we were…when we talked about the sorrow that leads to repentance, it should feel bad. Like we should feel bad when we know we have walked into rebellion and stopped the process of God’s work in our lives because of it. And, so, Psalm 51 gives us language, gives us words. And maybe this is a good time…like none of us here can go, “well…I really don’t have anything I need to talk to God about as far as repentance. I’m pretty much killing it right now, I’m pretty much sinless. I am 100%.” Like all of us are still in the process of becoming a new creation, of being sanctified. And, so, this is a good time as we just begin to get glimpses, the thoughts of the fact that we are well on our way into the end of this year. This is good time while we’re way out in front of the busyness that the…that the end of the year brings way out in front of it, to start thinking about how we are gonna finish this year. Are we gonna finish it week? Are we gonna finish it strong? Are we gonna finish it poorly or are we gonna finish it well? And way out in front of it, way out in front of it now, I’m telling you, my experience of life, which is far less than many maybe even most of you, but in my experience, you can’t begin something strong if you’ve finished poorly, the thing you were doing before. And, so, what we’ll hear way in advance, this is the time that the Bible has lead us into some of the deeper issues, some the stuff that we mostly keep covered over, the Bible has lead us here and this is a time to invite God into it. And repentance isn’t a nasty word. Repentance is being set free because we humble ourselves before God and confess and then move in a different direction altogether because the road, we were on isn’t going anywhere.

Prayer:

Father we come into your presence with a repentant heart. And it’s not something that can maybe just be done in a collective prayer here, this is…this is the beginning of the conversation. We invite your Holy Spirit into the places where we need to repent, where we have been rebellious, where we have walked away willingly, where we have done damage. We need you. And we see that we’re not the only ones. We…we’re reading the prayer of David today. And maybe we don’t have that same story to tell. Maybe we don’t have things that are that sorted, maybe we do. But we see the he was crushed when he realized the weight, the fullness of the chaos that he had created. And we like to avoid that at all costs, but sometimes we need to see what’s happening so that we can stop what’s happening and turn away from it and walk into the light again. And, so, we are inviting your Holy Spirit to come. We already feel the conviction. We are inviting you to lead us to these places that we need to give over to you, that we need to repent, that we need to release. And, so, Holy Spirit well at from within us. Lead us into this territory. We trust you and we know that…that…that your aim is our total restoration. And, so, we give these tender places and these hidden places to you and invite the light that shines in the darkness to shine into the darkness of our hearts, that we might release and walk away from the things that are ultimately going to destroy us. Come Holy Spirit we pray. In the name of Jesus, we ask. Amen.

Jill:

So, I’m back just for a second. So, Brian and I finished the reading and he had asked me if I wanted to say anything. And…and I just said, “no. I don't…I don’t think so. I think I’m good…I’m good unless there’s something you’d like me to say. And he said, “no, no, no. I’m just inviting you.” And, so, I kinda just went about the day and my business and it really kind of struck me. I feel like I was remembering some emails that happen about this time every year from some of you that I know and from some of you that I barely know, we’re just Facebook friends or you’re a listener and you know that I am Brian’s wife and you reach out. And it really just struck me that I…I might need to mention that I know hearing that reading is very difficult for many of you that are longing, that are waiting, that are hoping and praying and wishing and begging God for someone, for that person, for that mate, for that helper. And I get it, you know, it can seem like a slap in the face for a married couple to come on and…and to say things to someone in waiting and longing and whatever the longing or the waiting is for. But many of you will email me and tell me that it’s too painful to listen to. And, so your you’re going to skip over for a couple of days and you know maybe…maybe the people that I’m talking to are not going to listen to this because they’re skipping over but what I would encourage you with, what I would beg of you is to not look away. It’s to not look away, not skip over the painful parts because they matter. The pain matters. It all matters. It is essential to the process. I believe that with all of my heart and I believe it so much I just want to say it again, that pain is essential to the process. And here’s why. Because in the process, when you are at the end of the process the pain is but seconds or near minutes in the grand scheme of the joy that awaits. And I know that seems so trite to say from someone that’s on the other side of that, but I say it because I’ve lived through it. I’ve lived through longing and an enduring of different seasons and came out on the other side. And I can tell you that it all matters. It’s essential to the process. So, please don’t look away. Don’t skip over these important parts. It…it…sit with the pain, sit with the discomfort and invite Jesus into that because there are times we get so focused, so hung up on the promise, on the prize that awaits that the…the thing, the carrot dangling in front of us keeps us running towards it that we forget the Promise Maker, the Promise Keeper, the Way Maker, we forget the Creator of our being. We…we lose intimacy with Him in the pursuit of what it is that were after. And, so my encouragement today is to not look away. Don’t skip over the painful parts of your story. There’s gonna be bitterness, there’s gonna be pain, there’s gonna be regret and sorrow and all of the things that Brian’s talking about as we go through the Old Testament together. But they are essential to the process. They are essential to the part of your story like God is writing with you. Embrace Him. We so often push the person away that we feel like is inflicting pain or the person that is there trying to nurse the wounds. We’re fearful that they’re going to inflict further pain, but I promise you if you embrace Him, you embrace the process, you embrace the part of the journey that is essential as bad as it hurts. But my friends, my brothers, my sisters, don’t look away. Do not look away.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Good morning DAB family this is Tina from Ohio today is September 1st, 2020. I’m calling in for the lady that had called in for requests from having a stroke. O my heart is so heavy for you sister and that you lost your mother to cancer, you know, over a week and a half ago and you’re single mom and you’re still in the hospital and you have a son that has possibly relapsed and turned to drugs again. And I just want to read the Scripture to you it says Psalms 147 and 3, “he healith the broken in heart and bindith up their wounds. My sister the Lord sees, and He is touched by your infirmities and He’s touched by your sorrows. I just ask Lord will You please comfort my sister and I’m asking the Lord to please send Your angels Lord to comfort her and give her peace and to help her in this situation O God. I’m asking yopu Lord to mend the broken heart of her sons O God and help the one son O Lord who is turning to drugs Lord that he would see that You are his father Lord, that You are there to comfort him, You are there to give him peace, You are there to help him God, that he doesn’t need to turn to the drugs O God to fill the void that is in his heart. I pray God that You would help him to forgive. Lord I don’t know what he needs to forgive or who he needs to forgive but I’m asking You Lord to help her son to forgive, that You can come in O God and comfort him and to bless him and to keep him O Lord. I pray for this mother whose heart is broken God. I pray God that You would go to that hospital room right now and to lift her up O God from the stroke and Lord heal her O God and she shall be healed. Save her God from…

It’s September 1st and I just listened to the very end of August 31st. You didn’t say her name, but my heart goes out to you. You’re the woman whose mother passed away about 4 ½ weeks ago and you had a stroke and you have four boys. I just speak Christ over you. As I drove and listened to you reaching out through your current disability I pray that God would resurrect every part of you, every skill that you had, that he would hone you and sharpen you in the name of Jesus. I hope you call back and tell us your name. I’m praying for your boys, that there is no relapse, that there is reconnect, that there is resurrection in your body, resurrection in your family and that God would redeem everything you have been …hat has been taken from you. I pray right now for an amazing birthday for your son and I am believing for the very best for you in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Hey of my wonderful DAB fans this is Kingdom Seeker from Chicago and Lady of Victory and we just want to pray for a couple of DABbers, So, will you please join us. God, we come before You on behalf of Angie Your daughter and our sister God whose son has been diagnosed with by. God, we ask that You would just touch his mind God as he keeps his mind stayed on You. God, I ask that Angie would perhaps play the worship music throughout the house throughout the day God so that the enemy can know who is in charge God. And we ask father that You would just to cover his mind Lord God and help him to turn back to You father and again that the worship music will play against what the enemy is trying to do God. And then we do even pray for Angie as she’s dealing with the Covid patients God that You would give her the patience that she needs to be the conduit that You can use to bring hope God even in these uncertain times with all that she is seeing. God, we ask that she would just turn her heart and her mind towards You so that You can use her God to deliver hope to these people. And dear Lord we lift up Grateful to be a Mother whose son has fallen back into addiction. Lord You came to set the captives free and he whom the son sets free is free indeed. Will You free the son indeed from the…the addiction of drugs and cause him to go free so that this mother can continue to be grateful to be the mother of this son. We give You thanks for what You are doing in his life. And then remember Paul from Tennessee whose son has been divorced with kids and need to be established Lord in their home. I ask that You would provide comfort and strength for the son and give him a sense of renewal in his place with You in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Good morning I wanted to pray with you guys to thank God for a new day. Thank You, Lord, for this new day and please increase our awareness of Your presence and that You are already here with us, that we don’t have to wait for You. Please increase our gratitude, please increase mine and help me to be in tune with You being beside me all day. In Your name. Amen.

Good morning Daily Audio Bible family my name is Ranson from Ohio and I want to do something I haven’t done in a long time, which is to encourage you. I have been given a gift of encouragement. I met the Lord over four years ago and I have been sitting on a gift. And, so, I want to take a step of faith today and encourage you that God is the God of the big and little. As I was listening to Brian talk about Job in reading from the book of Job and how awesome and glorious and wonderful God is and how His ways are not our ways and we don’t know what to say or speak at certain times with God, but rest assured that God knows everything that’s going on. I went back through the Prayer Wall which was at least six months and saw all the different requests. I wanted you to know that God is the God of the big. He can heal our nation, but he can also heal the person that needs healing for the body. He can heal the bipolar’s son. He can help those that are relocating to new jobs. He can bring financial help. He can get you off the drugs. He can do everything and anything that you trust Him for. I want you to know that He is a very intimate loving Father who cares about His children deeply. And as you press into him, the Bible says that as we draw nigh to God, God will draw nigh to him, that He, in other words, we both share in each other’s presence and the enjoyment of that. So, I want to encourage this global body that God is awesome and glorious and that he’s just asking for an invitation to come deeper into you. Father, I pray that you answer these requests in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Good morning Daily Audio Bible family this is Donald Palmer reading this recording from Juba and South Sudan. Well I…I’m really calling in to thank God for all of you because this morning, which is the 2nd of September, I just listened, I’m behind one day, I’ve just listened to 1st of September and my God I have been blessed by Brian for his profound insight into the book of Job and ending prayer. My God it is a blast. Thank you. Thank you. And I’m not saying this to praise you or…but you probably do not recognize what God is doing through you and your family and you…because you are a very humble person. As a pastor myself I know how uncomfortable I feel when people give me compliments about my preaching and all and I can imagine that you feel the same way. But I just want you to know that you are a blessing to us. May God bless you and your family. May God bless everyone on this platform. My sister Biola thank you so much. Every time you open your mouth, I feel the wisdom of God flowing through you. God bless you sister in Jesus’ name. Amen.