Psalm 4 - Singing Psalms

Psalm 4

For the choir director; on stringed instruments. A Psalm of David.

 Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness!

You have relieved me in my distress;

Be gracious to me and hear my prayer.

 O sons of men, how long will my honor become a reproach?

How long will you love what is worthless and aim at deception?

Selah.

 But know that the Lord has set apart the godly man for Himself;

The Lord hears when I call to Him.

 Tremble, and do not sin;

 Meditate in your heart upon your bed, and be still.

Selah.

 Offer the sacrifices of righteousness,

And trust in the Lord.

 Many are saying, “ Who will show us any good?”

 Lift up the light of Your countenance upon us, O Lord!

 You have put gladness in my heart,

More than when their grain and new wine abound.

 In peace I will both lie down and sleep,

For You alone, O Lord, make me to dwell in safety. NASB

Ok, I admit it.  When I first read though this Psalm as English text, it didn't do much for me. This guy's got problems; we've all got problems; so what!  But then I listened to Melissa Breems sing this Psalm with the Psalms Project (see link at bottom), and I remembered that the Psalms were written as Hebrew poetry, and were meant to be sung.

Looking at the Psalms firstly as poetry and songs puts a whole new perspective on the them. Yes, the psalmist is in distress and is being reproached by worthless men, but he's singing about it!   Can you sing to the Lord when you are overwhelmed by your own problems, and can you praise the Lord when all around you are making fun of you and your faith? These are perilous days where the people of faith are reviled. Just this week, we received word from one of our related pastors, that a church just down the street from him in Jos, Nigeria was bombed by the Boca Haram terrorists.  Their problems in Nigeria are must worse than those in this country, but they are keeping their faith in God.

In times of trouble, we need to keep the attitude of King David, who was able to bless the Lord, to meditate and to sing even in the midst of trouble.  If you can do the same, the Lord will "put gladness in your heart" and give you  peace "to lie down and sleep". 

"For You alone, O Lord, make me to dwell in safety."

Bonus:
Psalm 4 (When I Call) (feat. Melissa Breems) - The Psalms Project
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTJcnuGMyr0

Psalm 3 - Family Problems

Psalm 3

A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son

O Lord, how my adversaries have increased!

Many are rising up against me.

 Many are saying of my soul,

“There is no deliverance for him in God.”

Selah.

 But You, O Lord, are a shield about me,

My glory, and the One who lifts my head.

 I was crying to the Lord with my voice,

And He answered me from His holy mountain.

Selah.

 I lay down and slept;

I awoke, for the Lord sustains me.

 I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people

Who have set themselves against me round about.

 Arise, O Lord; save me, O my God!

For You have smitten all my enemies on the cheek;

You have shattered the teeth of the wicked.

 Salvation belongs to the Lord;

Your blessing be upon Your people!

Selah.  NASB

Have you ever felt that the whole world was against you?  Or that even those in your own family were out to get you? King David not only imagined it; his own son Absolom had raised an army to try to take the throne from him. What was his response?  He complained for a bit, sure, but then he starts to praise the Lord- "My glory and the lifter of my head..." and then thanks the Lord for His answer to this cry. The Lord even helped David to sleep in the midst of his troubles and gave him the strength to "not be afraid of ten thousands of people".

But David was a king, and you would expect him to be a man of faith and power, right!  But what about you and me.  What do we do when our children don't do the things that we think they should, and they disappoint and hurt us?  They say that small children have small problems, but grown children have big problems.  So what do we do when our own family members make life altering decisions that we clearly taught them were the wrong thing to do!  Can we have the faith of King David to cry out to the Lord, but to praise Him regardless of the circumstances?  Can we have the courage to not be afraid of ten thousands of problems, even though we can clearly see them coming?

Lord, help us to trust you when those closest to us disappoint and hurt us.  Even when they don't listen to our clearly superior advice! Help us to praise and worship you in the midst of the problem and trust you to bring Your salvation to the situation, despite what our own eyes may be telling us.

Amen

Bonus: Listen to Psalm 3 by Sons of Korah

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rvu70bouv4

Psalm 2 - Why do the Nations Rage?

Psalm 2

Why are the nations in an uproar

And the peoples devising a vain thing? 

The kings of the earth take their stand

And the rulers take counsel together

Against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying, 

“Let us tear their fetters apart

And cast away their cords from us!”

He who sits in the heavens laughs,

The Lord scoffs at them. 

Then He will speak to them in His anger

And terrify them in His fury, saying, 

“But as for Me, I have installed My King

Upon Zion, My holy mountain.”

“I will surely tell of the decree of the Lord:

He said to Me, ‘You are My Son,

Today I have begotten You. 

‘Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance,

And the very ends of the earth as Your possession. 

‘You shall break them with a rod of iron,

You shall shatter them like earthenware.’”

Now therefore, O kings, show discernment;

Take warning, O judges of the earth. 

Worship the Lord with reverence

And rejoice with trembling. 

Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way,

For His wrath may soon be kindled.

How blessed are all who take refuge in Him! NASB

You don't have to look very far today to find nations in an uproar. Rulers and officials of many nations today are plotting vain things.  Is the Lord worried? Is He pacing about in heaven fretting that His great plan for history might be thwarted?  What a silly thought!  The psalmist plainly states that, to the contrary, the Lord sits securely on His throne and laughs! Now don't be mislead that is a gently chuckle of agreement.  No, this is a derisive laughter at the pompous pride of the world rules, that they dare to go against His statutes.  Soon, the Lord's anointed will come take His rightful place as ruler of all the nations, and these wicked people will be smashed,  like a rod of iron striking jars of clay.

This is the first Messianic prophecy in the book of Psalms.  It is the assurance to His people, that unrighteousness will not reign forever and that injustice will not triumph in the end.  The judges of this world can try to insist that life is not life, and marriage is not marriage, and that war is peace, but One is coming who will set all things right. So take heed judges, and be warned rulers. As for me, I plan to be with those who are worshiping the the Lord with reverence, doing homage to the Son.

Bonus: Listen to Psalm 2 by The Psalms Project:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgKOyJNuhqc

Psalm 1 - Blessed is the Man

It's been awhile since I've posted anything, but I thought it was a time to bring back the blog. So despite, or maybe because of, these perilous times, let us consider the Psalms...

Psalm 1

How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,

Nor stand in the path of sinners,

Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! 

But his delight is in the law of the Lord,

And in His law he meditates day and night. 

He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water,

Which yields its fruit in its season

And its leaf does not wither;

And in whatever he does, he prospers.

The wicked are not so,

But they are like chaff which the wind drives away. 

Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,

Nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. 

For the Lord knows the way of the righteous,

But the way of the wicked will perish. NASB

"How blessed is the man..." Does anyone in our day and age still wish to be blessed? Does anyone still remember how to be blessed?  Perhaps, if you are reading this, you are one such, who wishes to explore the ancient wisdom, to learn the path that leads to being blessed by God.  If so, welcome to the journey.  The purpose of the Psalms is given to us in the first Psalm: "how blessed", "delight in the law of the Lord", "meditate day and night", "yields its fruit", "The Lord knows".  Let that sink in a moment. Read the Psalm again, and then let us begin.

The Declaration of Independence lays out "the pursuit of happiness" as one of the fundamental rights endowed by our Creator.  Did you know that the Hebrew word used here for blessed also means happy?  The writer of the Declaration undoubtably knew that the pursuit of happiness and the pursuit of blessing were one and the same thing.  You can not truly be happy without the blessing of God.  We have forgotten that in our time, and most pursue happiness in things that can not truly satisfy instead of pursuing blessing in the way that God prescribes.

The first step is to stop listening to the crowd. "Does not walk in the counsel of the wicked" sounds more dramatic, but that's basically what it means.  Listening to the constant cry from the public square, be it by TV, music, movies or friends, will pull in the exact opposite direction of being blessed and happy. "Not listening to scoffers"- where would our press be without a full staff of vocal and eloquent scoffers? It's tempting to take the easy way and listen, but the psalmist says that in the end all of this will blow away like chaff in the wind.

The second step sounds harsh to western ears, "delight in the law of the Lord".  That sounds down right un-American! My understanding of this made a great leap forward when I read a Bible teacher (though I don't recall who it was) who said that we can best understand the Old Testament by substituting "Jesus" for "law".  In our New Testament understanding, Jesus fulfilled the law and became our pattern and example for living.  This was the intent of the Old Testament law, but it was never able to fulfill that mission until Jesus came to fulfill all of its requirements.  So start again, "his delight is in Jesus, the Messiah of the Lord".  Doesn't that sound more like something that we can delight in doing?

"Like a tree..." Picture for a moment a quiet stream, with green grass, blue skies, and a majestic tree shading the bank, providing a safe and comfortable spot to sit and meditate on the wonders of creation. This begins to show us an image of what it is like to live a blessed life.  If we can be firmly planted by the water, drawing our sustenance from the river of life, then we will be able to provide shelter and protection to those who look to us.  

In the end, the greatest blessing is that "the Lord knows the way of the righteous".  To the one who isn't seeking the blessing of God, this might not sound like a good thing.  And indeed, the psalmist closes by saying that "the way of the wicked will perish".  But to the one who has spent time meditating on the way of Jesus and the love of the Father, it is a very good thing to be known by the Lord, and to receive the smile of His blessing.

Bonus: Listen to Psalm 1 by The Sons of Korah
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfxT8fZi5qA

1984 and the Fourth of July

I recently reread George Orwell's "1984" and "Animal Farm".  I wonder what Orwell would think of events in 2013.  The USSR, which was the subject of his parody in "Animal Farm", and the basis of his apocalyptic vision in "1984" is no more.  Orwell's theories of why regimes fall was stated thusly:

"All past oligarchies have fallen from power either because they ossified or because they grew soft.  Either they became stupid and arrogant, failed to adjust themselves to changing circumstances, and were overthrown, or they became liberal and cowardly, made concessions , when they should have used force, and once again were overthrown.  They fell, that is to say, either through consciousness or through unconsciousness."


It seems to me that the last socialist regime in the USSR was neither as ruthless as Stalin, nor able to adjust to changing times, so maybe a bit of both reasons.  But you have to keep in mind that Orwell was a socialist, and viewed Stalin's USSR as a betrayal of liberal socialist principles.  But curiously, his "1984" presents a vision of a perfectly ruthless government that is able to survive because it has abandoned all goals except to pursue power for power's sake.

"We know that no one ever seizes power with the intention of relinquishing it.  Power is not a means; it is an end.  One does not establish a dictatorship in order to safeguard a revolution; one makes the revolution in order to establish the dictatorship."

Still, though the USSR is gone, many of the principles used by Big Brother in "1984" are alive and well; constant surveillance, double-think, elimination of traditional families, etc.  Some of these are even more sophisticated than Orwell could imagine in 1949. Big Brother's telescreens were all in fixed locations, they didn't follow you around in your pocket, and they could only do video and audio, not the many text, GPS and other apps on our modern devices.  And then Big Brother enforces the policy that telescreens could not be turned off, but we voluntarily keep our smart phones on and with us at all times.  What would Orwell think?

Big Brother's regime in "1984" was actually the perfect description for the world's worst nightmare, as far as government is concerned.  Though Orwell would not have admitted it, as he was not a believer in God, his vision of Big Brother's government lines up nicely with the kingdom of Satan described in the Bible.  It's too bad that he died in his ignorance, and did not realize that there is an alternative in the Kingdom of God.  What would Orwell have made of the fact that the USSR is gone, but the USA, originally established on godly principles is still standing?  And what would he think of the surveillance, double-think and attack on families that we allow here in our free society?  Would he warn us that Big Brother can come take our freedoms in more than one way; through the revolutions and ruthlessness of Hitler, Stalin and Mao, but also be the deceptive promises of the progressive politicians?

It's the fourth of July, when we celebrate the Declaration of Independence here in the USA.  Our forefathers fought and won independence from King George, but will we voluntarily surrender our God given freedoms for empty promises?  Read "1984" and the Bible and think about it...

Equality

There has been a lot of talk about equality lately, especially in regard to the debate over the definition of marriage.  But what is equality from a  Biblical perspective and from an American perspective?

The word “equality” is only used in the New Testament two times in the King James Version translation. In 1^st Corinthians, Paul is instructing the church on giving:

2Co 8:14  But by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may be a supply for their want, that their abundance also may be a supply for your want: that there may be equality:

The equality here has nothing to do with rights, but is an equality of supply, resulting from the generosity of those who have more, to give offerings and alms that those in need would have an equal supply.  Americans are well known for their generosity to those in need, so I don’t think that there is any lack of equality in this regard in our country.  Some may argue for additional redistribution of wealth, but a forced redistribution, in the socialist model, is far removed from the Christian principle of voluntary giving to supply the needs of those have lack.

As far as equality of rights, this concept comes more from the French revolution.  Cries of “Liberté, égalité, fraternité”, were heard as there was rioting in the streets during the reign of terror, and thousands were beheaded in the guillotine.  The French cried for liberty and equality, but it is arguable whether people actually experienced much brotherhood, except for the brotherhood of suffering.

In the American Revolution, the principle of rights is laid out in the declaration of independence:

 “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Equality in the American experience is an equality before our creator, with rights granted by almighty God.  It is inconceivable that the founders would have considered anything a right which is declared by God to be an abomination.  That brings us to our current debate about homosexual marriage; not that it is a surprise that men would desire abominable things. As Jesus said in Luke 16:

Luk 16:15  And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.

Where Jesus was talking about things like greed and adultery, but the list of things abominable to God is well documented in the Bible. Including homosexuality, which Paul discussed in Romans 1:

Rom 1:26-27  For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.

So how can we sanction cries for equality in regard to things that are manifestly not equal? Marriage is an institution created by God as “male and female” in Genesis 1, and defended by Jesus in Matthew 19:4-6:

Mat 19:4-6  And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,  And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.

Equality?  Yes we are equal in God’s sight, and we are equally subject to the same desires and failings that have plagued man from the beginning.  Let us pray for an equality of mercy, that the God who rains on the just and the unjust will have mercy on our land. That He not judge us according to our manifold sins, but turn our hearts to repentance. May we call upon Him for forgiveness, that we may be equally righteous in His sight, not equally abominable, as was the case in the days of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Think about it…

Brillhart history in America

For my cousins, and other interested parties, in the spirit of being grateful for our forefathers who struggled greatly that we may have religious freedom and prosperity in America.

 

(From Brillharts of America, John A. Brillhart, 1926)

John Brillhard was born 1701. In the year 1721, at the age of twenty-one years, he met with a lady by the name of Marie Rariegh whom he loved, courted and later married. To, this union were born three boys John, Samuel, and Peter. The name was later changed to Brillhart.

Peter Brillhart (1726-1782) was born in 1726 and in 1745 married Mary.  He was a son of John Brillhard and Mary Rariegh Brillhart and came across the sea with his two brothers, Samuel and John.  To this union were born eleven children: Nancy, married to Joseph Graybill: Jacob, Peter, Christian, Joseph, John, Elizabeth, married to Samuel Bixler; Eva, married to Samuel Flichkenger; Annie, Barbara, and Maria, married to M. Figley.

For some years he lived in the northwest part of Switzerland, then when he with his brothers and their families came to this countryin 1737; he took up some land on the southeast side of the old Indian Trail now known as Shrewsberry Township, York County, PA., Dunkard Valley. (This land was a William Penn land grant, many of which were given to those fleeing religious persecution in Europe.)

He was an industrious man.  He managed to buy a large tract of land, and overcame many difficulties and hardships.  With his kind Christian life he helped many around him.  He and his brother, John, helped to organize the Dunkard Church, now known as the Church of the Brethren, about the year 1758, in the place where they settled.

His pioneer life was filled with cares.  He was a blacksmith and cooper by trade and a hewer of timber. 

Christian B. Brillhart, (1762-1811) son of Peter and Mary Brillhart, was married to Anna Weber.  They had six children: John, Samuel, Peter, Nancy, Christian, and Christena.  At his death Christian bestowed all his estate to his widow.  At her death she bestowed all her estate to her trusty son Peter, executor, and her daughter, Nancy.

Samuel Brillhart, (1802-1867) son of Christian and Anna Weber Brillhart, was married to Elizabeth Bealer.  They had eight children: Mary Ann, Samuel, Elizabeh, Licinda, Anna, Julian,  John F., and Isaac.

Mary Ann was married to Henry Kessler.

Samuel Brillhart, son of Samuel and Elizabeth Bealer Brillhart was married to Angeline Spangler.  They had five children: Uriah, Franklin, Lizzie, Hattie, and Emma.

Franklin Brillhart was married to Elizabth Albert.  Five children: Lous, Rosie, Clyde, Verna and Salem.

Lizzie Brillhart was married to Mr. Bransom.

Samuel Brillhart (1838-1912) came "west" in 1865.

Uriah S. Brillhart (1870-1939), son of Samuel and Angeline Spangler Brillhart, a grandson of Samuel and Elizabeth Bealer Brillhart, was born May 6, 1870, near Summum, Ill., where he was raised to manhood on a farm and completed his common school education.

In the year 1891, on Sept. 21,  he was united in marriage to Lillie Mummert.  He took up the carpenter trade which he has followed most of the time since.

In the year 1897, on Sept. 1, he united with the Church of the Brethren.  In 1906, Sept 1, he was elected to the Deacon’s office and on Sept. 18, 1907, he was called to the ministry.  Then in 1908 on the second day, his wife, who was a faithful helper, was called to the Heavenly Home, leaving him with the care of seven children.

In 1909, on Nov. 17, he was advanced to the second degree of the ministry.  In 1910, he moved to Quinter, Kansas, where he (resided until his death in 1939)

In 1914, Oct. 29, he was advanced to the Eldership and his is faithfully caring for his little flock.

(From my entry in the McDonough County History, Macomb, IL)

George S. Brillhart (1893-1955) from Astorie married Maye Winston (30 June 1896-Nov 1976) from Browning and took up residence in McDonough County, near Adair.  While living there, they had their first two sons, Charles (14 Jun 1917- Apr 1985) and Harold (4 Oct 1918- Sep 1975) and witnessed the building for the first "hard road" between Table Grove to Macomb.  They later moved to the Moore farm North-East of Industry where their third son Cline (1933) was born.  A few years later, they moved to the Everly farm near Industry  which George and Harold farming together.  All three sons graduated from Industry High School.

Harold D. Brillhart (1918-1975)

Harold married Zelma Woodruff from Industry and continued to live on the Everly farm.  They had three children Luan (14 Jul 1942), Leota (1945-1946) and David (27 May 1949).  He retired from farming in 1964 and moved into Industry where Harold held a variety of positions and eventually opened a bicycle shop.  Harold and Zelma were very active members of Industry Methodist Church, Harold being a Methodist lay speaker. He was at one time a member of the Industry school board.  Harold is fondly remembered by the boys of Industry as the kindly man who owned the bicycle shop and always had time to fix a flat or hold a hand.  Zelma worked for fifteen years at Mcdonough Power in Macomb.  Both Luan and David are graduates of Industry High School.  Luan attended Western Illinois University and graduated from the University of Illinois, Circle and currently lives in San Jose, CA. David graduated from Knox College and Carnegie-Mellon University and lives in Mobile, AL.

David K. Brillhart (1949- )