Transcript

Created and Guided by our Creator God

Psalms 93–95

WJ243

Today we arrive at Psalm 93, a poem many Bible scholars believe was written by an anonymous Levite returning home from the Babylonian exile; he has come home to help rebuild the temple.[1] You might remember from our Wisdom Journey through Ezra and Nehemiah that this was nearly an impossible task, given the centuries of decay and rubble, the opposition from neighboring people, and the hatred of God by the idolaters who lived nearby.

This sounds a lot like the obstacles we face in the world we are living in today. Well, this Levite is not looking at all the problems; he is looking to the power of God.

Psalm 93 begins with these words:

The Lord reigns; he is robed in majesty . . . the world is established; it shall never be moved. Your throne is established from of old; you are from everlasting. (verses 1-2)

Human history is unfolding exactly according to the plans the Lord established from the beginning of time. It is not going to change because He cannot change. He is from everlasting. 

Think of that, beloved; whatever or whomever might be oppressing you today cannot change the promises and plans God has in mind for you. You might not understand it, but He does.

Yes, He might have to discipline you when you stray—as the psalmist will say in verse 12 of the next psalm—but even His discipline is established by His concern and love for you, as one of His own.

Now as we move into that next psalm, Psalm 94, the issue is expanded by the unknown poet, who addresses the question of whether God knows all the details about our wicked world. Is He aware of all the trouble you are facing today?

And to answer that, the psalmist dips his quill into the ink of creation. He says of the Lord here in verse 9, “He who planted the ear, does he not hear? He who formed the eye, does he not see?” In other words, if God is able to create the marvel of the human eye, do you think He has any trouble with His own eyesight?

Just think for a moment about the marvel of God’s creation. Your eye is an amazingly complex creation. It is a self-cleaning, self-adjusting, fiber optic miracle of design. 

Even Charles Darwin wrote to a friend that his theory of evolution was at its weakest point when considering the evolution of the human eye. Darwin wrote to a friend late in life, “The eye to this day gives me a cold shudder, but . . . my reason tells me I ought to conquer the cold shudder.”[3]

Well, he shouldn’t have conquered it; he should have listened to it. The complexity of the eye points to a complex designer, just as much as a smartphone points to an engineer who happens to be very smart.

Today, when you look at an object, light passes through the lens of your eye and is brought into focus in the retina. You have more than 100 million receptor cells in your retina—some are designed for black-and-white images, and some are designed for color. Tiny muscles in your eye move about to bring those objects into focus. Those muscles move more than 100,000 times a day. So, if your eyes are tired, now you know why.[4]

In addition to all that, the communication system between your eyes and your brain is amazing. One recent research project revealed that it would take the world’s fastest computer 100 years to simulate what the nerve in your eye does many times every second.[5] Imagine, 100 years for a computer to process what you process in a second.

That is the point of the psalmist’s rebuke –in verses 8-9 again: “Fools, when will you be wise? He who planted the ear, does he not hear? He who formed the eye, does he not see?”

The point is, He does!

And with that comes the writer’s well-founded confidence; he writes in verse 19, “When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul.” The Lord sees. The Lord knows. The Lord cares.

Now in Psalm 95, the poet has composed a song that probably was written for the annual Feast of Tabernacles. This feast celebrated God’s grace to Israel as they wandered forty years in the wilderness.

The psalm begins:

Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! (verses 1-2)

Why all the celebration? Because “the Lord is a great God,” we are told in verse 3. Verse 4 again pictures God as the Creator of everything. And verse 7 describes God’s people as “the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.”

The psalmist also delivers a warning here in verses 7-8: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.” He then refers to two events from Israel’s history when Israel “hardened their hearts.” The first is in Exodus 17, when they complained about not having enough water to drink. About a year later in Numbers 14, the people hardened their hearts and refused to enter the promised land—they thought the giants in the land were bigger than God.

So, what are we to do with this warning today? Does it apply to us?

Well, the timeless principle certainly applies. If you are an unbeliever, this is an invitation to believe the gospel and follow the Lord. When should you do that? Today! “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.” Bow your head right now and say, “Lord Jesus, break my hardened heart; it’s done nothing but break my life into so many pieces.

Today, I am repenting of my sin. I am handing You the pieces of my broken life. Please forgive me and create meaning and purpose in me as I now live for You. Lord, Your Word says that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Well, I am calling now. Thank You for answering me, saving me, forgiving me. I am now one of the sheep of Your pasture.”

Is there an application of this warning for the believer today? Absolutely. In fact, over in the New Testament, the writer of Hebrews quotes this same passage here in Psalm 95 as a warning to Christians. He tells Christians, “Exhort one another [toward faithfulness] . . . that none . . . may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin” (Hebrews 3:13).

Don’t let your life shrivel up, beloved; don’t let your heart become cold and indifferent. When is the best time to ask the Lord to soften your heart in order to live for Him? Today!

You are the sheep of His pasture; He is your creator God, the one who created your ears and eyes. And that means you are not an accident.

You are not, as one evolutionist suggested, a coagulation of amino acids and proteins that sprang to life for no apparent reason. No apparent reason means you have no apparent meaning, and that means no apparent help in life. You are on your own.

Beloved, your Creator says something vastly different. Listen to Isaiah the prophet who writes,

“Thus says the Lord who made you, who formed you from the womb and will help you: Fear not” (Isaiah 44:2).

Don’t be afraid. Everything about you—everything about your life—has a sovereignly created purpose, even though you might not have all the explanations you want, this side of heaven.

If God is wise and powerful enough to create your eyes, He is wise enough and powerful enough to watch over you Himself. The poet wants you to sing today the truth stated here in Psalm 95:7: You are the people of His pasture, the sheep of His hand.