Awaking the Dawn, Psalm 108

Most mornings I rise before 5:00. Sometimes significantly before 5:00, but I've been recently sleeping until my husband's cell phone alarm rings at 4:54. Even if I briefly sleep again for a few minutes after that alarm, I'm always up and in my office before dawn. Outside the south window of my office, I see the tops of trees materialize in the lightening sky. On clear days, the sun's rays bless the tree tops with bright golden light. And I'm reminded of a phrase from Psalm 108.

The premier psalmist David composed this song, whose first two verses explode in praise:

My heart is steadfast, O God!
I will sing and make melody with all my being!
Awake, O harp and lyre!
I will awake the dawn!

I feel a lot of affinity with David. He was a sinner, but he loved God and sought with all his heart to serve him. When he fell into deep sin, he was convicted of his sin by God's word. His heart was humbled and he sincerely repented. But he still had to suffer the consequences of his horrendous sins.

We all sin. But if we genuinely repent and our hearts are broken, not merely in humiliation, but in true humility, we will submit our wayward spirits and willful pride to God's will. We will humbly confess our sin and seek forgiveness from all those we have hurt. In humble submission to God's Spirit, we will even be able to forgive those who have hurt us.

David was a poet and I often identify with his creative expressions. I think he also must have been an early riser. Perhaps like me, he felt closest to God in the quiet of the early morning, before the cares and concerns of the day pressed upon him. Perhaps those precious morning hours were his most productive times for writing, when he best reflected the creativity of the Trinity.

Because God had given David creative gifts, he felt compelled to use those gifts in public praise. He could have kept his songs to himself, but he desired to spread abroad the glory of God.

I will give thanks to you, O LORD, among the peoples;
I will sing praises to you among the nations.
For your steadfast love is great above the heavens;
your faithfulness reaches to the clouds (3-4, ESV).

David wanted God to receive the vast exaltation of which he alone is worthy. But he also longed for deliverance and salvation (5-6, ESV):

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!
Let your glory be over all the earth!
That your beloved ones may be delivered,
give salvation by your right hand and answer me!

God's steadfast love never fails. His faithful promises are sure. In the next section of this psalm, a divinely-inspired David proclaims God's holy faithfulness and prophesies his victorious salvation (7-9, ESV):

God has promised in his holiness:
"With exultation I will divide up Shechem
and portion out the Valley of Succoth.
Gilead is mine; Manasseh is mine;
Ephraim is my helmet,
Judah my scepter.
Moab is my washbasin;
upon Edom I cast my shoe;
over Philistia I shout in triumph."

God sets people and nations in their places. God claims his people as his own dear children and provides an inheritance for them. He triumphs over the wicked and he brings eternal victory through Christ, who would come from the royal tribe of Judah.

Unless we submit our wills completely to God's, we cannot hope for victory. Like a rebellious Israel, we will wander without a leader and our battle efforts will be futile.

Who will bring me to the fortified city?
Who will lead me to Edom?
Have you not rejected us, O God?
You do not go out, O God, with our armies.
Oh grant us help against the foe,
for vain is the salvation of man!
With God we shall do valiantly;
it is he who will tread down our foes (10-13).

God alone brings valiant victory. When we pursue personal power, when we deceive with secret sins, when we long for vengeance, when we cling to pride and control, we cannot hope to conquer.

But when we seek God's glory, when we genuinely repent and openly confess our sins, when we forgive others, and when we humble our hearts and spirits to God's will, he will bring victory.

Then the darkness will fade as the Son's light dawns!

Hubert R. Krygsman: In all things to glorify God

Today's post is the final Christian college president interview from the feature that appeared in the April 28, 2010, issue of Christian Renewal. I posted my interview with Derek Halvorson on Tuesday, and I posted my interview with Philip Graham Ryken last Thursday. This is a slightly edited version of my interview with Dr. Hubert R. Krygsman, which took place before his inauguration as the current president of Redeemer University College in Ancaster, Ontario.




Redeemer College began classes in 1982 and Dr. Krygsman serves as its third president, following the retirement of Dr. Justin Cooper, who served as Redeemer’s president for 16 years. Prior to coming to Redeemer, Dr. Krygsman was the Associate Provost and Director of the Andreas Center for Reformed Scholarship and Service at Dordt College in Sioux Center, IA.

Glenda Mathes (GM): Dr. Krygsman, I understand that you will assume the presidency on June 14, 2010. Is that correct?

Hubert Krygsman (HK): This is correct. Technically, I assume responsibility on June 14. But I will begin working at Redeemer on June 1 to learn from and work with Justin Cooper before he leaves office.

GM: Although most institutions of higher learning seem to want a multi-function president, they appear to vary in their desired focus. How would you describe the expectations for your presidency? Will you be more of a scholarly instructor or more of a development administrator? What primary categories of work are included in your job description?

HK: My understanding of the role is that of a multi-function president. I understand my responsibilities to include leadership in the following areas: affirming and articulating Redeemer’s Reformed identity and perspective; ensuring that Redeemer maintains and develops high quality programs that are rooted in its wholistic, Biblical perspective; developing Redeemer’s administrative organization; expanding Redeemer’s enrollment and supporting constituency; and cultivating Redeemer’s relationships with and service to its broader community, including with legislators, other colleges and universities, and other service organizations.

GM: What do you view as the probable challenges you will face in your new position?

HK: I’m sure there will be many challenges that I don’t yet know, but among the challenges I expect are the following: First, we will continue to face the pressures of a predominantly secular culture, and we will have to show the positive contribution that Redeemer makes to our students and our society. Second, we will need to continue building understanding and commitment to Redeemer’s Reformed perspective among our increasingly diverse community of students and supporters. Third, we will need to continue developing our programs in ways that serve our community and engage the wider world with a transforming vision. Fourth, we will need to find and develop the resources to sustain and expand Redeemer’s programs and impact. And fifth, on a personal note, I’m sure I will find the task of developing my own leadership a challenge. To meet all of these challenges, I trust that God will continue to provide for Redeemer, and we will find our strength and hope in Him.

GM: What do you view as the possible joys of the work?

HK: Here too, I’m sure I will find unexpected joys, but I hope to find much joy in following God faithfully, in working with colleagues and a supporting constituency that are share a deep commitment to Redeemer’s mission and vision, in seeing Redeemer’s faculty and staff flourish in working together in carrying out our mission, and in seeing our students grow into mature, faithful, and able servants and leaders of God’s kingdom in the world around us.

GM: What are the hopes or goals you have for your work at Redeemer?

HK: My goals are, generally, to lead successfully in the areas that I mention above, and in doing so to help Redeemer to flourish in fulfilling its mission in service to God. More specifically in the shorter term, I expect to focus the institution’s efforts especially on implementing the Strategic “Great Goals” adopted by Redeemer’s Board of Governors, which I share deeply. These goals include developing Redeemer’s international and global engagement; refreshing Redeemer’s distinctive Reformed worldview in ways that speak to a wider Christian community, demonstrating that Christian faith relates to all of life; and developing programs that connect academics and student life to develop the whole person.

GM: How can you see that God's providence in your life has prepared you for this position?

HK: God has provided for my family and I in many wonderful ways, starting with being raised in Christian homes, schools, and churches in southern Ontario. I pursued graduate studies in Canadian history, always with the commitment of one day serving the Reformed Christian community and its witness in Canada, especially in Christian higher education. God also provided an opportunity to work in Christian higher education at Dordt College, where during twenty years I had opportunities to develop my teaching and leadership in many facets of Christian higher education, and to work out a vision for Christian higher education that is intentionally based on a wholistic Biblical perspective. Finally, the search and interview process was a wonderful, Spirit-filled experience in which we discovered that we had a common vision, and where Redeemer’s needs and priorities matched with the experience, passions, and skills that I could offer. Throughout this process, we have sensed God’s leading, clearing a path, and giving us peace that His purpose was served.



Redeemer University College is an undergraduate Christian liberal arts and science university located near Hamilton in southern Ontario. Its more than 900 students are educated in small classes with a low student to faculty ratio. Redeemer University College offers a scripturally-direct education from a Reformed Christian perspective and in all things seeks to glorify God.

Considering the Lord's steadfast love, Psalm 107

Psalm 107 begins the fifth book of the Psalter, but it flows smoothly from the previous two psalms. In my meditation on Psalm 105, I noted that it was a crash course in covenantal history. And my meditation on Psalm 106 showed how that psalm continues the historical theme with a confessional emphasis.

Psalm 107 is a lengthy and lyrical look at the fortunes of the redeemed throughout the past, during the present, and into the future.

In a pattern that has become familiar, it begins with a call to thank God for his steadfast love (verse 1, ESV):

Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever!

Those called to praise God are those he has redeemed through Christ from earth's remotest regions:

Let the redeemed of the LORD say so,
whom he has redeemed from trouble
and gathered in from the lands,
from the east and from the west,
from the north and from the south (2-3, ESV).

The psalm then goes into a series of descriptions of God's people who have suffered and continue to suffer in various adversities.

We read first of the redeemed who wandered in deserts:

Some wandered in desert wastes,
finding no way to a city to dwell in;
hungry and thirsty,
their soul fainted within them.
Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
He led them by a straight way
till they reached a city to dwell in.
Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man!
For he satisfies the longing soul,
and the hungry soul he fills with good things (4-9, ESV).

Then we read of those facing death while imprisoned in darkness:

Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death,
prisoners in affliction and in irons,
for they had rebelled against the words of God,
and spurned the counsel of the Most High.
So he bowed their hearts down with hard labor;
they fell down, with none to help.
Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death,
and burst their bonds apart.
Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man!
For he shatters the doors of bronze
and cuts in two the bars of iron (12-16, ESV).

Adversity isn't always the result of sin, but the above verses indicate that it can be. And the following verses show there are times when our own foolishness and sin lead to deathly distress 17-22, ESV):

Some were fools through their sinful ways,
and because of their iniquities suffered affliction;
they loathed any kind of food,
and they drew near to the gates of death.
Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
He sent out his word and healed them,
and delivered them from their destruction.
Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man!
And let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving,
and tell of his deeds in songs of joy!

Seafarers who have survived terrifying storms have seen the hand of God and ought to join in corporate worship, praising the God who rescued them from a watery grave.

Some went down to the sea in ships,
doing business on the great waters;
they saw the deeds of the LORD,
his wondrous works in the deep.
For he commanded and raised the stormy wind,
which lifted up the waves of the sea.
They mounted up to heaven; they went down to the depths;
their courage melted away in their evil plight;
they reeled and staggered like drunken men
and were at their wits’ end.
Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
He made the storm be still,
and the waves of the sea were hushed.
Then they were glad that the waters were quiet,
and he brought them to their desired haven.
Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man!
Let them extol him in the congregation of the people,
and praise him in the assembly of the elders (23-32, ESV).

God is sovereign over storms at sea and every aspect of creation. He can turn a desert into an oasis, or a lush jungle into an arid waste. If the inhabitants are evil, God turns their farmland into wasteland. But for those who love him, he tames feral wilderness into fertile countryside.

He turns rivers into a desert,
springs of water into thirsty ground,
a fruitful land into a salty waste,
because of the evil of its inhabitants.
He turns a desert into pools of water,
a parched land into springs of water.
And there he lets the hungry dwell,
and they establish a city to live in;
they sow fields and plant vineyards
and get a fruitful yield.
By his blessing they multiply greatly,
and he does not let their livestock diminish (33-38, ESV).

When adversity presses the righteous low, God brings down their oppressors and raises up the needy.

When they are diminished and brought low
through oppression, evil, and sorrow,
he pours contempt on princes
and makes them wander in trackless wastes;
but he raises up the needy out of affliction
and makes their families like flocks.
The upright see it and are glad,
and all wickedness shuts its mouth (39-42, ESV).

Psalm 107 ends with a proverb:

Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things;
let them consider the steadfast love of the LORD (43, ESV).

Be wise. Consider the steadfast love of the Lord!

Derek Halvorson: In Christ All Things New

Nearly a year ago, I (Glenda Mathes) interviewed for Christian Renewal three men newly appointed as presidents at Christian colleges: Dr. J. Derek Halvorson (Providence Christian College in Ontario, CA), Dr. Hubert R. Krygsman (Redeemer University College in Ancaster, ON), and Dr. Philip Graham Ryken (Wheaton College in Wheaton, IL).

I posted my interview with Dr. Ryken last Thursday (17 February 2011) and hope to post the interview with Dr. Krygman later this week. Today's post features Dr. Halvorson, the dynamic president of Providence Christian College.

Since this interview took place, Providence has moved from its original location in Ontario, CA, to Pasadena. The final informational paragraph has been edited to reflect current information.


Providence Christian College was founded in 2002 and Dr. Halvorson began serving as its second president after Jim Den Ouden’s retirement in 2009. Prior to his appointment to the presidency, Dr. Halvorson served as the Regional Director of Development for Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, GA.

GM: Dr. Halvorson, I believe you have been President of Providence Christian College since July of 2009, is that correct?

DH: Correct. I took office on July 1, 2009, and was formally inaugurated on September 19, 2009.

GM: Although most institutions of higher learning seem to want a multi-function president, they appear to vary in their desired focus. How would you describe your presidency? Are you more of an administrative instructor or more of a development director? What primary categories of work are included in your job description?

DH: You’re right in observing that most institutions want a multi-function president. In fact, I think that most would say that they have to have that sort of president. And, that's fairly typical of executive positions in other industries as well. Gone are the days (at most institutions) when the president could simply be a faculty member who also got to hand out diplomas at commencement.

I'm not primarily an administrative instructor, although I have guest-lectured in several classes this year and will teach a course next year. I'm determined to keep teaching as a part of my job, despite the many other good things I can and should do, for three reasons: 1) it's a great way to be involved in students' lives; 2) it's a great way to stay "in the trenches" with the faculty; and 3) it speaks to our college's commitment to undergraduate teaching as our first functional priority. (The secret fourth reason is that I just love the classroom, the learning that goes on there, and the learning that spills over into after-class conversations.)

Development is a big part of my job, no doubt, especially at Providence’s young age. Our board expects me to spend 50% of my time in fundraising and external relations activities (and those two often overlap). I also spend a good bit of time setting/articulating vision and establishing strategy for the institution. In addition, I am ultimately responsible for every aspect of the college's operations, so I'm regularly involved in conversations and decisions on budget/finance, public relations/marketing, admissions/recruiting, student life, academic affairs, facilities/operations, etc. Thankfully, I've got a great group of senior administrators who handle much of the day-to-day load on those issues. I also spend a good bit of my time working with our board. It's probably worth mentioning, too, that I'm expected to provide spiritual leadership for our entire campus community, which is a pretty awesome responsibility.

GM: I know that Providence recently benefited from a large gift. Can you describe how this gift came to the college and what role, if any, you played in the process?

DH: My primary role in relationship to the big gift we recently received was chief thanks-giver. Because of the confidentiality of the gift I can't say a whole lot, but I can tell you that I had limited involvement in the process of that gift coming to Providence. Some very generous folks became aware of Providence and its mission to deliver first-rate Reformed liberal arts education on the West Coast, and I think they saw this as a unique and strategic opportunity to support the growth of the kingdom.

GM: What other noteworthy events have taken place during this academic year and what role have you played in those?

DH: One of the delights of being in my first year as president is that I can brag about all of the good things that are happening, since I had almost nothing to do with most of them!

I don’t know if it counts as an event, but we had our largest freshman class ever matriculate in the fall. And in addition to being the largest they were also the strongest, academically speaking. Their average high school GPA was above 3.9 on a 4.0 scale. For us to be growing both in numbers and in the academic strength of our student body in a down economy bodes well for the future of the college and is a very tangible reminder of God's faithfulness.

In the fall we hired our first full-time film and communications professor. Troy Lamberth has extensive experience in the film industry here in southern California and is enthusiastic about equipping young Christians to bring a biblical perspective to bear on that world. That was a strategic hire for us, as we are seeking to build an institution that takes advantage of the peculiar resources afforded it by its proximity to a global city like Los Angeles.

We also rolled out a new visual identity in the fall. That’s certainly not the most profound event that’s taken place in my time here, but it was probably one of the more noticeable to the broader community. I was fortunate to be able to participate in the development of that “brand” even before I came on board officially, and it was fun to take up the challenge of communicating some of the distinctives of an academic institution and its heritage via a visual identity. (You’ll notice that Dutch orange and Presbyterian blue take a prominent place now in all of our materials.)

We’ve had some wonderful guest speakers on campus, our faculty continue to contribute to scholarly conferences and publications, our students continue to participate in a wide array of off-campus educational and service experiences.

GM: What are the challenges as well as the joys of your position?

DH: Challenges:
- There’s an awful lot to be done, or that could be done, so much of it exciting, and so little time. Like most folks in this sort of position, I have to guard against letting the job consume all of life. I work hard to set aside time for personal devotions, prayer, my family (I'm married and have two young children), and church activities. It’s not easy.
- The economy. We’re a young institution, and so we’re particularly susceptible to downturns in the economy. Missing out on one student or one big gift has much larger implications for us than it does for our older, more established sister institutions. Of course, by the same stroke, adding just a few more students or getting one big gift can have real positive impact for an institution at our stage of development.
- Awareness. In an information-saturated age, it’s difficult to raise awareness of a new college. One of my primary responsibilities is to get the word out, and it’s tough to do with so much noise out there. [Incidentally, this is one of the reasons I’m grateful for your invitation to answer some questions about my job.]

Joys:
In short, the people of Providence:
- Our students. They are wonderful—thoughtful, bright, deeply committed young Christians.
- Our faculty. Gifted, engaging, dedicated to discipling their students intellectually and spiritually.
- Our staff. Selfless, creative, and tireless in their support of our core educational mission.
- Our board. Visionary, prayerful, wise; they are a delight to work with.
- Our supporters. Faithful, generous, and encouraging in their support of the college.

GM: What are the hopes or goals you have for your continued work at Providence Christian College?

DH: There’s a lot that I could say here. At the highest level, my prayer is that Providence would be known for its faithfulness to biblical truth, for its commitment to the riches of the Reformed tradition, for outstanding liberal arts education, and for graduates who are thoughtful and passionate about working out the implications of the Christian faith for every aspect of their lives and for every dimension of society.

GM: How can you see that God's providence in your life has prepared you for this position?

DH: This could be a long answer, too. I'll try to be brief. I am the product of Christian education from kindergarten through college. In particular, my experience at Covenant College (which I chose over more "prestigious" institutions—Duke, the University of North Carolina, and the US Naval Academy) had a profound impact on who I am and how I think about and act in the world. I long for other young Christians to experience that same sort of education. And, I’ve become convinced that if we wish to have a leavening effect in our culture, Reformed higher education is one of the best ways to accomplish that. God has used my educational experiences to convince me of the value of Reformed liberal arts education, both for the students who receive it and for the churches and communities that will benefit from the lives of its graduates.

God has also taken me down an unusual career path to prepare me for my current role. I spent time immediately post-college working in the financial markets in Charlotte and Chicago. When I left the markets to pursue graduate education in medieval history, it was difficult to see how God would use that time, though now I am grateful for the exposure it gave me to business and finance. My training in medieval and early modern European history, while valuable in its own right (and also very interesting), gave me opportunity to explore the history of higher education in the West. The insights gained through that exploration have already proved useful as we work to build a college that takes advantage of the real strengths of western educational models while avoiding some of the pitfalls of the modern university. When I returned to my alma mater, Covenant College, after graduate school, my first job involved a mix of management responsibilities and roles in marketing and public relations. It was fascinating work, and stretching in many ways, but I couldn’t figure out at the time how God was going to use those experiences to make me a better history professor. In my last position at Covenant College, I did major gift fundraising. Again, it was difficult to see how that was going to help me be a better history professor. But my roles in management, marketing, PR, and fundraising are all proving invaluable in my present position. So, I can state with a lot of confidence that God was, by the work of His providence, providing me with the very kinds of experiences and responsibilities that one needs to be a college president. I certainly wouldn’t have recognized that at the time, but it seems obvious in retrospect.


Providence Christian College is a multi-denominational Christian liberal arts college located about 15 miles northeast of Los Angeles. It has more than 60 students from several states and three foreign countries. Its motto is: In Christo Omnia Nova (in Christ all things new).

Let all the people say, "Amen!" (Psalm 106)

If Psalm 105 is Israelite History 101, Psalm 106 is Israelite History 102, with an emphasis on confession of sin.

Most of the psalm's forty-eight verses review Israel's sins from the time the people dwelled in Egypt (7), through the exodus (7-12), during their long sojourn in the desert (13-33), as they occupied the Promised Land (32-39), and during their oppression and captivity (40-43).

The psalmist prefaces this long confessional litany of sin with praise and a declaration that seems contradicted by most of the psalm (1-3, ESV):

Praise the LORD!
Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever!
Who can utter the mighty deeds of the LORD,
or declare all his praise?
Blessed are they who observe justice,
who do righteousness at all times!

It's easy to sing the familiar words praising God's goodness and his steadfast love, and we readily realize our inability to recount all God's mighty deeds or adequately declare all the praise due his name. But verse three causes pause.

Can anyone observe justice and do righteousness at all times? Since no one can, how can anyone be blessed?

The psalmist then writes:

Remember me, O LORD, when you show favor to your people;
help me when you save them,
that I may look upon the prosperity of your chosen ones,
that I may rejoice in the gladness of your nation,
that I may glory with your inheritance (4-5, ESV).

God's favor is the only avenue to blessing. His Son is the only source of salvation. His Spirit is the only way to obey. Because God grants us his favor, salvation through Christ, and sanctification through His Spirit, we begin to live for him. Then we can see the spiritual, if not the physical, prosperity of God's elect. Then we are able to rejoice within the church community. And then we look forward to our glorious inheritance in Christ.

But while we do these things, we confess our sin.

The long list of Israel's sins, despite God's repeated deliverance and provision, confirms the impossibility and our inability to do righteousness at all times. If we're honest with ourselves, we realize that we are just as sinful as those stiff-necked Israelites. We feel our kinship with Israel, whose "enemies oppressed them" and brought them "into subjection." Although God delivered them many times, they "were rebellious in their purposes and were brought low through their iniquity" (42-43, ESV).

When we humble our hearts and turn to God in true repentance, he hears our cries for mercy.

Nevertheless, he looked upon their distress,
when he heard their cry.
For their sake he remembered his covenant,
and relented according to the abundance of his steadfast love.
He caused them to be pitied
by all those who held them captive (44-46, ESV).

God motivated pagan kings to release a remnant of faithful believers from captivity so they could return to the Promised Land. God also remembers his covenant with us. He will grant relief from our distress according to the abundance of his steadfast love.

We can pray with the psalmist:

Save us, O LORD our God,
and gather us from among the nations,
that we may give thanks to your holy name
and glory in your praise (47, ESV).

God will save us. But he saves us with a purpose: that we may gives thanks to his holy name and glory in his praise.

Because God is faithful and his love never fails, we praise him with all his people in every place and every time (48, ESV):

Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting!
And let all the people say, "Amen!"
Praise the LORD!


Quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.

Remembering and Recounting, Psalm 105

Need a quick lesson in Old Testament covenant history? Read Psalm 105.

Psalm 105 recounts God's covenantal promise and how he brought his people into the promised land. God made the promise to Abraham, preserved and expanded Abraham's descendents during hundreds of years in Egypt, brought those two million people out of slavery, and destroyed an entire unbelieving generation in the desert before finally bringing his people into the land flowing with milk and honey.

But Psalm 105 isn't mere history; it's history with a purpose. That multi-faceted purpose is reflected in the opening verses (1-6, ESV):

Oh give thanks to the LORD; call upon his name;
make known his deeds among the peoples!
Sing to him, sing praises to him;
tell of all his wondrous works!
Glory in his holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice!
Seek the LORD and his strength;
seek his presence continually!
Remember the wondrous works that he has done,
his miracles, and the judgments he uttered,
O offspring of Abraham, his servant,
children of Jacob, his chosen ones!

The psalm calls God's people to do more than remember God's wondrous works. It calls all of us to worship God, to thank him, to praise him, to glory in his name, to seek him, and to rejoice in him. And one more thing: make known his deeds among the peoples.

Worship must be accompanied by witness.

When we remember and recount God's covenant faithfulness, we have comfort and confidence for the future. This covenant God still controls all the events in the world, while caring for us and our children.

He is the LORD our God;
his judgments are in all the earth.
He remembers his covenant forever,
the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations (7-8, ESV).

Most of this long psalm conveys God's sovereignty over the patriarchs' lives and the Israelite nation. God is the one who "summoned a famine on the land and broke all supply of bread," but "he had sent a man ahead of them, Joseph, who was sold as a slave" (16-17, ESV). This was God's plan for preserving his people in Egypt.

In that lush land, the Lord "made his people very fruitful and made them stronger than their foes" (24). God is the one who "turned" the "hearts" of the Egyptians "to hate his people" and "to deal craftily with his servants" (25).

But God provided rescue for his people. "He sent Moses, his servant, and Aaron, whom he had chosen" (26).

The psalmist emphasizes God's actions in subsequent verses describing how God sent each successive plague: "He sent.... He turned.... He spoke.... He gave.... He struck down.... He spoke.... He struck down...." (28-36, ESV).

That emphasis on God's work continues in verses describing the exodus from Egypt and his provision in the desert: "...he brought out Israel with silver and gold" (37). "He spread a cloud for a covering, and fire to give light by night" (39). "...he brought quail, and gave them bread from heaven in abundance" (40). "He opened the rock, and water gushed out; it flowed through the desert like a river" (41).

God did all this for Israel because "he remembered his holy promise, and Abraham, his servant" (42). God is always faithful. His steadfast love never fails. He did not merely deliver his people, he granted them joy and abundance (43-45, ESV):

So he brought his people out with joy,
his chosen ones with singing.
And he gave them the lands of the nations,
and they took possession of the fruit of the peoples’ toil,
that they might keep his statutes
and observe his laws.
Praise the LORD!

God did all this for his people so that they could obey him and praise him. God has delivered each believer from the land of sin's slavery. Someday he will deliver each of us from this land of sin's sorrow. What a day that will be!

But until that day comes, we have a responsibility to spread the good news of God's sovereignty and his salvation through Jesus Christ. We have a duty not merely to remember covenant history in our minds, but to recount it to others!

Philip Graham Ryken: For Christ and His Kingdom

Earlier this week I promised to post my interviews with Dr. Leland Ryken and Dr. Philip Graham Ryken. My interview with Leland Ryken appears as my 15 February 2011 entry. Today I'm posting my interview with his son, Philip Graham Ryken, who was inaugurated as the eighth president of Wheaton College on September 17, 2010.
Last spring I interviewed Philip Graham Ryken via email for a Christian Renewal feature profiling three new presidents at Christian colleges. [The other two interviews were with Dr. J. Derek Halvorson (Providence Christian College) and Dr. Hubert R. Krygsma (Redeemer University College); I'll try to post those interviews soon.] The three interviews appeared in the April 28, 2010 issue of Christian Renewal.

Bear in mind that the following interview with Philip Graham Ryken took place almost a year ago, while Dr. Ryken was still the senior pastor at the Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia and before he began serving as Wheaton's president.

Wheaton College was established in 1860 and Dr. Ryken will serve as its eighth president, following the retirement of Dr. Duane Litfin, who has been Wheaton’s president for 17 years. Dr. Ryken is currently the senior pastor at the Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, where he has served since 1995.

GM: Dr. Ryken, I understand that you will assume the presidency on July 1, 2010. Will this put you in the position of becoming your father's boss and would that be awkward for either of you? [Dr. Leland Ryken is Professor of English at Wheaton and has been on the faculty since 1968.]

PR: Yes, I will be my father’s boss. I doubt my presidency will be very awkward for either one of us, though. We have a close relationship. My dad is always one of my biggest supporters, and I know he will be quietly supportive when I come to Wheaton. I also happen to be one of his biggest enthusiasts. He is still one of the best writers and lecturers I know for communicating truth clearly and comprehensively.

GM: Although most institutions of higher learning seem to want a multi-function president, they appear to vary in their desired focus. How would you describe the expectations for your presidency? Will you be more of a pastoral instructor or more of a development administrator? What primary categories of work are included in your job description?

PR: The work of the Wheaton College President is wide-ranging, which is one of many things that draw me to this new calling. There certainly is a pastoral dimension to providing leadership for a Christian college—especially through speaking in chapel and showing care for students, faculty, staff, and alumni who are going through difficult times.

I will also serve as an administrative leader, helping to ensure that everything on campus is run in an excellent, efficient, compassionate, and God-honoring way. There is always fund-raising to do, of course, which I embrace as an opportunity to encourage people in sacrificial stewardship and help advance the kingdom of God. As a collaborative visionary, I will also have a role in helping the Wheaton community discern its calling and then promoting that vision both inside and outside the college. The campus community will expect all this…and more.

GM: What do you view as the probable challenges you will face in your new position?
PR: The biggest initial challenge will simply be to learn the job by getting to know the campus community and growing into my new calling as President. For the past ten years I have served on the Wheaton College Board of Visitors and then on the Board of Trustees, so I have a fair working knowledge of the college. Yet I have never served in administration for higher education, so I have a huge amount to learn.

Since it will be impossible to please everyone, the criticism will be ongoing. But the support and encouragement are vast. I know that countless friends and alumni are committed to praying for me and for Wheaton College—every day, in many cases. So I believe that God will give me the grace to serve him faithfully.

Beyond the personal pressures, of course, there are all the pressures that Christian colleges face from the wider world: to compromise biblical standards on sexual ethics, to accommodate biblical theology to secular thought, to seek academic recognition for reasons of pride rather than humble service—the challenges will be endless. At Wheaton we try to meet these challenges by remaining true to our Statement of Faith and Community Covenant—documents that guide our thinking and conduct along biblical lines.

GM: What do you view as the possible joys of the work?

PR: I expect that the biggest joy will be to connect with college students. At the center of everything that Wheaton does is the intellectual work of preparing young people to offer a lifetime of service “for Christ and His Kingdom,” as our motto puts it. I will do everything in my power to ensure that our students receive the very best biblical, theological, and academic training that a college can provide. I look forward to spending some of my time with students in chapel, at the dining hall, in the concert hall, in the gymnasium, and everywhere else on campus.

GM: What are the hopes or goals you have for your work at Wheaton?

PR: My goals are many: to maintain Wheaton’s long-standing commitment to evangelical orthodoxy; to support our faculty in the exceptional work they do as teachers and scholars; to improve our campus facilities; to develop a more comprehensive program for collaborative student/faculty research; to continue to grow our ethnic diversity; to strengthen our connections to the church worldwide—my list of goals is a long one.

But perhaps my biggest goal is to help a performance-oriented campus become more and more a community of grace, in which the pursuit of excellence is motivated primarily by everything that God has done for us in Christ, not by our desire to do something for God.

GM: How can you see that God's providence in your life has prepared you for this position?

PR: From earliest childhood, almost everything I love in life has been associated with Wheaton College. I like to say that the campus is my natural habitat. Wheaton is the place where I fell in love with books and the life of the mind, with sports and music, with literature and philosophy. It is also the place where I fell in love with my wife; I met Lisa Maxwell during orientation week our freshman year and by Christmas I was sure that I wanted to marry her.

At the center of all these experiences has been God himself, who led me to fall in love with Wheaton College when I was still a young boy. This gave me a heart for Christ and His Kingdom that has never left me, and which I now see has prepared me to serve the college as its president.

Wheaton College is an academically rigorous Christian liberal arts college located west of Chicago. About 2,400 undergraduates and 500 graduate students come from 50 states, 37 countries, and over 55 denominations. Its motto is: Christo et Regno Ejus (For Christ and His Kingdom).

Sovereign Sermons

God is sovereign. I always know this in my mind, but I sometimes do not feel it in my heart.

Yet there are moments in life when God does something so pointedly personal that it is as if he has reached down, put his arms around me, and said, "Glenda, see how much I love you!"

These last several weeks, I have often found it difficult to "feel" God's sovereignty in my heart. But in every Sunday sermon, he reaches down, puts his arms around my church family, and says, "See you much I love you!"

In his sovereignty, God has been providing sermons proclaiming exactly what we need to hear at that exact step in our journey. On December 19, Rev. Alan Strange, Associate Professor of Church History at Mid-America Reformed Seminary, preached on "God Only Wise" from 1 Timothy 1:12-17. On December 25, Rev. Mark Vander Hart, Associate Professor of Old Testament Studies at Mid-America Reformed Seminary, ministered to us from Malachi 1:1-5 with his message: Christmas: God Says it in Love." And on January 16, Mid-America seminarian Erik Stolte used 1 Kings 2:19-22 to remind us of God's "Healing Waters."

There have been several other pastors who have brought God's Word to us during these weeks, many of their messages can be found on the "Sermons" page of our church's website.

Rev. Vander Hart (who was also with us on January 2 and installed our new office bearers) ministered to us again last Sunday with two sermons that impressed me so keenly I feel compelled to share a few personal revelations.

The morning sermon was "Pray from Love for Peace," based on Psalm 122:6-9. Since some groups in today's world use verse six as a rallying cry for religious or political agendas, I was glad to hear an orthodox explication of the passage.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
“May they prosper who love you.
Peace be within your walls,
Prosperity within your palaces.”
For the sake of my brethren and companions,
I will now say, “Peace be within you.”
Because of the house of the LORD our God
I will seek your good (NKJV).

Rev. Vander Hart noted that Psalm 122 is one of fifteen "Songs of Ascents" in the psalter, which are "songs of pilgrimage" sung by the faithful as they traveled up the hill into Jerusalem for worship. This isn't a solitary reflection, but rather the prayer of a man who is part of a congregation.

Rev. Vander Hart pointed out that the alliteration of the original language emphasizes the "total security" of both peace and prosperity. It is a prayer for the "shalom" of the people, not merely the city. He urged each of us to pray for all the members of the body of Christ.

His pointed application has changed the way I pray. I still pray for specific concerns of specific believers in particular locales, but I pray every day that God will grant "shalom" to every believer everywhere.

Rev. Vander Hart spoke of the "double motive" for this prayer: because you love your brothers and sisters in Christ, but also because you love the church.

He also spoke of the "double method" of this prayer: speaking peace and seeking good.

"Prayer is also action," he said. "If we pray, but we don't work, we're really not praying."

Christ ministers peace from the throne of God, he concluded, and we know from Hebrews 12:22 that we have come to the heavenly Jerusalem. When we see what Christ has done, then peace will be ours. He brings genuine peace and lasting shalom.

The morning sermon changed the way I pray, but the evening sermon changed the way I think.

Using the familiar text of Ephesians 2:10, combined with Lord's Day 32 of the Heidelberg Catechism, Rev. Vander Hart spoke on how "Christ Renews Us to Life Witness."

Reading Ephesians 1-10 reminded me of how closely this text about good works follows a clear exposition on salvation by grace through faith:

And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them (Eph. 2:1-10, NKJV).

While responsively reading Lord's Day 32, I was struck (as I am every time I read it) by the comprehensive and personal answer to Question 86:

Q. We have been delivered
from our misery
by God's grace alone through Christ
and not because we have earned it:
why then must we still do good?
A. To be sure, Christ has redeemed us by his blood.
But we do good because
Christ by his Spirit is also renewing us to be like himself,
so that in all our living
we may show that we are thankful to God
for all he has done for us,
and so that he may be praised through us.
And we do good
so that we may be assured of our faith by its fruits,
and so that by our godly living
our neighbors may be won over to Christ.

Rev. Vander Hart introduced the sermon by mentioning that the Heidelberg Catechism reflects the "biblical balance" found in the book of Romans. He described some unbalanced views, such as pietism (All that matters is Jesus in my heart) [NOTE: not piety] and antinomianism (against the law). He pointed out that the Ten Commandments come under the "gratitude" part of the Catechism. It is a matter of motive. Some believers forget about thanksgiving and gratitude; some want us all to feel guilty all the time.

Rev. Vander Hart said, "Our focus tonight is on Jesus Christ our Savior who has redeemed us from that guilt!"

The two points of the sermon were 1) His good work of renewal, and 2) Our good work of witness.

Rev. Vander Hart spoke about how we often use the language of thanksgiving while actually living as if our good works can somehow "pay back" God. This cut to my heart.

"We always default in our payments," he said, "and that causes great anxiety.... The resting upon Jesus Christ's finished work gets clouded over by our anxiety to make payments. Good works as payments? You can't pay him back. God is infinite and limitedless. We are finite, very limited. And what could you give back to him that would be adequate payment in any case?"

This was the most convicting part of the sermon for me. I realized that, while using the language of gratitude, I am actually trying to pay back God with my work. I often think of all God has done for me and feel guilty over my failures to do more work in his kingdom out of my great gratitude. And this does, indeed, cause anxiety.

The antidote prescribed by Ephesians 2:10 is to focus on Christ. I am his workmanship. He saved me by grace and chose me for his own before the foundation of the earth. He prepared good works for me to do. Christ will enable me to walk at just the right pace in just the right works. They are not my way of paying him back; they are part of God's masterpiece.

I could write much more about how our good works praise God, assure us of our faith, and witness to our neighbors, but this post is already too long and Libby (my little dog) is whining. The next good work prepared beforehand for me is to let her out of her crate and take her for a walk.

I encourage you to listen to these and other sermons that have blessed our congregation in recent weeks.

Leland Ryken: Prolific author and passionate teacher

Some of you may know that I was an older, non-traditional student who graduated from the University of Iowa in 2006 (No, I'm not telling how old!). Even as a young child, I was fascinated with books. I knew how to read before I knew I knew how (a story for another post someday). As a child, I longed to grow up, go to college, and write books. As an adult with many other commitments, I still longed to learn and to write. As my children grew and were educated, I became a self-educator through extensive reading.

One of the authors with whom I was most impressed was Leland Ryken. More than any other author, he expressed my beliefs about literature and faith. I often thought that, if I could have attended any college, I would have liked to attend Wheaton and study under his instruction. As church librarian, I placed several of his excellent works in our church's library.

It was only in recent years that I learned he'd grown up in my hometown! Shortly after I'd contacted him regarding an interview, the woman I was sitting beside in church choir practice mentioned that she and her husband were just back from the Chicago area and had enjoyed a nice visit with "Lee" Ryken, a friend from high school.

Small world? Coincindence? I think not. God is in control of even these seemingly coincidental trivialities of life (see my 11 February 2011 post on Psalm 103).

In yesterday's blog entry on Psalm 104, I promised to post my Christian Renewal interviews with Leland Ryken and his son, Philip Graham Ryken, editors of the ESV Literary Study Bible.

The following is a slightly edited version of my interview with Leland Ryken that appeared in the February 11, 2009, issue of Christian Renewal.



To say that Leland Ryken is a prolific author sounds trite, but is true. He has not only written a remarkable number of books, but he has also written on a number of subjects in a number of genres.

Some titles of the more than 30 books Dr. Ryken has had published reflect his broad range of interest and expertise: Words of Delight: A Literary Introduction to the Bible; The Christian Imagination: The Practice of Faith in Literature and Writing; The Liberated Imagination: Thinking Christianly About the Arts; The Word of God in English: Criteria for Excellence in Bible Translation; Worldly Saints: The Puritans As They Really Were; Redeeming the Time: A Christian Approach to Work & Leisure; and Realms of Gold: The Classics in Christian Perspective.

Dr. Ryken and his son, Philip Graham Ryken, co-authored the extensive studies in The Literary Study Bible, ESV and were two of three authors for Ryken’s Bible Handbook. He also co-authored with Margaret Lamp Mead the popular A Reader’s Guide Through the Wardrobe: Exploring C.S. Lewis’s Classic Story and A Reader’s Guide To Caspian: A Journey into C.S. Lewis’s Narnia. He has additionally served as a primary editor for The Discerning Reader: Essays on Christian Literary Criticism; A Complete Literary Guide to the Bible, and Dictionary of Biblical Imagery.

He has been a professor of English at Wheaton College since 1968. He has taught a wide range of courses through the years. His current repertoire reflects his various areas of expertise and includes Shakespeare, 17th-century English literature, the Bible as literature, writing, and survey of British literature.

Dr. Ryken served as Literary Chairman for the English Standard Version (ESV) of the Bible. In 2003 he received the Gutenberg Award for his contributions to understanding the Bible. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Oregon and his B.A. from Central College and is—I recently learned—a native of my hometown: Pella, IA.

Dr. Ryken responded via email to several of my questions regarding his work and his perspective.

GM: Dr. Ryken, you’ve written about biblical translation and biblical literature, Milton and the Puritans, work and leisure, and the intersection of faith and art. How have you managed not only to develop this variety of interests, but also to write extensively on many different topics?

LR: Early in my career I had success in publishing on topics “outside my field,” as we call it in the academy. I can remember reaching a conscious decision that I would have a writing career in addition to my career as a professor and literary scholar. It is one of the best decisions I have made. My writing career is the story of entering pretty much every publishing door that opened before me, governed by God’s providence in the matter.

GM: How do you maintain focus with your many productive pursuits?

LR: I just concentrate on the topic of the moment. I actually enjoy working on multiple writing projects at the same time. In fact, if I have an afternoon to write, I normally divide the time among multiple projects just to avoid the potential boredom or discouragement that comes from spending the whole afternoon on a single project.

GM: In writing on so many different topics, have you published on subjects about which you were initially unqualified to write?

LR: I have. In much of my writing I have become an expert through a really great human invention known as research. It is a great sadness to me that many people do not envision the possibility of mastering something that currently lies beyond their field of knowledge.

GM: You’ve taught at Wheaton since 1968. What are the joys and challenges of teaching?

LR: For me, the joys of teaching are primarily being given the opportunity to interact with material that interests me a lot and of being able to share what I have found with students in the classroom. I enjoy performing in the classroom. I do not enjoy grading, and I have been disillusioned with developments in the youth culture during the past dozen years.

GM: What are those developments and how has youth culture changed since you began teaching?

LR: Multiple aspects of the current youth culture make this an inauspicious time to be a teacher. Young people are simply less knowledgeable than they once were in the subject areas that have traditionally made up education. Most young people have lost the old authentic thrill to be learning something new. Modern technology (even the computer by itself) has raised expectations of getting what we want immediately, and these expectations have produced a colossal entitlement mentality. Obsession with grades is an epidemic. Most young people do not revere the expertise represented by their teachers and are quick to set themselves up as rival authorities. Most teachers’ fund of anecdotes on these trends is full and overflowing.

GM: You’ve published more than thirty books. What are the joys of writing and publishing?

LR: The joy of publishing has been the joy of making an impact on people around the world. My books have made the world my classroom. They have fallen into the hands of people (chiefly teachers, broadly defined) who have in turn shared my thoughts with people under their influence. In the late stages of my career it is obvious that my books have been my chief contribution to the Kingdom, though I did not know this as the process was unfolding.

GM: Do you prefer teaching or writing?

LR: In both activities I would have withered on the vine if I had not had the two activities to feed each other. I could not have been a good teacher or writer alone.

GM: Your Wheaton faculty bio lists "travel and research in England" as one of your interests. What is the nature of your travel in England?

LR: I am poised to serve as a director on the Wheaton College program for the sixteenth time. I first served in that capacity in 1977. Intermingled with those trips have been seven or eight research trips lasting a couple of weeks each. My current upper-level scholarly project is to contextualize selected sonnets of John Milton in a Puritan milieu, so I have spent weeks and months typing Puritan data into my computer.

GM: Related to the above question, what literary projects do you have in the works?
LR: In keeping with what I said earlier about entering every open door, my current publishing ventures include books on English Bible translation, pastors in the literary classics, and expository preaching. If that list sends some of your readers into shock, let me add that many of my publishing ventures have been collaborative ones, and sometimes I have undertaken a role of what I call midwife as a servant to worthy projects. Essays that are currently in the publishing pipeline include ones on Calvinism and literature, Shakespeare and the Bible, and what I call "Christian Shakespeare." Some of my best work in the past decade has come in the form of addresses for professional conferences, college audiences, and church audiences.

GM: You served as Literary Chairman for the English Standard Version (ESV) of the Bible and have written extensively about the difference between essentially literal Bible translations (like the ESV) and dynamic equivalency ones (like the NIV). Can you briefly summarize the difference and explain its importance?

LR: Let me say first that people who want to know the full scope of this topic should consult my books on English Bible translation. But if you want my viewpoint in a single sentence, it is this: an essentially literal translation gives you what the biblical writers actually wrote (subject to the necessary changes of translating from one language to another); a dynamic equivalent translation is not a translation—it is a translation with intermingled commentary, with the result that an ordinary Bible reader has no way of knowing what the biblical authors wrote and how much has been added to that or subtracted from it.

GM: Readers of the Chronicles of Narnia differ in their views of allegory in the books. I identify allegorical elements in the stories; others identify the stories as allegories. As a co-author of reader’s guides to Chronicles of Narnia books, how would you summarize your view of allegory in the Chronicles of Narnia?

LR: The key to understanding allegory in any work of literature is the idea of an allegorical continuum on which we can plot the degree to which a work is allegorical (not whether it is "an allegory"). The Narnia stories range over the explicitly allegorical half of the continuum. In a letter, Lewis himself listed his allegorical intention for each of the seven books. For example, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe portrays "the Crucifixion and the Resurrection" of Christ. In that same letter, Lewis said that "the whole Narnian story is about Christ." It is impossible to reach those conclusions without seeing an allegorical or symbolic level of meaning in the stories.

GM: How would you characterize or describe your view of literary criticism?

LR: I believe that the function of literary criticism is to enhance a reader's understanding and enjoyment of works of literature. To achieve that goal, a critic needs to keep the focus on the work of literature and not on a substitute. My own love is explication or close reading of literary works.


Dr. Ryken's responses during the interview process were instrumental in helping me view my many work commitments more positively and structure my regular work days more efficiently.

I hope that the above interview whets your appetite to explore some of Leland Ryken's extensive works and discover for yourself how his meticulous research and articulate writing contribute to the continuing story that is literature.

This is My Father's World, Psalm 104

In Not My Own: Discovering God's Comfort in the Heidelberg Catechism (the fifth grade volume I wrote for the "Life in Christ" catechism curriculum), I use Psalm 104 to demonstrate God's sovereign care over creation. As the student reads the psalm and identifies verses containing specific word pictures, I hope he or she begins to glimpse the beauty of God's sovereignty.

The exercise is part of Lesson 8, "Who Is God the Father?", and leads into discussion of Q & A 26, certainly one of the most beautiful of many comforting questions and answers in the highly biblical and intensely personal Heidelberg Catechism:

26 Q. What do you believe when you say:
“I believe in God the Father, almighty,
maker of heaven and earth”?
A. That the eternal Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who out of nothing created heaven and earth
and everything in them,
who still upholds and rules them
by his eternal counsel and providence,
is my God and Father
because of Christ his Son.
I trust him so much that I do not doubt
he will provide whatever I need
for body and soul,
and he will turn to my good
whatever adversity he sends me
in this sad world.
He is able to do this because he is almighty God;
he desires to do this because he is a faithful Father.

If you read Psalm 104 (which I encourage you to do right now at Bible Gateway), you will be struck by the variety and energy of its imagery.

Anyone who loves literature loves the effective use of imagery in the printed word, and the Bible makes extremely effective use of imagery. Literature lovers also enjoy identifying types or genres of writing, and the Bible makes very effective use of different genres. If you love literature, you will appreciate the editorial comments in the ESV Literary Study Bible that help the reader identify different forms employed by the human authors of the biblical text.

I've mentioned the ESV Literary Study Bible (which can be purchased on Amazon) in previous posts and I've mentioned editors Leland Ryken and Philip Graham Ryken, but I haven't explained their relationship.

Not only is Philip Graham Ryken the son of Leland Ryken, but he also is now his boss. Leland Ryken is a longtime professor at Wheaton College, where Philip Graham Ryken was inaugurated as the school's eighth president on September 17, 2010. I've interviewd both men for Christian Renewal; my interview with Leland Ryken appearing in the February 11, 2009, issue and my interview with Philip Graham Ryken appearing in the April 28, 2010 issue (with profiles of three newly appointed presidents at Christian colleges). I'll try to post those interviews later this week.

ESV Literary Study Bible editors Ryken and Ryken identify Psalm 104 as "the fourth of five nature poems in the Psalter," writing that it is "so exalted and long that it ranks as an ode" (p. 862).

It begins with these familiar words:

Bless the LORD, O my soul!
O LORD my God, you are very great!
You are clothed with splendor and majesty,
covering yourself with light as with a garment,
stretching out the heavens like a tent (verses 1-2, ESV).

Yesterday's reflection on Psalm 103 discussed how the concept of "blessing the Lord" includes loving and praising God. These opening verses directly praise God (in the second person) for his sovereign majesty and his creative power.

The next three verses switch to indirect praise, talking about God (in the third person) with picturesque language describing his majestic creativity.

He lays the beams of his chambers on the waters;
he makes the clouds his chariot;
he rides on the wings of the wind;
he makes his messengers winds,
his ministers a flaming fire.
He set the earth on its foundations,
so that it should never be moved (3-5, ESV).

The next lengthy section reverts to direct praise in word pictures pulsing with vitality:

You covered it with the deep as with a garment;
the waters stood above the mountains.
At your rebuke they fled;
at the sound of your thunder they took to flight.
The mountains rose, the valleys sank down
to the place that you appointed for them.
You set a boundary that they may not pass,
so that they might not again cover the earth.

You make springs gush forth in the valleys;
they flow between the hills;
they give drink to every beast of the field;
the wild donkeys quench their thirst.
Beside them the birds of the heavens dwell;
they sing among the branches.
From your lofty abode you water the mountains;
the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work.

You cause the grass to grow for the livestock
and plants for man to cultivate,
that he may bring forth food from the earth
and wine to gladden the heart of man,
oil to make his face shine
and bread to strengthen man’s heart (6-15, ESV).

One could reflect at length on each of the above images. Some certainly seem to describe the earth before, during, and after the flood (Genesis 6-9).

In the next section of Psalm 104, the psalmist again switches to indirect praise as he reflects on God's present care over creation:

The trees of the LORD are watered abundantly,
the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.
In them the birds build their nests;
the stork has her home in the fir trees.
The high mountains are for the wild goats;
the rocks are a refuge for the rock badgers (16-18, ESV).

The next verse ties together God's creation with his continued sustenance:

He made the moon to mark the seasons;
the sun knows its time for setting (19, ESV).

God causes the progression of day and night. He creates the inclinations of different creatures. He does both of these things so that wild animals and man can co-exist in the same areas of creation.

You make darkness, and it is night,
when all the beasts of the forest creep about.
The young lions roar for their prey,
seeking their food from God.
When the sun rises, they steal away
and lie down in their dens.
Man goes out to his work
and to his labor until the evening (20-23, ESV).

Another section of direct praise marvels at God's amazing sea and land creatures, who all depend on God for sustenance. God brings forth the plants that provide their food in the sea and on land. God brings each creature to life and takes away each one's life according to his great plan.

O LORD, how manifold are your works!
In wisdom have you made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.
Here is the sea, great and wide,
which teems with creatures innumerable,
living things both small and great.
There go the ships,
and Leviathan, which you formed to play in it.
These all look to you,
to give them their food in due season.
When you give it to them, they gather it up;
when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.
When you hide your face, they are dismayed;
when you take away their breath, they die
and return to their dust.
When you send forth your Spirit, they are created,
and you renew the face of the ground (24-20, ESV).

The psalmist prays that God will always endure and rejoice in his creation, over which he exercises complete and almighty control (31-32, ESV):

May the glory of the LORD endure forever;
may the LORD rejoice in his works,
who looks on the earth and it trembles,
who touches the mountains and they smoke!

Can't you visualize tall buildings swaying in an earthquake or a volcano billowing black smoke and red lava?

Psalm 104 concludes with the psalmist's personal vow to praise God all his life. He prays that God will enable his meditation to please him. He also asks God to refine the earth by destroying the wicked. And he bookends the psalm with "blessing the Lord" praise similar to the phrase that opens it (33-35, ESV):

I will sing to the LORD as long as I live;
I will sing praise to my God while I have being.
May my meditation be pleasing to him,
for I rejoice in the LORD.
Let sinners be consumed from the earth,
and let the wicked be no more!
Bless the LORD, O my soul! Praise the LORD!

May we join the writer of Psalm 104 in seeing God's handiwork in all of creation and praising him for it! And may the beauty of God's sovereignty and providence comfort us in our pilgrimage.

Blessing the Lord, Psalm 103

The idea of blessing the Lord has always seemed a bit foreign to me. How can we, as mere human creatures, bless the almighty God who is the divine creator?
The strangeness of the concept comes, I think, from a skewed view. For most of my life, I've considered "blessing" as a thing that God gives or as the way he gives it. Every day I am blessed by God as I receive blessings from him, including innumerable gifts of which I am not even aware. But that's only part of the biblical concept of blessing. Scripture makes clear that "blessing" also can be loving and praising God.

Psalm 103 is the world's best primer on the concept of blessing the Lord.

Editors Leland Ryken and Philip Graham Ryken preface Psalm 103 in the ESV Literary Study Bible (© 2007 by Crossway Bibles) by writing that it is a "high point among the praise psalms" and add: "It is so exalted in scope and language that it ranks as an ode—the most elevated member of the lyric family."

As I get older (and I hope a little wiser), I see less "coincidence" and more "providence" in the things and events of life. And I think it is hardly "coincidental" that Psalm 103's lyrical song of praise immediately follows Psalm 102's broken-hearted confession of penitence (see my blog post of 09 February 2011).

Psalm 103 was written by David in thankfulness for God's forgiveness of his sin. It reflects the joy not only of David's heart, but also of his soul. He begins in verse 1 by pouring every part of his being into praise:

Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and all that is within me,
bless his holy name!

He generates continued praise by reminding himself of God's blessings.

Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits,
who forgives all your iniquity,
who heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit,
who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
who satisfies you with good
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s (2-5, ESV).

God grants forgiveness to the repentant sinner. He is the Great Physician who heals all our emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual ills. God rescues us from many life-threatening dangers and redeems our souls from the pit of hell. As regents under the King of Kings, we wear fluid crowns daily jeweled with God's faithfulness, love, and mercy. Our hungry hearts are satisfied with God's good and perfect gifts, which equip us to persevere in his service.

Every evening I go to bed exhausted, unable to lift one more thing or write one more word, but by God's grace I wake early each morning and rise to my work on eagle's wings.

David continues this paean of praise by reflecting on God's past, present, and future works of grace and mercy.

The LORD works righteousness
and justice for all who are oppressed.
He made known his ways to Moses,
his acts to the people of Israel.
The LORD is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
He will not always chide,
nor will he keep his anger forever (6-9, ESV).

God revealed himself to Israel in the past, He patiently blesses his sinful people in the present, and he will turn present adversity to our good in the future.

The magnitude of God's forgiveness nearly defies description:

He does not deal with us according to our sins,
nor repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west,
so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
As a father shows compassion to his children,
so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him.
For he knows our frame;
he remembers that we are dust (10-14, ESV).

God's marvelous compassion seems even more amazing as David compares the transience of man to the infinity of God.

As for man, his days are like grass;
he flourishes like a flower of the field;
for the wind passes over it, and it is gone,
and its place knows it no more.
But the steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him,
and his righteousness to children’s children,
to those who keep his covenant
and remember to do his commandments.
The LORD has established his throne in the heavens,
and his kingdom rules over all (15-19, ESV).

In his great mercy, God extends compassion to believers and their children throughout all faithful generations. God's covenantal love is sure because his throne is firmly established and his kingdom has no bounds.

The only possible result of reflecting in faith on God's love is to join David in praise. And that is how it is possible for sinful humans to bless our holy God.

When we remember God's faithful love to his people, when we reflect on the many gifts he daily gives us, and when we consider his sure guarantee for a sin-free future; then we, too, can bless the Lord!

Bless the LORD, O you his angels,
you mighty ones who do his word,
obeying the voice of his word!
Bless the LORD, all his hosts,
his ministers, who do his will!
Bless the LORD, all his works,
in all places of his dominion.
Bless the LORD, O my soul! (20-22, ESV).