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Weimar University

Don Mackintosh

Song of Ascent-Psalm 131

Father in heaven, bless us today as we look at another psalm here tonight.

And what an awesome privilege it is to actually talk about your word, which you protected and you want us to hear.

I was reading this dissertation on moral identity that I mentioned on Sabbath.

And it says that if you're reading the word out loud 4 times, at least 4 times a week, you're actually reading the word yourself out loud, that seems to strengthen your moral identity.

So I wanna encourage you to actually read the word out loud.

Very thankful that some of you brought your Bibles, so let's read the word out loud together by looking at Psalm 131.

Last week we looked at Psalm 130 and they lost the tape of that.

I don't know what happened with the equipment but they lost it.

So hopefully you won't lose it tonight and we'll put it in the Song of Ascent series and we'll do 130 again.

If you have a New King James Version, please read it with me.

If not, just meditate on your own translation.

But let's read it together if you have a New King James.

Lord, my heart is not haughty, nor my eyes lofty, neither do I concern myself with great matters, nor with things too profound for me.

Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with his mother.

Like a weaned child is my soul within me.

O Israel, hope in the Lord, from this time forth forevermore.

David in verse 2 is discovering contentedness for his soul, verse 2, and David is calling for peace and hope to be spread everywhere, verse 3.

Oh, Lord, my heart is not lifted up, my eyes are not haughty, I do not occupy my things with things too great, unmarvelous, or profound for me.

I'm gonna have that focus from time to time.

Self-focus is the starting point of the psalmist and many times this is what gets us into trouble.

You ever said, you know, you hurt my feelings.

The way you did that, You hurt my feelings.

How many of you have ever feel like you've been mistreated?

Anyone ever feel like you've been mistreated?

You said that to me, but the way you said it, I didn't like it.

How many of you ever have problems with your eyes?

I was just talking to my kids the other day.

He says, you know, These kids have this and have this and we don't have that.

I said, sometimes the best things in life, you don't realize how good they are until they're taken away.

And they're like, dad, we were talking about us, now you're talking about you.

I was like, hey, just trying to shift your focus a bit.

So how I feel, what I look at, how am I going to keep up with the Jones family?

Everybody has this kind of electronic gadget, I must have it, I've got to have it.

You look back at it, in about 5 years, it's a boat anchor.

You're never going to keep up with Macintosh's computer.

And I think it's by design because, you know, all these things, these gadgets are meant to kind of suck us in.

I want to have something, the newest thing, and I'm not going to tell you that story, I'm just thinking of it.

I'm going to try and keep up with the Jones family.

I will ascend, I will do this, I will do that, I will make my place above that place, I will, and then trying to get that done, you know?

Trading, bargaining with people, trying to get it done.

If I could just have that, if I could just have that gadget, if I could just have a relationship with that person, if I could just do this and you know.

There might be a rush that comes with that acquisition but if you have the wrong focus, a me focus, nothing will really satisfy that.

Nether likes to say, you can't have enough, can't get enough of what you don't need.

That's 1 of his favorite sayings and I think he got it somewhere else.

Probably was listening to Justin's nightmare or something he was having.

So you can't get enough of what you don't need.

So that's verse 1 and he's saying I want to renounce that.

My heart is not haughty nor my eyes lofty.

I don't concern my thing with great matters or things too profound for me.

You know we sing that song, God be in my head.

God be in my heart and in my understanding.

How did it change from focusing always on his feelings and whether or not they've been hurt?

How did it change from always comparing himself with others?

By the way, it literally means there, my feelings, my heart, my eyes, and then when it says, I do not occupy myself, literally that means my legs do not lead me in this particular way.

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Song of Ascent-Psalm 131

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