The Catechisant
“Those that seek Me early shall find Me”
Genemuiden, whereThe Catechisant in 1990 ‘was born’
December 2013 – 22e & last edition – nr. 12
The Catechisantand you
When I in December 2012 thought about the 22ndEdition of The Catechisant, what I would write about, I did not anticipate that this edition would be the last. That my thoughts then were led to writing about the 150 Psalms had nothing to do with a kind of completion. But looking back I believe it is under God’s guidance that I may with this series conclude the writing of this youth magazine.
The idea of having our own youth magazine and to write it, came from a free one year subscription of the Young People’s Magazine of theFree Presbyterian Church of Scotland, given to me by Mr. and Mrs. Hilbrands.
In the first number of this Youth Magazine (December 1991) I wrote:
“The name De Catechisant points to the fact that in the first place it is meant to be instructive. In the hope that the spiritual instruction is for you at the same time relaxing.
The prayer is: “LORD, do Thou bless it!”
The name that I then gave it, The Catechisant said also something about the importance of the Catechism. Many subjects I have been able to lay before you, specially from the Heidelberg Catechism, but more importantly about the Bible and from the Bible. The first meditation was about Proverbs 22 verse 6:
“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”
Twentythree years have passed.
Every day (8400 days) our debt by God increased.
Every day (8400 days) we,on account of the blood of Jesus Christ,had to and were allowed to pray: “Forgive us our debts.”
Every day (8400 days) it was true: “For Thou LORD, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon Thee.” (Psalm 86 verse 5).
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Thisissue ofThe Catechisant is the last one.
Translated in New Zealand by Dick Vermeulen
Psalm 141 and you
If there is one subject in the Book of Psalms that appears to be important, it’spraying, begging, calling upon God. The Psalmist is fully convinced that he cannot do without God, not even one day. This dependency is the life of the pious under the Old Testament, and no less also in the time after the outpouring of the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost.
Those that have no desire to live in dependence will have no use for most of the 150 Psalms.
Psalm 141 is no different to this main subject. The Psalmist begins immediately: “LORD, I cry unto Thee: make haste unto me; give ear unto my voice, when I cry unto Thee.”
How glorious that we receive this instruction. We are thereby encouraged to turn unto God every day and under all circumstances. He is not troubled when we come to Him again and again with all our needs. The Dutch translators write in the marginal notes on Isaiah 62 verse 7:
Cease not to pray and beg, continue in prayer, yes, trouble Him aslong that your prayer is heard.
The Psalmist is considering the sacrifice that God Himself instituted, wherein the incense represents the prayers all the Israelites were allowed to pray. This made him bold. The Lord is happy when poor and miserable sinners bow their knees and tell Him all their need. What exactly this Psalm is about is difficult to say, but whatever the situation is, the Psalmist shows us (God Himself shows us) to look to Him, verse 8: “But mine eyes are unto Thee, O God the Lord: in Thee is my trust.Leave not my soul destitute.” The word ‘destitute’ has the meaning of being left without help or sustenance.
Full of faith – as appears from these words – the Psalmist expects God’s help. And that, while the situation is quite dangerous. So it also appears at times in a spiritual sense that Satan is likely to destroy your soul. And to know then that you are in safety with the Good Shepherd, as He promised in (John 10 verse 28): “I give them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any one pluck them out of My hand.” …
1O Lord, I unto Thee do cry,do Thou make haste to me,
And give an ear unto my voice, when I cry unto Thee.
2As incense let my prayer bedirected in Thine eyes;
And the uplifting of my handsas th’ ev’ning sacrifice.
3Set, Lord, a watch before my mouth,keep of my lips the door.
4My heart incline Thou not untothe ills I should abhor.
Psalm 142 and you
From the place of Psalm 142 in the Book of Psalms it is evident that the Psalms were not placed in chronological order of time. In Psalm 72 you already read that the prayers of David are at an end, and now you read that he was fleeing from king Saul and had to hide in a cave.
This Psalm is near the end of the book, while Psalm 57 is also headed: ”… when he fled from Saul to a cave.” It makes us remember how dark his way was from being anointed to being crowned king. He is likened herein to his great Son: Who was anointed as Prophet, Priest and King, but how dark was His way from the day of His crowning to His ascension!
Whoever journeys with this Anointed King, must consider that he must also go the way of David: the way of fleeing and caves to the crown, the day of final victory. In this connection the Lord Jesus states honestly:”Foxes have holes, and birdshave nests, but the Son of men has not where to lay His head.” For that reason it is good to count the cost as Jesus said about the sower: ”… when tribulation and persecution arises because of the Word, he by and by is offended.”
But when you walk in this way, you may also be assured that God confirms His Word, just as with David. Because, he came to the throne,in the end. That day will arise for all the followers that persevere: they shall be crowned, just as Paul writes to Timothy:
“I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but to all them that love His appearing.”
How is it with you? Do you hope that all will be well, not because you have such high thoughts of your ability and faithfulness, but because you expect everything from the Lord? He shall not disappoint you – if you do what you read in verse 5:“I cried unto Thee, O LORD. I said, Thou art my Refuge and my Portion in the land of the living.”
5I cry’d to Thee; I said, Thou artmy Refuge, Lord, alone;
And in the land of those that live Thou art my Portion.
6Because I am brought very low, attend unto my cry:
Me from my persecutors save, who stronger are than I.
7From prison bring my soul, that I Thy Name may glorify:
The just shall compass me, when Thou with me deal’st bounteously.
Psalm 143 and you
What a wonder to have learned with the writer of this Psalm in verse 2: “Enter not into judgment with Thy servant: for in Thy sight shall no man living be justified.”
And what a wonder again, to understand that we being aware of this terrible thing, may plea with verse 1: “… in Thy faithfulness answer me and in Thy righteousness.” If you ponder carefully you would expect the Old Testament pious people to ask: “Hear me in accordance with Thy merciful kindness.” But it is ‘righteousness’. That word shows that God keeps His promises, because He is altogether faithful. What a rich life of faith, in order to be able as an unrighteous one to call upon God because of His promise. Which promise? Which is portrayed in the Temple service and sealed, just as in your baptism and in every Lord’s Supper, namely: forgiveness of sin and life eternal!
The same what the Psalmist does in verse 1, is also in 1 John 1 verse 9:
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
In verse 10 of this Psalm the Psalmist prays, and all God’s children of all centuries, places and cultures pray with him: “Teach me to do Thy will: for Thou art my God: Thy Spirit is good: lead me into the land of uprightness.” ‘To do Thy will’ means: to always will what God will and to have an aversion to everything that God hates. To be led in the land of uprightness, what does that mean? Among other things: to give the steering-wheel of your life into His hands. To allow God to decide what your life will be like. To give the Lord full authority over your future and to be in full agreement with whatever He does.
The last verse asks that all His enemies be destroyed. Make sure that you know that there are two options. On the one hand to be led by the good Spirit of God, or on the other hand to be destroyed by God’s righteous vengeance.
8At morn let me Thy kindness hear; for in Thee do I trust.
Teach me the way that I should walk: I lift my soul to Thee.
9Lord, free me from my foes; I fleeto Thee to cover me.
10Because Thou art my God, to do Thy will do me instruct:
Thy Sp’rit is good, me to the landof uprightness conduct.
11Revive and quicken me, O Lord, ev’n for Thine own Name’s sake;
And do Thou, for Thy righteousness, my soul from trouble take.
Psalm 144 and you
In this new Psalm we arrive at comparable circumstances as in the previous four. Verse 1 is immediately about war and verse 2 about bringing people into subjection.
And then in verse 3, as if it fell out of the blue sky: “LORD, what is man, that Thou takest knowledge of him! Or the son of man, that Thou makest account of him!”And the confession in the following verse: “Man is like to vanity: his days are like a shadow that passeth away.”
The connection between these verses is not so simple, but it is at least clear that the war-faring Psalmist is not a strong man full of self-trust. He clearly understood how dependent he was upon the power and nearness of God in order to protect his people, in order to annex the heathen peoples to Israel and also to deliver his own life from all the dangers that he faced.
In the last four verses we see what the amazing result is of God as the Protector of His people:
our sons are as plants grown up in their youth
our daughters are as corner stones, polished after the similitude of a palace (= pretty girls)
our garners are full, affording all manner of store
our sheep bring forth thousands
ten thousands in our streets
our oxen are strong to labour
no breaking in, nor going out; no complaining in our streets.
In a real oldtestamentish way different temporal gifts are mentioned. No, they did not become unimportant in New Testament times, but yet … The New Testament view of the new earth is not defined with ‘… where abundance lives’ but ‘… where righteousness lives’!
Finally it is important to spend a little time to think about the last portion of the last verse: “yea happy is that people whose God is the LORD”. Or not?
3Lord, what is man, that Thou of him dost so much knowledge take?
Or son of man, that Thou of himso great account dost make?
4Man is like vanity; his days, as shadows, pass away.
5Lord, bow Thy heav’ns, come down,
Touch Thou the hills, and smoke shall they.
6Cast forth Thy lightning, scatter them; Thine arrows shoot, them rout.
7Thy hand send from above, me save; from great depths draw me out.
Psalm 145 and you
Psalm 145 is an acrostic. That is: a song of which the first line of each couplet begins with the following letter of the alphabet (of course in Hebrew, that the Psalmist wrote). The Hebrew title of this Psalm is at the same time the title of the whole Bible Book: Tehillim. Our word ‘Psalm’ is Greek and means: to pluck the string. It points to the musical instrument wherewith the singing of these songs were accompanied, a harp or lyre, an instrument with strings.
What is this Psalm about? In the first seven verses the believer shouts that he wants to magnify and praise God. From verse 8 on he gives the reasons why that is so. In the Psalm the verbs jump over each other wherewith the praises are done: ‘extoll’ ‘bless’, ‘praise’, ‘declare’, ‘speak’, ‘utter abundantly’, ‘sing’.
In the reading of these verses and these verbs or words of action, it is good to understand that they often are in the first person singular: I shall … Therefore it is impossible to read it (to read it for our family-members) and not to do it. For that reason from verse to verse the questions jump out at you and say: “Do you do this too?” “Do you want to do this?”
To use an example (verse 2): “I will praise Thy Name for ever and for ever.” With this glorious work you will never come to an end and this rich privilege never ceases.
When just recently preparing a sermon on this Psalm, I every day of that week pondered the question: “How do I do this,praising God, extolling Him, etc.? Of course you do it with your tongue and lips, but how? With your heart too! O, the more I thought about this exuberant Psalm, the poorer and more miserable I became, because so little of it I do accomplish in my live. What about you?
1I’ll thee extol, my God, O King; I’ll bless Thy Name always.
2Thee will I bless each day, and will Thy Name for ever praise.
3Great is the Lord, much to be prais’d; His greatness search exceeds.
4Race unto race shall praise Thy works, and show Thy mighty deeds.
5I of Thy glorious majestythe honour will record;
I’ll speak of all Thy mighty works, which wondrous are, O Lord.
6Men of Thine acts the might shall show, Thine acts that dreadful are;
And I, Thy glory to advance,Thy greatness will declare.
7The mem’ry of Thy goodness greatthey largely shall express;
With songs of praise they shall extol Thy perfect righteousness.
Psalm 145 and you (once more)
An important way in which to come to praise and magnify God really is what the Psalmist does in this Psalm: to relate how good God is. When you more or less receive an impression of it, you just cannot do anything else but to praise Him. The first thing that is mentioned about this mighty King is: “The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy.” The Psalmist did not discover that himself, but he found it in the Law, the second book of Moses, chapter 34 verse 6 – you read it. Consider that the Lord Himself made known these characteristicsof His. And consider that He did this just after the children of Israel had made the golden calf … So it’s clear that His mercy, His gracious longsuffering and abundance in goodness and truth is also for an idolatrous boy and girl. And that you – even though you feel yourself to be so vile – may freely call upon God for these virtues and say: “Lord, Thou didst reveal Thyself as such a glorious God! O, prove that Thou wilt so be to me too …”
Furthermore we read in (verse 14): “The LORD upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down.” Jesus puts it in this way:
“Come to Me, all that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
There is too much in this second part of the Psalm to deal with it on one page. I only mention verse 18: “The Lord is nigh unto all that call upon Him, that call upon Him in truth.” Do you call on God? Then He promises to be near. The other way round is also true – as Isaiah teaches us (55 verse 6): you must call upon the Lord, while He is near.
What does it mean that the Lord is near to us, now? That He offers us His help and favour.
At the end: don’t forget the contrast in the second last verse: all them that love him <-> all the wicked. You are one of the two!
17The Lord is just in all His ways, holy in His works all.
18God’s near to all that call on Him, in truth that on Him call.
19He will accomplish the desireof those that do Him fear:
He also will deliver them, and He their cry will hear.
20The Lord preserves all who Him love, that nought can them annoy:
But He all those that wicked arewill utterly destroy.
21My mouth the praises of the Lordto publish cease shall never:
Let all flesh bless His holy Namefor ever and for ever.
Psalm 146 and you
A well-known marriage text we find in Psalm 146, namely verse 5: “Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God.” Why is that person really and continuingly blessed / happy? You see – if you read carefully – that it is about someone that is in need of help. Are you happy then? Yes, for sure: It is just when you can do nothing without God, then it is well with you. There is no other way!