Our Heart for the Needy
Our Heart for the Needy
Psalm 106
In the movie, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Galadriel and Gandalf discuss the evil that is growing in the world. Galadriel asks Gandalf why he chose Bilbo Baggins, a small hobbit, to help fight against the growing evil. Gandalf responds,
I don't know. Saruman believes that it is only great power that can hold evil in check. But that is not what I have found. I've found it is the small things, everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay. Simple acts of kindness and love. Why Bilbo Baggins? Perhaps it is because I am afraid, and he gives me courage.
Although the line doesn’t appear in Tolkien’s original work, the sentiment that small things matter and seemingly insignificant things make a difference is a theme in The Lord of the Rings. But this concept is not only found in The Lord the Rings, it’s found in Scripture as well.
In the time of the Judges, when evil was thriving and everyone was doing what was right in their own eyes, God chose a seemingly insignificant Moabite widow named Ruth to marry a man named Boaz and give birth to Obed, who would be the father of Jesse, who would be the father of King Davd. Paul later wrote to the church of Corinth,
For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.
1 Corinthians 1:26–29
God delights in using apparently insignificant men and women, in using the ‘small things, everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay.’
Sadly, evil is also thriving in our own day. I wonder who and how God may use the simple acts of love of ordinary folks to keep the darkness at bay. In 2022, the Pro-Life movement won a huge victory when Roe vs Wade was overturned in the Dobbs case. Yet, even after that hard-fought victory, the battle still rages and evil continues to grow in our land. In fact, since the Dobbs case, the number of abortions in our nation has actually increased slightly. The womb is still one of the most dangerous places in America. The war is not over. We must still fight to keep the darkness at bay. I know this topic stirs up many emotions as we think about life and loss, especially of children. Yet, even though it may be difficult, I believe it is absolutely necessary for us to occasionally take the time to stare at this evil and face it head on.
As we stare at this horrific evil and how so many around us are doing what is right in their own eyes, I pray we will not be overwhelmed, but rather, that we would take courage to face this evil everyday through simple acts of kindness and love by the power of the Holy Spirit.
The Heart of Steadfast Love
Psalm 106 is a history of God’s people. It is a story of their rebellion and God’s steadfast love. The heart of the Psalm is not judgment but hope as it is bookended with the praise of the Lord.
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!
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.
Psalm 106:47–48
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.
Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting!
And let all the people say, “Amen!”
Praise the LORD! Psalm 106:1–5
This Psalm, which highlights some of the most graphic rebellion of God’s people, does not begin and end with judgment but with God’s steadfast love and salvation. As we stare at our own rebellion and the evil that lies in our own hearts, we must also begin, not with judgment, but with God’s steadfast love and salvation.
Salvation belongs to the Lord. He is mighty to save. He does not discriminate against anyone who calls out to Him for grace and mercy. Some people here today have participated in abortions, have advocated for abortions, have voted for abortions, have not spoken out against abortion, or have been indifferent to the taking of unborn lives. Many here have been complicit in abortions simply by ignoring them. But this sermon is not about judgment; it’s about mercy, and if we are going to experience mercy, we must stare into the darkness of our own hearts. Regardless of what you have or haven’t done, we all need mercy today. We all need salvation from our sins today. We all need to call out to God and say, “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.”
The only way we can give thanks to God’s holy name and glory in His praise is if we repent of our sins and trust in the salvation of God through Jesus Christ. God sent Jesus Christ to shed His own innocent blood so that we could be sons and daughters of God. He died so we may live. Regardless of how evil and wicked your deeds may have been, in the name of Jesus Christ, you can be washed, sanctified, and justified by the Spirit of God. Jesus not only died, He was raised from the dead and, because of His sacrifice, you can be forgiven. You do not have to live with shame, guilt, and regret; you can praise God because He is mighty to save all who call on Him by faith. If you trust in Jesus Christ, you will be forgiven. His innocent blood was shed so that you and I could be sons and daughters of God.
If you are a non-Christian, I hope you don’t leave this sermon hearing condemnation and judgment for your actions. I hope you hear mercy and grace because of what God has done for you. As Christians, the Bible tells us not to look at the darkness in the world but, rather, at the darkness in our own hearts. Yes, all have sinned, but all can be forgiven because of the cross.
Beloved, God’s steadfast love is so faithful. He is from everlasting to everlasting. He saves us from among the nations so that we can give thanks to His holy name. Our hearts for those in need of mercy and grace must flow from the realization of own desperate need for mercy and grace. When we forget our need for grace and mercy, it is easy for us to look down on others with judgment rather than helping them look up to God for mercy.
The Heart of Sinful Love
The story of God’s people is not a straight line of obedience. It is a jagged line of sin and repentance, of failure and mercy, of rebellion and forgiveness. In Psalm 106, the psalmist does not exclude himself from the sins of his fathers but confesses his own sin as well.
Both we and our fathers have sinned;
we have committed iniquity; we have done wickedness.
Psalm 106:6
It is the honest confession of our own sin and rightly seeing our sin for what it is that begins our journey toward mercy. The psalmist does not cover up his sin, he confesses it. Then he walks through the many times that God’s people rebelled against His steadfast love and ended with worshipping idols and sacrificing to demons.
Our fathers, when they were in Egypt,
did not consider your wondrous works;
they did not remember the abundance of your steadfast love,
but rebelled by the sea, at the Red Sea. Psalm 106:7
But they soon forgot his works;
they did not wait for his counsel.
But they had a wanton craving in the wilderness,
and put God to the test in the desert; Psalm 106:13–14
When men in the camp were jealous of Moses
and Aaron, the holy one of the LORD
They made a calf in Horeb
and worshiped a metal image.
They exchanged the glory of God
for the image of an ox that eats grass.
They forgot God, their Savior,
who had done great things in Egypt, Psalm 106:16, 19–21
Then they despised the pleasant land,
having no faith in his promise.
They murmured in their tents,
and did not obey the voice of the LORD.
Then they yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor,
and ate sacrifices offered to the dead;
they provoked the LORD to anger with their deeds,
and a plague broke out among them. Psalm 106:24-25, 28–29
They did not destroy the peoples,
as the LORD commanded them,
but they mixed with the nations
and learned to do as they did.
They served their idols,
which became a snare to them.
They sacrificed their sons
and their daughters to the demons;
they poured out innocent blood,
the blood of their sons and daughters,
whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan,
and the land was polluted with blood.
Thus they became unclean by their acts,
and played the whore in their deeds. Psalm 106:34–39
The psalmist is talking about the people of God, who wrongfully intermarried with the nations and with the nations’ idols and sacrificed their sons and daughters. They killed their sons and daughters in pagan ritual sacrifices. The psalmist doesn’t even speak of any other sins because this is pretty much the worst they can get: slaughtering their sons and daughters. Let me highlight four things about this.
The sons and daughters were innocent. This does not mean they were perfect or without need of a new heart, but rather “innocent” because they did not deserve death. They hadn’t done anything that would require their lives. These sons and daughters were not in the womb but were probably newborns or toddlers when they were sacrificed. They were innocent and had done nothing deserving of death and, because they were innocent, their sacrifice was murder, which God had strictly forbidden in the Ten Commandments.
The text says they poured out “innocent blood”, which most likely refers to laying their children down on the altar and slitting their throats so their blood would flow down. It is a horrific image and one I was hesitant to even mention, but their deaths were probably more humane than what happens in an abortion. Because we have little ones here today, I won’t go into detail about what happens during an abortion, but I would encourage all of you to take time this week to read the description of what happens. Stay in the face of darkness to fully understand how horrific it is.
The psalmist refers to those who were sacrificed as “sons and daughters”. The same is true today. Every baby killed in abortion is not a clump of cells but a son or a daughter. We must speak of the unborn as people made in the image of God: human beings, sons, and daughters who deserve to be cared for and protected.
They sacrificed their children to the idols of Canaan. Instead of being distinct from the world, verse 35 says, “They mixed with the nations and learned to do as they did.” The same is true now. The church must be a distinct people. We must live and act separately from the world. If our lives are not distinct, how will the world know about their need for salvation? If we are not careful to be distinct, we will become mixed with the nations and learn to do as they do. What are the idols of the nations that would cause them to sacrifice their sons and daughters?
Idol of Sexual Freedom - Abortion has further celebrated sex without consequences. People, male and female, who engage in sexual immorality can simply eliminate unwanted pregnancies enabling them to continue pursuing sexual freedom.
Idol of Career - Abortion removes the responsibility of having to care for children who may slow down their career paths.
Idol of Reputation - Abortion allows people to serve their own reputation and prevents others from knowing their sins. They don’t have to face others and admit their wrong choices.
Idol of Comfort - Abortion removes the responsibility and the inconvenience and challenge of raising a child. They do not want a child because they do not want to negatively impact their own comfort.
Idol of Relationship - Abortion gives women the opportunity to stay in a relationship with the child’s father, who may claim he will leave unless she aborts their child.
People choose abortion for many different reasons. I do not want to act as if I know what is going on in the heart of every mother who has an abortion or every father who encourages her. But, regardless of specific reasons, the core reason that people choose abortion is idolatry. They choose to serve themselves and their own desires over God. Abortion is becoming unclean through one’s actions and playing the unfaithful wife to a faithful God. Although it may seem complex, it is actually very simple: abortion is sin, and it is wrong.
Now, we should never cast judgment for if it was not for the grace of God, we may find ourselves in the same situation. Some of us may not have had an abortion, but we have bowed down to similar idols. We have mixed with the nations and learned to do as they do. Israel’s problem was that they forgot the works of God.
Our fathers, when they were in Egypt,
did not consider your wondrous works;
they did not remember the abundance of your steadfast love, Psalm 106:7
But they soon forgot his works;
they did not wait for his counsel. Psalm 106:13
They forgot God, their Savior,
who had done great things in Egypt, Psalm 106:21
They forgot God and did not remember his steadfast love. Maybe we have forgotten what God has done for us and, therefore, we have been silent to tell others of His love. Maybe we should ask ourselves why haven’t we been more involved in the fight for life or why we haven’t spoken up for the unborn when we’re with our families at holiday gatherings. Maybe we have our own idols that keep us silent.
Idol of Sexual Freedom - We are silent because we are secretly engaging in sexual immorality. We are silent in condemning sin because we are participating in it. Beloved, we must be holy as He who called us is holy.
Idol of Career - We are silent because it may cause us to be overlooked for a promotion. What does it profit a man to gain the whole world yet forfeit his own soul?
Idol of Reputation - We are silent because we want to be well thought of by others and don’t want people to think we are fundamental and judgmental. We must fear God not man.
Idol of Comfort - We are silent because we don’t want to be inconvenienced helping those in need, or we don't want to engage in an uncomfortable conversation.
Idol of Relationship - We are silent because we are afraid of offending people and losing the relationship. We choose relationships over truth.
Remember the psalmist is not writing about the nations here; he is talking about the people of God.
Both we and our fathers sinned; we have committed iniquity; we have done wickedness. Psalm 106:6
Our wickedness may be acts of commission, doing what we should not do, or it may be acts of omission, leaving undone what we ought to do.
My hope for this sermon is not condemnation but mercy. I want us to confront the darkness in our own hearts and call out to God for help. We need His mercy to repent of our own sinful rebellion and our lack of action in helping those in need of His mercy.
The Heart of Sacrificial Love
The psalmist gives several windows of hope to help us respond with simple acts of love and keep the darkness at bay. As we turn from looking back at what we have done and left undone, we now turn to what God would have us do.
First, intercede with prayer.
They made a calf in Horeb
and worshiped a metal image.
They exchanged the glory of God
for the image of an ox that eats grass.
They forgot God, their Savior,
who had done great things in Egypt,
wondrous works in the land of Ham,
and awesome deeds by the Red Sea.
Therefore he said he would destroy them—
had not Moses, his chosen one,
stood in the breach before him,
to turn away his wrath from destroying them. Psalm 106:19–23
The people sinned against God by making a golden calf. They had seen all God’s mighty works but quickly turned their hearts back to Egypt and their gods. In Exodus 33, Moses interceded for the people.
Moses said to the LORD, “See, you say to me, ‘Bring up this people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. Yet you have said, ‘I know you by name, and you have also found favor in my sight.’ Now therefore, if I have found favor in your sight, please show me now your ways, that I may know you in order to find favor in your sight. Consider too that this nation is your people.” And he said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” And he said to him, “If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here. For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Is it not in your going with us, so that we are distinct, I and your people, from every other people on the face of the earth?”
And the LORD said to Moses, “This very thing that you have spoken I will do, for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.” Moses said, “Please show me your glory.” Exodus 33:12–18
Moses prayed for the presence of God. He knew it was only God’s presence that made them distinct. We can’t be distinct from the world unless we have been called out of the world, and the only we can be called out of the world, to be set apart, is if we have the presence of God by His Spirit. The Spirit of God sets us apart from the world and empowers us to live holy lives.
God delights to answer the prayers of His people. We must intercede for those who are in sin. We must pray that God will open their eyes to see the truth. We must pray for those working on the front lines: for women considering abortion, for men considering leaving the pregnant mother, for pregnancy care centers, and for state and national legislators. We must pray. We must make intercession for these people so that they may have the presence of God because God’s presence is their greatest need.
Second, intercede with power. Moses interceded with prayer, while the psalmist highlights Phinehas, who interceded with action.
Then they yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor,
and ate sacrifices offered to the dead;
they provoked the LORD to anger with their deeds,
and a plague broke out among them.
Then Phinehas stood up and intervened,
and the plague was stayed.
And that was counted to him as righteousness
from generation to generation forever. Psalm 106:28–31
In Numbers 25, the Israelites married the daughters of Moab and began sacrificing to their gods. God’s anger was kindled, yet one man of Israel acted in open rebellion.
And behold, one of the people of Israel came and brought a Midianite woman to his family, in the sight of Moses and in the sight of the whole congregation of the people of Israel, while they were weeping in the entrance of the tent of meeting. When Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose and left the congregation and took a spear in his hand and went after the man of Israel into the chamber and pierced both of them, the man of Israel and the woman through her belly. Thus the plague on the people of Israel was stopped. Nevertheless, those who died by the plague were twenty-four thousand. Numbers 25:6–9
Phinehas acted in power and courage. He took the spear in his hand and fought for the Lord’s glory. This side of the cross we are not called to pick up our ‘spears’, but we are called to respond with courage Phinehas. We cannot stand idly by while God is mocked.
Here are five ways you can respond like Phineas:
Volunteer at Pregnancy Centers - The Palmetto Women’s Center is a great place to volunteer in Rock Hill. You can volunteer in many ways, either working with clients or helping to grow and serve their partners. Men can serve as dad coaches for dads who come in with expectant mothers. I am so grateful that so many of you have responded with Phinehas-like courage and volunteer.
Witness at Abortion Clinics - Some of you may be called to pray and witness at abortion clinics to help mothers choose a different path. Your words may help them turn from wickedness to righteousness.
Adoption or Foster Care - As Christians, we must care for life from the womb to the tomb. We can care for children by opening our hearts for adoption or becoming foster parents for children in need. It takes great courage and sacrifice to open your lives and home to some of our most vulnerable children.
Legislation - Some of you may feel led to advocate for pro-life laws or pursue a career in public service to advocate for the unborn as a formal representative of the government.
Proclaim - people’s greatest need is choosing to receive God’s righteousness.
But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. Titus 3:4–7
We must proclaim that salvation belongs to the Lord, not to us. We cannot earn our way to heaven. Our righteousness can’t save us; salvation comes only through God’s mercy. This is the call of Psalm 106. “Both we and our fathers have sinned; we have committed iniquity; we have done wickedness…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.” We will either be mixed with the nations or gather from among them.
The profound truth that has been resonating in my mind this week as I have stared at this text is that even though the people shed the innocent blood of their sons and daughters, God sent His own Son to shed His innocent blood so that they could become sons and daughters. Praise the Lord for His steadfast sacrificial love. Friend, if you have felt condemned and judged by Christians, please know that is not the heart of our God.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. John 3:16–18
God made a way so that you would not be condemned in your sin. Jesus came to save you. Believe in Him. Believe in His innocent life, His sacrificial death, and His resurrection. Repent of your sins and believe in Him, and you will have everlasting life.
In The Hobbit, Gandalf took courage in trusting in small things to fight against evil. I believe what he says is almost right,
Saruman believes that it is only great power that can hold evil in check. But that is not what I have found. I've found it is the small things, everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay. Simple acts of kindness and love.
I think he is right to say that small things, everyday deeds of ordinary people, keep the darkness at bay. But I would say that, for Christians, even those simple acts of kindness and love are full of great power because they are done by the Spirit of God. We can keep the darkness at bay; we can fight against evil every day in the power of the Spirit with simple acts of kindness and love. We can pray against our idols and the idols of our day like Moses did. We can fight with Phinehas-like courage and take action in righteousness. We can do it all because God sent His Son to shed His innocent blood so that we could become sons and daughters of God.
Yes, Psalm 106 lists the most horrific sins of God’s people. But, most importantly, it highlights the God of mercy who saves. We can keep the darkness at bay as we shine His light with simple yet powerful acts of love and kindness. God sent His innocent Son so that we could live as sons and daughters in the great power of the Spirit. Praise the Lord!