Who is the man that fears the Lord?

Psalm 25:12
Who is the man that fears the Lord? Him shall He teach in the way He chooses.

The psalm has got various definitions of the "fear of the Lord". This verse is focused more on the results of having that fear of the Lord. God sees those who fear Him as people that He can teach and mould. Those who fear Him will put their trust in Him and depend on Him. Their lives would revolve around God. This is the closeness that many have spoken and written about.

Clouds and darkness surround Him

Psalm 97:2
Clouds and darkness surround Him;
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne.

1 John 1:5
This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.

Why does darkness surrounds God (as mentioned in the Psalm verse) while Jesus revealed that God is light (as mentioned in 1 John). There is not even one bit of darkness in God. How can God have darkness while His Glory shines so remarkably, as mentioned in so many places in Scripture?

So the darkness mentioned in Psalm is not of God, but that which surrounds Him and hides Him from His creation. It could be the darkness represented by His enemies, or the lack of knowledge / relationship that we have with God. In any case, this darkness separates us from God.

While this darkness is hiding the glory of God from us, the psalm emphasizes that righteousness and justice are still upheld by God and thus still need to be practiced and valued by us. The thicker the cloud and darkness, the harder it is for us to practice the righteousness and justice.

It is through our Lord Yshua, who reveals that He is the Light, that we are able to see the Glory of God through the Son. When we know Jesus, we see God's light and we follow it. Hence by faith, righteousness and justice follows because we are focused on the true Light.

Do Not Let the Sun Go Down on Your Wrath

Truth of the Word once again proven by Science.

In the article: "Science Confirms: Don’t Go to Sleep Angry"
http://lifehacker.com/5877576/science-confirms-dont-go-to-sleep-sleep-angry

Quote:
"The old anecdotal saying that you should never go to sleep angry just got backed up by science, thanks to UMass Amherst neuroscientists."
....
"The study points to the practice that you should try to resolve these feelings before you go to sleep so that you can have a less visceral reaction to the problem in the morning."


Here is the Word of God, told to His people thousands of years ago.

Psalm 4:4
Be angry, and do not sin.
Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still. Selah

Ephesians 4
26 “Be angry, and do not sin”:[f] do not let the sun go down on your wrath,
27 nor give place to the

Let Us Shout Joyfully To The Rock Of Our Salvation

This psalm calls for God's people to worship the LORD joyfully with singing and shouting, with psalms. God is recognized to be in control of the whole earth from the deep places to the highest mountains. We are called to worship, bow and kneel and recognize that He is our Maker. A kind reminder to also listen to God and do not turn away when He speaks to us. An example for the reminder is the Israelites who was delivered by God, yet grieved God with their hardness of hearts.



Psalm 95
A Call to Worship and Obedience

 1 Oh come, let us sing to the LORD!
         Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.
 2 Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving;
         Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.
 3 For the LORD is the great God,
         And the great King above all gods.
 4 In His hand are the deep places of the earth;
         The heights of the hills are His also.
 5 The sea is His, for He made it;
         And His hands formed the dry land.
       
 6 Oh come, let us worship and bow down;
         Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.
 7 For He is our God,
         And we are the people of His pasture,
         And the sheep of His hand.
       
         Today, if you will hear His voice:
 8 “Do not harden your hearts, as in the rebellion,[a]
         As in the day of trial[b] in the wilderness,
 9 When your fathers tested Me;
         They tried Me, though they saw My work.
 10 For forty years I was grieved with that generation,
         And said, ‘It is a people who go astray in their hearts,
         And they do not know My ways.’
 11 So I swore in My wrath,
         ‘They shall not enter My rest.’ ”

Psalm of David Fleeing Absalom; Only God Can Give Peace

When David was fleeing from his son Absalom, David was already a very established king. His kingdom would have been vast after all the conquest he made in his early life, as God had given him many victories. He would also have been famous as a warrior-king with his mighty men of renown. Yet the Psalm below as he prayed to God during his escape from Absalom, was so similar to his prayers when he was fleeing from King Saul. He prayed to God with humility and full dependence on God's deliverance, even though he had the skills and men around him to fight his enemies. Through his years, he had not lost his relationship and dependence on God.

In the next Psalm, David expresses how God relieves his distress and hears his prayer. He describes his calm and peace that only God can give to him. He can sleep peacefully at night, knowing that God alone can guarantee his safety. The image here is not unlike how Jesus slept in the boat during a fierce storm while his disciples were totally frightened .



Psalm 4

To the Chief Musician. With stringed instruments. A Psalm of David.

 1 Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness!
         You have relieved me in my distress;
         Have mercy on me, and hear my prayer.
       
 2 How long, O you sons of men,
         Will you turn my glory to shame?
         How long will you love worthlessness
         And seek falsehood?  Selah
 3 But know that the LORD has set apart[a] for Himself him who is godly;
         The LORD will hear when I call to Him.
       
 4 Be angry, and do not sin.
         Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still.  Selah
 5 Offer the sacrifices of righteousness,
         And put your trust in the LORD.
       
 6 There are many who say,
         “Who will show us any good?”
         LORD, lift up the light of Your countenance upon us.
 7 You have put gladness in my heart,
         More than in the season that their grain and wine increased.
 8 I will both lie down in peace, and sleep;
         For You alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.

Psalm 3

A Psalm of David when he fled from Absalom his son.

 1 LORD, how they have increased who trouble me!

         Many are they who rise up against me.

 2 Many are they who say of me,

         “There is no help for him in God.”  Selah

       

 3 But You, O LORD, are a shield for me,

         My glory and the One who lifts up my head.

 4 I cried to the LORD with my voice,

         And He heard me from His holy hill.  Selah

       

 5 I lay down and slept;

         I awoke, for the LORD sustained me.

 6 I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people

         Who have set themselves against me all around.

       

 7 Arise, O LORD;

         Save me, O my God!

         For You have struck all my enemies on the cheekbone;

         You have broken the teeth of the ungodly.

 8 Salvation belongs to the LORD.

         Your blessing is upon Your people.  Selah