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Episode 664:In this episode, Chris and guest Pastor Tom Blount delve into Psalm 44, which expresses a deep sense of despair and confusion from the Israelites, who feel abandoned by God despite their faithfulness. The psalmist recounts God's past victories and deliverance, contrasting them with their current state of defeat and humiliation. The hosts discuss the emotional weight of the psalm, highlighting the feelings of helplessness and the plea for God to awaken and intervene.
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You're listening to The Bible Guys, a podcast where a couple of friends talk about the Bible in fun in practical ways. Hey, everybody, welcome to the Bible Guys career. My name is Tom. Yeah, and we today are your Bible Guys because Jeff is out of the town with Chad. He's off serving Jesus and Morocco. Oh, I'm not kidding, even Morocco, which is great, but he really is truly on a missions trip that is not a vacation for him. But anyway, he was not available today. So what we're doing is having a different guest every day of the week, which is really fun. And today we have Pastor Tom Blount. It's great to be here. I'm excited just to be in the same room with the Bible Guys. Stop. So I was hoping you would sing for me today. Really, Oh my gosh, my. Wife and I love that. Do you really? Good morning? Mon Oh you do it? Good to go, go go, come on. Good moaning, good morning. We talked the whole night through good moaning, good moaning to you. Hey, this is a privilege for me, gay, No, I'm not kidding, because Jeff doesn't sing that and you sang it. I got him to do it a little bit amazing. I'm not as good as you, but no, no. No, listen, now I know how Jeff feels. That is pretty. You did awesome. Yeah, I know. How to snap. It's hot in here, by the way. It is. It is, which is why I have a T shirt. On you anyways, But it's great. Man. Hey listen, First of all, thank you for that. That was a privilege. I forgot to tell people what you do. You have been for a long time now our main pastor of our Inly City campus for Heritage Church. Yeah, we're gonna actually be there this September. Eight years eight years we helped start the campus, but then we went and served another place for a little time. But yeah, eight years. So we're excited. So tell our listeners who perhaps are in you know, a driving distance away from your campus, what's happening on April twenty fourth. April twenty fourth, we're going to have the Bible Guys Live, which is which is seven o'clock. Jeff and myself, Jeff. And you will be there. There's only gonna be two hundred tickets, so you'll have to get online. I think it's Heritage Church dot com slash events and you can reserve a ticket. Anybody's invited, and I know a lot of the listeners who watch on the podcast or maybe listen in their car, they'll want to come out and see. It's going to be a fun time little snacks. Yeah, we'll actually do an actual Bible Guys episode at the Bible Guy yea, it's it's going to be straight Bible Guys episode and then we're gonna do other stuff too, So it'll be a lot of fun and if you you know, if you care about that sort of thing and you want to come out and see us live Bible Guys Live event. It's the first one we've ever really technically promoted with with through this venue. Right, we've never advertised the Bible Guys Live event on this podcast. We thought it would be a great time because you guys are just we're just finishing up with the Bible Guys in the study of First Timothy in groups. Yeah yeah cool, Yeah, that's really great. And so you're you're people of your church are going to come out because it's sort of the culmination of a group. Study, yeah study. But it's an open invitation because it's just going to be this random fun time. Uh. We're all we're really going to be doing is just you know, getting together and just encouraging people and doing bibba guy study. That's gonna be a baba guys. Lie. Okay, So now that we've promoted that, let's jump into our segment. Uh, Thomas, this is what Desiree has written for you. I call this the Crazy Questions. Thomas the pastor of our Ina City campus and the coolest motorcycle rider out there. So here's today's question. Yes, if you could only use one type of transportation for the rest of your life, but it had to be completely impractical, what would it be? What a crazy question? Man, that's crazy, I got you know. Oh that's I wish you could be my motorcycle because we're getting ready to do a trip out west. What it can be? Because that is technical impractical as you're well, practical in winter in Michigan. Yeah, true, maybe not so much. I kind of thought about a unicycle because when I was a kid, I wanted to ride a unicycle. That'd be kind of it. Have you ever ridden a unicycle? I tried in the basement, kept crashing in and all the time. Can you imagine going to the grocery store in your unicycle? I actually thought about a hot air balloon. Can you imagine having that view? It does say your only source of. It's only only and that's why. Yeah, man, that's tough. I'll just say a unicycle because if it's my only form of transportation, then sooner or later I have to learn how to ride or I got to walk. Well and all that, But then your whole life would be probably confined in the city right that you would never make it down for another Bible guys, never never, never, because you're not going to ride forty five minutes in a car. How long would that be on a unicycle? Oh? God, for me that don't know how to ride, it be carried it on my shoulder. Three days, maybe three days for me at least. Oh man, that is I don't know. I guess I'll say a unicycle. But I actually thought about a red wagon that somebody had to pull me in the rest of my life. Who are you going deep on us now? Red wagon, radio flyer, red wagon? Wow, look at you pulling off the memories. Right there telling you, Yeah, I think it'd be fun. Yeah, thank you for entertaining us. That was a thrill. I'll bet, I'll bet, I'll bet the listeners are just gonna well shock that on a star. Don't you love knowing? Right now your wife's at home? When did she listen to Bible? Guys? And we will know she'll listen to it if she's cleaned the house. But we watch it at night together. Do you really? We watch it at night together and we love it. You guys do a great job. I've learned a lot, which. Means right now you're at home at night watching this with your wife. Oh that's right. To yourself, Hi, how you doing? No, No, I said, say to yourself. Oh hey Tom, how you doing? Buddy? I wish I could say hi to my mom? But you did the right thing. You said. How did Judy first? That was the right thing. You know she's taught me. Well did you. Like doing buddy? Hey? I got to tell you something though. We just are getting ready to pick up a new car for Judy. Yes, and she heard you in an episode that you name all your cars. She wants you to drive her car. That's crazy to name it. I'm looking forward to that. That would be a privilege for me, Thanks right. My brother Chucky has me named all of his cars. I've named all infect her. Whole family names all of our cars. Crazy. So I've had like thirty cars if you consider all the cars for my kids even and I was a part of all the namings of them back when I was sixteen up until now we've had I can name you all of my cars, all their names. I don't know if I could remember the cars I drove. I did. My first car was a Chavette. You could have paddled it like the flintstones because the floorboards are rusted out. That was crazy, Yeah, buddy, it was crazy. Did you know the part of that song says with the courtesy of Fred's two Feet. Did you know that does say that? Yeah? Yeah, yeah, because people don't really know that line of. The courtesy of Fred's two Feet. Yeah yeah, that's that's the line and the song that nobody gets. Wow, and you remember everything? No, I do, not kidding me. All right, Hey, listen, that's our time. We're at seven minutes, so let's move into actual things. You know, speaking of feet. That's a great transition. We are about to walk through Psalm forty four. That's a terrible, terrible shit. I was trying to figure out one, but I just couldn't do it, because you guys, when you do them, they're bad. When I said the word feet, I didn't even know how I was going to use that, but I said. Walk through to Psalm forty four. I'm sort of proud myself, so. Well, uh you want me to read, Uh, sure, I'll read and do the best I can in Psalms forty four. So, oh God, we have heard it with our own ears. Our ancestors have told us of all you did in their days and days long ago. You drove out the pagan nation by your power and gave all the land to your ancestors. To our ancestors, you crush their enemies, their enemies, and set their ancestors free. They did not conquer the land with their swords. It was not their own strong arm that gave them victory. It was your right hand and strong arm and the blinding light from your face that helped them. For you love them. You are my king and my God. You command victories for Israel. Only by your power can we push back our enemies. Only in the name. Can we trample our foes. I do not trust in my bow. I do not count on my sword to save me. You are the one who gives us victory over our enemies. You grace, disgrace, You disgrace those who hate us. Oh God, we give you glory to you all day long, and constantly praise your name. But now you have tossed us aside in dishonor. You no longer lead our armies to battle. You make us retreat from our enemies and allow those who hate us to plunder our land. You have butchered us like sheep and scattered us among the nations. You sold your precious people for pittance, making nothing on the sale. You let our neighbors mock us. We are an object of scorn and derision to those around us. You have made us the butt of their jokes, and they shake their heads at us and scorn. We can't escape the constant humiliation. Shame is written across our faces. All we hear are the taunts of our markers. All we see is our vengeful enemies. All this has happened though we have not forgotten you. We have not violated your covenant. Our hearts have not deserted you. We have not strayed from your path. Yet you have crushed us in the jackals desert home. You have covered us with darkness and death. If we had forgotten the name of our God or spread our hands in prayer to foreign God's God would surely have known it, for he knows the secrets of every heart. But for your sake, we are killed. Every day, We are being slaughtered like sheep. Wake up, Oh Lord, why do you sleep? Get up? Do not reject forever us forever? Why do you look the other way? Why do you ignore our suffering and oppression. Collapse in the dust line, face down in the dirt, Rise up, Help us, ransom us from our unfailing for your unfailing love. Yeah, that's crazy. There you go, there, you go, there it is there, it is. That is a crazy chapter. It is. And so the context for that I'd love to read from the note on some forty four application to study Bible that says, this is a plea for victory by the battle. Weary and defeated, when it seems that God has let you down, don't despair. Instead, remember God's past deliverance and be confident that He will restore you. The author are the descendants of Korra, the Temple Assistance, and and so yeah, it is a absolute desperate writing, right because he said, he's saying, we are being defeated. Uh, to the point to where they're mocking us. We're getting mocked, We're getting ridiculed. We are we are like in the jaws of jackals. We are at our lowest point. And God, you have allowed this. We have we are faithful. God, Please give us this victory. Why have you forgotten us? And so they're praying, excuse me, they're praying for this victory. It's amazing because like you just said, I mean, here they are. They're saying, God, you know our hearts because if you think about it, in the Old Testament times, it always seems to have a pattern that flows that when we are obedient to God and faithful to God and have faith in God, he delivers them. He fights the battles for them. And they even said, we're not trusting in our own strength, we're not trusting our bows. We trust in you. And so it's almost like we're examining our hearts and we didn't really do anything wrong. What's going on here? And I think that relates to us in our own lives? What did I do to deserve? What's going on? Right? Let me read you another note too. It says this psalm may have been sung at an occasion like the one in Second Chronicles, chapter twenty, where the faithful Jehosephat was surrounded by enemies and the Levites saying to the Lord before the battle. So let's keep in mind that psalms were always sung to music, which is why you didn't say interlude. But there's a selah right after verse number eight, which I wouldn't have said it either. But the reason pause, Yeah, that's the reason why that's in there is because that's a pause in the song. So, believe it or not, this crazy wording in this chapter was actually a song. Actually, Yeah, it's actually interesting if I could just say this, In those first eight verses, it's almost as if Israel's looking back to the history and actually talking about the very facts and how God has delivered them and the forces by which he delivered them. And then they almost pause, like. Look, we're talking about this history, and then all of a sudden, bang, we're in this helpless situation. Yeah, because that's what verse nine starts with. But now but now yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, so so yeah, you are the king, you are there, You are a god. You command victories over Israel. We do not put our trust in our own selves or our weapons. This other note said as and some forty four one through three says you drove out the Pagan nations refers to the conquest of Canaan, the promised land described in the Book of Joshua, God gave us, who gave the land to the Israelites. They were supposed to enter and drive out anyone who was wicked and opposed to God. Israel was told not to settle the land and to be a witness to the world to God's power and love. Surrounded by enemies, the Psalms writer remembered what God had done for his people and took heart we can have the same confidence in God when we feel attacked. But I mean, from. Verse nine on to your point, it is definitely a desperate prayer. Hey Lord, wake up, Lord, don't reject us. And we talked about this, I think yesterday because some of the same discouragements happened in well, I don't know if it was yesterday the day before in our podcast, but one of the songs that we wrote read was about discouragement and uh, and it's and it's okay to be discouraged. And so even though these are strong words, why has God abandoned us? Forever? Has he rejected us? And all these different. Types of things? Uh, keep in mind that the God has allowed the author to express all of these feelings. And yet you know we're not condemned for it. Right, So we think God has gone? You know you know what I'm I was I wasn't gonna say this. I almost made reference to it yesterday. But so we're this Easter, we're teaching on Thomas. Okay, so not you, not you. You put your hand to your jest me. It's all about you, buddy, But doubting Thomas, right, and you know what, you know what I just I think I think maybe I've seen this before in the scriptures, but never before has it become so vibrant and prominent. So think about this. So if you know the story of the Bible, you know, en I'm doing some cross referencing here. But so Jesus appears to the ten disciples, Jesus is gone, Thomas is not in the room. So there's ten left and along with the women and who else he else was in there. But Jesus appears to the other ten disciples. They see him, they interact with him, they talk with him, and so they're absolutely convinced that Jesus has risen from the grave, and not on that. But he appears in their room, a locked room, and then it says it goes out of its way to say Thomas was not there. And then Thomas comes back. They all say, Jesus has risen from the grave. And what does he say. I'm not going to believe it till I see it, right. Which is our theme. I believe when I see it, And he says he but he says something very specific. He says, not only not only do I have see. For myself, I have to personally touch his wounds and his hands and his side. Right. And he was all alone when he said this, right, Jesus was. And then it says Jesus didn't appear to him until eight days later. Eight days later, and then Jesus appears in the room. And the first thing he says out loud, he said, Thomas, come and touch the wounds in my hands and my side, which means this, and Thomas's lowest point, when he was doubting the most, when he was literally throwing conditions out there. Hey, God, show me a sign. I'm not going to believe it until my prayers answered this way. I'm not going to believe it until God shows up in such a miraculous way. At our lowest point, we don't think that God's listening. And yet Jesus responded to Thomas's direct doubts, and guess what he didn't do. He didn't condemn him, he didn't yell at him, he didn't address the fact that he doubted. All he really. Said is he said, blessed or you that you've seen me and you believe, But blessed are those in the future us who believe it and don't see. Right. So Jesus meets Thomas where he is, He meets him in his doubts. He meets him and never condemns him. But it's proof. So listen, you know what that means for us. That means that, like if we are to feel the same way as the Psalmist and we're saying crazy things, wake up, Lord, why do you sleep? I mean that's a pretty serious accusation, right, do not reject us forever? Why do you look the other way? Why do you ignore our suffering? These are feelings that they have in the midst of fear and defeat, probably wondering if God is even listening. And yet what we know is every part about God is God. Nothing escapes him. No. God. God knows your fears, he knows your doubts, he knows your discouragement right now, and so if you think that he's not listening. He is. Yeah, I have to say that the way this passage seems to unfold to me, and I love what you said because we would say God's after you and angry at you, because you even would say are you sleeping? Like I don't have to prove myself to you. But the bottom line is when you really look at they did rehearse the history of all that went on there. Then they get in this situation where you just feel helpless. And I have felt helpless many times, and I don't really think we have time to go into it with all I went through here just recently. But the thing I really love about it. But let our listeners know, you went through a cancer school. We went through Yeah, I had total knee replacement left me. Nine days later, I ended up back in the emergency room with a mass in my stomach that was bleeding inside. And so therefore they came into the room, I remember, and they're saying, you have cancer. Yeah, and Judy and I were just like, okay, yeah, And it didn't really kind of resonate and hit us till we got home. But long story short, we went through all this. I got it out December thirtieth. But on Friday night before my Monday surgery, I can remember saying this. I said, Lord, I don't really want. To do this, and we were just kind of talking back and forth, and he was meeting me right where I was. I was discouraged a little bit. I was tired, but I'm like, Lord, I don't really want to do this. And so I told Judy, I said I'm going to go to bed. And so I went to bed, and somewhere between the conversations that I was having with the Lord, just repeating this again, she must have came into bed and she said, are you all right? I said no, it's dark, and I said, but I'll be okay. And I remember telling the Lord, I said, Lord, really, is there another way can we just do this another way, and I'll never forget this as long as I live. He said, you know, Tom, I felt like it was Jesus is speaking almost audibly to me. He says, look, I know how you feel, because there was a time in my life or I went to my father and said, look, I don't really want to do this. Is there any other way we can do this? But I trust you? And I remember telling the Lord I said, I trust you, and he just basically told me, he said, hey, I've got this, and your daddy's got this. You're going to be fine. And I, honestly, God think I fell asleep right after her. So what I'm saying is, we know the history. We know where he's been in our lives. We've seen him take care of us. We've seen him take care of us and our finances and our marital relationships and our children when maybe we're just just at odds, And then all of a sudden, we find ourselves in that middle ground where it's like, are you here, what's going on? I mean, people are laughing. At me because I stand for you, and people think that oh you tied, you're incumberor whatever. And then all of a sudden, what do they do? They turn and they still go back to him who is their hope, and say, look, would you just rise up and help us? Yeah, and get us where we need to be. It's an amazing passage. But I can really relate to it and it's really helped me. Yeah. And you know the the other part, as you were saying all that, you said, Hey, we've seen. God work, We've seen God do this and do that, and He's faithful. And that is true, one hundred percent true, right, I mean, so we're supposed to trust God for our future uncertainties based on God's past faithfulness. Yes, and who he is too, as you know, his characteristics and his attributes and who we know him to be, and his desire and love for us and all his promises and proclamations and everything else. But at the same time, I do have to acknowledge, we have to recognize the fact that there are people who would say, yeah, I remember God's past history with me. I went through a season in my life and guess what, he didn't show up. He wasn't faithful, right, And we think that we think that he wasn't faithful. The reality is God's always with us. Right, there are definitely things that come our way that our trials that we wouldn't wish on our greatest enemy, and things that don't work out. And we pray for things and we're like, God, take this cup from me, and it does not go away, and and uh, and and there are things that last years and years and sometimes decades and sometimes a lifetime and we and we do think, yeah, okay, you know, why why did I get this hand? Help to me? Why did I get this lot in life? You know, I'm praying for a job and and uh, you know, and and and and I'm praying God will take care of me. And and it's been two solid years and I don't understand why I'm trying to be faithful and God just won't give. Me a secure job. And you know, or or I prayed for a child, and we prayed and prayed and prayed, and we've had five miscarriages and and God never showed up. And you know, and then something else tragic happens or something like this. Right, So, so you know, we definitely have to acknowledge the fact that we can't always say that God answers our prayers the way that we want them. And I believe that we live in a broken and messed. Up world, and a lot of times what we do is we try to lay at the feet of God that which should not be laid at the feet of God, because we live in a broken, sinful world that has consequences, and there's you know, God will one day defeat all evil, but evil does exist and sorrow exists, so we cant acknowledge that. But He's not a vending machine where I picked that certain thing and ask him this and he always answers. And that's what I've been asking the Lord. How can I encourage other people yes that maybe their prayer wasn't answer that way. One of the things I think I've come. To realize through these past few years is if I want to live right, I need to believe right, and I'll live out what I truly believe, not what I just know. And I think it's a power of right believing. And I think these people they knew God was sovereign and majestic, but now it's God. You have mercy on me, Yeah, well you have mercy on me. Don't give me what I deserve. But I'm just trying to help other people encourage them. Because I pray for my dad and he passed away with cancer. I prayed for my best friend Jimmy King, he passed away with cancer. So we don't always get it. There's something in there that I'm saying. Lord, I know we can help other people realize you can be counted on, you can be counted. So the power that right believing would be regardless of how I feel, because that's kind of fickling fizzles away, right, sure, but the true faith, trusting in Him is what gets us through. That's right, it really does. That's amazing. Hey, that's dude. I don't think we can end any stronger than there. So that's great and that is definitely our time. So what a great chapter. And appreciate you being here. And I look forward to being in La City. Bible guys live. Yeah, twenty fourth, Jeff and I on the twenty fourth, So mark it down and we'll have you drive Judy's car and oh yeah, then I'll name the car. Hey, maybe we can announce it live. We'll lie. We'll do lie, okay that. Anybody that's a clips, if anybody cares, that's Someboddy. We'll have three people there yeah, okay, all right, way, well, we'll see you tomorrow with a brand new guest, hopefully on the babble Gush