Speaker 1
0:01 Welcome to the Daily Blade. 0:03 The Word of God is described as the sword of the Spirit, the primary spiritual weapon in the Christian's armor against the forces of evil. 0:11 Your hosts are Joby Martin and Kyle Thompson, and they stand ready to equip men for the fight. 0:17 Let's sharpen up.
Speaker 2
0:21 How often do you think about the Roman Empire? 0:23 How often do you think about the Roman Empire Now? 0:24 If you recognize this question, it is probably because you got caught up in the far-reaching, albeit short-lived, phenomenon a couple of years ago where women would record their significant others answering that very question and for the most part, these men answered that they thought about the Roman Empire. 0:39 Often, 0:44 the women all over the world were shocked by this and the men were shocked that they were shocked. 0:46 At that time, there were a bunch of videos and think pieces that were made to try to explain all of this, but I think it could be summarized in a single word 0:53 Legacy. 0:55 The reason these men, and I for that matter, think about the Roman Empire so often is because it is literally one of the most dominant and longest-lasting hegemons in the history of civilization. 1:06 Whether you focus on the duration or breadth of the Roman Empire, it is easy to become enraptured in the effect that it had on human and civil development. 1:14 Men are obsessed with legacy. 1:17 We are obsessed with the notion of leaving a mark, having an impact, making a name for ourselves, and that's part of our problem. 1:24 We want to make a name for ourselves. 1:27 We want to leave a mark on the next generation so that we can be seen as important. 1:32 But the writer of Psalm 102, through his lament and anguish, is encouraging us to leave a mark on the next generation so that he, god, can be important. 1:43 Now, of all the psalms of lament that we have covered this week, this one could be called a Psalm of Complaint. 1:47 Okay, so the ESV header even reads A prayer of one afflicted when he is faint and pours out his complaint before the Lord. 1:55 And boy does he ever. 1:56 So we're going to read the first 11 verses of the Psalm here. 1:59 Hear my prayer, o Lord, let my cry come to you. 2:02 Do not hide your face from me. 2:04 In the day of my distress, 2:11 incline your ear to me, answer me speedily in the day when I call For. 2:13 My days pass away like smoke and my bones burn like a furnace. 2:14 My heart is struck down like grass and has withered. 2:16 I forget to eat my bread Because of my loud groaning. 2:19 My bones cling to my flesh. 2:21 I am like a desert owl of the wilderness, like an owl of the waste places I lie awake. 2:26 I am like a lonely sparrow on the housetop. 2:29 All the day, my enemies taunt me, those who deride me, use my name for a curse, for I eat ashes like bread and mingle tears with my drink. 2:38 Because of your indignation and anger, for you have taken me up and thrown me down. 2:42 My days are like an evening shadow. 2:44 I wither away like grass. 2:47 I mean, dude seems to be pretty pathetic in this moment. 2:50 He's in a pretty bad state of things, right, he seems like he's really up against it and he's only focusing on himself. 2:58 But the shift comes in verse 12. 3:00 But you, o Lord, are enthroned forever. 3:03 You are remembered throughout all generations. 3:07 Guys, this is the first statement of the entirety of Psalm 102 that isn't just focused on him, and verse 18 really drives this home. 3:15 Let this be recorded for a generation to come, so that a people yet to be created may praise the Lord. 3:23 To be clear, our duty as men and, for many of us, as fathers, is to ensure that the generation after us knows God. 3:34 It is our duty to make sure that they are equipped to praise the Lord. 3:38 It is our duty to look beyond our current strife so that we can set them up to do the Lord's work. 3:46 In verses 25, through the end of Psalm 102, read like this Of old, you laid the foundation of the earth and the heavens are the work of your hands. 3:54 They will perish, but you will remain. 3:57 They will all wear out like a garment, you will change them like a robe and they will pass away, but you are the same and your years have no end. 4:05 The children of your servants shall dwell secure. 4:07 Their offspring shall be established before you. 4:11 Let's make sure they can dwell secure, guys.