Psalm 112  The man "who fears the Lord"  and " delights in His commandments" is called "blessed" or happy.   To fear or revere the Lord , "is the beginning of wisdom"  and " A good understanding have all those who do His commandments." ( Ps. 111:10)  To delight means to incline to, bend, or be pleased with, to desire.   So... to be "happy"  we must have a righteous, reverent, fear of Jehovah, the Most High God.. and a heartfelt desire to do what He has commanded. 

The psalmist then lists the many blessings that God desires to bestow on those who meet these two qualifications:

He will bless your children and grandchildren.
He will bless you financially.
He will give you light in the darkest of times.
He will make you like Himself in graciousness, compassion, and righteousness.
He will make you "well" - do good to you and for you.
He will be on your side in legal judgements.
He will keep you from being "shaken".
He will remember you forever.
You will not be afraid of bad news.
Your heart will be steadfast and trust the Lord.
You will overcome the enemy.
You will be generous to those in need.
You will have righteousness .
You will be lifted up in honor.

The Bible dictionary has this to say about fear;
"Religious fear is the human response to the presence of God."
When God Himself appears to us and we experience the reality of His holiness we will be overwhelmed with awe and fear and fall on our faces before Him.  "The God of Israel is an awe-producing God because of His majesty, His power, His works, His transcendence, and His holiness." 
We will learn the "fear of God" as we experience His Presence - as we see His works, His power, His salvation, His majesty.
The fear of God is transformed from terror into "respect and reverence in which trust" is prominent, by the covenant relationship we have with Him.  In the Old Testament this was the covenant of the Law, but for us it is the New Covenant through Jesus Christ.
Fear of the Lord will result in worship and obedience.
Fear of the Lord is required by the Lord... Deuteronomy 10:12-13 "... what does the Lord your God require from you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, and love Him, and to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and to keep the Lord's commandments and His statutes... " 
We learn the fear of the Lord by reading His Word and doing it every day. ( Deut. 17:19)

If we have the right "fear of the Lord"  we will "delight in His commandments."  We will want to order our lives according to His word and trust Him in all things.  We will joyfully serve Him and give Him our whole hearts.  We will love Him with our whole beings.
And when we do this... we will be blessed. Truly happy.
Praise the Lord!

Father in heaven,  teach me the fear of the Lord.  May I experience the reality of Your holy Presence. May I gain understanding of Your Word and do all that You have commanded, by the power of Your Spirit in me. To the glory of Your Name and through the One in whose name I pray,  Christ my Redeemer ,my King, and my Lord.  Amen.

I am still ruminating over Psalm 110 this morning.
Jesus, the Highest King, owns all of creation and rules it completely according to the will of the Father.  It is His Kingdom and His rules apply.
Jesus is the Highest Priest, and has the highest spiritual authority granted by the Father.  He alone is the way to God, the intercessor, the sacrifice, and the redeemer.
Jesus is the Highest power judicially.  He is higher than any Supreme Court and His judgements are righteous and  final.

Paul wrote this in Ephesians 1:18-23  " I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with he working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ when He raised Him from the dead, and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also the one to come.  And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fulness of Him who fills all in all." 

Paul also wrote in I Corinthians 15:24-28  that at the end,  He will deliver " up the kingdom to God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and power. For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. .. and when all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, that God may be all in all." 

All that David wrote in Psalm 110 was accomplished in Jesus Christ as He lived, died, and rose from the grave.  The Father has established the rule of His only begotten Son... " for a child will be born to us, a son will be given us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.  There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, on the throne of David and over His kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this." ( Isaiah 9:6-7)

Great are Your works, O Lord! How splendid and majestic is your work, Your gracious, compassionate, righteous work.. for You have "sent redemption to Your people"  You have made known Your power.  You have made known Your commandments and Your covenant.  You have given to us a great Savior, the Anointed One who is King, Priest, and Judge forever.  All praise to God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. 

Psalm 110  is a Messianic psalm, all about Jesus.  It is easy to miss some of the meaning with the way we translate it from the Hebrew.  But it is so powerful when we take a closer look.

" The LORD ( Jehovah - the I AM- the self-existent One ) says to my Lord ( Adoni - master); 
Sit at My right hand, until I make Thine enemies a footstool for Thy feet." 


The Father declared that His Son will be King.
The Father will stretch out the Son's scepter - will extend  His rule and His rod of authority.
The Son will have dominion over all His enemies.
His people will serve Him willingly in all holiness.

The Father has declared the Son to be the High Priest forever.
He is at the right hand of the Father. He has immediate access to the Most High God and He intercedes for us there.

The Father has declared that the Son is the Judge of all men. 
He will snuff out all other kings and rulers .
He will determine the verdict against every nation.
He will destroy the evil doers.
He will shatter those who are evil leaders.

The Son will be victorious in all He does. 
The Father will lift up the Son's head. He will be above all.

Our world is filled will those who are enemies to the King of kings.  We are horrified at their wickedness and terror.  We cannot comprehend the senseless killing, the needless violence, the intense hatred that fills so many hearts.  Bitterness, anger, and selfishness cause hearts to be hardened and filled with darkness.  Their only hope is Jesus, for He is King, High Priest, and Judge.
He is more powerful than any earthly ruler.
He is holier than any religious order.
He is more righteous than any judge or jury.

In Jesus we find the Law of Love, which supersedes any law that men can enact.
In Jesus we find the only True way to find God.
In Jesus we find complete justice and great mercy.
Jesus is appointed by the Father to be the epitome of Political rule, of Religious leadership, and of Judicial systems.
He is the greatest King, the greatest Priest, and the greatest Judge.

Praise the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, our Master, who calls us His friends, who brings us into His family, and who makes us His own.

Father in Heaven , how mighty You are and how wise!  You have made a perfect plan to redeem us and to bring us into Your Kingdom.  Thank You.  May Your Kingdom come, that we might see Jesus , high and lifted up, fulfilling all of Your Word, to the glory of Your Name.  amen.

Psalm 108  This is called a song of David.  " My heart is steadfast, O God."   My heart is fixed, prepared, established, ready... to sing praises to the Lord!  From the first hint of dawn, David lifts up praises to the Lord.  He praises the lovingkindness and truth that the Lord has shown to him.  He exalts the Lord's glory and majesty.  He remembers the Lord's work in all of Israel and he calls upon the Lord for help.

This is another good example of prayer.  Praise and thanksgiving from the heart that is fixed on God. Acknowledging the Lord's past work in our lives and looking for His continued help in the day ahead.
We declare His greatness and our neediness.
His provision and our dependence.
He is able to do all things and we are absolutely in need of His presence and strength for the day.. every day.

Psalm 109 takes a different approach altogether.  Here David calls upon the Lord to deal with the evil man.. the one who "did not remember to show lovingkindness but persecuted the afflicted and needy man." ( v16)   This person or persons:
Spoke evil and wicked things.
Lied.
Hated.
Fought.
Accused.
And cursed.

David's words are harsh and pointedly severe. He asks God to take vengeance on his behalf.
Give him ( the evil man)  a wicked leader.
Make his right hand man to turn against him.
Make the judge find him guilty.
Don't listen to his prayers for mercy.
Cut off his life.
Replace him.
Let his children be without a father and his wife without her husband.
Let the children become beggars.
Let the creditors take all his belongings.
Let strangers steal his land.
Don't let anyone show him mercy.
Don't let anyone show his children compassion.
Cut off any future generations.
Don't forget his sin, his father's sin, or his mother's sin.
Take the curses that he put on others and put it on him.

David spews out all this anger and then.... turns from it, letting it go.
"But Thou, O God, the Lord , deal kindly with me for Thy name's sake. " ( v21)
Help me.
Save me.
Bless me.
Be my deliverer and my Advocate.

When those who are evil do there best to harm us, we need to remember these things:
1. Vengeance belongs to the Lord. We must leave it in His hands.
2. He is on the side of those who recognize their own neediness and who call on Him.

Father in heaven,  we look to You for our every need.  For daily bread.  For forgiveness. For direction. For deliverance from the evil one.  May Your Name be hallowed and praised.  May Your Kingdom come.  May Your will be done.  Yours, O God, is the glory and power, forever and ever. Amen.

Psalm 107  A little over 3 years ago I wrote about this psalm (  see Sept. 23, 2013).   I noted that there are 4 groups of people:
v4-9  The wanderers
v10-15 The prisoners
v17-22 The foolish
v23-31 The stricken

Each group cries out to God and He rescues them.. because of His lovingkindness.

Verse 2 " Let the redeemed of the Lord say so..."   To say that the Lord is good and to give Him thanks.
We give Him thanks because:
He delivers us from distresses. ( v6,13,19,28)
He leads us by "straight ways" ( v7)
He satisfies our thirsty souls.(v9)
He fills us hungry souls with what is good. (v9)
He brings us out of darkness. (v14)
He breaks our bonds. (v14)
He shatters the prison gates. (v16)
He sends His word. (v20)
He heals us. (v20)
He delivers us. (v20)
He stills the storms.  (v29)
He quiets the waves. (v29)
He guides us home. (v30)

What a Mighty God we serve!
He is good!
Lord, You are our fortress and our deliverer, our help in Whom we can trust.
Bless us with fruitful lives in Your service.  Grant to us Your strength to serve You faithfully today and every day.  We give You our thanks and our praise, in the Name of our dear Savior, Jesus Christ,
Amen.

Psalm 106  Although this psalm starts out as many others, " Praise the Lord! Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good..."  it quickly turns into a history lesson.  A history lesson that reviews the many failures of the nation of Israel.  " We have sinned like our fathers, we have committed iniquity, we have behaved wickedly." The psalmist once again paints us a picture, this time one that is dark:

It starts out in Egypt.
They didn't understand God's "wonders".
They didn't remember His kindness to them.
They "rebelled at the Red Sea."
But, God saved them anyway, leading them through on dry ground and closing the waters over the enemies.

Then, they believed, but it did not last. In the wilderness they:
Forgot His works.
Didn't wait for His counsel.
" Craved intensely"  and "tempted God"
And God gave them what they wanted, however, He also sent a disease among them.

Next, they became envious of Moses and Aaron and rebelled against God's appointed leaders.
And, God opened the earth to consume the wicked.

They made a calf out of gold at Horeb.
They "exchanged their glory for the image of an ox that eats grass. They forgot God their Savior."
God wanted to destroy them, but Moses interceded.

Then they refused to enter Canaan.
" They did not believe in His word."
They grumbled.
They wouldn't listen to the voice of the Lord.
God judged them there in the wilderness, refusing them their chance to enter the promised land.

They started worshipping idols.
They ate "sacrifices offered to the dead."
They so provoked God that He sent a plague upon them.
But, Phinehas stood up and interceded and the plague stopped.

They provoked God at Maribah.
They rebelled again and made Moses so mad that he spoke rashly and lost his chance to enter the Land.

They didn't destroy the peoples in their new land when they finally entered.
But, instead mingled with them, learned their ways, and worshipped their idols.
They "even sacrificed their sons and daughters to the demons, and shed innocent blood...." 
They became unclean.
They " played the harlot". 
They kindled the Lord's anger.
He gave them to the nations.
They were oppressed.
They were subdued.
Every time He would deliver them they rebelled and "sank down in their iniquity."

"Nevertheless He looked upon their distress, when He heard their cry; and He remembered His covenant for their sake and relented according to the greatness of His lovingkindness. "

"Save us , O Lord our God, and gather us from the nations, to give thanks to Thy holy name, and glory in Thy praise. "

They didn't understand.
They didn't remember.
They didn't believe.
They wanted their stomachs filled.
They wanted their own power.
They wanted their own gods.
They wanted their own iniquities.
Over and over again these same sins are played out in every nation, ( so true of our nation today)...and in every individual.
Yet, over and over again, God hears our cry for help. remembers His promises, and saves us. 

O tidings of comfort and joy!
God rest you merry gentlemen
Let nothing you dismay
Remember Christ our Savior
was born on Christmas day
To save us all from Satan's power
When we were gone astray
O tidings of comfort and joy,
comfort and joy, 
O tidings of comfort and joy!

Gracious and kind Father , thank You for being infinitely patient with us.  Thank You for sending Jesus to save us, even while we were yet sinners.. How good You are!  Keep our steps on Your path and our hearts in Your love today, I ask in the Name of the Wonderful Savior, Jesus, Amen.

Psalm 105  Part of this psalm is recorded in I Chronicles 16 as the ark was brought up into the tent that David had prepared for it.  Here we see the whole history of Israel recounted, a call of thanksgiving for all that the Lord had done to bring His nation into existence in the place that He had chosen for them.  The people were reminded to sing praises to the Lord and to "make known His deeds among the people."

Christmas time is a good time for us to stop and reflect on all the Lord has done for us in our own lives and to make known His deeds among our own people.

The Lord brought me to Himself as a child.  He placed me in a family where I was taken to church from the beginning of my life.  He gave me godly examples to follow.. my mom, my grandmother, and some of my siblings.

The Lord rescued me from darkness and gave me His light.
The Lord has worked good in my life, even from my failures.
The Lord has blessed me with much more than I could ever dream of.
The Lord has given me a hunger and thirst for more of Himself.

I have much to praise the Lord for everyday.  Yet I know I can never thank Him enough for His great love towards me.

 I am struck by verse 4 " Seek the Lord and His strength; seek His face continually."    This is God's desire for us every day.  This Christmas,  I want to do just that.. seek Him, seek to see Him better, seek His strength for what ever lies ahead in the new year.

Father, thank You for loving me and saving me through Jesus Christ, the Lord.  Guide me in Your ways that I might live for Your glory, I ask in His name.  Amen.