Psalm 114-115

 Psalm 114  This short song speaks of God's deliverance for Israel.. 

God brought Israel out of Egypt.

God made Judah His "sanctuary"... His sacred place.. His holy portion.

God made Israel His "dominion"..  His realm. 

God made the sea turn back. 

God made the mountains skip.

"Tremble, O earth, before the Lord, before the God of Jacob.. " 

Because God can do anything He desires.. bringing water from a rock.. bringing a people out of slavery to be His holy nation.. the whole earth should fear Him and worship Him alone!

Psalm 115 "Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to Thy name give glory because of Thy lovingkindness, because of Thy truth." 

This psalm declares the greatness of God and the uselessness of idols. "God is in the heavens; He does what He pleases."

An idol does nothing:

Their mouths cannot speak.

Their eyes cannot see.

Their ears cannot hear.

Their noses cannot smell.

Their hands cannot feel.

Their feet cannot walk.

They cannot make a sound.. "Those who make them will become like them.. " 

But the Lord of Israel is "their help and their shield." 

He is "mindful of us". 

He blesses His people.

He gives increase to His people.

He is the Maker of heaven and earth. "The heavens are the heavens of the Lord; but the earth He has given to the sons of men." 

We have a great God!  Praise His Name!

 

Father in heaven, we are so thankful to serve the Living God, the Maker of heaven and earth.. for nothing is impossible for You.  Indeed, nothing is possible without You.  Be our help and shield as You were and are for Israel.  Make us to be Your sanctuary.. make us holy.. that we might please You. Be mindful of us.. remember us..come and be present in our lives, in our churches, and in our families.  We need You and pray for the blessing of Your Spirit to fill our lives with the fulness of Christ Jesus. This is our petition that we bring before You today, in Christ's name. Amen. 

Praise the Lord!

 Psalm 113  "Praise the Lord!"  the psalmist writes, and as if he can't say it strongly enough, he repeats it.. "Praise, O servants of the Lord. Praise the name of the Lord. Blessed be the name of the Lord.. " 

Bless His name..  "from this time forth and forever.. " 

Bless His name..   "From the rising of the sun to its setting the name of the Lord is to be praised." 

He is "high above all nations."  Our God is exalted above the strongest, the richest and the greatest nations.  He is greater than the most powerful, the most prosperous, and the most populated..  "His glory is above the heavens." 

"Who is like the Lord our God, who is enthroned on high.. ?"  Our God has to stoop to "behold the things that are in heaven and in the earth.."  The heavens themselves.. in all their vastness.. across all of the universe.. is beneath the throne of the Lord our God. Yet... 

"He raises the poor from the dust, and lifts the needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with princes.." 

"He makes the barren woman abide in the house as a joyful mother of children." 

This is the wonder of the Lord our God.. as high and exalted and powerful as He is.. He has chosen to help the poorest, weakest, and humblest of us.. Hallelujah!  What a mighty God we serve!

Father in heaven, we lift up our voices to praise Your holy name!  You are our great God. You are good!  You are kind, merciful, and full of compassion.  You do wonderful works for Your children. You rescue us from evil and show us forgiveness for our sin.  You love us.  You delight in us when we come to You with our little gifts of praise and thanksgiving.  We are so small in our understanding and knowledge of You.. but You love us anyway.  You are worthy of all our praise and thanks.  Blessed is Your name in all the earth! Amen. 

The blessed..

 Psalm 112 "Praise the Lord! How blessed is the man who fears the Lord... "

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, "  Psalm 111 told us.  Now,  the psalmist tells us the many blessings that come to the one who has learned this holy fear.. who has learned to delight in the Word of God and to obey His commandments. 

This man will be blessed with descendants who live with "might" on the earth. His family will be blessed with all that they need to live uprightly. Righteousness will be accounted to them. Light will overcome the darkness for them. They will become Christlike in character and actions. 

The upright will be gracious, compassionate, generous, just, unshakable, and unforgettable.  

He will be steadfast, "trusting the Lord."  

He will not fear evil. He will be kind and loving. He will be respected. 

But.. the wicked will be angry and "gnash" their teeth because of his righteous life. 

This strikes me.. we fear the Lord.. He does all the rest! What a wonderful God we serve!

Father, God of peace.. thank You for the blessings You have given to us through Jesus Christ the Lord. You have taught us the fear of the Lord.  You have given us the Holy Spirit to lead us into all truth and grace. You have promised to sanctify us "through and through".. so that we can stand before the Lord Jesus "preserved complete.. without blame"  when He comes backs again. You are faithful.. and You will "bring it to pass".  Hallelujah!  Father, I pray that You would bless my family today.. . bless them and keep them, make Your face to shine upon them, be gracious to them, lift up Your  countenance upon them and give them peace.  I ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, my Lord. Amen. 

The goodness of God

 Psalm 111  "Praise the Lord! I will give thanks to the Lord with all my heart." 

This psalm is another great example of just how to worship and praise the Lord.  Verse 1 tells us that the psalmist praises the Lord in the "company of the upright" as well as in the "assembly".   In the intimate group and in the great crowd..  This thanksgiving season let us practice this.. as we gather in small groups of family or in bigger gatherings with others.. let us praise the Lord!

The psalmist praises the Lord for His works:  "Great are the works of the Lord... splendid and majestic is His work.. He has made known the power of His works.. " ( v2,3, 6)  "They are studied by all who delight in them."   We need to think about, study- seek out.. remember the works of the Lord:  

His righteousness.. His grace.. His compassion.. His truth.. His justice..  His redemption.. His covenant.   

"He has made His wonders to be remembered."  All that He has done.. all that He has made.. all the wonders of creation.. the wonders of salvation through Jesus Christ.. the wonders of His deep love for each of us.. the wonder of His personal interest and care for every single one of His creations.. 

God has given us the privilege of entering into His Kingdom through Jesus Christ. He has made an everlasting covenant with us. He will uphold it forever! 

"Holy and awesome is His name." 

This, the psalmist tells us, this worshiping, this remembering and studying the works of the Lord, brings us to fear Him.. to revere Him.. . which is "the beginning of wisdom".  When we have a good understanding of Who our God is and the wonder of His works.. as we study and remember what He has done.. we cannot help but sing out His praise!

Father in heaven,  You have been so good to me.  I praise Your Holy and awesome Name!  You made the heavens and the earth.. and when we take time.. to be still and look at Your creation, we delight in them.  The sky above us.. blue or with great clouds.. the stars and the moon.. the wonder of the the sun with its great power to send light and warmth.. The oceans and the mountains.. the forests and the meadows.. even the smallest flower.. we delight in the splendor and majesty of Your works! But, more than anything, Lord, we delight in the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ.  What amazing grace You have bestowed on us.. that we should be called Your sons and daughters because of the work of Christ on the cross.  We praise the Lord, forever and ever! Amen

The dominion of the King

 Psalm 110  "The Lord ( Jehovah) says to my Lord (Adoni); sit at My right hand, until I make Thine enemies a footstool for Thy feet." 

This is a Psalm written by David.. many years before the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ the Lord.  It turns our thoughts and our eyes heavenward.. for we are waiting for that day when all the enemies of Christ are brought into complete  surrender and submission. 

David prophesied that the Lord will extend His "strong scepter".. that He will rule over all people.. forever. 

Furthermore.. this King will be "a priest forever... according to the order of Melchizedek".  A different kind of King and a different kind of priest.  He will rule.  He will judge. He will "shatter the chief men".  He will be satisfied and He will be exalted. 

In Matthew 22:44 Jesus quotes from this psalm.. questioning the Pharisees about the true identity of the Messiah. They refused to answer.. perhaps because they did not know.. or they did not want to admit that the He just might be the "son of David" who came to rule as King forever. 

It is our confession that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Son of David.. He is King and Priest forever and ever! Amen!  We stand on this truth and are so thankful for such a firm foundation. 

Father, we are waiting.. alert... with expectation that the Day is coming soon.. when Christ Jesus will come again.. He will extend His scepter.. He will rule over all and His enemies will be made a footstool for His feet.  O Lord, haste the day!  May we stand firmly until that day.. strong in Your strength, resisting evil, and serving You with all our hearts.  You are so good to us, Lord God, that we should know the righteousness of Christ that covers us.. lead us in Your ways we pray in His wonderful Name . Amen. 

Asking the Lord for vengeance

 Psalm 109   I can't begin to imagine singing this song.  David pours out his anger and frustration to the Lord.. because of his enemies. " O God of my praise, do not be silent."

David lists the wickedness of these enemies... 

They lied about him.

They hated him.

They fought against him.

They repaid him evil for any good he did.

They showed no love or mercy to the needy.

They afflicted, cursed, and even murdered .. 

David asks the Lord to intervene.. "But I am in prayer." he says.  He is very specific in his requests:

"Appoint a wicked man over him.. " 

Let them be accused and judged and found guilty.

Let his prayers be unanswered.

"Let his days be few"... his children fatherless.. his wife a widow.. 

Let all he had be taken away by creditors.

Let all his work be plundered.

Let even his children receive no mercy.

Let him have no posterity... all of his descendants "blotted out". 

Let his be clothed with "cursing as with his garment".. since he loved cursing so much. 

This is a powerful prayer.  

Yet, David is not finished, for he asks the Lord to "deal kindly with" him.. for His name's sake.

He cries out to God to show lovingkindness.. "for I am afflicted and needy and my heart is wounded within me."   He feels weak and failing.. "Help me, O Lord my God; save me according to Thy lovingkindness. And let them know that this is Thy hand... " 

He prays for God's blessing even while the enemy curses him. 

He wants gladness for himself and dishonor for the wicked. 

Then.. " With my mouth I will give thanks abundantly to the Lord; and in the midst of many I will praise Him. For He stands at the right hand of the needy, to save him from those who judge his soul." 

Father in heaven, what shall we pray for those who are wicked.. for those who persecute Your children.. for those who curse and hate and kill?  Shall we pray like David prayed?  You tell us to pray for our enemies and for those who persecute and spitefully use us.. We need Your wisdom to know how to even pray.  Lead us Spirit of God.  We do ask that Your will be done, no matter what.  We will trust You to judge others.. as well as to help us when we face these kinds of people.  Let Your Name be honored and Your grace and truth be our foundation.. always.  Thank You for Your lovingkindness and grace to us. In the name of Jesus our Lord we pray. Amen. 

Praise.. and petitions..

 Psalm 108  

Verses 1-5 David affirms that his faith is in God alone.. "My heart is steadfast, O God."   Steadfast - fixed, firm, prepared, established, ready.  

Ready to sing praises.. ready to give thanks.. ready to exalt God: "For Thy lovingkindness is great above the heavens; and Thy truth reaches to the skies.. "   Are we steadfast?  Do we truly believe that His lovingkindness is without limit?  Do we know His truth that goes beyond the galaxies? Are we standing on that solid ground today?

He is greater than all the adversaries that we might face!  It is God who chose Israel, David proclaims, "Gilead is Mine, Manassah is Mine;... "  And, likewise, He says of me... "You are mine"!  And He says of you.. dear readers.. "You are Mine!" 

David wondered if Israel had been rejected.. if deliverance was coming.. if God was still with him.  Sometimes in the battles and storms of life.. we wonder too.  But, like David, we need to stand firm.. steadfast.. " Through God we shall do valiantly; and it is He who will tread down our adversaries."  Hallelujah! 

May we be steadfast in Christ Jesus. Ready to stand in faith, believing that we belong to Him.. that His lovingkindness will not fail.. that His truth will never waver. 

John wrote, "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth." (John 1:14)  "For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace." ( v 16)  Andrew Murray wrote, "Have you come to know the Christ in whom such fulness dwells? Or do you live as a pauper, largely dependent on the world for your joy? It is God's will that Christ should fill all things, including your heart and its needs!"

Father in heaven, Blessed God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who became flesh and dwelt among us.. may the fulness of Christ's grace and truth fill us! May we sing praises to Your Name, for Your lovingkindness towards us is great! You have done great things for us.. and You will not leave us or forsake us!  Thank You!  Father, we do not know what each day holds.. what storms may come.. what battles we will face, but we pray that no matter what.. You will keep us steadfast. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.