Today’s reading is Psalm 33.
“The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations.”
Did you catch that the psalmist purposefully contrasts the Lord’s counsels and plans with the counsels and plans of the nations and the people? Can the author of Psalm 33 have made any clearer connection back to Psalms 1 and 2 than this? Psalm 1 contrasts the counsel of the wicked with the law of God. Psalm 2 connects the counsel of the wicked to the vain plottings of the kings and nations. Now, we find it all rolled up into one statement. The Lord is bringing to nothing the plans and counsels of the nations and people, but His own plan and counsel is certain to happen. Nothing can stop it.
In fact, as much as the people and nations try to hinder the Lord’s plans, the more they actually bring His plans to fruition. Nothing and no one demonstrates that more than Jesus. In fact, that is the very point of the apostles’ prayer in Acts 4:23-31. There, they quoted Psalm 2, but now we know Psalm 2 and Psalm 33 are connected. The Jews with their San Hedrin council, their scribes, and their Pharisees conspired to bring about the demise and death of Jesus. The Romans with their governors, kings, and soldiers were the tools used by the Jews to accomplish their nefarious counsels. Yet, in the end, though they were trying to defeat Jesus, all they did was lead Him to His throne.
The apostles recognized God’s ability to bring the counsel of the nations to nothing and to frustrate the plans of the people was not just about Jesus on the cross but also about their work in the face of persecution. And that was definitely true, wasn’t it. The Jews and the Romans both tried to bring Christianity to an end through their persecutions. But instead, their persecutions just fed the flames of spiritual fervor that spread throughout the Roman Empire.
Can we recognize the same is true today? If God can take the crucifixion and turn it into a resurrection, if He can take a persecution and turn it into a dissemination, then He can take anything we deal with in our countries and turn it into victory. So many Christians are wringing their hands today as we enter a period called post-Christian by the pundits. There is no need. The same Lord who conquered chaos at the creation, who defeated Pharaoh at the Red Sea, who conquered Jericho and the Promised Land, who raised Jesus from the dead, who gave the apostles victory even as they were martyred is still God today. His plans and His counsels stand firm. May we stand in them always.
Next week’s reading is Psalm 34.
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A Word for Our Kids
Hey kids, we find another “secret message” hidden in Psalm 33:13. That is, the psalmist makes a statement that reminds us of other Bible accounts. Making these connections drive home the point of the psalm.
Can you think of any Biblical stories that demonstrate the Lord looking down from heaven? Two come to my mind. The first is at the tower of Babel. The second is at Sodom and Gomorrah.
In the first, mankind is ignoring God’s counsel to spread out over the earth. Further, they are trying to make a name for themselves by building a tower into the heavens. In the second, the people of the city are living in utter wickedness while Lot is trying to live in righteousness in their midst (which in turn is reminiscent of Noah). In both cases, the Lord looks down from heaven, sees the rebellion, then comes down in judgment. He divided up the languages at Babel and scattered the people across the earth. He saved righteous Lot, but destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah in a storm of fire and brimstone.
When we see the power of God in these judgments/deliverances, we recognize the truth of vss. 16-17. The king is not saved by his great army. He is saved by God. So, when we are facing trouble, we do not put our trust in our strength, in our numbers, in our resources. We put trust in our God. He sees all. He knows all. And when the time is right, He will judge those who rebel and bless those who put their trust in Him and His strength.
No matter what is going on in the world around you, put your trust in the Lord. At the right time, He will deliver. Praise the Lord!
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