Psalm 108: Awake the Dawn!

Today’s reading is Psalm 108.

By the Waters of Babylon

Keep in mind, our best guess on Book V of the Psalms is it was the latest collection of psalms put together in the time of the restoration after the Babylonian captivity. These meditations, poems, and hymns recall the captivity and celebrate the return to the Promised Land.

If you’re reading through the Psalms for the first time, you wouldn’t know this. However, Psalm 137 gives us a powerful picture of what it was like to live in the captivity. In Psalm 137:1-4, the psalmist mourned the loss of singing. They hung up their harps and lyres and wept instead. In Psalm 137:5-6, the psalmist feared captivity would be so bad the Israelites would forget how to sing praise. In Psalm 137:7-9, the psalmist recalled Edomite cousins calling down imprecations on Israel and calls down imprecations on Edom in return (we’ll talk about that horrific detail when we actually read Psalm 137).

Remember yesterday when I said we should look for connections between psalms. This is an important one for Psalm 108. In fact, it helps explain why a post-captivity psalmist or editor would bring the two parts of previous psalms together. Read Psalm 137 and then read directly into Psalm 108. Our psalm this week seems almost like a sequel or response to the later psalm.

Awake!

The lyre which the psalmist had hung on a tree by the waters of Babylon in Psalm 137 is called to wake up in the restoration of Psalm 108. The songs of praise the captives couldn’t bring through their tears in Psalm 137 are shouted to the heavens in Psalm 108. The psalmist is so full of praise, he can’t even wait for the sun to come up. He doesn’t wait for the dawn to wake him, he rises early and wakes the dawn with his praises. We can hardly help thinking the “dawn” he is waking in Psalm 108 is not merely the dawn of a new day, but the dawn of a new age. The captivity is done. The mourning is over. Now is an age of joy and praise.

As the Israelites return to their homeland, they know they will find themselves among the descendants of those who had prayed for their destruction and preyed on their defeat. While in captivity, they lifted up their anger, resentment, and wish to be avenged to God. In Psalm 108, they know the land belongs to their God. He will administer whatever vengeance needs to be delivered. Edom, Moab, even Philistia belong to God. He can do with them as He pleases. And He will. He will give His people their inheritance, and He will defeat their enemies.

Israel will sing praises. They will shout with triumph.

Praise Him Today

Our enemy has fought against us. He has often taken us captive. At times, our defeat is so dark, we can’t bring ourselves to joy as James encourages in James 1:2. However, in Jesus Christ we can do valiantly. We know the heavens and earth belong to God. The kingdom belongs to God. He will provide a place for us. We can awake this new day with praise, worship, singing, and prayer. Our enemy will fail and will fall. God will win and lead us in victory.

Tomorrow’s reading is Psalm 108.

PODCAST!!!

Click here to take about 15 minutes to listen to the Text Talk conversation between Andrew Roberts and Edwin Crozier.

PATHS:
Discuss Today’s Meditation with Your Family

How does Psalm 108 admonish you?

Psalm 63: Admonition for the Dry Times

Today’s reading is Psalm 63.

While the ESV begins Psalm 63 saying, “O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you,” many others claim “early I seek you.” The word translated “earnestly” has a root in common with “daybreak” or “dawn.” It makes sense, the earnest and diligent get started early. We don’t see the earnest and diligent procrastinating in bed all day. They get up and get after it. Those who are earnestly and diligently seeking God will seek God early. They won’t wait until late in the day to spend time with God, praying, meditating, reading.

At the same time, notice vs. 6: “When I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night.” David not only prayed and sought God early in the morning. He prayed and sought God late into the night. Perhaps he is lying awake. Perhaps he has awakened in the middle of the night. Perhaps he is purposely staying up in the night to be vigilant and watchful in his relationship with God.

Either way, I am admonished to keep praying in the dry times. Pray in the morning. Pray in the night time. Pray all the time.

Have you prayed today?

Tomorrow’s reading is Psalm 63.

PODCAST!!!

Click here to take about 15 minutes to listen to the Text Talk conversation between Andrew Roberts and Edwin Crozier sparked by this post.

PATHS:
Discuss Today’s Meditation with Your Family

How does Psalm 63 admonish you, especially for the dry times?