Psalm 147: Fear and Hope

Today’s reading is Psalm 147.

Hoping In Jesus

Each stanza of this psalm begins with a call to praise and ends with a contrast.

We see the calls to praise. In vs. 1, “Praise the Lord!” In vs. 7, “Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving; make melody to our God on the lyre!” In vs. 12, “Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem! Praise your God, O Zion!”

We see the contrasts. In vs. 6, “The LORD lifts up the humble; he casts the wicked to the ground.” In vss. 19-20, “He declares his word to Jacob, his statutes and rules to Israel. He has not dealt thus with any other nation; they do not know his rules.”

The contrast in the second stanza brings Jesus to the forefront in this psalm:

His delight is not in the strength of the horse,
nor his pleasure in the legs of a man,
but the LORD takes pleasure in those who fear him,
in those who hope in his steadfast love.
–Psalm 147:10-11 (ESV)

In the post-exilic context, the psalmist points out Israel was not restored to the promised land by their strength of arms and military prowess. They were restored because they submitted to the Lord, because they trusted in His steadfast love. “Steadfast love” translates the meaningful Hebrew word “chesed.” It refers to the covenant, loyal, relational, merciful, kind love God had for the people to whom He had made promises and with whom He had made a covenant. In other words, the Lord takes pleasure in those who will worship Him and trust His covenant promises. Israel didn’t return to the promised land because they fought their way back. They returned because they trusted God’s covenant promises that He would return them.

These verses take us a step further. We can’t deliver or rescue ourselves. We cannot save ourselves. We cannot overcome the enemy ourselves. Only God can. Therefore, when we face our own battles and captivities, we must not think the point is to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps, make ourselves strong, and then show God what we can do. Rather, we must realize how weak we are and understand our only means of deliverance is God. We must turn to Him and trust in His covenant, loyal love.

That, of course, leads us to Jesus. Jesus is the very embodiment of God’s covenant, loyal love. Because of His covenant with Abraham, God sent His Son. Because of His covenant with Moses, God sent Jesus. Because of His covenant with David, God sent His Christ. Will we trust God’s covenant promises to save us in Jesus or will we try to save ourselves by our own efforts and our own strength? When we fear God, standing in awe of Him, realizing He is the one to worship and we trust His covenant, loyal love, we’ll turn to Jesus. He is the means of deliverance and rescue.

Paul warns us, “Let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12, ESV). If we think we are standing on our own legs and our own strength, we’ll fall. As Paul says in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, only when we realize our weakness can we gain the strength from Christ. He writes, “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (ESV).

We will not be saved from sin because we have the strength to defeat sin. We will be saved from sin when we trust God’s promises to save us through Christ. That, of course, does not mean we just keep pursuing sin, waiting on God to manually take over our lives. Rather, it mean we cede control of our lives to God, place ourselves at His disposal, and do what He says. We’ll stumble and falter, because we are weak. But He is pleased by those who humbly fear Him and put our hope in His covenant keeping love.

God has made His covenant with Christ and us through Him. Let’s hope in His steadfast love not our strength. That is where deliverance and rescue can be found.

Next week’s reading is Psalm 148.

PODCAST!!!

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PATHS:
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What do you want to share with others from Psalm 147?

Psalm 147: Healing the Brokenhearted

Today’s reading is Psalm 147.

The Lord Is Our Shepherd

As we continue the path of praise in the final psalms, the psalmist explains why these songs are appropriate.

For it is good to sing praises to our God;
for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting.
–Psalm 147:1 (ESV)

Then, he writes an entire psalm explaining why it is good and fitting to praise God. He begins:

The LORD builds up Jerusalem;
he gathers the outcasts of Israel.
He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.
–Psalm 147:2-3 (ESV)

This psalm clearly fits within the post-exile framework. The psalmist praises God for building (perhaps rebuilding) Jerusalem and for gathering the outcasts. I can’t help but think of the preaching of Ezekiel at the beginning of the Babylonian captivity. In Ezekiel 34, he rebuked the shepherds of Israel because:

My sheep were scattered; they wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. My sheep were scattered over all the face of the earth, with none to search or seek for them.
–Ezekiel 34:5b-6 (ESV)

God steps up and declares:

Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries and will bring them into their own land. And I will feed them on the mountains of Israel…
–Ezekiel 34:11b-13a (ESV)

Not only does God talk about scattering and gathering. He also rebukes the shepherds of Israel because…

The weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, the injured you have not bound up, the strayed you have not brought back, the lost you have not sought…
–Ezekiel 34:4 (ESV)

His sheep were brokenhearted and wounded. The shepherds were not fulfilling their duty. God declares:

I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord GOD, I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak…
–Ezekiel 34:15-16 (ESV)

The restored and returned psalmist calls to mind these earlier promises from God as he counts the reasons praising God is fitting and good. This is who our God is. He gathers His sheep when we are scattered. He feeds us when we are in need. He seeks us when we stray. He heals us when we are brokenhearted. He binds up our injuries and heals our wounds.

Keep in mind, this means we will have times when we are lost. We will suffer injuries. We ourselves will stray. But the Lord is our shepherd. He doesn’t take that sort of thing lying down. He fights on our behalf. He leaves all behind and seeks us out. He humbles Himself to lift us up. He does what it takes to bring us to healing.

I’m not sure what you are facing now. Perhaps your heart is broken. Maybe your heart is broken by your own sin. Maybe by the sins of others. Turn to the Lord. He cares. He binds up. He heals.

What an incredible God we have. Let us always hang on to Him and find our healing in Him.

Praise the Lord!

Tomorrow’s reading is Psalm 147.

PODCAST!!!

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

PATHS:
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How does Psalm 147 prompt or improve your praise of God?

Psalm 126: The Dry Times

Today’s reading is Psalm 126.

It Wasn’t Supposed to Be Like This

Psalm 126 seems backwards. We expect the poem to begin with the request for God to restore their fortunes and end with the joy of God’s restoration response. Instead, this psalm says God had already restored Zion’s fortunes, but then begs God to restore their fortunes. Wait! Which is it? Has God already restored their fortunes or do they still need Him to?

The psalm is not at all backwards. Rather, the pilgrim is acquainted with real life. He came to Zion. It was so amazing he felt like he was dreaming. He and those with him rejoiced and shouted for joy. But life has its ups and downs. Life in Jerusalem is no different.

If we see this as a post-exilic psalm, it makes perfect sense. When God allowed the return, the people rejoiced. They couldn’t believe their fortune. What enslaved people get to return to their homeland? But they did. As they came back into their homeland, took residence, and started to rebuild, it was as if they were dreaming. They couldn’t contain their joy. But one day led to another. Some got distracted. Enemies still discouraged. There was so much more work to be done. They struggled. They could either give up or cry out to God for strength and further restoration.

If we see this as another step in the pilgrim’s story we’ve been telling through these Songs of Ascents, it makes perfect sense. Our pilgrim left warmongering Meshech and Kedar. When he arrived in Jerusalem, it was like a dream come true. He had made it to the city of peace. He knew he made it only because of God’s help. He praised God and shouted for joy. But he still faced scoffers. The scepter of wickedness still held influence on those around him. The joy diminished. Not every day was golden. He could either give up or cry out to God for more strength and further restoration.

If we see this as another step in our own pilgrimage, it makes perfect sense. We heard the gospel of Jesus and surrendered in baptism for the remission of our sins. Coming up out of that watery grave was incredible. Knowing we were given new life was fantastic. We experienced an overflowing fountain of blessing. We sang for joy and celebrated with our new family. Even others around us could tell God had done some incredible working in our lives. But we still lived in our homes, attended our schools, worked our jobs. Our bills still have to be paid. We still get sick every year. Friends and family still get sick and even die. The car still breaks down. And even more surprising, some of our trouble even comes from people we go to church with. Not to mention, our spiritual progress isn’t always in one direction. Sometimes it feels like we take one step forward and two steps back. We look back at the joy of our initial restoration by God and wonder why the fountain of blessing has dried up. We have a choice. We can give up or we can call out to God for grace, strength, and further restoration.

Our pilgrim psalmist is on a journey. He wants to convince us to make the journey. But he refuses to blow smoke. He tells the journey honestly. The journey is worth it. Shouts of joy have happened, do happen, and will happen. Don’t give up just because today doesn’t feel like one of those days. Remember God’s restoration in your life. Remember God will continue that work. God has blessed you. He is blessing you. He will bless you. Hang on to Him no matter what.

Praise the Lord!

Tomorrow’s reading is Psalm 126.

PODCAST!!!

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PATHS:
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How does Psalm 126 prompt or improve your praise of God?

Psalm 115: Not to Our Names

Today’s reading is Psalm 115.

The Foundation of All Prayer

I encourage you to memorize Psalm 115:1. This verse is the foundation of all prayer and all worship.

Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory,
for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness! (ESV)

This verse explicitly states what is left implicit in every other passage mentioning the glory due the Lord’s name. The Lord’s name deserves glory, yes. But behind that statement is our names do not. That is the ancient competition. Even the devil, when he tempted Eve, highlighted how she would become like God. Sin, at its heart, is anchored in self-worship and self-glory.

This becomes all the more profound when we come to Jesus’s model for prayer in Matthew 6:9. Our English translations obscure it, but the initial statement in that prayer more accurately says, “Our Father in heaven, your name must be hallowed.” Implicit in that statement is the thought “Your name, not ours, must be hallowed.” Likewise, “Your kingdom, not ours” and “Your will, not ours.”

We need to see this statement as the foundation for every prayer we ever pray. Through the years, so much of my praying has been predicated simply on what I want in the moment. What will benefit me? Can I get God to give it to me? But the greatest pursuit at any moment, and what should be the overarching pursuit of every prayer, is for the Lord’s name to be glorified, not ours. In fact, may I suggest as you prepare to cast your cares upon the Lord, think through the situation and consider what will bring the Lord’s name and reputation the most glory. Care about that and pray for that.

Another Exodus Picture

We continue in the Egyptian Hallel psalms used among the Hebrews at the Passover feast for millennia. While Psalm 115 does not specifically mention the exodus from Egypt (though the similar Psalm 135 does), the entire basis of this psalm presents a picture from the exodus.

First, when the psalm kicks off honoring the Lord’s name, it specifically calls to mind Exodus 34:6-7, in which the Lord allows His glory to pass by Moses and proclaims His name:

The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love and faithulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children to the third and fourth generation (ESV).

Second, it gives the basis for some of Moses’s most powerful praying during that time. Every time God told Moses to get out of the way so He could wipe Israel out and start over, Moses prayed for God to refrain because the Lord’s name was more important than Moses’s name. Further, Moses’s big concern was what the nations would say about the Lord if He destroyed the people He had just delivered.

Third, the contrast with the idols of the nations clearly provides the basis for the second command given on Sinai. The Lord did not want any graven images representing Him because their lifeless nature simply could not represent Him.

Fourth, the Psalm 115:12 declaration that “The LORD has remembered us” calls to mind the specific statements in Exodus 2:24-25; 6:5. The Lord remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; He remembered His people. He blessed them with deliverance.

Truthfully, this psalm displays so many connections back to the exodus from Egypt, I’m surprised most commentators date it to some potential crisis in the days of the kings or even to the time after the Babylonian exile. Frankly, I could see this psalm coming from the pen of Moses himself following the golden calf debacle.

Whenever it was written, the great concern is the glory of the Lord. May that always be our great concern as well.

Praise the Lord!

Tomorrow’s reading is Psalm 115.

PODCAST!!!

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

PATHS:
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How does Psalm 115 prompt or improve your praise of God?

Psalm 111: He Sent Redemption to His People

Today’s reading is Psalm 111.

Let the Redeemed Say So

Recall Book V of the Psalms began with a declaration to those who have been redeemed: Say so! That psalm sets the stage for meditations, poems, songs, hymns of restoration, return, and redemption.

However, we must recognize celebrating return means recalling exile. Celebrating restoration means recalling destruction. Celebrating redemption means recalling enslavement. The psalm doesn’t have to mention those memories, the celebration is itself pregnant with the memories.

When Psalm 111:9 declares, “He sent redemption to his people; he has commanded his covenant forever,” the underlying memory is the time when the people were enslaved in exile. There was a time when it seemed the Lord was not keeping His hopeful promise. There was a time when it looked like the Lord had let His covenant lapse.

But then came the redemption. He had not forgotten His covenant. He remembered it. He commanded it. It went out and did what He established it for. He redeemed His people.

The Story Continues

Psalm 107 calls the redeemed to tell their stories. Psalm 108, combining the redemption portions of two previous psalms, tells redemption stories which sets the stage for this principle: like anointed king, like anointed people. Psalm 109 shocks us with imprecation. However, when properly understood, we see a court room scene in which the Lord’s anointed is falsely accused, yet he expects the Lord to stand at the king’s right hand, keep His covenant, enact His law, and redeem the king. In Psalm 110, we see the king redeemed. The Lord invites him to stand at His right hand and provides victory.

Now, in Psalm 111, the redeemed king stands “in the company of the upright, in the congregation.” He praises the Lord and thanks Him because He remembers His covenant and sent redemption to his people. By redeeming the king, the faithful Lord redeemed His people.

Redemption Lives

We, as Christians, are truly able to sing this psalm. As Paul explains in Ephesians 1:7-10, we are blessed in Jesus Christ with redemption by His blood. We are redeemed, having our sins forgiven. We are forgiven by the riches of His grace. His grace is lavished upon us by God’s eternal plan which He brought about in the fullness of time, in just the right moment. It was God’s eternal plan brought to fruition in Jesus Christ who is our redemption.

The Father sent Redemption to us. Redemption lived. Redemption was executed on a cross. Redemption rose again on the third day. Our Redemption Lives!

Praise the Lord!

Next week’s reading is Psalm 112.

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

What do you want to share with others from Psalm 111?

Psalm 107: Redeemed! How I Love to Proclaim It

Today’s reading is Psalm 107.

Intro to Book V

Psalms is obviously not a narrative. However, the five books do loosely provide the story of Israel. In Books I and II, we see meditations under the monarchy. We begin with the King, God’s Son set on God’s holy hill in the second Psalm, and get all the way to a psalm by Solomon at the end of Book II. Book III, though short, gave an abundance of psalms demonstrating God’s judgment and destruction of His city and house. Book IV gave us meditations of people in exile. It ended with an incredible look at why Israel had been in exile: repeated rebellion.

Book V is the longest of the books. It certainly provides a miscellany of topics and meditations. However, it clearly provides meditations for redemption, restoration, and return. It kicks off with a beautiful hymn of redemption. It includes the Hallel psalms (incredible praise psalms). The Songs of Ascent, seen by many as songs sung on pilgrimages to Jerusalem. It ends with what one author calls a virtual fireworks of praise for God. This year, we get to read and study these psalms.

Praise the Lord!

Telling Redemption’s Story

“Let the redeemed of the LORD say so” (Psalm 107:2, ESV). Or as the NIV renders it, “Let the redeemed of the LORD tell their story.” Then the psalmist tells four stories of redemption.

It’s hard to say if this is four different stories of four different redemptions. If it is, do they reference particular periods in Israel’s history. Wandering in desert wastes, being in chains, and even being sick because of foolish sin would fit. However, the sea-faring danger would be highly metaphorical. Israel rarely got involved in sea travel. However, Isaiah 54:11 does use the idea of being storm-tossed as a metaphor for Israel’s struggles and punishments. Or perhaps it tells four stories of “individual” Israelites and their redemption experiences. Their individual stories become an opportunity for communal praise because all Israel has a story much like these even if the details differ.

However, this may be four different metaphorical looks at Israel’s redemption. It may be a metaphorical retelling of Psalm 106. Book IV ended with a look at Israel getting into a sinful mess, being delivered, then foolishly getting into another one, being delivered again, only to get into another mess. Each story follows the paradigm of Judges 2:11-23: punishment, outcry, deliverance, and then it happens again. As Psalm 106:10, 13 says, God redeemed them, but they quickly forgot His works. They needed to be rescued again.

Psalm 106 ends (before the book-ending doxology) by crying out, “Save us, O LORD our God, and gather us from among the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name and glory in your praise” (Psalm 106:47, ESV). Psalm 107 begins as if in response to that final plea:

Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he has redeemed from trouble and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south (ESV).

They cried out in their distress at the end of Psalm 1o6, and in Psalm 107, God redeems and gathers them. The psalmist celebrates by telling the story again and again and again. Each telling sounds a little different. But each telling tells the whole story. Israel was lost and wandering, captive and imprisoned, sick and dying, storm-tossed and helpless. She cried out in distress. The Lord delivered.

That’s Israel’s story. That is Israel’s story again and again. That’s our story. That’s our story again and again. Let’s praise God for it and tell it to as many people as we can so it can become their story as well.

Praise the Lord!

Tomorrow’s reading is Psalm 107.

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 107 prompt or improve your praise of God?

Psalm 106: Remember Me When You Save Us

Today’s reading is Psalm 106.

I think my favorite verse in Psalm 106 is vs. 4:

Remember me, O LORD, when you show favor to your people;
help me when you save them (ESV).

The psalm essentially ends with a request in vs. 47:

Save us, O LORD our God,
and gather us from among the nations,
that we may give thanks to your holy name
and glory in your praise (ESV).

As we said on Monday, this is a meditation for exiles capping off a book of meditation for exiles. This particular exile expects God to deliver His people and restore them to the Promised Land. His special request? “Please, include me.”

I can’t help but also tie this notion to the repeat prodigal we talked about yesterday. To me, this psalm comes off as the psalmist making a case for why God should include him in the communal deliverance. Because God is the kind of God that delivers even when the sinner has sinned over and over again. In other words, it is almost as if the psalmist is saying, “I know I don’t deserve it. I know I’ve messed up over and over again. I know I’ve sinned and rebelled repeatedly. I need your mercy. Please, give it to me.” Then he tells the story of Israel as a case study in why God should include him in the restoration. And how amazing the case study is. The psalmist doesn’t say, “Please, save me when you save Israel because my sins weren’t really my fault.” He doesn’t say, “I know I committed that first big rebellion, but can you blame me? Did you meet my parents?” He doesn’t tick off his repeated sins with excuses or explanations for each of them. He doesn’t ask God to remember him because of anything residing in the psalmist himself. Rather, the entire reason the psalmist believes God should save him with Israel resides in God.

The psalmist is saying, “Remember me, Lord, not because of anything about me, but because of everything about You.”

What a great Lord the psalmist had. What a great Lord we have. Praise the Lord!

Tomorrow’s reading is Psalm 106.

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 106 prompt or improve your trust in God?

Psalm 101: I Will Sing of Steadfast Love and Justice

Today’s reading is Psalm 101.

Book III of the psalms presented judgment and lamentation. If we read the Psalter as a story of Israel, we see in Book III the destruction of God’s city and God’s house and the judgment on God’s people in the Babylonian captivity. Book IV of the Psalms began with a psalm of Moses, Psalm 90. It is like reading of a New Exodus from captivity. Surely, the exiled and post-exiled people sang these songs with that image in mind. Further, every psalm in the book sprang from that first one.

Psalm 91 meditated on and expanded “Lord, you have been our dwelling place…” (Psalm 90:1; see Psalm 91:1). Psalm 92 meditated on and expanded “Let your work be shown to your servants…” (Psalm 90:16; see Psalm 92:4-5). Psalm 93 meditated on and expanded “From everlasting to everlasting you are God” (Psalm 90:2; see Psalm 93:2, 5). However, Psalm 93 goes beyond God’s eternal existence to discuss God’s eternal reign and kingship. And there, the floodgates open. Psalm 93-99 meditate on, elucidate, worship, praise, sing about God as King. Psalm 100 then calls all the earth to respond to the reign of God. We are all to know God, worship God, serve God. Why? Because the “LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations” (Psalm 100:5, ESV).

Then Psalm 101 begins:

I will sing of steadfast love and justice;
to you, O LORD, I will make music (ESV).

Certainly, we can learn from this statement that the psalmist has a habit of singing and praising God. But the declaration is actually about this psalm in particular. This psalm is a song to the Lord about steadfast love and faithfulness. “I will sing” it. The general cry for praise, worship, and thanksgiving from all people in Psalm 100 becomes particular and individual in Psalm 101. If all the earth should sing and worship the Lord, I should sing and worship the Lord.

Though the “king” is not mentioned particularly in this psalm, it seems almost certain David is writing as king. Who else had the authority to destroy slanderers (vs. 5) and the wicked (vs. 8)? Who else had the authority to cut off evildoers from the city of the LORD (vs. 8)? However, we must not skip past this psalm because we are not princes, prime ministers, presidents, or other potentates.

David recognizes the love and justice of the Ultimate King is supposed to impact him personally in his own walk, his home, his companions, his duties. His role as king must be impacted by the reign of the Ultimate King. Though we are not kings, the way our Ultimate King reigns should impact us in our roles, relationships, and other responsibilities. We’ll look at how throughout the rest of the week.

Tomorrow’s reading is Psalm 101.

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 101 prompt or improve your praise of God?