Isaiah 1:1, 10-20
1 The vision of Isaiah son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah…..
10 Hear the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom! Listen to the teaching of our God, you people of Gomorrah! 11 What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the Lord; I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats. 12 When you come to appear before me, who asked this from your hand? Trample my courts no more; 13 bringing offerings is futile; incense is an abomination to me. New moon and sabbath and calling of convocation— I cannot endure solemn assemblies with iniquity. 14 Your new moons and your appointed festivals my soul hates; they have become a burden to me, I am weary of bearing them. 15 When you stretch out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood. 16 Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your doings from before my eyes; cease to do evil, 17 learn to do good; seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow. 18 Come now, let us argue it out, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be like snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool. 19 If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; 20 but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
The message of Isaiah is clear. God demands of his people that they combine worship with care for the poor. If the people of God attempt to just have worship without concern for social mercy then God will not respond to their worship. God views worship that is not combined with care for the needy as a vain action.
God says that when people fail to care for the needy in a community that they have become like Sodom and Gomorrah. While sexual lawlessness was part of the reason why Sodom and Gomorrah were judged with fire it was not the only reason.
As I live, declares the Lord GOD, your sister Sodom and her daughters have not done as you and your daughters have done. Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy. (Ezekiel 16:48-49 ESV)
Any society that does not care for the poor and needy has failed to do God’s will. God desires that we show care for those who have physical needs because every person is made in God’s image and therefore deserves to have their life protected and their pain addressed.
All the institutions of society must seek creative, effective, balanced, fair, and compassionate answers to meeting the needs of the poor and needy. The family and the church are the two primary institutions that need to find practical answers to providing for those in need. The government must provide equal justice for all citizens regardless of their ability to pay for lawyers. How much the government is to be involved in helping to care for the poor is of great debate. From God’s perspective, more important than the exact role government, is that some way or another society finds a way to help the poor and needy. Ideally this care would be based on faith and love.
One of the marks of the rule of the Messiah and the line of David was that there would be great care to provide justice and compassion to the poor, needy, and oppressed.
Of Solomon. Give the king your justice, O God, and your righteousness to the royal son! May he judge your people with righteousness, and your poor with justice! Let the mountains bear prosperity for the people, and the hills, in righteousness! May he defend the cause of the poor of the people, give deliverance to the children of the needy, and crush the oppressor! ….For he delivers the needy when he calls, the poor and him who has no helper. He has pity on the weak and the needy, and saves the lives of the needy. From oppression and violence he redeems their life, and precious is their blood in his sight. (Psalms 72:1-14 ESV)
Wherever Messiah Jesus is king there will be a compassion, pity, and protection for those who are weak, needy, handicapped, oppressed, persecuted, and in need. Where there is no care for the poor, Jesus is not LORD.
First Church West has attempted to show this compassion by always being active in caring for people in need. Our deacon’s fund has been very active in helping people in times of need and crisis. We are small and our resources are little but we have made a difference in many people’s lives.
Living Water Counseling is also a ministry of mercy to those in need. Many times people without insurance or resources cannot get the comfort and wisdom provided by a professional counselor. Their personal lives and families are troubled and painful because they cannot afford the care they need to get peace of soul and skills for living. Every week we provide such care with compassion and grace to hundreds of needy souls. I praise God for how we have by His grace been able in these ways to show care for those in need.
So what should we do with this? We need to make sure our worship is combined with an attitude of repentance. Repentance is turning away from selfishness and pride and turning to follow God’s love and compassion in every circumstance. Our worship is acceptable when our hearts are filled with true confession, faith, and repentance. Whatever is not of faith is sin. Worship without faith and repentance is blasphemy. It is not perfection but direction that is the key. Repentance is a change in direction.
How can we prepare our hearts for worship this week? What sins are in our lives that we need to repent of and seek a new right path? Today is a good day to ask forgiveness and seek the Lord that we may give HIM praise for our pardon and take joy in HIS amazing grace.
What could you do more than you are doing to care for the poor and needy? God would ask you to find ways to give them grace today.
Showing posts with label worship. Show all posts
Showing posts with label worship. Show all posts
Thursday, August 05, 2010
Friday, October 24, 2008
The Almost Daily Devotional
Almost Daily Devotional
Reading
NLT 1 Thessalonians 1:1 This letter is from Paul, Silas, and Timothy. It is written to the church in Thessalonica, you who belong to God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. May his grace and peace be yours. 2 We always thank God for all of you and pray for you constantly. 3 As we talk to our God and Father about you, we think of your faithful work, your loving deeds, and your continual anticipation of the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. 4 We know that God loves you, dear brothers and sisters, and that he chose you to be his own people. 5 For when we brought you the Good News, it was not only with words but also with power, for the Holy Spirit gave you full assurance that what we said was true. And you know that the way we lived among you was further proof of the truth of our message. 6 So you received the message with joy from the Holy Spirit in spite of the severe suffering it brought you. In this way, you imitated both us and the Lord. 7 As a result, you yourselves became an example to all the Christians in Greece. 8 And now the word of the Lord is ringing out from you to people everywhere, even beyond Greece, for wherever we go we find people telling us about your faith in God. We don't need to tell them about it, 9 for they themselves keep talking about the wonderful welcome you gave us and how you turned away from idols to serve the true and living God. 10 And they speak of how you are looking forward to the coming of God's Son from heaven-- Jesus, whom God raised from the dead. He is the one who has rescued us from the terrors of the coming judgment.
Meditation
Thessalonica is a seaport in northeastern Greece on an inlet of the Aegean Sea The original name of this city was Therma; and that part of the Macedonian shore on which it was situated retained through the Roman period the designation of the Thermaic Gulf. Cassander the son of Antipater rebuilt and enlarged Therma, and named it after his wife Thessalonica, the sister of Alexander the Great. St. Paul visited Thessalonica (with Silas and Timothy) during his second missionary journey, and introduced Christianity there. The first scene of the apostle's work at Thessalonica was the synagogue. (Acts 17:2,3) It is stated that the ministrations among the Jews continued for three weeks. Not that we are obliged to limit to this time the whole stay of the apostle at Thessalonica. A flourishing church was certainly formed there; and the epistles show that its elements were more Gentile than Jewish.
Paul seems to have two attitudes that dominate in his relationship with other believers. One he thanks God for them being believers and what they bring to the kingdom of God through their gifts and talents and second he constantly prays for God to help them become more like Christ.
Paul specifically thanks God for the believers in Thessalonica for their activities inspired by their faith, their labors of joyful love, and their patient hope in the return of Christ. Here we see that Paul defines what God is doing in them as a matter of faith, hope, and love. Paul is able to see God at work in the lives of the imperfect believers in Thessalonica. He is able to see the glass half full as well as to call them to fill it more. His optimism is not based on his faith in the believers of Thessalonica but in God who is at work in them.
Paul also affirms his faith that they are truly the objects of God’s eternal love in Jesus Christ. He remembers as he preached to them that there was a true movement of God’s Spirit among them and that they gave a clear profession of faith. The Thessalonians had seen God’s power in miracles performed by the Holy Spirit but also in the lives of love demonstrated by the apostolic missionary team that had brought them the message. This team had become an incarnation of the gospel and its power.
In light of the power of the Holy Spirit in deeds of wonder and in the lives of the missionaries that brought them the gospel of Jesus they had joyfully believed even though it had brought upon them persecution and hardships. Here we see pain and joy combined. There is an ability of human beings to have sorrow and holy glee at the same time. They became like Jesus and the missionaries who had both been blessed by being allowed to suffer persecution for righteousness sake.
Now, the Thessalonians were an example of faith under fire and were providing an example to believers throughout Greece and around the world. Because they were a center of trade and travel, what happened in Thessalonica traveled around the world through the travelers and traders that went through the city.
Their faith is one in which they have not just added Jesus into their religious lives but have allowed the Lord Jesus Christ to totally dominate their thinking. They were willing to turn against the ultimate concerns of their lives before Jesus in order to make the Lord Jesus the ultimate concern of their lives. This reality, lived out in their daily existence, had become the talk of the world and a demonstration of the truth of the gospel.
Christocentric - Christ must become our operating system and not just another program we add into our lives. Our true loyalty to the Lord Jesus Christ is measured to the degree we abandon our “idols” that is whatever we value or trust in more than we do the person of Messiah Jesus. Christians who do not abandon their idols lose the opportunity to become world changers because they are worldly.
Moral - Faith determines what tasks we find important enough to do, inspires in us a working faith, and allows our actions to endure disappointments because we optimistically believe that history is governed by Christ. We are called to have faith, love, and hope be the dominate attitudes of our actions.
Eternal - For Christians death and the end of the world do not hold fear. We know that at these great moments in our personal and world history we will be embraced by God and fully accepted in our Lord Jesus Christ. We have joyful anticipation of what the future holds for us in the eternal kingdom of God.
Prayer
Lord Jesus help me to abandon my idols in the way the believers in Thessalonica did when they heard the good news. Let me break my allegiance with the world system of unbelief and give to me a stronger and more fruitful faith.
Contemplation
Abandon all and follow me
Action
Today let me thank God for my brothers and sisters in Christ and take note of their virtues instead of their vices. If I find myself complaining or gossiping about others let me stop and make a compliment about the person. Let me look for and specifically define how God is working in the lives of those around me and praise God for them in this light.
Reading
NLT 1 Thessalonians 1:1 This letter is from Paul, Silas, and Timothy. It is written to the church in Thessalonica, you who belong to God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. May his grace and peace be yours. 2 We always thank God for all of you and pray for you constantly. 3 As we talk to our God and Father about you, we think of your faithful work, your loving deeds, and your continual anticipation of the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. 4 We know that God loves you, dear brothers and sisters, and that he chose you to be his own people. 5 For when we brought you the Good News, it was not only with words but also with power, for the Holy Spirit gave you full assurance that what we said was true. And you know that the way we lived among you was further proof of the truth of our message. 6 So you received the message with joy from the Holy Spirit in spite of the severe suffering it brought you. In this way, you imitated both us and the Lord. 7 As a result, you yourselves became an example to all the Christians in Greece. 8 And now the word of the Lord is ringing out from you to people everywhere, even beyond Greece, for wherever we go we find people telling us about your faith in God. We don't need to tell them about it, 9 for they themselves keep talking about the wonderful welcome you gave us and how you turned away from idols to serve the true and living God. 10 And they speak of how you are looking forward to the coming of God's Son from heaven-- Jesus, whom God raised from the dead. He is the one who has rescued us from the terrors of the coming judgment.
Meditation
Thessalonica is a seaport in northeastern Greece on an inlet of the Aegean Sea The original name of this city was Therma; and that part of the Macedonian shore on which it was situated retained through the Roman period the designation of the Thermaic Gulf. Cassander the son of Antipater rebuilt and enlarged Therma, and named it after his wife Thessalonica, the sister of Alexander the Great. St. Paul visited Thessalonica (with Silas and Timothy) during his second missionary journey, and introduced Christianity there. The first scene of the apostle's work at Thessalonica was the synagogue. (Acts 17:2,3) It is stated that the ministrations among the Jews continued for three weeks. Not that we are obliged to limit to this time the whole stay of the apostle at Thessalonica. A flourishing church was certainly formed there; and the epistles show that its elements were more Gentile than Jewish.
Paul seems to have two attitudes that dominate in his relationship with other believers. One he thanks God for them being believers and what they bring to the kingdom of God through their gifts and talents and second he constantly prays for God to help them become more like Christ.
Paul specifically thanks God for the believers in Thessalonica for their activities inspired by their faith, their labors of joyful love, and their patient hope in the return of Christ. Here we see that Paul defines what God is doing in them as a matter of faith, hope, and love. Paul is able to see God at work in the lives of the imperfect believers in Thessalonica. He is able to see the glass half full as well as to call them to fill it more. His optimism is not based on his faith in the believers of Thessalonica but in God who is at work in them.
Paul also affirms his faith that they are truly the objects of God’s eternal love in Jesus Christ. He remembers as he preached to them that there was a true movement of God’s Spirit among them and that they gave a clear profession of faith. The Thessalonians had seen God’s power in miracles performed by the Holy Spirit but also in the lives of love demonstrated by the apostolic missionary team that had brought them the message. This team had become an incarnation of the gospel and its power.
In light of the power of the Holy Spirit in deeds of wonder and in the lives of the missionaries that brought them the gospel of Jesus they had joyfully believed even though it had brought upon them persecution and hardships. Here we see pain and joy combined. There is an ability of human beings to have sorrow and holy glee at the same time. They became like Jesus and the missionaries who had both been blessed by being allowed to suffer persecution for righteousness sake.
Now, the Thessalonians were an example of faith under fire and were providing an example to believers throughout Greece and around the world. Because they were a center of trade and travel, what happened in Thessalonica traveled around the world through the travelers and traders that went through the city.
Their faith is one in which they have not just added Jesus into their religious lives but have allowed the Lord Jesus Christ to totally dominate their thinking. They were willing to turn against the ultimate concerns of their lives before Jesus in order to make the Lord Jesus the ultimate concern of their lives. This reality, lived out in their daily existence, had become the talk of the world and a demonstration of the truth of the gospel.
Christocentric - Christ must become our operating system and not just another program we add into our lives. Our true loyalty to the Lord Jesus Christ is measured to the degree we abandon our “idols” that is whatever we value or trust in more than we do the person of Messiah Jesus. Christians who do not abandon their idols lose the opportunity to become world changers because they are worldly.
Moral - Faith determines what tasks we find important enough to do, inspires in us a working faith, and allows our actions to endure disappointments because we optimistically believe that history is governed by Christ. We are called to have faith, love, and hope be the dominate attitudes of our actions.
Eternal - For Christians death and the end of the world do not hold fear. We know that at these great moments in our personal and world history we will be embraced by God and fully accepted in our Lord Jesus Christ. We have joyful anticipation of what the future holds for us in the eternal kingdom of God.
Prayer
Lord Jesus help me to abandon my idols in the way the believers in Thessalonica did when they heard the good news. Let me break my allegiance with the world system of unbelief and give to me a stronger and more fruitful faith.
Contemplation
Abandon all and follow me
Action
Today let me thank God for my brothers and sisters in Christ and take note of their virtues instead of their vices. If I find myself complaining or gossiping about others let me stop and make a compliment about the person. Let me look for and specifically define how God is working in the lives of those around me and praise God for them in this light.
Thursday, September 04, 2008
Beware Bad Company
Devotions
Reading
NLT Psalm 26:1 A psalm of David. Declare me innocent, O LORD, for I have acted with integrity; I have trusted in the LORD without wavering. 2 Put me on trial, LORD, and cross-examine me. Test my motives and affections. 3 For I am constantly aware of your unfailing love, and I have lived according to your truth. 4 I do not spend time with liars or go along with hypocrites. 5 I hate the gatherings of those who do evil, and I refuse to join in with the wicked. 6 I wash my hands to declare my innocence. I come to your altar, O LORD, 7 singing a song of thanksgiving and telling of all your miracles. 8 I love your sanctuary, LORD, the place where your glory shines.
Meditation
Literal: Here we have the Psalmist declaring that he has had sincere faith in the LORD without wavering from his reliance on God’s promises. This is what he means by being “innocent”. He is innocent of lacking trust or losing faith in God’s promises of redemption through the Messiah. Now part of all sincere faith would be the confession of sins and dependence on the blood which was shed on the altar for sin.
He is so sure of his unwavering faith that he asks the LORD to put him on trial and cross examine his inner motivations and passions. He believes that he is pure of heart. He has no doubt in his sincerity.
The focus of the psalmist faith is the faithful covenant love of the LORD which is promised to all who live by faith in God’s revelation given to the people of Israel. The content of faith is defined by the scriptures. The psalmist declares he trust in the revelation of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as given through Moses. Faith must always have content.
The psalmist knows that “bad company ruins good morals” and therefore has avoided people who are not sincere in their faith and live by a double standard. He does not make his best friends those who speak about God but whose hearts are far from the LORD. When people get together to plan to get into trouble, the psalmist is sure, to avoid such social gatherings. He does not become part of “the crowd” but keeps himself out of compromising circumstances.
Instead of this the psalmist seeks out those who gather to worship. He ceremonially washes his hands to demonstrate his desire to be pure and focuses on the altar where blood sacrifice is made to pay for sins. He sings praises to the LORD and reminds himself of God’s grand narrative by declaring the mighty and wonderful deeds of the Lord in history to redeem His people. The psalmist knows that only by drawing near to God and seeking a vision of His awesome character, love, and faithful redemption can he avoid becoming part of the rebellious world system.
Christocentric: The one person who would be truly innocent was Jesus. His faithfulness was 100% and while coming to be a friend of sinners never allowed this friendship to lead him away from God. He is the one totally righteous son of David and King of Israel. He is the only one if put on trail would really pass the test of God’s holy judgment. It is because of this total purity that He could die for our sins and pay the price of our transgressions.
Moral: Do not love the world system based on unbelief and rebellion but seek the scriptures and the fellowship of those who sincerely worship God that you might believe and remain faithful.
Eternal: One day we will spend forever free from the presence of evil and face to face with God’s wonderful and awesome glory. We will be filled with a Spirit of worship, praise, and thanksgiving. Then our eyes will see all the wonders that God has performed and we willed be overwhelmed with admiration for the LORD.
Prayer: Lord, open my eyes to your glory and the wonder of all your works. Give to me a spirit of praise and thanksgiving. Teach me to worship you in spirit and truth.
Contemplation: Guard you heart against the influence of the ungodly culture
Action: What relationships draw me away from my love for God? What relationships draw me closer to the LORD? Who encourages me to be less godly? Who encourages me to be godlier? How can I seek the LORD today?
Reading
NLT Psalm 26:1 A psalm of David. Declare me innocent, O LORD, for I have acted with integrity; I have trusted in the LORD without wavering. 2 Put me on trial, LORD, and cross-examine me. Test my motives and affections. 3 For I am constantly aware of your unfailing love, and I have lived according to your truth. 4 I do not spend time with liars or go along with hypocrites. 5 I hate the gatherings of those who do evil, and I refuse to join in with the wicked. 6 I wash my hands to declare my innocence. I come to your altar, O LORD, 7 singing a song of thanksgiving and telling of all your miracles. 8 I love your sanctuary, LORD, the place where your glory shines.
Meditation
Literal: Here we have the Psalmist declaring that he has had sincere faith in the LORD without wavering from his reliance on God’s promises. This is what he means by being “innocent”. He is innocent of lacking trust or losing faith in God’s promises of redemption through the Messiah. Now part of all sincere faith would be the confession of sins and dependence on the blood which was shed on the altar for sin.
He is so sure of his unwavering faith that he asks the LORD to put him on trial and cross examine his inner motivations and passions. He believes that he is pure of heart. He has no doubt in his sincerity.
The focus of the psalmist faith is the faithful covenant love of the LORD which is promised to all who live by faith in God’s revelation given to the people of Israel. The content of faith is defined by the scriptures. The psalmist declares he trust in the revelation of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as given through Moses. Faith must always have content.
The psalmist knows that “bad company ruins good morals” and therefore has avoided people who are not sincere in their faith and live by a double standard. He does not make his best friends those who speak about God but whose hearts are far from the LORD. When people get together to plan to get into trouble, the psalmist is sure, to avoid such social gatherings. He does not become part of “the crowd” but keeps himself out of compromising circumstances.
Instead of this the psalmist seeks out those who gather to worship. He ceremonially washes his hands to demonstrate his desire to be pure and focuses on the altar where blood sacrifice is made to pay for sins. He sings praises to the LORD and reminds himself of God’s grand narrative by declaring the mighty and wonderful deeds of the Lord in history to redeem His people. The psalmist knows that only by drawing near to God and seeking a vision of His awesome character, love, and faithful redemption can he avoid becoming part of the rebellious world system.
Christocentric: The one person who would be truly innocent was Jesus. His faithfulness was 100% and while coming to be a friend of sinners never allowed this friendship to lead him away from God. He is the one totally righteous son of David and King of Israel. He is the only one if put on trail would really pass the test of God’s holy judgment. It is because of this total purity that He could die for our sins and pay the price of our transgressions.
Moral: Do not love the world system based on unbelief and rebellion but seek the scriptures and the fellowship of those who sincerely worship God that you might believe and remain faithful.
Eternal: One day we will spend forever free from the presence of evil and face to face with God’s wonderful and awesome glory. We will be filled with a Spirit of worship, praise, and thanksgiving. Then our eyes will see all the wonders that God has performed and we willed be overwhelmed with admiration for the LORD.
Prayer: Lord, open my eyes to your glory and the wonder of all your works. Give to me a spirit of praise and thanksgiving. Teach me to worship you in spirit and truth.
Contemplation: Guard you heart against the influence of the ungodly culture
Action: What relationships draw me away from my love for God? What relationships draw me closer to the LORD? Who encourages me to be less godly? Who encourages me to be godlier? How can I seek the LORD today?
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Psalm 124 - The LORD has saved us!
Devotions
Reading: NLT Psalm 124:1 A song for the ascent to Jerusalem. A psalm of David. If the LORD had not been on our side-- let Israel now say-- 2 if the LORD had not been on our side when people rose up against us, 3 they would have swallowed us alive because of their burning anger against us. 4 The waters would have engulfed us; a torrent would have overwhelmed us. 5 Yes, the raging waters of their fury would have overwhelmed our very lives. 6 Blessed be the LORD, who did not let their teeth tear us apart! 7 We escaped like a bird from a hunter's trap. The trap is broken, and we are free! 8 Our help is from the LORD, who made the heavens and the earth.
NLT Ephesians 6:12 For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms.
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Meditation:
Literal: The psalm breaks into three sections
I. Call for Faithful Confession of the LORD (1-2)
II. How we would have been without the LORD (3-5)
III. Blessing to the LORD for deliverance (6-8)
This song was one that Israel sang as they gathered for their three annual feasts in Jerusalem. It was originally created perhaps by King David motivated by seeing the nation escape some great political danger which outcome seemed certain national disaster. The focus of the Psalm is on what would had been had not the LORD intervened and how thankful we should be because the LORD has intervened.
Many times the greatness of what the LORD has done can only be seen in light of how things would had been without His rising up to save us. In this case the Psalm reflects on this deliverance as being saved from drowning in a burning sea of the enemy’s unrestrained anger. Unless the LORD had acted then we would have burned the fire of our enemies rage. In this image we are in danger of being sunk in the chaos of the abuse, harm, torture, and even death of our enemies. This is due to passionate desire that hates our very being. This anger is because we are “Israel” the people of God and those who have been set aside to the covenant of grace.
The other image is that of being eaten by a wild animal or captured by a hunter. Here we are the prey of a predator. Helpless as a bird caught in a trap. Our deliverance is not due to some great power or strength within us. No the LORD has come breaking the trap and taking us from the jaws of death so that we might be free.
The image of drowning in the waging sea represents being engulfed in the restless masses of unruly, unbelieving, pagan, and lawless human society and culture.
"The wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt." Isaiah 57:20
"The abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee." Isaiah 60:5
The image of a beast devouring the people of God represents political power directed by Satan to destroy God’s people.
NLT 1 Peter 5:8 Be careful! Watch out for attacks from the Devil, your great enemy. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for some victim to devour.
NLT Revelation 11:7 When they complete their testimony, the beast that comes up out of the bottomless pit will declare war against them. He will conquer them and kill them.
NAS Revelation 13:1 And he stood on the sand of the seashore. And I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads, and on his horns were ten diadems, and on his heads were blasphemous names.
The Psalmist rejoices that the one who made heaven and earth is more than able to save us from our enemies, both spiritual and physical. The people of God survive not because of their great power but because of the Lord’s great works of salvation. For this reason we should give to the LORD blessing and praise.
Chrstocentric perspective: Here we only have to return Genesis 3:15 where the original promise of deliverance is found. Who will deliver us from the rage of the unbelieving world system directed by the devil? The answer is that the LORD will work his deliverance for us through His anointed one. The seed of the woman will crush the head of the serpent and set us free of the trap of sin and rebellion in which we have been caught.
Moral perspective : Great deliverance demands great praise. To be the objects of a great salvation and fail to give heart felt worship to the LORD out of gratitude is a great blasphemy. Let us seek to worship and praise out of pure and thankful hearts.
Eternal perspective: The eternal worship of God’s people will be in the light of their fully seeing and perceiving before the throne of God the truly great peril they were in and the great lengths the LORD went to in order to make sure they arrived to the kingdom of God safe and sound. The main emotions of heaven will be gratitude and joy which will spontaneously bring forth praise for all that our LORD Jesus Chris has done to save us.
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Prayer: I praise you LORD for dying on the cross to save me from the power of the enemy of my soul. I bless you LORD for I was helpless and lost, and you found me and embraced me in your love. I have no hope but you.
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Contemplation: I, the LORD, am your hero that delivers you!
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Action: I will seek to focus on what my life would have been like if Jesus the Christ has not saved me. Where would I be without Jesus? Then in light of all that He has given me by dying for my sins and coming to me in His resurrection, I will open my heart to gratitude, worship, service, and praise.
Reading: NLT Psalm 124:1 A song for the ascent to Jerusalem. A psalm of David. If the LORD had not been on our side-- let Israel now say-- 2 if the LORD had not been on our side when people rose up against us, 3 they would have swallowed us alive because of their burning anger against us. 4 The waters would have engulfed us; a torrent would have overwhelmed us. 5 Yes, the raging waters of their fury would have overwhelmed our very lives. 6 Blessed be the LORD, who did not let their teeth tear us apart! 7 We escaped like a bird from a hunter's trap. The trap is broken, and we are free! 8 Our help is from the LORD, who made the heavens and the earth.
NLT Ephesians 6:12 For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms.
--------------------------------------
Meditation:
Literal: The psalm breaks into three sections
I. Call for Faithful Confession of the LORD (1-2)
II. How we would have been without the LORD (3-5)
III. Blessing to the LORD for deliverance (6-8)
This song was one that Israel sang as they gathered for their three annual feasts in Jerusalem. It was originally created perhaps by King David motivated by seeing the nation escape some great political danger which outcome seemed certain national disaster. The focus of the Psalm is on what would had been had not the LORD intervened and how thankful we should be because the LORD has intervened.
Many times the greatness of what the LORD has done can only be seen in light of how things would had been without His rising up to save us. In this case the Psalm reflects on this deliverance as being saved from drowning in a burning sea of the enemy’s unrestrained anger. Unless the LORD had acted then we would have burned the fire of our enemies rage. In this image we are in danger of being sunk in the chaos of the abuse, harm, torture, and even death of our enemies. This is due to passionate desire that hates our very being. This anger is because we are “Israel” the people of God and those who have been set aside to the covenant of grace.
The other image is that of being eaten by a wild animal or captured by a hunter. Here we are the prey of a predator. Helpless as a bird caught in a trap. Our deliverance is not due to some great power or strength within us. No the LORD has come breaking the trap and taking us from the jaws of death so that we might be free.
The image of drowning in the waging sea represents being engulfed in the restless masses of unruly, unbelieving, pagan, and lawless human society and culture.
"The wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt." Isaiah 57:20
"The abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee." Isaiah 60:5
The image of a beast devouring the people of God represents political power directed by Satan to destroy God’s people.
NLT 1 Peter 5:8 Be careful! Watch out for attacks from the Devil, your great enemy. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for some victim to devour.
NLT Revelation 11:7 When they complete their testimony, the beast that comes up out of the bottomless pit will declare war against them. He will conquer them and kill them.
NAS Revelation 13:1 And he stood on the sand of the seashore. And I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads, and on his horns were ten diadems, and on his heads were blasphemous names.
The Psalmist rejoices that the one who made heaven and earth is more than able to save us from our enemies, both spiritual and physical. The people of God survive not because of their great power but because of the Lord’s great works of salvation. For this reason we should give to the LORD blessing and praise.
Chrstocentric perspective: Here we only have to return Genesis 3:15 where the original promise of deliverance is found. Who will deliver us from the rage of the unbelieving world system directed by the devil? The answer is that the LORD will work his deliverance for us through His anointed one. The seed of the woman will crush the head of the serpent and set us free of the trap of sin and rebellion in which we have been caught.
Moral perspective : Great deliverance demands great praise. To be the objects of a great salvation and fail to give heart felt worship to the LORD out of gratitude is a great blasphemy. Let us seek to worship and praise out of pure and thankful hearts.
Eternal perspective: The eternal worship of God’s people will be in the light of their fully seeing and perceiving before the throne of God the truly great peril they were in and the great lengths the LORD went to in order to make sure they arrived to the kingdom of God safe and sound. The main emotions of heaven will be gratitude and joy which will spontaneously bring forth praise for all that our LORD Jesus Chris has done to save us.
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Prayer: I praise you LORD for dying on the cross to save me from the power of the enemy of my soul. I bless you LORD for I was helpless and lost, and you found me and embraced me in your love. I have no hope but you.
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Contemplation: I, the LORD, am your hero that delivers you!
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Action: I will seek to focus on what my life would have been like if Jesus the Christ has not saved me. Where would I be without Jesus? Then in light of all that He has given me by dying for my sins and coming to me in His resurrection, I will open my heart to gratitude, worship, service, and praise.
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