1 The Lord reigns; let the people tremble: he sits between the cherubims; let the earth be moved.
2 The Lord is great in Zion; and he is high above all the people.
3 Let them praise thy great and terrible name; for it is holy.
4 The king’s strength also loves judgment; thou dost establish equity, thou executes judgment and righteousness in Jacob.
5 Exalt ye the Lord our God, and worship at his footstool; for he is holy.
6 Moses and Aaron among his priests, and Samuel among them that call upon his name; they called upon the Lord, and he answered them.
7 He spake unto them in the cloudy pillar: they kept his testimonies, and the ordinance that he gave them.
8 Thou answers them, O Lord our God: thou wast a God that forgave them, though thou took vengeance of their inventions.
9 Exalt the Lord our God, and worship at his holy hill; for the Lord our God is holy. (KJV)
One of the first areas that I must address in my study of philosophy (the rational investigation of the truths and principles of being, knowledge, or conduct) is to define God. This Psalms gives these attributes of God (our Lord):
The Lord reigns
he sits enthroned between cherubim
he is exalted over all the nations
his name is great and awesome
he is holy (use three times in this psalm)
he is mighty
he loves justice
he has established equity
he answers whose who call on him
he is the God of Jacob and of Israel
he spoke to Israel
he gave them statutes and decrees
he answers them and forgives them
he punished their misdeeds
he is to be exalted and worship.
This psalm gives us this list of the above attributes that those who walk in the way of the Lord see in their God. May I be like those who make up the group that includes Moses, Aaron and Samuel. This is not so for the ungodly.
I love the phase from verse six “he answers whose who call on him”. It is amazing how much technology was developed in the last twenty-five years. We can speak to a phone and will connect us to anyone in the world. So when those around us question our prayer life, we can reply back “he answers whose who call on him” and I have had my request answered. I John 5:14 “And this is the confidence we have before Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.” informs me that God answer prayers long before we had the technology to communicate with others across the world. Man can marvel in the achievements that he has created in the world around him, however, when compared to the creation of God, who just spoke and the universal was created, they are just a reflection of the godlike nature that God instilled in man when He created him.
3 He hath remembered his mercy and his truth toward the house of Israel: all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
4 Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise.
5 Sing unto the Lord with the harp; with the harp, and the voice of a psalm.
6 With trumpets and sound of cornet make a joyful noise before the Lord, the King.
7 Let the sea roar, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.
8 Let the floods clap their hands: let the hills be joyful together
9 Before the Lord; for he comes to judge the earth: with righteousness shall he judge the world, and the people with equity. (KJV)
As I look at verse two the word salvation jumps out at me. What does salvation mean to you? When you look up the word in the dictionary it means “preservation or deliverance from destruction, difficulty, or evil: a source, means, or cause of such preservation or deliverance”. What does salvation mean to me? As I grow and mature in this journey, I have taken on this earth I have realized that salvation is a wonderful gift that God has given man. His salvation has given me a new purpose in my walk. I now can have daily fellowship with the Lord of the universe knowing that the guilt of my past has been covered by the blood of Christ. This newness of life that Paul outlines for us in Ephesians two and concludes by stating “so then ye are no more strangers and sojourners, but ye are fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God” is the daily walk that Christians can have with Christ.
His salvation also gives me hope for the future. Death will come to all of us unless Christ comes before that time. However, his salvation also promises us a new body as Paul outlines in I Corinthians chapter fifteen. The last enemy that Christ will abolish will be death. Paul concludes this chapter with these words “For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. But when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy victory? O death, where is thy sting? The sting of death is sin; and the power of sin is the law: but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, inasmuch as ye know that your labor is not vain in the Lord”. So, let us sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things and has given us a salvation which we can enjoy now as we make our journey on this earth and a salvation that will make us a son of God at the time of Christ’s return.
1 The Lord reigns; let the earth rejoice; let the multitude of isles be glad thereof.
2 Clouds and darkness are round about him: righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his throne.
3 A fire goes before him and burns up his enemies round about.
4 His lightnings enlightened the world: the earth saw, and trembled.
5 The hills melted like wax at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.
6 The heavens declare his righteousness, and all the people see his glory.
7 Confounded be all they that serve graven images, that boast themselves of idols: worship him, all ye gods.
8 Zion heard and was glad; and the daughters of Judah rejoiced because of thy judgments, O Lord.
9 For thou, Lord, art high above all the earth: thou art exalted far above all gods.
10 Ye that love the Lord, hate evil: he preserves the souls of his saints; he delivers them out of the hand of the wicked.
11 Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart.
12 Rejoice in the Lord, ye righteous; and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness. (KJV)
As I researched the phase “righteousness and justice are the foundation ofhisthrone” this morning I realized that righteousness and justice have very different meanings to a wide vary of people. The more I researched the more complicated the definitions of righteousness and justice became. Righteousness is simply defined as an attribute that implies one’s actions are justified. It is a term in theology that is used to describe a person who is in a right relationship with God. Justice is simply defined as the concept of moral rightness. However, in my research I quickly came to the realization that the definition of moral rightness is really based upon the person’s view in which you are having a conversation with at the time. Of course, the definition of moral righteousness would change with every conversation. However, the book of the Psalms makes it clear who defines righteousness and that is the LORD.
As we go about the process of living in this world, we seem to have a misunderstanding of the order in which we place your priorities. It is His righteousness that should be the main priority that we seek and not our daily needs. In Matthew 6:33 the Lord states “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be added to you”. As we consider our daily conversations with friends and family the topic of the problems in the daily events in our live usually rise to the surface and can become a major part of the conversation. Yet we must realize that this topic should not really be a concern for the believer. If we seek God’s righteous and justice, then all the things we need will be provided to us. Therefore, our priority in life should be living a blameless life seeking the kingdom of God, and not worrying about tomorrow.
As I look at the opening statement of this psalm it reads “The Lord reigns” I am reminded of the song I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day and recall some of the words of this song that Henry Longfellow wrote during the time of the Civil War:
And in despair I bowed my head “There is no peace on earth,” I said, “For hate is strong and mocks the song Of peace on earth, good will to men.”
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep: “God is not dead, nor doth He sleep; The wrong shall fail, the right prevail With peace on earth, good will to men.”
As I look around me with all the wars and evils in this world today, I can see why people can ask “with so much evil how could God be in control?” Yet one hundred and sixty years ago Henry Longfellow had the answer. His answer “God is not dead, nor doth He sleep; the wrong shall fail, the right prevails”. The foundation of God’s throne is righteousness and justice. Paul declares this righteousness of God as a righteousness that comes through faith in Jesus Christ. We need never to forget this important fact of God’s righteousness. He did not just forgive our sins because he felt sorry for us; our sins were forgiven because they were atoned by the cross. Oswald Chambers writes about this forgiveness of God in his November 20 devotional:
“Forgiveness is the divine miracle of grace. The cost to God was the Cross of Christ. To forgive sin, while remaining a holy God, this price had to be paid. Never accept a view of the fatherhood of God if it blots out the atonement. The revealed truth of God is that without the atonement He cannot forgive— He would contradict His nature if He did. The only way we can be forgiven is by being brought back to God through the atonement of the Cross. God’s forgiveness is possible only in the supernatural realm.”
We must not forget that even though the foundation of God’s throne is righteousness and that justice had to be satisfied. It took the cross to make our unrighteousness right before God. This cost of this price to God can never be fully understood by us, but we can delight in it, and I believe that this delight brings pleasure to God.
1 O sing unto the Lord a new song: sing unto the Lord, all the earth.
2 Sing unto the Lord, bless his name; shew forth his salvation from day to day.
3 Declare his glory among the heathen, his wonders among all people.
4 For the Lord is great, and greatly to be praised: he is to be feared above all gods.
5 For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the Lord made the heavens.
6 Honor and majesty are before him: strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.
7 Give unto the Lord, O ye kindred of the people, give unto the Lord glory and strength.
8 Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name: bring an offering and come into his courts.
9 O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness: fear before him, all the earth.
10 Say among the heathen that the Lord reigns: the world also shall be established that it shall not be moved: he shall judge the people righteously.
11 Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar, and the fullness thereof.
12 Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein: then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice
13 Before the Lord: for he comes, for he comes to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth. (KJV)
This is a psalm that proclaims the gospel of the Lord to the world. It reveals a time that the Lord will come, he will come to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his truth. Jesus spoke of this time in Matthew 25:1-13 where the Lord liken the kingdom of heaven to ten virgins, five of them wise and five of them foolish. Looking at verse 13 of this psalm, I reflect on these verses in Matthew 25 and ask the question “which description of the wise virgins would I fit into”.
Questions to ask yourself in self-examination:
As I read this psalm about the Lord does my daily walk reflects the truth of God’s future judgment that I see in this psalm?
Do I take lightly the salvation that God has provided for me in Christ?
Do my daily actions proclaim this great salvation to those around me?
Can those around me see the glorious work of transformation that God is performing in me daily to make me more Christ-like?
Do I truly worship him with the glory due his name?
Do I truly view him as creator of heaven and earth and worship him as creator?
Do I truly fear the Lord?
I use three difference versions of the Bible in my studies of the Bible. These versions are King James Versions (KJV), New American Standard Bible (NASB), and the New International Version (NIV). In the NASB version verse two and three of this psalm reads, “Sing to the Lord, bless His name; Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day. Tell of His glory among the nations, His wonderful deeds among all the peoples.” These verses reflect on how important the proclamation of the gospel of the Lord is in our life. In my daily conversation I realized how little the world in which we live in gives God the glory he desires. In Job chapter thirty-eight records God’s answer to Job “Who is this that darkened counsel by words without knowledge? Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee and answer thou me. Where was thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding.”. There will be a day that the Lord will demand of us for the actions and deeds in our life. With this realization I ask, “who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge in this world today?”. We are living in a world that needs to hear the gospel since almost all their desires are nothing but a love for the mere idols of the world and these in the end will be worthless. So, as you read with psalm you must decide if you want to be a witness that darkens the knowledge of the Most High or if you want to be the one that daily proclaim the gospel of God to a world in need of a Savior?
1 O come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.
2 Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.
3 For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.
4 In his hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is his also.
5 The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land.
6 O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker.
7 For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. Today if ye will hear his voice,
8 Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness:
9 When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my work.
10 Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways:
11 Unto whom I swore in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest. (KJV)
Today as I was reading Oswald Chambers’ devotional for October nineteen, I could not help seeing how true his observations of the Christians of his day are also true in the society in which we live in today.
“The great enemy of the Lord Jesus Christ today is the idea of practical work that has no basis in the New Testament but comes from the systems of the world. This work insists upon endless energy and activities, but no private life with God. The emphasis is put on the wrong thing. Jesus said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation . . .. For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:20-21). It is a hidden, obscure thing. An active Christian worker too often lives to be seen by others, while it is the innermost, personal area that reveals the power of a person’s life.”
Reading this Psalm, I picture the churches of my youth, churches that came together for a worship service. As I reflected on these services, they were services that meet the need of a young growing Christian who loved the Word of God. As a young Christian I was interested in reading and studying God’s Word and learning more about Jesus and his message. Today however, the message is having a Purpose in life, a system for living a productive life. This is the great enemy that I believe that Oswald Chambers is writing about in his devotion.
Instead of using God’s Word to defend the activities of the church and make God’s Word fit into the mold the church needs we should let the Bible speak to us on an individual basis. Today it seems that the light in the song “This Little Light of Mine” focus more on the activities that leads on how to live a purpose driven life instead of being the light of Christ that abides in me.
Reading this Psalm, I realized how the fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom. In verse eleven the Psalmist writes “So I declared on oath in my anger, “They shall never enter my rest” as a warning to us if we reject ways. This Psalm is tied to the very first three commandments “Thy should not have any God before me. Thou shall not make unto thee a graven image, nor any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. Thou shall not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them, for I Jehovah thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, upon the third and upon the fourth generation of them that hate me, and showing loving-kindness unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments.” This same fear is what the author of Hebrews wrote about in Hebrews chapter four. With salvation comes a change. We turn from the lord of this world to the Lord of Creation. Therefore, keep your focus on Him.
1 O Lord God, to whom vengeance belongs; O God, to whom vengeance belongs, shew thyself.
2 Lift up thyself, thou judge of the earth: render a reward to the proud.
3 Lord, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked triumph?
4 How long shall they utter and speak hard things? and all the workers of iniquity boast themselves?
5 They break in pieces thy people, O Lord, and afflict thine heritage.
6 They slay the widow and the stranger and murder the fatherless.
7 Yet they say, The Lord shall not see, neither shall the God of Jacob regard it.
8 Understand, ye brutish among the people: and ye fools, when will ye be wise?
9 He that planted the ear, shall he not hear? he that formed the eye, shall he not see?
10 He that chastises the heathen, shall not he correct? he that teaches man knowledge, shall not he know?
11 The Lord knows the thoughts of man, that they are vanity.
12 Blessed is the man whom thou chastens, O Lord, and teaches him out of thy law.
13 That thou may give him rest from the days of adversity, until the pit be dug for the wicked.
14 For the Lord will not cast off his people, neither will he forsake his inheritance.
15 But judgment shall return unto righteousness: and all the upright in heart shall follow it.
16 Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? or who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?
17 Unless the Lord had been my help, my soul had almost dwelt in silence.
18 When I said, My foot slips; thy mercy, O Lord, held me up.
19 In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my soul.
20 Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee, which frames mischief by a law?
21 They gather themselves together against the soul of the righteous and condemn the innocent blood.
22 But the Lord is my defense; and my God is the rock of my refuge.
23 And he shall bring upon them their own iniquity and shall cut them off in their own wickedness; yea, the Lord our God shall cut them off. (KJV)
The cry for vengeance started back in Genesis 4:10 “The LORD said, ‘What have you done?’ Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground” or as stated in Hebrews 11:4 “By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead”. When studying the events in Genesis chapter four one will notice that when God did not look with favor on Cain’s offering that Cain became angry. However, God still came to him and offered him a way back. “If you do what is right will you not be accepted”.
But if Cain did not want to do that which was right when then God stated “but if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it. However, Cain did let sin master him and in his angry killed his brother. Wickedness has a way of controlling us, but God has provided a way out and that is through Christ.
In I John 3: 11-12 “For this is the message which we heard from the beginning that we should love one another: “not as Cain was of the evil one and slew his brother. And therefore, slew he him? Because his works were evil and his brother’s righteous” reveals the difference between the way Cain lived and the way Abel lived. This difference of the two ways has been with us from the beginning of time. The only difference between these two different ways or walks is their relationship with God. The ungodly way can be characterized as godless, in other words it is a way that does not include God at all. The godly way is the walk that is pleasing to God and seeks to know him as the Lord of the believer’s walk. In this psalm we see examples of God’s judgment on both ways. In verse 23 God repays the wicked for sins by destroying them. In verse 12 the way of the righteous is blessed by God’s discipline which teaches them his law. Your walk then is determined by whether you include God in it or whether you chose to keep God out of it. This is your chose. However, the end of your walk and the reward that you will at the end of this walk will be determined by God. So, choose wisely.
Verse eleven “The Lord knows the thoughts of man, that they are vanity.” reflects the words of the Preacher found in Ecclesiastes 1:2 “Vanity of vanities, said the Preacher, vanity of vanities, allis vanity”. God has given us the Holy Scriptures to answer all the of the many questions we should ever face in life. As I read verse eleven to and reflected on the words of Ecclesiastes 1:2 I decided to read all twelve chapters of this book that was written by Solomon. Having studied the life of Solomon in great detail, I believe that he wrote this book late in life after the Lord revealed to him that He would take away his kingdom from him except for the tribe of Judah for David’s sake. Reading the Book of Ecclesiastes, it is clear that as we reason about the journey of life that we pursue in this life is just vanity of vanities. It is only when we truly apply Ecclesiastes 12:13 “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.” that we can live a life that is truly fulfilling.
1 The Lord reigns, he is clothed with majesty; the Lord is clothed with strength, wherewith he hath girded himself: the world also is established, that it cannot be moved.
2 Thy throne is established of old: thou art from everlasting.
3 The floods have lifted up, O Lord, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their waves.
4 The Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea.
5 Thy testimonies are very sure: holiness becometh thine house, O Lord, forever. (KJV)
The theme of this psalm is the majesty of the Lord. This week as I prepare to spend some time at the beach one of the things I enjoy is watching the interaction of the waters of the ocean with the land. This interaction goes on daily twenty-four hours a day, three hundred and sixty-five (or sixty-six) days a year. Sometimes the sea is rough, sometimes it is as still as glass. The power of the surf during a storm can destroy an entire city. Yet the Lord is mightier than the great waters. So, the next time you are at the beach, stop and observe the power of the surf and realize that the Lord is mighty than the sea.
Reading God’s Word daily is as important as our daily meals. Just like the strength we gain from our daily meals to give us the energy to meet the physical challenges of our daily activities; we need the daily study of God’s Word to help strengthen us for our daily spiritual activities. In today’s reading the four simple words found in verse five, “your statutes stand firm” reveals to us the unchanging character of God. We can rest assure that God does not change that his ways are the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.
Reading the Psalms and study David’s life, I can see how the truths found in this Psalm was probably taught to him at an early age by his mother, his grandmother, and his great grandmother Ruth. I used to teach two- and three-year old’s a song with these words in them: “My God is so big, so strong and so mighty there nothing my God cannot do”. This simple song proclaimed the same simple truths that are found in this Psalm. At an early age we are taught the simple truths about God. However, as we age many of us seem to forget these simple truths. It is these simple truths that helps us along the way as we take our journey along the paths of this world to the place that God has provided us in the new heaven and the new earth.
1 It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O Most High:
2 To shew forth thy loving-kindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night,
3 Upon an instrument of ten strings, and upon the psaltery; upon the harp with a solemn sound.
4 For thou, Lord, hast made me glad through thy work: I will triumph in the works of thy hands.
5 O Lord, how great are thy works! and thy thoughts are very deep.
6 A brutish man knows not; neither doth a fool understand this.
7 When the wicked spring as the grass, and when all the workers of iniquity do flourish; it is that they shall be destroyed forever:
8 But thou, Lord, art most high for evermore.
9 For, lo, thine enemies, O Lord, for, lo, thine enemies shall perish; all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered.
10 But my horn shalt thou exalt like the horn of an unicorn: I shall be anointed with fresh oil.
11 Mine eye also shall see my desire on mine enemies, and mine ears shall hear my desire of the wicked that rise up against me.
12 The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
13 Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God.
14 They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing.
15 To shew that the Lord is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him. (KJV)
Studying the last week of Christ’s ministry on this earth this week the phase from Matthew 27:46 stood out “My God, my God why have you forsaken me”. Why did God forsake him? I believe because of the sin of the human race was upon Christ at this time. Paul wrote of this in Philippians 2:5-8 “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death even death on a cross!” And yet as Christ took on the form of human likeness, we can now take on the form of a child of God in this world. This should be the purpose of all believers today. In I John 3:2-3 “now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.”
In the years that has passed since my son’s death I reflect upon the voids that his death has left in my life. Yet as all the voids in one’s life (especially those that comes about because of the death of a loved one) usually start to be filled over time by the demands placed upon us by life itself, there does comes moments when these voids open again. When these times come, I try to reflect upon songs from the past. As I reflected on my experiences at church as a young person, I realize how much music was a big part of these experiences. The songs that I memorized and placed in my heart as a young man has help me get through some of the most difficult times in my life. The opening statement of this psalm “It is good to praise the Lord and make music to your name” reveals the type of relationship a person needs to have with the Lord. Verse four “For you make me glad by your deeds, O LORD; I sing for joy at the works of your hands” enlightens us on the themes that have made these our songs. The song It is Well with My Soul is one such song. However, it is the history behind the story that help gives the peace to the one that sings it. The history behind the story of Horatio Gates Spafford writing the lyrics of song is a story all believers should study.
The hope and desire of the righteous is found in verse fourteen “They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing.” Instead of growing old and self-center in the journey of our latter years, the believer should strive to live a life that blesses all of those around them and show through their actions the love of Christ. We should strive to be like the good and faithful servants that took the gifts that the Lord had given them and multiple it five to ten times. Our service for the Lord should not end unto the Lord returns (occupy till I come) or until the Lord takes us home.
1 He that dwell in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.
3 Surely, he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.
4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.
5 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flies by day.
6 Nor for the pestilence that walks in darkness; nor for the destruction that wastes at noonday.
7 A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.
8 Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.
9 Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation.
10 There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.
11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.
12 They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.
13 Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.
14 Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.
15 He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life will I satisfy him and shew him my salvation. (KJV)
I have a note in my Bible in the margin of this psalm to read Matthew chapter four where Jesus was led by the Spirit to be tempted by the devil as I study this psalm. It is amazing how much I have discovered the way Christ led his life here on this earth by my daily reading of the Psalms. As one reads this psalm the reader could refer both to the believer who is trusting completely in God or Christ himself when he dwelt on this earth. Note also in Matthew 4:11 “Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.” are the same angels found here in this psalm in verses eleven and twelve.
These were the verses that the devil tried to misinterpret in Matthew 4:6. However, as I look at the Lord’s answers in Matthew chapter four they come from the book of Deuteronomy (8:3, 6:16, and 6:13). We see that just as Satan twisted the words of the Lord in the Garden to Eve he used the same to Christ as he also does today against us. This is why we must heed the words of Paul to Timothy “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needs not be ashamed rightly dividing the word of truth.” (II Timothy 3:15)
As we go about on journey on this earth the key to this journey is found in verse fourteen. Because I love God, God will rescue and protect me and because of my love I will acknowledge God before others. The love of God is much greater than that of a father or mother toward her their own child. And the love of the believer picture here is much greater than the love a son or daughter can have for their own parent. Just as the devil tried to misinterpret these verses to Christ in the desert; the sinful nature that is found in the world around us also tries to blind us to these verses that reveals to us the truth about how close a relationship we can have with God.
The opening statement of this psalm ” he who dwells in the shelter of the Most High” sets the stage for all believers. One of the most precious teachings of Christianity is that of the priesthood of the believer. As Peter writes in his first epistle, we are not only priest, but a people of God’s own possession for the purpose to show forth the excellencies of God who call us out of darkness into his marvelous light. When we make God our refuge, our hiding place we place ourselves in his care and our faith grows. As this relationship of trusting in the Lord grew, we learn to love him more. We come to the realized of how important the first law of the Ten Commandments in our relationship with God. Having no other Gods before him truly means dwelling in his presence. This relationship with God is very important. By resting in the Lord, we become as a young chick who stays near the wings of the caring hen. We will not fear what will happen to us as we perform the daily routines that are in our lives and careers. For in the moment of danger we know we have protection under the mother’s wings. As I was studying Matthew chapter twenty-three last night this example of a hen and her chicks was used by Christ in his lament over Jerusalem’s rejection of him. Matthew 23:37b “how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathers her chickens under her wings, and you would not!” The secret to living this type of life is giving up the pride we have in being able to do things my way instead of God’s way. A surrendering to God’s shelter provides will provide the peace of God that will be upon you with the long satisfy life he gives those who walk in his way.
Verse fourteen states “Because he loves me, says the Lord” is the focus point of our relationship with God. My relationship with God is not based upon the way I live my life, but with whom I chose to have fellowship and companionship. I might not force God on others; however, I will not deny him as my God because I will acknowledge him to all who inquiries into my faith.
As I studied Luke 2:41-52 this morning I realized that this is the only glimpse of the boyhood of Christ in the scripture. We can see from these verses that there was a purpose that Jesus had in his life and that was to be about his Father’s business. As I read this psalm, I can picture Christ in his early age as a boy, just as David was a boy that spent his time mediating on God’s Word. In this Psalm I can picture Christ reading this psalm and seeing David as the subject of this Psalm placing himself as a lamb under the care of his shepherd. It is not how great and powerful the shepherd makes the lamb, but how the shepherd protects him. David realized that God was in control no matter had difficult the situation seems to be around him. This psalm instructs us on how living a life of faith in God just as the example that Christ’s life points to the secret of living a blameless life. And that secret is a simple trust in the Most High. In Luke chapter two verse fifty-two the simple statement “And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man”, is an example of how we a believer must grow in our life. So instead of focusing on the glorification of self as Satan wanted Christ to do in Matthew chapter four, we need to be focusing on dwelling in the shelter of the Most High and growing in our love for Him.
1 Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations.
2 Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.
3 Thou turns man to destruction; and says, Return, ye children of men.
4 For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night.
5 Thou carries them away as with a flood; they are as a sleep: in the morning they are like grass which grows up.
6 In the morning it flourishes and grows up; in the evening it is cut down, and withers.
7 For we are consumed by thine anger, and by thy wrath are we troubled.
8 Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy countenance.
9 For all our days are passed away in thy wrath: we spend our years as a tale that is told.
10 The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years yet is their strength labor and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.
11 Who knows the power of thine anger? even according to thy fear, so is thy wrath.
12 So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.
13 Return, O Lord, how long? and let it repent thee concerning thy servants.
14 O satisfy us early with thy mercy; that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
15 Make us glad according to the days wherein thou hast afflicted us, and the years wherein we have seen evil.
16 Let thy work appear unto thy servants, and thy glory unto their children.
17 And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it. (KJV)
This psalm was written by Moses and reveals several truths for us to consider. Remember that Moses was the author of the Pentateuch the first five books of the Bible. I believe that these first five books of the Old Testament set the framework that education should be based. The first verse of Genesis state “In the beginning God” sets the stage for the Pentateuch which set the fact that God must be included as the foundation for all of our sciences in every aspect of our studies. You are God is a truth that we must grasp and believe, and not even question. And yet when we question the events that happen in our life, we seem to forget about Romans 8:28 and how ALL things work together for the good of those who are called according to his purpose. Yes, God is God, and he does as he pleases.
In this psalm Moses reveals to us the creator of the Universe. As I reflect on the teaching of science, history, math, and language arts in schools today I see how much we have left God out. Moses speaks of men’s short life on this earth and how God controls mankind’s future. It is interesting that in these verses he does not speak of the glory of man and the great achievements of mankind, but of their iniquities and secret sins. Moses and Israel were leaving all of this behind when they leave Egypt. Moses witness how much the Egyptians valued the glorification of themselves and their achievements, but he also witnesses their death. In fact, Moses himself was educated in all the wisdom of Egypt and was a man who probably value the glorification of his works and his achievements in his early days as one of the rulers of Egypt. However, it was probably in the second forty years of life in the quietness of the wilderness as a shepherd that he learned that God is God. This is a lesson that most people learn late in life. Solomon warned of this danger in the book of Ecclesiastes. Ecclesiastes was probably written by him in the later years of his life after he had forsaken God and served the gods of his wives. He writes in chapter twelve: “Remember also thy Creator in the days of thy youth, before the evil days come, and the years draw nigh, when you shall say, I have no pleasure in them”. His final words in Ecclesiastes are:
Vanity of vanities said the Preacher; all is vanity. And further, because the Preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yea, he pondered, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs. The Preacher sought to find out acceptable words, and that which was written uprightly, even words of truth. The words of the wise are as goads; and as nails well fastened are the words of the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd. And furthermore, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh. This is the end of the matter; all hath been heard: fear God and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every work into judgment, with every hidden thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
So, as we live our lives on this earth let us remember the words of the son of David and remember our Creator in the days of our youth and carry this remembrance of Him on to our old age.
For a thousand years are like a day to you. Time is in God’s hand and yet we seem to worry about the shortness of life that we have on this earth. But Moses let us know we only have seventy or maybe eighty years on this earth and that these are full of trouble and sorrow. Moses knew God, I am afraid that our leaders today do not know God. When I refer to the leaders today, I am not only referring to the political leaders, but also to the religious leader, educational leaders and business leaders. It seems that the church is focused more on issues that would make this world a better place instead of spreading the message of the gospel of salvation.
Today, we as the Egyptians want to glorify man and his achievements and leave God out. It is our kingdom that we seek to achieve and not the kingdom of our Lord’s. Verse seventeen is key to walking with God and that is understanding that it is his desire and not ours for the events that happens in our life. As one looks at the Lord’s prayer it starts out as Our Father who art in heaven holy is your name. Your kingdom come that will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Mediate upon Moses’ life of one hundred and twenty years and the trials that he went through as you read this psalm. Let verse twelve take places in your heart. “Teach us to number our days aright, that wemay gain a heart of wisdom. ” His first forty years were spent in the courts of Pharaoh learning the wisdom of Egypt and how to be a royal administrator. His second forty years were spent in the wilderness tending sheep. The last forty years he became the prophet who lead Israel to the Promise Land. Charles Swindoll reflected upon this truth of gaining a heart of wisdom in his book Wisdom for the Way. He wrote “Aging isn’t a choice. But our response to it is. In so many ways we ourselves determine how we shall grow old.” One of the greatest features that an elderly Christian shows the world is the gracefulness of growing old in the Lord. They have learned the secret of living and that is to quietly look to the Lord to meet their daily needs.
My 5 Daily Psalms 