Psalm 114
¹ When Israel came out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of foreign tongue,
² Judah became God’s sanctuary, Israel his dominion.
³ The sea looked and fled, the Jordan turned back;
⁴ the mountains skipped like rams, the hills like lambs.
⁵ Why was it, O sea, that you fled, O Jordan, that you turned back,
⁶ you mountains, that you skipped like rams, you hills, like lambs?
⁷ Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob,
⁸ who turned the rock into a pool, the hard rock into springs of water.

Image you are fifty-eight years old. You are one of the oldest survivors among a nation that has spent the last forty years in the wilderness, but now are ready for the promises of God made to this generation. You are one of the few that can recall the riches of Egypt that this nation left to travel to the new land that God had promise to Abraham almost five hundred years earlier.  How do you relate this story to your children and grandchildren?

One of the greatest advantages of being saved and knowing Christ at an early age is seeing his hand in steering your life along.  Even when we make life changing mistakes in our life he does not leave us; but instead leads us on to serve him in ways that we never dreamed.  The dreams of the older generation of Israel were lost with their rebellion against God in the wilderness.  However, they were still able to pass this dream to the children and grandchildren. Even after their rebellion Israel still saw the hand of God providing their daily bread and provisions for them during those forty years.  Their clothes and sandals did not wear out and the younger generation was a witness to all of these mighty acts of God.

So as we make this wilderness journey on earth toward our future home with Christ in heaven may we give our children and grandchildren examples of the wonderful presence of the Lord in our life.  For the greatest gift we can leave our child and grandchildren is knowing the love we have for our Lord and the desire for them to have his presence in their lives. 

Psalm 113
¹ Praise the LORD. Praise, O servants of the LORD, praise the name of the LORD.
² Let the name of the LORD be praised, both now and forevermore.
³ From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the LORD is to be praised.
⁴ The LORD is exalted over all the nations, his glory above the heavens.
⁵ Who is like the LORD our God, the One who sits enthroned on high,
⁶ who stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth?
⁷ He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap;
⁸ he seats them with princes, with the princes of their people.
⁹ He settles the barren woman in her home as a happy mother of children. Praise the LORD.

One of the simple truths that we sometimes overlook in reading the psalms is the truth it reveals about the relationship between God and man. Verse one starts out with the phase “Praise Yahweh”. The phrase “Praise the Lord” comes from the Hebrew word Hallelu Yah and is used twenty-four times in the Hebrew Bible and four times in the Greek form in the book of Revelations. The word Hallelujah (Alleluia) that we use in Christians songs today literally means Praise the Lord. This psalm puts in place when we should praise the Lord, now and forever, and from the raising of the sun to the setting of the sun. In other words, everything we do should reflect our Praising of the Lord. In good times and bad times, we should always praise the Lord. Yes, even in the bad times as we learn from Job. In Job, 1:21 after Job lost all his earthly goods as well as his children he fell to the ground in worship and said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb and naked I shall return.” The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord”. In other words, no matter what is happening in your life today your life should always reflect the phrase “Praise the Lord”. This is truly the relationship that man was created to have with God.

Psalm 112

¹ Praise the LORD. Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who finds great delight in his commands.
² His children will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed.
³ Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever.
⁴ Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man.
⁵ Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely, who conducts his affairs with justice.
⁶ Surely he will never be shaken; a righteous man will be remembered forever.
⁷ He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.
⁸ His heart is secure, he will have no fear; in the end he will look in triumph on his foes.
⁹ He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor, his righteousness endures forever; his horn will be lifted high in honor.
¹⁰ The wicked man will see and be vexed, he will gnash his teeth and waste away; the longings of the wicked will come to nothing.

When I consider the phrase “blessed is the one who fears the Lord” I reflect to Psalm one. The key in understanding this phrase is found in the word blessed. In Psalm 1, we are told, “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law, he meditates day and night.” The fear of the Lord is an understanding of God and his way. To grasp an understanding of this verse we must understand the definition of fear. Fear can be defined as a feeling of anxiety (restlessness caused by uncertainties) that marks a state of guard apprehension and uneasiness that forces one to make decisions. This blessing comes from a trust and obeys relationship with the Lord.

As I study this Psalm, I cannot help to be drawn back to the teaching of Psalm one. God has given us the way to walk in; however, humankind seems to want more. The truth of this Psalm is we are to trust and obey the God.

The difference in the life of the man who fears the LORD and the life of the man who does not is the caretaker. As I work in my backyard or on my land, I realize how much the design reflects the desire and purpose of me the caretaker. The same is with the one that looks to the Lord as the one that directs his life. This is the type of relationship that Christ spoke of in John chapter fifteen:

¹ I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.

² Every branch in me that bears not fruit, he takes it away: and every branch that bears fruit, he cleanses it, that it may bear more fruit.

³ Already ye are clean because of the word, which I have spoken unto you.

⁴ Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; so, neither can ye, except ye abide in me.

⁵ I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abides in me, and I in him, the same bears much fruit: for apart from me ye can do nothing.

⁶ If a man abides not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.

The wicked, the one that does not have the fear of God in their life does not have the caretaker in their life. May my life (the work of God’s hand in the life of an old saint) reflect the same joy in God that I have when I set in the designer’s chair, look out, and delight in the beauty that my secret garden gives me?

Psalm 111

¹ Praise the LORD, I will extol the LORD with all my heart in the council of the upright and in the assembly.
² Great are the works of the LORD; they are pondered by all who delight in them.
³ Glorious and majestic are his deeds, and his righteousness endures forever.
⁴ He has caused his wonders to be remembered; the LORD is gracious and compassionate.
⁵ He provides food for those who fear him; he remembers his covenant forever.
⁶ He has shown his people the power of his works, giving them the lands of other nations.
⁷ The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy.
⁸ They are steadfast for ever and ever, done in faithfulness and uprightness.
⁹ He provided redemption for his people; he ordained his covenant forever-holy and awesome is his name.
¹⁰ The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise.

Last night during the silent of my time in prayer, I realized how important the very first verse of the Bible is to humanity “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth”. God is responsible for our very being; however, we become so wrapped up in our affairs and the social environment in which we live in that we forget that God even exist. The world around us has taken God out of the picture. God is either too big to care about the events of our individual lives, or he really does not exist. This psalm helps bring us back to the simple relationship we need to have with God. God is our creator and we are his creation. After reading Proverbs twenty-two, I realized that “Rich and poor have this in common: The LORD is the Maker of them all”. All men must call him creator.

First, we must praise and extol the One who made our being possible. Do this with your entire heart. The path of knowledge starts with this simple understanding of “in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth”. If you do not have this as the foundation and starting point to ponder everything you see, hear, taste, and touch then your thoughts will lead to the wrong conclusions. Today as you read, the psalms focus on the phrase the fear of the Lord. This fear is the starting point in understanding the world around you.

When I consider the second part of verse ten “all who follow his precepts have good understanding”, I cannot help but place an emphasis of the importance of starting the day out with the Word. The world is ready to let us know our problems. In Genesis, three Adam and Eve hide from God because they were afraid and naked. As we study the account of the fall in Genesis chapter three, we realize that God did not asked Adam why he was afraid; but instead ask him “who told you that you were naked?” However, before Adam could reply to God’s answer God ask Adam another question “have you eaten from the tree?” Adam’s reply it was the woman who you gave me that gave me the fruit. So, in fact, Adam blames God instead of taking the blame himself. In I Timothy 2 :14 we realize that Adam was not deceived or beguiled, but freely chose to take the fruit. Whom do we listen to every day? The world around you, or God? Therefore, do we follow God’s precepts, or do we listen to the world? 

Psalm 110
Of David

¹ The LORD says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”
² The LORD will extend your mighty scepter from Zion; you will rule in the midst of your enemies.
³ Your troops will be willing on your day of battle. Arrayed in holy majesty, from the womb of the dawn you will receive the dew of your youth.
⁴ The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind: “You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.“
⁵ The Lord is at your right hand; he will crush kings on the day of his wrath.
⁶ He will judge the nations, heaping up the dead and crushing the rulers of the whole earth.
⁷ He will drink from a brook beside the way; therefore he will lift up his head.

The writer of Hebrews refers to this psalm in Hebrews chapters six and seven. The Lord referred to this verse three times in the gospels (Matthew 22:44, Mark 12:36, Luke 20:42).  He also warned the Jews that in the future you will see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of God and coming on the clouds of heaven (Matthew 26:64 and Mark 14:62). Peter in Act chapter two and the author of Hebrews in chapter one refers to this psalm when addressing the work of Christ. The Lord used this psalm to redirect the Pharisees answer to his question “What do you think of Christ? Whose son, is he?” When they answered, “the son of David”, he referred them to this psalm, which he accredited to David. His question was “How is it then that David speaking by the Spirit calls him Lord? If then David called him ‘Lord’ how could he be his son?” To this, they could not answer him a word, nor did they ask him any more questions. Christ reference to this psalm was during his last week on this earth right before his death when his authority was questioned. In Matthew 26:24 Christ states, “The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him” and in Act chapter two Peter preaches that Christ is the one written about in this psalm.

Two facts to remember about this psalm: The Lord will judge the nations; however, He also has the role of priest after the order of Melchizedek. In I John 2:2 John writes of his actions in this position as being the propitiation for the sins of the whole world. So read this psalm in relationship to psalm two and “kiss the Son, lest he becomes angry and you perish in the way, for his wrath may kindle in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in Him.”

Psalm 109
Of David.
¹ O God, whom I praise, do not remain silent,
² for wicked and deceitful men have opened their mouths against me; they have spoken against me with lying tongues.
³ With words of hatred they surround me; theyattack me without cause.
⁴ In return for my friendship they accuse me, but I am a man of prayer.
⁵ They repay me evil for good, and hatred for my friendship.
⁶ Appoint an evil man to oppose him; let an accuser stand at hisright hand.
⁷ When he is tried, let him be found guilty, and may hisprayers condemn him.
⁸ May his days be few; may another take hisplace of leadership.
⁹ May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow.
¹⁰ May his children be wandering beggars; may they be driven from their ruined homes.
¹¹ May a creditor seize all he has; may strangers plunder the fruits ofhislabor.
¹² May no one extend kindness to him or take pity on hisfatherless children.
¹³ May his descendants be cut off, their names blotted out from the next generation.
¹⁴ May the iniquity ofhisfathers be remembered before the LORD; may the sin of his mother never be blotted out.
¹⁵ May their sins always remain before the LORD, that he may cut off the memory of them from the earth.
¹⁶ Forhenever thought of doing a kindness but hounded to death the poor and the needy and the brokenhearted.
¹⁷ Heloved to pronounce a curse may it come on him; he found no pleasure in blessing may it be far from him.
¹⁸ Hewore cursing as his garment; it entered into hisbody like water, into his bones like oil.
¹⁹ May it be like a cloak wrapped about him, like a belt tied forever around him.
²⁰ May this be the Lord’s payment to my accusers, to those who speak evil of me.
²¹ But you, O Sovereign LORD, deal well with me for your name’s sake; out of the goodness of your love, deliver me.
²² For I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me.
²³ I fade away like an evening shadow; I am shaken off like a locust.
²⁴ My knees give way from fasting; my body is thin and gaunt.
²⁵ I am an object of scorn to my accusers; when they see me, theyshake their heads.
²⁶ Help me, O LORD my God; save me in accordance with your love.
²⁷ Let themknow that it is your hand, that you, O LORD, have done it.
²⁸ They may curse, but you will bless; when they attack they will be put to shame, but your servant will rejoice.
²⁹ My accusers will be clothed with disgrace and wrapped in shame as in a cloak.
³⁰ With my mouth I will greatly extol the LORD; in the great throng I will praise him.
³¹ For he stands at the right hand of the needy one, to save his life from those who condemn him.

As I read this psalm of David, I look back to the time that he was running from Saul. At this time in his life he was in running from the law of the land and being hunted down as a criminal. During this time of running from Saul his name and reputation was being destroyed by Saul. The times of I Samuel seventeen and eighteen when David was the hero, the one who slew Goliath, the captain of a thousand men, the one that slew ten thousand were now history. It was not because of something evil that David had done, but the envy that Saul had of David. Just like Cain who slew Abel because Abel’s sacrifice was accepted by God and Cain’s was not, Saul desired to slay David because God’s favor was on David and not Saul. The same can be said of Christ as he walked on this earth two thousand years ago. As you read the verses above you can see a picture of Christ as he was accused by the religious leaders of wrongs he never did. The accusers in this verse have the same nature of Satan (who is the Great Accuser) in them.

As I was reading today (February 22, 2008) in My Utmost for His Highest) Oswald Chambers writes “Our greatest fear is not that we will be damned, but that somehow Jesus Christ will be defeated. Also, our fear is that the very things our Lord stood for— love, justice, forgiveness, and kindness among men— will not win out in the end and will represent an unattainable goal for us.”

Verse 21 is a verse that will conquer this fear for the believer, and it is this truth: “It is out of his goodness that we are delivered and not our righteousness; to him belongs the praise and glory for this great salvation.” So how must we approach those closest to us when like David they accuse us falsely and attach us. David gives the answer on how to approach these times in verse 4 “but I am a man of prayer”. Believe me it is hard when someone very close to you turns on you and seeks to destroys you and your reputation. At first you want to fight back and take the matters into our hands. However, if your desire is to be Christ-like then you soon discover and realized that this is an issue that only God can handle so you turn to him in prayer and remember what that we are to be Christ-like in everything we do. The very things our Lord stood for— love, justice, forgiveness, and kindness among men will someday be in place and we who follow him will reign with him, so wait on his return both in prayer and staying in his word.

As I read this psalm of David, I can picture the inward hurt that must have been in his heart. The cry for justice is alive in this psalm, however there is also a cry to God from David to deliver him from those that are attaching him. We as believers also face the same issues and struggles that David faced as we go about our daily routines. We see God’s loving kindness, his goodness, his mercies, and his forgiveness is always there for us as well as others to enjoy; however, it does come with a price. That price is the realization that our way is wrong, and we need to repent and turn from our evil way to God’s way. This is a price that many do not want to pay. Vengeance (the repayment of evil to those that did evil to us) is something that we must leave in God’s hand. The desires that David outlines in this chapter:

appoint an evil man to oppose him

let an accuser stand at his right hand
when he is tried, let him be found guilty

may his prayers condemn him.
may his days be few

may another take his place of leadership.
may his children be fatherless

may his wife a widow.
may his children be wandering beggars

may they be driven from their ruined homes.
may a creditor seize all he has

may strangers plunder the fruits of his labor.
may no one extend kindness to him

may no one take pity on his fatherless children.
may his descendants be cut off

may their names blotted out from the next generation.
may the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the LORD

may the sin of his mother never be blotted out.
may their sins always remain before the LORD

may the memory of them be cut off from the earth.
may the curse he pronounce be upon him

may this curse be like a cloak wrapped about him

may it be like a belt tied forever around him.
may this be the Lord’s payment to my accusers, to those who speak evil of me.

are justified, however they are for God to execute and not us.

Psalm 108

David.

1 My heart is steadfast, O God; Iwill sing and make music with all my soul.

2 Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn.

3 I will praise you, O LORD, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples.

4 For great is your love, higher than the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies.

5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens, and let your glory be over all the earth.

6 Save us and help us with your right hand, that those youlove may be delivered.

7 God has spoken from his sanctuary: “In triumph I will parcel out Shechem and measure off the Valley of Succoth.

8 Gilead is mine, Manasseh is mine; Ephraim is my helmet, Judah my scepter.

9 Moab is my washbasin, upon Edom I toss my sandal; over Philistia I shout in triumph.”

10 Who will bring me to the fortified city? Who will lead me to Edom?

11 Is it not you, O God, you who have rejected us and no longer go out with ourarmies?

12 Give us aid against the enemy, for the help of man is worthless.

13 With God we will gain the victory, and he will trample down ourenemies.

See Psalm 60

Psalm 107
¹ Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.
² Let the redeemed of the LORD say this those he redeemed from the hand of the foe,

³ those he gathered from the lands, from east and west, from north and south.
⁴ Some wandered in desert wastelands, finding no way to a city where they could settle.
⁵ They were hungry and thirsty, and their lives ebbed away.
⁶ Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.
⁷ He led them by a straight way to a city where they could settle.
⁸ Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men,
⁹ for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.
¹⁰ Some sat in darkness and the deepest gloom, prisoners suffering in iron chains,
¹¹ for they had rebelled against the words of God and despised the counsel of the Most High.
¹² So he subjected them to bitter labor; they stumbled, and there was no one to help.
¹³ Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress.
¹⁴ He brought them out of darkness and the deepest gloom and broke away their chains.
¹⁵ Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men,
¹⁶ for he breaks down gates of bronze and cuts through bars of iron.
¹⁷ Some became fools through their rebellious ways and suffered affliction because of their iniquities.
¹⁸ They loathed all food and drew near the gates of death.
¹⁹ Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress.

²⁰ He sent forth his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave.
²¹ Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men.
²² Let them sacrifice thank offerings and tell of his works with songs of joy.
²³ Others went out on the sea in ships; they were merchants on the mighty waters.
²⁴ They saw the works of the LORD, his wonderful deeds in the deep.
²⁵ For he spoke and stirred up a tempest that lifted high the waves.
²⁶ They mounted up to the heavens and went down to the depths; in their peril their courage melted away.
²⁷ They reeled and staggered like drunken men; they were at their wits’ end.
²⁸ Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress.
²⁹ He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed.
³⁰ They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven.
³¹ Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men.
³² Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people and praise him in the council of the elders.
³³ He turned rivers into a desert, flowing springs into thirsty ground,
³⁴ and fruitful land into a salt waste, because of the wickedness of those who lived there.
³⁵ He turned the desert into pools of water and the parched ground into flowing springs;
³⁶ there he brought the hungry to live, and they founded a city where they could settle.
³⁷ They sowed fields and planted vineyards that yielded a fruitful harvest;
³⁸ he blessed them, and their numbers greatly increased, and he did not let their herds diminish.
³⁹ Then their numbers decreased, and they were humbled by oppression, calamity and sorrow;
⁴⁰ he who pours contempt on nobles made them wander in a trackless waste.
⁴¹ But he lifted the needy out of their affliction and increased their families like flocks.
⁴² The upright see and rejoice, but all the wicked shut their mouths.
⁴³ Whoever is wise, let him heed these things and consider the great love of the LORD.

This Psalm reminds me of what Mart De Hann wrote in his book Been Thinking About “The Scriptures offer no hope to those who refuse to believe Christ suffered for them. The Bible offers a whole new life, however to those who believe that Christ lived and died as their substitute.” However, as I consider the words that he wrote I realized that his entire statement is based upon his belief that the Scriptures are the foundation of his philosophy system. This Psalm reflect the simple theme of man’s helplessness outside of God’s intervention. Life is good because of God’s unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men. However, just as the statement that Mart De Hann made was based upon the belief that the Scriptures are the foundation of his philosophy system so must we base the truth of this Psalm upon this same foundation. Are the scriptures the foundation of your philosophy system?

Psalm 106
¹ Praise the LORD. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.
² Who can proclaim the mighty acts of the LORD or fully declare his praise?
³ Blessed are they who maintain justice, who constantly do what is right.
⁴ Remember me, O LORD, when you show favor to your people, come to my aid when you save them,
⁵ that I may enjoy the prosperity of your chosen ones, that I may share in the joy of your nation and join your inheritance in giving praise.
⁶ We have sinned, even as our fathers did; we have done wrong and acted wickedly.
⁷ When our fathers were in Egypt, they gave no thought to your miracles; they did not remember your many kindnesses, and they rebelled by the sea, the Red Sea.

⁸ Yet he saved them for his name’s sake, to make his mighty power known.
⁹ He rebuked the Red Sea, and it dried up; he led them through the depths as through a desert.
¹⁰ He saved them from the hand of the foe; from the hand of the enemy he redeemed them.
¹¹ The waters covered their adversaries; not one of them survived.
¹² Then they believed his promises and sang his praise.
¹³ But they soon forgot what he had done and did not wait for his counsel.
¹⁴ In the desert they gave in to their craving; in the wasteland they put God to the test.
¹⁵ So he gave them what they asked for, but sent a wasting disease upon them.
¹⁶ In the camp they grew envious of Moses and of Aaron, who was consecrated to the LORD .
¹⁷ The earth opened up and swallowed Dathan; it buried the company of Abiram.
¹⁸ Fire blazed among their followers; a flame consumed the wicked.
¹⁹ At Horeb they made a calf and worshiped an idol cast from metal.
²⁰ They exchanged their Glory for an image of a bull, which eats grass.
²¹ They forgot the God who saved them, who had done great things in Egypt,
²² miracles in the land of Ham and awesome deeds by the Red Sea.
²³ So he said he would destroy them had not Moses, his chosen one, stood in the breach before him to keep his wrath from destroying them.
²⁴ Then they despised the pleasant land; they did not believe his promise.
²⁵ Theygrumbled in their tents and did not obey the LORD.
²⁶ So he swore to them with uplifted hand that he would make them fall in the desert, make their descendants fall among the nations and scatter them throughout the lands.
²⁸ Theyyoked themselves to the Baal of Peor and ate sacrifices offered to lifeless gods;
²⁹ they provoked the LORD to anger bytheirwicked deeds, and a plague broke out among them.
³⁰ But Phinehas stood up and intervened, and the plague was checked.
³¹ This was credited to him as righteousness for endless generations to come.
³² By the waters of Meribah they angered the LORD, and trouble came to Moses because of them;
³³ for they rebelled against the Spirit of God, and rash words came from Moses’ lips.
³⁴ They did not destroy the peoples as the LORD had commanded them,
³⁵ but they mingled with the nations and adopted their customs.
³⁶ They worshiped their idols, which became a snare to them.
³⁷ They sacrificedtheir sons and their daughters to demons.
³⁸ They shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whomtheysacrificed to the idols of Canaan, and the land was desecrated by theirblood.
³⁹ Theydefiled themselvesby what they did; by their deeds they prostituted themselves.
⁴⁰ Therefore the LORD was angry with his people and abhorred his inheritance.

⁴¹ He handed them over to the nations, and their foes ruled over them.
⁴² Their enemies oppressed them and subjected them to their power.
⁴³ Many times he delivered them, but they were bent on rebellion and they wasted away in their sin.
⁴⁴ But he took note of their distress when he heard their cry;
⁴⁵ for their sake he remembered his covenant and out of his great love he relented.
⁴⁶ He caused them to be pitied by all who held them captive.
⁴⁷ Save us, O LORD our God, and gather us from the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name and glory in your praise.
⁴⁸ Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Let all the people say, “Amen!”
Praise the LORD.

After reading this psalm of how God dealt with Israel in the past and his future dealings with Israel the reader should realize that God is a merciful God, a God that is always willing to forgive. However, we as a nation should also take heed of our relationship with God today. I am afraid that we as a nation today represents Israel at the time of Elijah and that the true worshipers are a part of the seven thousand that have not bowed their knees to Baal. These are individuals that walk daily in God’s way and are not a part of a movement. Movements are man’s way of making things happen, however the more I study God’s Word and watch events happening in the world around me, it seems that God uses individuals moved by His Spirit to make things happen both on a local scale as well as on a global scale. These individuals have the characteristics that are found in verse three, they maintain justice and constantly do what is right. They strive at living a blameless life.

Paul used the example of this psalm in his warning to the Corinthians in I Corinthians chapter ten. In verses 5-11 he writes “Howbeit with most of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness. Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand. Neither let us make trial of the Lord, as some of them made trial, and perished by the serpents. Neither murmur ye, as some of them murmured, and perished by the destroyer. Now these things happened unto them by way of example; and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages are come.”. Yes, God is a merciful God, but if we are bended on rebellion when as verse forty-three states we will waste away in our sins. Chose then the correct way to conduct your daily walk.

It is amazing how God has embedded simple truths in his Word. As I study this psalm the words of verses nineteen through twenty-three speaks of our society today.

¹⁹At Horeb they made a calf and worshiped an idol cast from metal.
²⁰ They exchanged their Glory for an image of a bull, which eats grass.
²¹ They forgot the God who saved them, who had done great things in Egypt,
²² miracles in the land of Ham and awesome deeds by the Red Sea.
²³ So he said he would destroy them had not Moses, his chosen one, stood in the breach before him to keep his wrath from destroying them.

The event that took placed at Horeb has been taking place in the course of history since the fall of man. Even in the very strong holds of religion itself we see God being exchanged for other gods. When you read Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” you must realize that this is the first of the simple truths that God reveals to men from the scriptures. This truth is that God started the process of the heavens and the earth by creating something out of nothing. This truth that God is a creator should shape and mold your understanding of everything that surrounds you. For without God nothing would or could exist. Therefore, to gain an understand of the world in which we live we must recognize God as creator. That is not the case with society today. In an article from the Houston Chronicle (6/21/2009) Opportunities to Fellowship With Other Humanists in Houstonthe author Hux (Brian Surratt) stated “The HOH seems to be getting stronger. I hope the options for humanists continue to grow overtime to include, say, more activities for families who desire to raise ethical children in a naturalistic tradition”.

What is a humanist? Just go to their website for the answer. In the Humanist Manifesto III, the American Humanist Association outlined the following basic principles of Humanism:

• Knowledge of the world is derived by observation, experimentation, and rational analysis.
• Humans are an integral part of nature, the result of unguided evolutionary change.
• Ethical values are derived from human need and interest as tested by experience.
• Life’s fulfillment emerges from individual participation in the service of humane ideals.
• Humans are social by nature and find meaning in relationships.
• Working to benefit society maximizes individual happiness.

At first glance these principles might sound great. However, a farther look at the Humanism definition of Humanism itself states “Humanism is a worldview which says that reason and science are the best ways to understand the world around us, and that dignity and compassion should be the basis for how you act toward someone else. Humanism is nontheistic. By this, we don’t mean to say that there is no God. Instead, we say that there is no proof for the existence of God, any gods, the supernatural or an afterlife. Therefore, we take very seriously the idea that “No deity will save us; we must save ourselves.” We are living the only life we’ll have; in the only world we know about. The responsibility for the choices we make are ours and ours alone.” This statement is a reflection of exactly what the Israelites did here at Horeb, and what Paul describes in Romans chapter one as the condition that mankind now suffers. Then we look at the last two verses of this Psalm we see the psalmist requests to God: save us and gather us from the nations. If one of the fundamental beliefs of Humanism is that God does not save us, only we can; then I cannot abide in their company. However, like Moses may I stand in the breach between God and the Humanist and pray that they may see the light offered to them through Christ.

Psalm 105
¹ Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done.
² Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts.
³ Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.
⁴ Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.
⁵ Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced,
⁶ O descendants of Abraham his servant, O sons of Jacob, his chosen ones.
⁷ He is the LORD our God; his judgments are in all the earth.
⁸ He remembers his covenant forever, the word he commanded, for a thousand generations,
⁹ the covenant he made with Abraham, the oath he swore to Isaac.
¹⁰ He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree, to Israel as an everlasting covenant:
¹¹ “To you I will give the land of Canaan as the portion you will inherit.”
¹² When they were but few in number, few indeed, and strangers in it,
¹³ they wandered from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another.
¹⁴ He allowed no oneto oppress them; for their sake he rebuked kings:
¹⁵ “Do not touch my anointed ones; do my prophets no harm.”
¹⁶ He called down famine on the land and destroyed all their supplies of food;
¹⁷ and he sent a man before them Joseph, sold as a slave.
¹⁸ They bruised his feet with shackles, his neck was put in irons,
¹⁹ till what he foretold came to pass, till the word of the LORD proved him true.
²⁰ The king sent and released him, the ruler of peoples set him free.
²¹ He made him master of his household, ruler over all he possessed,
²² to instruct his princes as he pleased and teach his elders wisdom.
²³ Then Israel entered Egypt; Jacob lived as an alien in the land of Ham.
²⁴ The LORD made his people very fruitful; he made them too numerous for their foes,
²⁵ whose hearts he turned to hate his people, to conspire against his servants.
²⁶ He sent Moses his servant, and Aaron, whom he had chosen.
²⁷ They performed his miraculous signs among them, his wonders in the land of Ham.
²⁸ He sent darkness and made the land dark for had they not rebelled against his words?
²⁹ He turned their waters into blood, causing their fish to die.
³⁰ Their land teemed with frogs, which went up into the bedrooms of their rulers.
³¹ He spoke, and there came swarms of flies, and gnats throughout their country.
³² He turned their rain into hail, with lightning throughout their land;
³³ he struck down their vines and fig trees and shattered the trees of their country.
³⁴ He spoke, and the locusts came, grasshoppers without number;
³⁵ they ate up every green thing in their land, ate up the produce of their soil.
³⁶ Then he struck down all the firstborn in their land, the firstfruits of all their manhood.
³⁷ He brought out Israel, laden with silver and gold, and from among their tribes no one faltered.
³⁸ Egypt was glad when they left, because dread of Israel had fallen on them.
³⁹ He spread out a cloud as a covering, and a fire to give light at night.
⁴⁰ They asked, and he brought them quail and satisfied them with the bread of heaven.
⁴¹ He opened the rock, and water gushed out; like a river it flowed in the desert.
⁴² For he remembered his holy promise given to his servant Abraham.
⁴³ He brought out his people with rejoicing, his chosen ones with shouts of joy;
⁴⁴ he gave them the lands of the nations, and they fell heir to what others had toiled for-
⁴⁵ that they might keep his precepts and observe his laws.

This is an historical psalm that was written by David for the purpose of bring the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem from the House of Obededom. To get a full understanding of this psalm read I Chronicles 16.