Psalm 111 English Standard Version Great Are the LORD's Works 111 Praise the LORD! I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart, in the company of the upright, in the congregation. 2 Great are the works of the LORD, studied by all who delight in them. 3 Full of splendor and majesty is his work, and his righteousness endures forever. 4 He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered; the LORD is gracious and merciful. 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, in giving them the inheritance of the nations. 7 The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy; 8 they are established forever and ever, to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness. 9 He sent redemption to his people; he has commanded his covenant forever. Holy and awesome is his name! 10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever! The LORD's greatness and majesty is known by His great and mighty works--which all know about and should celebrate. Romans 1 tells us that these works are self-evident and that anyone who denies the existence of God is a fool and does so because they are in rebellion against Him. All we need to do is look at the vastness of the heavens or the complexity of microorganisms to know that none of this happened by chance--it was all by design. It was all created for His good will and pleasure and to bring Him much glory, and to cause us to recognize His excellent greatness and give us reason to exalt and praise Him for who He is and what He has done.
The LORD is gracious and merciful bringing rain on the righteous and unrighteous alike. He causes a fruitful harvest that comes at just the right time to provide us with the food we need. His mercies are new every morning, because without them, we would not make it from day to day. The LORD does not forget His covenants that He makes and is faithful to keep them even when His people are unfaithful, for He is the wone who is faithful and true. He knew we would be unfaithful, which is why He did not make us swear to keep the covenant, but instead swore only by Himself and His own Name because there was nothing greater that He could swear by. He did not make Abraham join hands with Him when he cut the covenant of blood with the animals that Abraham had laid out, nor did He make us walk the path with Him when He cut the new covenant with the body and blood of Jesus. That was a path that He walked alone because none of us could walk it with Him. The LORD has given Israel an inheritance among the nations--a Promised Land that is a symbol of His eternal covenant with His people, and His lover for them. It points us to an even better home that He is preparing for all His people--a place for men and God to once again dwell together in the New Jerusalem--the New Heavens and the New Earth. God gave us the covenant of His Law so that we might be blessed and not cursed. We would know who and what He called us to be as His covenant people, yet He knew we could not keep the Law, so the Law made way for atonement for unintentional sin. Yet, much sin is intentional if we are being honest. We commit high-handed sins of rebellion where we know the Law and violate it anyways. For this reason a better sacrifice and a better covenant were needed. Jesus fulfilled the Old Covenant on our behalf and cut a new covenant for us which He told us about at the Lord's Supper, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” (1 Corinthians 11:25). However, the Old Testament tells us of this "New Covenant" that Jesus was referring to. Jeremiah 31:31-34 English Standard Version The New Covenant 31 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, 32 not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the LORD. 33 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” God made a way for our sins not to be just covered over, but to be dealt with forever so that He will no longer remember them. While the LORD is omniscient and knows all, He also can choose to not remember things. If He chooses to forget things and remove the records of them every happening, for our sins are blotted out of the book that records our sins, then who can bring a charge against us? Satan will try, but there will be no evidence to present which the LORD will hear on that day. If we are in Christ and belong to Him then our names will be in a book called the Lamb's Book of Life, and that will be all the evidence that God needs to see. No other evidence will be heard. For this, we also praise Him because of the wonderful work of salvation that He has provided that we now more fully understand than when David wrote this psalm. The people of Israel can tell of the redemption and salvation that He gave to them at the first Passover and how He has continued to save them and keep them year after year (and they still tell this afresh every year to this day), but only in Christ do we see the fulfillment of the Passover in that God is saving a people out of slavery to sin and death, making them a people unto Himself and defeating the superpower of the world and the devil so that they will be able to do nothing to keep the LORD from delivering the promises of His covenant to us. We are now citizens of a new kingdom--a new heaven and new earth. We serve the King of Kings and Lord of Lords who is worthy of all glory and honor and praise. Therefore, we fear the LORD and worship Him and obey and serve Him with gladness, for great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised among all people from all nations! Psalm 110 English Standard Version Sit at My Right Hand A Psalm of David. 110 The LORD says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.” 2 The LORD sends forth from Zion your mighty scepter. Rule in the midst of your enemies! 3 Your people will offer themselves freely on the day of your power, in holy garments; from the womb of the morning, the dew of your youth will be yours. 4 The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind, “You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.” 5 The Lord is at your right hand; he will shatter kings on the day of his wrath. 6 He will execute judgment among the nations, filling them with corpses; he will shatter chiefs over the wide earth. 7 He will drink from the brook by the way; therefore he will lift up his head. Many of us probably know this passage as the passage that shows that the name "The LORD" can apply to the Father while the name "Lord" applies to the Son, yet I'd say "Lord" is more of a title than a name--in the same way that Christ is a title and not a name. In fact, Jesus claims that He is also "The LORD" when He said in John 8:58, "Before Abraham was, I AM." Yes, I believe this is a conversation before the Father and the Son, but I don't think we should say that every time we see "The LORD" used in the Old Testament that it speaks only of the Father and that every time we see "Lord" used in the Old Testament that it automatically refers to the Son.
This is a Messianic Psalm, so we see God [the Father] saying to the Messiah [the Son] that He needs to wait a little while longer before it is the right time for Him to destroy His enemies. This seems to be the answer many of David's prayers in the Psalms about "How long O LORD?" and asking why the righteous seem to suffer and the wicked seem to flourish. The LORD's answer is, "Just a little while longer," but we are also told that the Messiah is to sit at the right hand of the Father (a position of power, privilege and authority) while He waits for all the promises that were made for Him to be fulfilled to Him. It is a picture for David of how he too can patiently wait for all that God has promised to him to come to pass--eventually everything the LORD promised will come to pass, even if it is not in David's physical lifetime. When the Day of the Lord arrives, He will rule for Zion [that is Jerusalem], and all the subjects of the Messiah will serve Him as priests. This should tell us something about His identity, but if it's not clear to us that He's also our High Priest, that is made explicitly clear in verse 4 that tells us that He will be a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek. It is not until the book of Hebrews that this is expounded upon, and we understand that this is not a priesthood by bloodline derived from the Law by which Aaron and his sons served as high priests. If that were the case, Jesus would be ineligible because He was the son of David from the tribe of Judah. He was not even from the tribe of Levi. Aaron's priesthood was one marked not only by the sins of the people, but as sinful men standing in the place of other sinful men. It was inadequate, because the high priest had his own sins that he needed to die for, so he could never be the propitiation for the sins of the people, but only a foreshadowing of the greater High Priest that Jesus was going to be. If you don't know who Melchizedek is, I wouldn't be surprised, as he's only mentioned a few times in the Bible (here's a link to a search from biblegateway.com): BibleGateway - Keyword Search: Melchizedek. By far, the most he's mentioned is in the book of Hebrews--specifically chapter 7, though he also makes appearances in chapters 5 and 6 as the author of the book of Hebrews is setting us up for the argument, he's going to make in chapter 7. He originally appears, seemingly out of nowhere, in Genesis 14, starting in verse 17. Abraham has just fought a mighty battle to save his nephew Lot from being taken as spoils of war, and Abraham's side had fewer kings and probably fewer soldiers than the side that was invading and attacking them (the Canaanite kings were being attacked by a king from the region that would become Babylon and his vassal kings, and they were sweeping up large swaths of territory). Abraham's concern was about Lot, but the LORD was going to deliver the Land that He promised to Abraham in a miraculous way. Melchizedek, the King of Salem, shows up out of nowhere at the end of the battle and it seems that everyone agrees that he is the strongest king that everyone needs to pay tribute to--a literal tithe (10%) of all the spoils of war. You can read more about him elsewhere, and I've written extensively about him as I studied Genesis and Hebrews, but if Melchizedek is not a preincarnate appearance of Jesus in the Old Testament, then he is certainly a prophetic type to point us to Jesus, which is the point of David and the book of Hebrews. Both the throne/kingdom and priesthood of this Messiah will be everlasting, but there will be a definite starting point when the Messiah takes the throne and makes war against all of His enemies. The war will be short, and the victory will be sure (we are told about it in the book of Revelation chapter 21). As He is also the Word that spoke everything into existence, one day He will speak, and all His enemies will cease to exist. Shortly after that, there will be another day when He will speak and all of this creation will cease to exist, and the LORD will make a new heaven and a new earth for us to dwell with Him forever and ever. This Psalm speaks of that time when the wrath of God will be poured out against the godless nations of the world. That happens in what we describe as the Trumpet, Seal, and Bowl/Vial judgments from the book of Revelation, but also at the day of final judgment called The Great White Throne. On that day, Messiah will also be revealed as Judge and all people will see the nail-pierced hands of Jesus and realized that the one that they murdered is the one that will judge them for their crimes. You may ask, "How have we murdered Him?" and claim, "We were not there," but Scripture tells us that just as how in Adam all fell, that all mankind together is responsible for death of Jesus, for it was our sins that He was dying for. Even if you did not physically drive the nails into His hands and feet, the sins that you have committed certainly did. One day, He will have His vengeance against all wickedness and ungodliness, and no one, not even the rich and powerful, will be able to escape His judgment. His enemies will be destroyed, and He will be refreshed, being able to drink from the brook with no fear of His enemies, because they have ceased to exist. Jesus asks the religious leaders of his day of who David spoke of in this passage, asking them how the Messiah could be both David's son [by way of the Davidic Covenant the Messiah was called The Son of David] and David's Lord, for in that culture to be someone's "lord" usually meant that you were older than them. Anyone who was a son of David should be David's servant, not his lord. They were perplexed and could not answer. I think they knew the answer but did not want to say it out loud. The only way that the Messiah could be both David's son and David's Lord is if God Himself was born as a man, through the family of David. They knew that was the only right answer, but they refused to believe that God would ever take on human flesh, and they definitely refused to believe that He would come with a mission to die for His people. They wanted this message where the Messiah comes and makes war with the nations and sets up His throne, but before then, there had to be salvation made through the steadfast love of the LORD that we have been reading so much about and then the Messiah will have to wait a little while before He comes into His Kingdom. That is where we are at right now. We too are waiting for His Kingdom to come and His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. Psalm 109 English Standard Version Help Me, O LORD My God To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 109 Be not silent, O God of my praise! 2 For wicked and deceitful mouths are opened against me, speaking against me with lying tongues. 3 They encircle me with words of hate, and attack me without cause. 4 In return for my love they accuse me, but I give myself to prayer. 5 So they reward me evil for good, and hatred for my love. 6 Appoint a wicked man against him; let an accuser stand at his right hand. 7 When he is tried, let him come forth guilty; let his prayer be counted as sin! 8 May his days be few; may another take his office! 9 May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow! 10 May his children wander about and beg, seeking food far from the ruins they inhabit! 11 May the creditor seize all that he has; may strangers plunder the fruits of his toil! 12 Let there be none to extend kindness to him, nor any to pity his fatherless children! 13 May his posterity be cut off; may his name be blotted out in the second generation! 14 May the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the LORD, and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out! 15 Let them be before the LORD continually, that he may cut off the memory of them from the earth! 16 For he did not remember to show kindness, but pursued the poor and needy and the brokenhearted, to put them to death. 17 He loved to curse; let curses come upon him! He did not delight in blessing; may it be far from him! 18 He clothed himself with cursing as his coat; may it soak into his body like water, like oil into his bones! 19 May it be like a garment that he wraps around him, like a belt that he puts on every day! 20 May this be the reward of my accusers from the LORD, of those who speak evil against my life! 21 But you, O God my Lord, deal on my behalf for your name's sake; because your steadfast love is good, deliver me! 22 For I am poor and needy, and my heart is stricken within me. 23 I am gone like a shadow at evening; I am shaken off like a locust. 24 My knees are weak through fasting; my body has become gaunt, with no fat. 25 I am an object of scorn to my accusers; when they see me, they wag their heads. 26 Help me, O LORD my God! Save me according to your steadfast love! 27 Let them know that this is your hand; you, O LORD, have done it! 28 Let them curse, but you will bless! They arise and are put to shame, but your servant will be glad! 29 May my accusers be clothed with dishonor; may they be wrapped in their own shame as in a cloak! 30 With my mouth I will give great thanks to the LORD; I will praise him in the midst of the throng. 31 For he stands at the right hand of the needy one, to save him from those who condemn his soul to death. Once again, we find David in a desperate situation, surrounded by his enemies who want to destroy him--this time with their lies and slander. He prays an urgent and passionate prayer to the LORD to come to his aide quickly, to save him and his reputation, to hear him, and to not delay in pronouncing summary judgment against these evildoers. David wants an example made out of these men so that others may not follow in their footsteps, and although it is well within David's right as king to carry out judgment against these wicked men, he entrusts the LORD to take care of those who have personally wronged him. David executes justice against those who have wronged his citizens, but he refuses to take vengeance for himself.
Strangely enough, the Holy Spirit told the apostles that these words described Judas Iscariot, the man of perdition. He was evil and God had already judged him. They cited the verse, "May his days be few, may another take his office!" as the reason why they needed to appoint another apostle to take his place. All the curses of the Law were wished upon David's enemies here, but Jesus is the one who took all the curses of the Law upon Himself so that we might have the blessings that only He deserved. David prays this person's life would be short, that his children would be orphaned, and that his line would not extend past the second generation (that his children would be childless). He also prays that for as long as he lives that this man would owe more than he could pay and become enslaved to his creditors, forfeiting property, assets, and freedom (and likely even his family in this culture, as it was common for the head of the household to put his wife and children into slavery to try to pay off his debts). David prays for the name of his enemies to be quickly forgotten (this has taken place, for we do not know of many of his enemies, but we are still talking about David and the covenant that the LORD made with him), and that the LORD would remember his sins when he came to try to offer atonement and would not let the man walk away justified. David gives his reasons for why he feels this way. The person or persons he's speaking of were cruel to the poor and powerless. They refused to comfort those who were hurting, and instead they engaged in "mercy killings" to take the lives of those who were afflicted in body or spirit. The man's vulgarity, profanity, and cursing were worn like an exterior garment. Everything he said was to wish evil on someone else or to speak evil of someone else. He did not desire the blessings of the LORD that come from being the kind of person that God commands His kingdom citizens to be. David prays for the man's curses to return upon him--that the evil that he wished upon others would come upon him. Daivd refuses to take vengeance himself but prays for the LORD to do so for him and do it quickly--not just for David's sake, but His own Name's sake. What would it say about a God who made a special covenant with David and his family that He wasn't willing to fight for and enforce? Yet God refused to take action against Jesus' enemies and let them have their way with Him so that we might be beneficiaries of the covenant of His blood. Jesus had every right under the Davidic covenant to call on the Father to destroy His enemies (just like David did here), and one day the Father will tell the Son that it is time for Him to destroy all His enemies and set up His Kingdom for those who belong to Him. David compares his life to things that are being eaten and wasting away--like a shadow that is about to disappear into the darkness at sunset, like the crops that the locusts have eaten, like the weak knees of someone who has been fasting and has no strength to stand (this last one is probably speaking literally and not figuratively). It would seem David has been fasting so much that he has lost much weight. He says that he can't find any fat on his body (rich people were fat and poor people were skinny back then because only the rich people ate meat and could have enough to get fat. He looked like he was a pauper and not a king. David knows if anything is going to happen, it is going to be because the LORD will be moved with compassion because of His steadfast covenant love--the kind of love that is defined by what it does. He cries out for salvation, which may seem a bit dramatic in this situation for he is not being hunted down like he was by Saul, but the word "salvation" is much larger than just saving someone's physical life. God wants us to have eternal and abundant life that starts now, and that is wrapped up in the idea of salvation too. Part of salvation that we've been talking about throughout this psalm is the blessings (His unmerited favor) being poured out on God's people. David says, "Let them curse, if You will bless." That is powerful! The blessing of God is more important and more powerful than all the curses of men. They can do nothing to us unless God allows it and there is nothing that they can say or do that will separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Their wickedness will be their own downfall and will bring shame upon them and their family. David promises He will give public thanks to the LORD for the salvation that He will provide. The LORD saves those who have nothing to offer--the weak, poor, needy, and those who stand guilty and worthy of death. The LORD has compassion on all of them, for while all of us were in this estate, Christ died for us! It's only because His great love that we have so great a salvation! Let us too publicly praise the LORD for the great salvation that He has given to those of us who are His children by Adpotion. Psalm 108 English Standard Version With God We Shall Do Valiantly A Song. A Psalm of David. 108 My heart is steadfast, O God! I will sing and make melody with all my being! 2 Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn! 3 I will give thanks to you, O LORD, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations. 4 For your steadfast love is great above the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. 5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth! 6 That your beloved ones may be delivered, give salvation by your right hand and answer me! 7 God has promised in his holiness: “With exultation I will divide up Shechem and portion out 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 cast my shoe; over Philistia I shout in triumph.” 10 Who will bring me to the fortified city? Who will lead me to Edom? 11 Have you not rejected us, O God? You do not go out, O God, with our armies. 12 Oh grant us help against the foe, for vain is the salvation of man! 13 With God we shall do valiantly; it is he who will tread down our foes. "If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31b). This seems to be the starting place of David's psalm--God is for us, His people. This brings a song and music to our hearts so that we rejoice and sing and play music all the day long. We worship because His steadfast love is great! For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is the measure of the Father's love for us! You may recognize the chorus, "Be exalted O God, above the heavens! Let thy glory be over all the earth!" (If not, I'll post it for you). Why? Because we want the LORD to deliver His people with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, just like He has done before. We want salvation for all His people, but David personalizes his request and says, "Give salvation by your right hand and answer me!" While this sounds demanding, God does not mind when we cry out to Him like this in our desperation--in fact, He wants it. The Land and the Twelve Tribes belong to the LORD. He does with them as He pleases. He even has promised that the surrounding nations of Edom and Philistia that continue to antagonize the people of Israel will one day be no more, and they too will belong to the people of Israel. Philistia had fortified cities and Edom had the mountain fortress of Petra, but the name of the LORD is a strong tower that the righteous run into, and they are safe. David fears that the LORD has turned away from His people and has stopped blessing them (perhaps because of his sin). The LORD is a mighty warrior that would go out in front of His people in battle and strike down their enemies. He would fight for His people so that all the glory would go to Him. However, David says that the LORD has not gone out to battle with His people and if left to fight in their own strength, they will certainly fail. However, with the LORD's help, they will certainly be victorious, for who can stand against the LORD? No one! "With God, we shall do valiantly! It is He who will tread down all our foes!" Amen, and amen! The Lord has defeated sin, flesh and the devil at the cross and will one day return to defeat all of his mortal enemies that have chosen to side with the devil and the antichrist. He will reign victorious as King of Kings and Lord of Lords to the glory of God the Father! Psalm 107 English Standard Version Book Five Let the Redeemed of the LORD Say So 107 Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! 2 Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he has redeemed from trouble 3 and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south. 4 Some wandered in desert wastes, finding no way to a city to dwell in; 5 hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted within them. 6 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. 7 He led them by a straight way till they reached a city to dwell in. 8 Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man! 9 For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things. 10 Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, prisoners in affliction and in irons, 11 for they had rebelled against the words of God, and spurned the counsel of the Most High. 12 So he bowed their hearts down with hard labor; they fell down, with none to help. 13 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. 14 He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and burst their bonds apart. 15 Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man! 16 For he shatters the doors of bronze and cuts in two the bars of iron. 17 Some were fools through their sinful ways, and because of their iniquities suffered affliction; 18 they loathed any kind of food, and they drew near to the gates of death. 19 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. 20 He sent out his word and healed them, and delivered them from their destruction. 21 Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man! 22 And let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving, and tell of his deeds in songs of joy! 23 Some went down to the sea in ships, doing business on the great waters; 24 they saw the deeds of the LORD, his wondrous works in the deep. 25 For he commanded and raised the stormy wind, which lifted up the waves of the sea. 26 They mounted up to heaven; they went down to the depths; their courage melted away in their evil plight; 27 they reeled and staggered like drunken men and were at their wits' end. 28 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. 29 He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed. 30 Then they were glad that the waters were quiet, and he brought them to their desired haven. 31 Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man! 32 Let them extol him in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders. 33 He turns rivers into a desert, springs of water into thirsty ground, 34 a fruitful land into a salty waste, because of the evil of its inhabitants. 35 He turns a desert into pools of water, a parched land into springs of water. 36 And there he lets the hungry dwell, and they establish a city to live in; 37 they sow fields and plant vineyards and get a fruitful yield. 38 By his blessing they multiply greatly, and he does not let their livestock diminish. 39 When they are diminished and brought low through oppression, evil, and sorrow, 40 he pours contempt on princes and makes them wander in trackless wastes; 41 but he raises up the needy out of affliction and makes their families like flocks. 42 The upright see it and are glad, and all wickedness shuts its mouth. 43 Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things; let them consider the steadfast love of the LORD. This starts "Book Five" of the Psalms which covers Psalms 107-150. These psalms mostly have a theme of giving he people who are in Exile hope that they will once again return, and the LORD will be with them wherever they go, even if it is Assyria, Babylon, or Persia. We start with a reminder of how the LORD delivered them from exile and slavery once before out of Egypt (exactly where we left off in Book 4), but this time the focus is different. It's not so much about remembering history and making sure to not repeat it (for book 4 was mostly a call for people to obey God and repent so that they would not experience the curses of the Law and be sent into Exile), but this time it is meant to comfort the people that the LORD would be with them and would once again be their Redeemer and Deliverer. His steadfast love endures forever! They should not forget it, even when they are far away from the Temple and the Promised Land. That is why this psalm begins with a promise to once again gather them in from the east and the west. However, that means this psalm is talking about something bigger than the Assyrian and Babylonian Exile because all of the exiles went to the East with their captures. None of them went to the West until the time of the Diaspora (around circa 70 A.D. when Herod's Temple was destroyed). At that time, Jews scattered across the whole known world, including the province of Asia (what we would today Turkey) and for sure going into Europe as far away as Italy (there was a community of Jews in Rome that Aquilla and Priscilla ministered to). In later years, the Jews travelled even further away from home as they had no Temple to return to three times and year and they travelled through all of Europe and to the United States and Canada. It is fair to say that when the LORD once again gathers His people into the Land, He will be doing so from the East and from the West, and from every corner of the Earth. We are starting to see this play out before our very eyes today as more and more Jewish people feel compelled to return to the Promised Land and live there among their brothers and sisters.
In all times and in all places, even through the darkest of times like the Holocaust, the steadfast love of the LORD endures forever, and His covenant love has watched over and protected and delivered His people. That is not to say that the affliction and atrocities were light or to be winked at, but to say that God saved a remnant of His people for His Name's sake and because He still has covenant promises to fulfill to them in future generations. The LORD is Faithful and True to each and every generation. I am sure this particular psalm was one that many of them turned to in those darkest hours for comfort and hope that the LORD had not abandoned them and that His steadfast love was sure, no matter what may come. It reminds me of the words of Romans 8:31-39 that speaks of the everlasting, covenant love of the Lord for His people and asks, "Can anything separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord?,." The answer is a resounding, "No!" God's Everlasting Love 31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33 Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. The sentiment is much the same here is Psalm 107 for the Jewish people. Where Psalm 106 was full of past examples, Psalm 107 is full of prophetic promises pointing all the way to the coming Kingdom that is prepared for the LORD's people. There is also a spiritual dimension though to what is being promised that many missed at first. The LORD brings those who are far off and estranged near to Him through Christ. He takes those who were dead and makes them alive in Christ. He takes the dry and worthless places of the curse of sin and reverses the curse to make rivers of living water flow and to cause life to grow where no one thought life was possible through Christ. In Christ, and through the steadfast love demonstrated in the gospel, all these things are possible, not just for the Jews, but also for the Gentiles. There are some blessings here regarding the Land and the People that belong specifically to ethnic Israel, but the blessings of peace with God, deliverance, salvation, redemption, and a place that is being prepared for us belong to all who are part of the family of God by Election and Adoption--both Jews and Gentiles alike. No matter where we are, or what we go through, the LORD has not abandoned us, and His covenant love is working to accomplish His perfect plans and purposes in us, through us, and unto us. May we have that perspective even in the darkest of times. Psalm 106 English Standard Version Give Thanks to the LORD, for He Is Good 106 Praise the LORD! Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! 2 Who can utter the mighty deeds of the LORD, or declare all his praise? 3 Blessed are they who observe justice, who do righteousness at all times! 4 Remember me, O LORD, when you show favor to your people; help me when you save them, 5 that I may look upon the prosperity of your chosen ones, that I may rejoice in the gladness of your nation, that I may glory with your inheritance. 6 Both we and our fathers have sinned; we have committed iniquity; we have done wickedness. 7 Our fathers, when they were in Egypt, did not consider your wondrous works; they did not remember the abundance of your steadfast love, but rebelled by the sea, at the Red Sea. 8 Yet he saved them for his name's sake, that he might make known his mighty power. 9 He rebuked the Red Sea, and it became dry, and he led them through the deep as through a desert. 10 So he saved them from the hand of the foe and redeemed them from the power of the enemy. 11 And the waters covered their adversaries; not one of them was left. 12 Then they believed his words; they sang his praise. 13 But they soon forgot his works; they did not wait for his counsel. 14 But they had a wanton craving in the wilderness, and put God to the test in the desert; 15 he gave them what they asked, but sent a wasting disease among them. 16 When men in the camp were jealous of Moses and Aaron, the holy one of the LORD, 17 the earth opened and swallowed up Dathan, and covered the company of Abiram. 18 Fire also broke out in their company; the flame burned up the wicked. 19 They made a calf in Horeb and worshiped a metal image. 20 They exchanged the glory of God for the image of an ox that eats grass. 21 They forgot God, their Savior, who had done great things in Egypt, 22 wondrous works in the land of Ham, and awesome deeds by the Red Sea. 23 Therefore he said he would destroy them-- had not Moses, his chosen one, stood in the breach before him, to turn away his wrath from destroying them. 24 Then they despised the pleasant land, having no faith in his promise. 25 They murmured in their tents, and did not obey the voice of the LORD. 26 Therefore he raised his hand and swore to them that he would make them fall in the wilderness, 27 and would make their offspring fall among the nations, scattering them among the lands. 28 Then they yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor, and ate sacrifices offered to the dead; 29 they provoked the LORD to anger with their deeds, and a plague broke out among them. 30 Then Phinehas stood up and intervened, and the plague was stayed. 31 And that was counted to him as righteousness from generation to generation forever. 32 They angered him at the waters of Meribah, and it went ill with Moses on their account, 33 for they made his spirit bitter, and he spoke rashly with his lips. 34 They did not destroy the peoples, as the LORD commanded them, 35 but they mixed with the nations and learned to do as they did. 36 They served their idols, which became a snare to them. 37 They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons; 38 they poured out innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan, and the land was polluted with blood. 39 Thus they became unclean by their acts, and played the whore in their deeds. 40 Then the anger of the LORD was kindled against his people, and he abhorred his heritage; 41 he gave them into the hand of the nations, so that those who hated them ruled over them. 42 Their enemies oppressed them, and they were brought into subjection under their power. 43 Many times he delivered them, but they were rebellious in their purposes and were brought low through their iniquity. 44 Nevertheless, he looked upon their distress, when he heard their cry. 45 For their sake he remembered his covenant, and relented according to the abundance of his steadfast love. 46 He caused them to be pitied by all those who held them captive. 47 Save us, O LORD our God, and gather us from among the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name and glory in your praise. 48 Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting! And let all the people say, “Amen!” Praise the LORD! If your congregation does responsive readings, you're probably familiar with the psalm already, as it is used often as a responsive reading. This psalm tells us that the wonderous deeds of the LORD prove to us that His steadfast covenant love for His people endures forever. He proves that love to us through the way in which time after time He has delivered and saved His people. The psalm then continues to tell us of various times and places when He did that, starting with the Exodus and the crossing of the Red Sea. Even though those who were being delivered from slavery were sinners who deserved to die, the LORD delivered them for His Name's sake. Not only did the LORD deliver them, but He destroyed the superpower of Egypt. Historians today that try to deny the biblical account wonder why the Egyptians that a superpower suddenly disappeared and were replaced by another people who were called Egyptians but were genetically different. The Bible explains all this as they lost their firstborn males in the 10th plague, and then most of the rest of the men died as the entire army was drowned in the Red Sea (for the LORD threw horse and rider into the Red Sea), that the nation experienced an "extinction event" where they could no longer have enough males to make a new generation in time, and that great empire quickly disappeared.
While the people sinned and grumbled against the LORD in the desert, the LORD still led them and spoke to Moses and Aaron, providing atonement for the people through the priesthood of Aaron. However, the LORD did not tolerate open rebellion like that of Dathan and Abiram--He cause the earth to open up and eat them and their camp as a picture of them going down into judgment prepared for all those who rebel against the LORD. Even with this kind of imagery, the people still made a golden calf at Mount Sinai, and they got involved in idolatry at Peor by worshiping the Baals there and engaging in all kinds of sexual sin. If it were not for the zeal of Phinehas, the whole camp may have been destroyed by the plague that the LORD sent upon them. The people grumbled at the waters of Meribah and tested the LORD, and it went poorly for Moses. He got angry with the people, but the LORD proved a way to make the bitter water sweet by throwing a tree into it (a picture of the cross of Christ transforming our hearts and taking the "water" full of sin that caused death and exchanging it for the Water of Life that comes only through Jesus). Many times, He delivered the people, but He still said of that generation that constantly rebelled against Him that they would never enter His rest. These two are not mutually exclusive. The LORD can save a people from their physical circumstances time and time again, and they can refuse to be the covenant people of God and die in their sins. We know a few of them had a right relationship with God, so I don't assume ALL of them died in their sins, but the picture is there for us that the vast majority of that first generation did--even though they experienced all the signs and wonders of the Exodus, they never had a personal relationship with the LORD that led to a transformed heart. The LORD delivered on His promises for His Name's sake. It wasn't because His people deserved it, but because He was up to something even greater than saving them from slavery and bringing them into the Land of Canaan. That was important, but the salvation that would come to all people in all places at all times through the true fulfillment of the Abrahamic Covenant--Jesus Christ--was even more important. For the sake of the gospel, God did not completely destroy men in the Flood. Noah didn't deserve salvation, but God chose him to be Jesus' ancestor. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob didn't do anything to cause God to choose them, but God elected them to be the patriarchs of a new people called by His name. Moses did not deserve to be chosen, but God chose Him to lead the people as a picture of Jesus and He was the mediator of what we call the "Old Covenant." Jesus is the Mediator of the New Covenant in His own blood. I could go on and on, but it was because the LORD looked forward to what Jesus would do that He moved heaven to make everything happen according to His perfect plan. Let us not forget though that the same God that is Savior is also the God who pours out His wrath on the unrepentant who die outside of Christ. He must punish wickedness, but He has made a way for His Son to be punished in our place. That is the gospel message. Psalm 105 English Standard Version Tell of All His Wondrous Works 105 Oh give thanks to the LORD; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples! 2 Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works! 3 Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice! 4 Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence continually! 5 Remember the wondrous works that he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he uttered, 6 O offspring of Abraham, his servant, children 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 that he commanded, for a thousand generations, 9 the covenant that he made with Abraham, his sworn promise to Isaac, 10 which he confirmed to Jacob as a statute, to Israel as an everlasting covenant, 11 saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan as your portion for an inheritance.” 12 When they were few in number, of little account, and sojourners in it, 13 wandering from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another people, 14 he allowed no one to oppress them; he rebuked kings on their account, 15 saying, “Touch not my anointed ones, do my prophets no harm!” 16 When he summoned a famine on the land and broke all supply of bread, 17 he had sent a man ahead of them, Joseph, who was sold as a slave. 18 His feet were hurt with fetters; his neck was put in a collar of iron; 19 until what he had said came to pass, the word of the LORD tested him. 20 The king sent and released him; the ruler of the peoples set him free; 21 he made him lord of his house and ruler of all his possessions, 22 to bind his princes at his pleasure and to teach his elders wisdom. 23 Then Israel came to Egypt; Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham. 24 And the LORD made his people very fruitful and made them stronger than their foes. 25 He turned their hearts to hate his people, to deal craftily with his servants. 26 He sent Moses, his servant, and Aaron, whom he had chosen. 27 They performed his signs among them and miracles in the land of Ham. 28 He sent darkness, and made the land dark; they did not rebel against his words. 29 He turned their waters into blood and caused their fish to die. 30 Their land swarmed with frogs, even in the chambers of their kings. 31 He spoke, and there came swarms of flies, and gnats throughout their country. 32 He gave them hail for rain, and fiery lightning bolts through 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, young locusts without number, 35 which devoured all the vegetation in their land and ate up the fruit of their ground. 36 He struck down all the firstborn in their land, the firstfruits of all their strength. 37 Then he brought out Israel with silver and gold, and there was none among his tribes who stumbled. 38 Egypt was glad when they departed, for dread of them had fallen upon it. 39 He spread a cloud for a covering, and fire to give light by night. 40 They asked, and he brought quail, and gave them bread from heaven in abundance. 41 He opened the rock, and water gushed out; it flowed through the desert like a river. 42 For he remembered his holy promise, and Abraham, his servant. 43 So he brought his people out with joy, his chosen ones with singing. 44 And he gave them the lands of the nations, and they took possession of the fruit of the peoples' toil, 45 that they might keep his statutes and observe his laws. Praise the LORD! This psalm specifically calls upon the people of the LORD to praise Him publicly for the things He has done. By this, all men will understand who He is. Those who belong to Him should sing and shout His praise and worship Him continually--both for His miracles and for His judgments. We also worship Him with gladness because He has chosen us by Election from among the peoples (the text references how Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were elected to be recipients of the Abrahamic Covenant, but we are no less elect and chosen to be beneficiaries of the covenant cut with Christ's blood).
He sets His mind to something and does not change it. What He sword to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob will surely come to pass to those whom He swore it to. (That should put to rest Covenant/Replacement Theology). Specifically, the Promised Land will belong to them and their descendants as an eternal inheritance. The LORD gave them physical protection when they were too small in numbers to protect themselves--in fact, they always are in need of His protection because they are surrounded on all sides by enemies. He sent Joseph ahead of them so that when the famine came, they could live in the Land of Goshen, and the LORD used Egypt as a place of safety for them (even though the people were in slavery for 400 years) while the wickedness of the Canaanites came to its fullness. The LORD heard the cries of His people and delivered and redeemed them and led them out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm--through many signs and wonders. He parted the Red Sea for them, led them by the Pillar of Cloud and Pillar of Fire and He tabernacled among them so that it was obvious to the nations that they were the LORD's people, and the LORD was not like the idols made by human hands that so many of them worshiped. He caused water to come from a Rock in the desert to give them ample supply--a picture of Jesus, the Rock of our Salvation that would be struck to give us Living Water. He gave them the Law, His covenant, but more importantly, He brought the new generation into the Promised Land to give them all the Land that had been promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This Land belongs to the children of Israel and no one else, no matter what the EU, UN, United States or anyone else says. The LORD, not the other nations of the world, draws the boundaries of the nations and peoples. He has given us clear markers--He has given Israel all the Land between the Nile, the Sea and the Euphrates River. We should acknowledge these borders set by the LORD and believe that those who bless Israel will be blessed, and those who curse Israel will be cursed. |
Daniel WestfallI will mostly use this space for recording my "journal" from my daily devotions as I hope to encourage others to read the Bible along with me and to leave a legacy for others. Archives
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