[Originally posted in a WhatsApp group (PTS) as a reading update (reflection) from one chapter of the Bible a day]
βππΈππ π‘π:ππ -ππ‘
"If
I should say, “My foot has stumbled,”
Your
lovingkindness, O Yahweh, will hold me up.
When
my anxious thoughts multiply within me,
Your
consolations delight my soul."
I'd
like to agree with Spurgeon that this psalm is appropriate to follow after Ps.
93, which painted for us the sovereignty of God, and here, the Psalmist is
asking God to judge the wicked.
As
I read this Psalm, the thought division is obvious. The psalmist addresses God
regarding the wicked v1-7. Then he addresses the wicked in v8-11. And then he
reflects upon God and preaches to himself in v12-23. Oh! How we ought to preach
to ourselves often!
And
in the spirit of this Psalmist, v18-19 stands out to me as I read this evening,
not because this is my experience these days, but because of the statement of
faith the Psalmist professes! Everyone experiences the first line of each
verse, but only deep contemplation on God will help us experience the
accompanying lines. They expressed the same situation with contrasting
emotions.
Or
as Spurgeon puts it again, "The same sun that melts the wax hardens the
clay!" May Yahweh be our joy and stronghold!
βππΈππ π‘π:π
"Come,
let us worship and bow down,
Let
us kneel before the LORD our Maker."
This
is one of the Psalms I have read it publicly many times before the start of the
church service. How captivating this Psalm is!
I
think I even learn a song by Don Moen taken out from this Psalm. Perhaps this
Psalm was written by David because Heb. 4:7 quoted it to be, but I won't die
defending his authorship!
We
often find ourselves grumbling and complaining when situations are not going
our way. Well, the Psalmist encourages us to worship God instead of hardening
our hearts.
Complaining
is easy, but worshiping God in an uneasy situation is what godly people do.
Complaining does not help. Even Job, who btw, was the perfect candidate to
complain found himself talking too much when God decided to interrogate him.
Thus
v6. Let's bow down, oh, even let's kneel down before Him. Because God is our
God, and we are His people. He is doing everything for our own good.
Hengstenberg
called this verse 6 to be "the beating heart of the Psalm."
βππΈππ π‘π:π
"Declare
His glory among the nations,
His
wonders among all peoples."
Spurgeon
called this Psalm a "Missionary Psalm." Indeed, remember to read this
in mission Sunday or event!
W.
H. Gould called it the "millennial anthem" because of the beauty of
this Psalm!
Even
TMAI released a Devotional Book in December 2019 with its title taken out from
v3 "Declaring His Glory Among the Nations," I am honored to be asked
to contribute 4 chapters!
Indeed,
Gospel is for the whole world, yes, even for those beggars in the streets of
Delhi! I haven't known anyone who has reached out to beggars and homeless of
Delhi with the Gospel of Jesus Christ! I haven't attempted so far on my part!
βππΈππ π‘π:ππ
"Hate
evil, you who love Yahweh,
Who
keeps the souls of His holy ones;
He
delivers them from the hand of the wicked."
The
saints of God are known not only for their love but for what they hate. In the
Scripture, God is known for His love as well as for His hate. [That's why ‘smart’
people like Christopher Hitchens say that Yahweh is not great at all!]
If
we love good, we hate evil. If we love righteousness, we hate wickedness. If we
love holiness, we hate sin.
Phinehas
speared through the bodies of Zimri and the Midianite woman, and God made a
covenant of peace with him for that.
Samuel
hacked Agag into pieces. Paul anathematized those who preached another gospel.
True
love hates evil!
βππΈππ π‘π :π
"Make
a loud shout to Yahweh, all the earth;
Break
forth and sing for joy and sing praises."
Who
doesn't love the hymn of Isaac Watts, ‘Joy to the World’? It is taken out from
this Psalm.
Spurgeon
called this Psalm a "Coronation Hymn." Hengstenberg observed that
this is the only Psalm among the 150 that is simply entitled "A
Psalm" and Andrew Bonar observed as if this is the Psalm of the Psalms.
Because it is about the coming King!
The
mood of this Psalm is gladness and noises of celebration. It has almost nothing
to do with the wicked, not even the punishment of the wicked, because God's joy
is greater than any suffering experienced. However, v9 ends with a little hint
on the punishment of the wicked.
A
few weeks ago, I was terribly annoyed with a housefly that disturbed my sleep
again and again. I tried to hunt it down many times many ways but with no
success. I thought to myself that the day I catch that fly, I will not only
kill it but crash it into a gel or burn it to ashes.
One
day, I managed to thump it down to my floor, lying dead in one piece. Well, I
no longer wanted to smash it to gel, nor to burn it into ashes. I was just glad
that my ordeal was over.
The
coming of Jesus is a matter of joy for who He is to us than what He will do to
the wicked. It's a celebration indeed!
βππΈππ π‘π‘
v3.
"Let them praise Your great and awesome name;
Holy is He."
v5.
"Exalt Yahweh our God
And worship at the footstool of His feet;
Holy is He."
v9.
"Exalt Yahweh our God
And worship at His holy mountain,
For holy is Yahweh our God."
This
psalm is rightly called HOLY, HOLY, HOLY PSALM! The thrice Holy Psalm. The
theme of this Psalm is the Holiness of Yahweh! Repeated thrice as a refrain.
The
Holiness of God demands our worship, our exaltation of Him.
If
the Holiness of God fills us with dread, remember He is a Forgiving God v8.
But
if His forgiveness makes us think that God is just nice to forgive all our
mistakes, remember no sins go unpunished v8.
God
forgave Moses, Aaron, and Samuel but punished them as well (v6-8).
In
one of our Bible Reading Groups, we made a commitment to update regularly. Some
didn't. I forgave them and still required them to pay fine, ₹100.
How do I forgive? By not expelling them but letting them continue.
My
dad forgave all the mistakes I did in my childhood, but he had beaten me black
and blue many times.
Forgiveness
without punishment is: I am forgiven of my sins and am spared from the eternal
wrath to come!
Here
on earth, there will be consequences for everything we do, but there's mercy
for those who trust Him!
David
was forgiven, but God killed his child! On and on....
God
is indeed Awesome. v3.