PT-1 Psalm 148 (Ps. 148:1-6)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 12/12/2012 5:43:22 PM

 

My Worship Time                                                                             Focus:  Psalm 148-PT-1

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                            Reference:  Psalm 148:1-6

 

            Message of the verses:  We are fast coming to the end of the book of Psalms with only three remaining.  This study began on December 10, 2011 and so it will take more than one year to finish the study of these 150 psalms.  We will begin to look at Psalm 148, which is another psalm of praise, and as we have been doing in the past we will look at several introductions from different Bible commentators on this psalm.

 

            “This psalm is a most solemn and earnest call to all the creatures, according to their capacity, to praise their Creator, and to show forth his eternal power and Godhead, the invisible things of which are manifested in the things that are seen. Thereby the psalmist designs to express his great affection to the duty of praise; he is highly satisfied that God is praised, is very desirous that he may be more praised, and therefore does all he can to engage all about him in this pleasant work, yea, and all who shall come after him, whose hearts must be very dead and cold if they be not raised and enlarged, in praising God, by the lofty flights of divine poetry which we find in this psalm.

 

            “ I. He calls upon the higher house, the creatures that are placed in the upper world, to praise the Lord, both those that are intellectual beings, and are capable of doing it actively (#Ps 148:1,2), and those that are not, and are therefore capable of doing it only objectively, #Ps 148:3-6.

 

   “       II. He calls upon the lower house, the creatures of this lower world, both those that can only minister matter of praise (#Ps 148:7-10) and those that, being endued with reason, are capable of offering up this sacrifice (#Ps 148:11-13), especially his own people, who have more cause to do it, and are more concerned to do it, than any other, #Ps 148:14.”  (Matthew Henry)

 

            “The song is one and indivisible. It seems almost impossible to expound it in detail, for a living poem is not to be dissected verse by verse.  It is a song of nature and of grace. As a flash of lightning flames through space, and enwraps both heaven and earth in one vestment of glory, so doth the adoration of the Lord in this Psalm light up all the universe, and cause it to glow with a radiance of praise. The song begins in the heavens, sweeps downward to dragons and all deeps, and then ascends again, till the people near unto Jehovah take up the strain. For its exposition the chief requisite is a heart on fire with reverent love to the Lord over all, who is to be blessed forever.”  (Charles H. Spurgeon)

 

            “The word ‘praise’ is used thirteen times in these fourteen verses.  The psalm begins in the highest heavens and ends with the little nation of Israel.  If any psalm reveals the glory and grandeur of the worship of the Lord, it is this one, for it is cosmic in its dimension and yet very personal in its intentions.  How anyone could trivialize the privilege and responsibility of worship after pondering this psalm is difficult to understand.”  (Warren Wiersbe)

 

            The Heavens Praise the Lord (vv. 1-6):  “1 Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD from the heavens; Praise Him in the heights! 2 Praise Him, all His angels; Praise Him, all His hosts! 3 Praise Him, sun and moon; Praise Him, all stars of light! 4 Praise Him, highest heavens, And the waters that are above the heavens! 5 Let them praise the name of the LORD, For He commanded and they were created. 6 He has also established them forever and ever; He has made a decree which will not pass away.”

 

            We see the word “praise” nine times in these six short verses.  The Hebrew word that is translated “praise” is found 117 times in the KJV and it is also translated glory 14, boast 10, mad 8, shine 3, foolish 3, fools 2, commended 2, rage 2, celebrate 1, give 1, marriage 1, renowned in the KJV.  Praise and fools do not seem that they could come from the same Hebrew word, but they do:  “2c) (Pual)

2c1) to be praised, be made praiseworthy, be commended, be worthy of praise

2d) (Hithpael) to boast, glory, make one’s boast

2e) (Poel) to make a fool of, make into a fool

2f) (Hithpoel) to act madly, act like a madman”

 

            The psalmist begins his praise in the heavens and then moves to the angels and all the hosts (armies of heaven), which means angels and planets and stars and all of these praise the Lord.  When we look in the Bible we see few descriptions of praise and worship, but we do see it in Isaiah chapter six, Daniel 7:9-10; and also in Revelations 5:11-14.

 

            As believers we praise the Lord who made the heavens and the earth and all that is seen, but there are times when the unbelievers worship the things that are made on this earth, things like idols that have ears that do not hear, and eyes that do not see, and a mouth that cannot speak, and also a nose that cannot smell anything.

 

            The psalmist speaks of the waters that are on the earth and those that are above the earth, and this can be seen in Genesis 1:6-7 and 7:11.

 

            Dr. Wiersbe finishes his commentary on these six verses with these words, “Why should the hosts of heaven praise the Lord?  Simply because He made them and gave them the privilege of serving Him and His people and bringing glory to His name.  We have many more reason for praising Him, and yet too often, we do not do it.”

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  Psalms 145-150 all speak of praising the Lord and I am glad to be studying these psalms because that is one thing lacking in my walk with the Lord.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Praise the Lord, continue to learn contentment, and continue to memorize and study God’s Word so that my mind will be transformed from the inside out.

 

Memory verses for the week:  Psalm 130:1-8

 

            1 Out of the depths I have cried to You, O LORD. 2 Lord, hear my voice! Let Your ears be attentive To the voice of my supplications. 3 If You, LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? 4 But there is forgiveness with You, That You may be feared.

    5 I wait for the LORD, my soul does wait, And in His word do I hope. 6 My soul waits for the Lord More than the watchmen for the morning; Indeed, more than the watchmen for the morning. 7 O Israel, hope in the LORD; For with the LORD there is lovingkindness, And with Him is abundant redemption. 8 And He will redeem Israel From all his iniquities.

 

12/12/2012 6:16:28 PM

 

PT-2 "Ps. 147" (Ps. 147:7-20)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 12/11/2012 10:28:18 PM

 

My Worship Time                                                                            Focus:  Psalm 147-PT-2

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                           Reference:  Ps. 147:7-20

 

            Message of the verses:  We will continue to look at Psalm 147 in Today’s Spiritual Diary.  Dr. Wiersbe wrote the following at the end of his introductory commentary, “The psalm presents three reasons why the people should praise the Lord, and each section is marked off by the command praise the Lord (vv. 1, 7 and 12).”

 

            Sing to the Lord—the Land Has Been Refreshed (vv. 7-11):  “7  Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving; Sing praises to our God on the lyre, 8  Who covers the heavens with clouds, Who provides rain for the earth, Who makes grass to grow on the mountains. 9 He gives to the beast its food, And to the young ravens which cry. 10 He does not delight in the strength of the horse; He does not take pleasure in the legs of a man. 11 The LORD favors those who fear Him, Those who wait for His lovingkindness.”

 

            As we began to look at this psalm yesterday we decided that the psalm was written after the captives of Israel had returned from Babylon to Jerusalem.  These exiles knew that they would need rain to come from the Lord in order to have their crops grow and so the psalmist praises the Lord for providing the clouds and the rain to cause their crops to grow.  The Lord caused the grass to grow on the mountains even though no one had planted it there, and this grass was used to feed the beasts that lived there.  This feeding of these beasts would cause them to stay there and not go down where the children of Israel were.

 

            As far as feeding the young ravens Dr. Wiersbe writes, “The ancients believed that the young ravens were abandoned by the parent birds and had to find their own food (Luke 12:24).”  It is remarkable that we as His children can bring pleasure to the heart of God.

 

            Extol the Lord—the Word Has Been Revealed (vv. 12-20):  “12  Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem! Praise your God, O Zion! 13 For He has strengthened the bars of your gates; He has blessed your sons within you. 14 He makes peace in your borders; He satisfies you with the finest of the wheat. 15 He sends forth His command to the earth; His word runs very swiftly. 16 He gives snow like wool; He scatters the frost like ashes. 17 He casts forth His ice as fragments; Who can stand before His cold? 18 He sends forth His word and melts them; He causes His wind to blow and the waters to flow. 19 He declares His words to Jacob, His statutes and His ordinances to Israel. 20 He has not dealt thus with any nation; And as for His ordinances, they have not known them. Praise the LORD!”

 

            The psalmist speaks of peace in verse fourteen and Dr. Wiersbe writes the following about this word:  “In the Hebrew language ‘peace’ (shalom) is much more than the absence of war.  It describes total well being, including material prosperity and physical and spiritual health.  Peace at the borders means peace in the nation, for invaders have to cross the borders before they can attack.”  The psalmist speaks of this in this section of the psalm.  He also speaks of snow, which does not happen a lot in Jerusalem, but in the higher elevations it does snow.

            In verse nineteen the psalmist begins to talk about the Word of God that He had given to Israel, and states that God has not given any other nation the Law of God.  It was the responsibility of the children of Israel to take care of the Word of God as their scribes would copy the different books.  They would count the letters on each page that they copied and if it was not the correct number they would throw away the page and begin again.  The problem was not that they did not know the Word of God, but that they did not follow it.  D. L. Moody states “Every Bible should be bound in shoe leather,” and Dr. Wiersbe states that this is another way of stating that “faith without works is dead.”

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I surely agree that it is easier to know the Word of God than to practice and keep it.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Continue to learn contentment, and continue to seek to have my mind transformed by renewing it with the Word of God.

 

Memory verses for the week:  Psalm 130:1-8

 

            1 Out of the depths I have cried to You, O LORD. 2 Lord, hear my voice! Let Your ears be attentive To the voice of my supplications. 3 If You, LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? 4 But there is forgiveness with You, That You may be feared.

    5 I wait for the LORD, my soul does wait, And in His word do I hope. 6  My soul waits for the Lord More than the watchmen for the morning; Indeed, more than the watchmen for the morning. 7 O Israel, hope in the LORD; For with the LORD there is lovingkindness, And with Him is abundant redemption. 8 And He will redeem Israel From all his iniquities.

 

12/11/2012 11:12:13 PM

 

   

 

           

Psalm 147:1-6

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 12/10/2012 8:38:33 AM

 

My Worship Time                                                                            Focus:  Psalm 147 PT-1

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                           Reference:  Psalm 147:1-6

 

            Message of the verses:  We will begin looking at Psalm 147 in the way that we have been looking at most of the psalms by first looking at several introductory comments from several different Bible Commentators in order to better understand what this psalm is all about, in order to be able to put into practice the teachings of it.

 

            “This is another psalm of praise. Some think it was penned after the return of the Jews from their captivity; but it is so much of a piece with Psalm 145 that I rather think it was penned by David, and what is said #Ps 147:2,13 may well enough be applied to the first building and fortifying of Jerusalem in his time, and the gathering in of those that had been out-casts in Saul’s time. The Septuagint divides it into two; and we may divide it into the first and second part, but both of the same import.

 

   I. We are called upon to praise God, #Ps 147:1,7,12.

 

   II. We are furnished with matter for praise, for God is to be glorified,

 

1. As the God of nature, and so he is very great, #Ps 147:4-5,8-9,15-18.

 

2. As the God of grace, comforting his people, #Ps 147:3,6,10,11.

 

3. As the God of Israel, Jerusalem, and Zion, settling their civil state #Ps 147:2,13,14, and especially settling religion among them, #Ps 147:19,20.

 

   It is easy, in singing this psalm, to apply it to ourselves, both as to personal and national mercies, were it but as easy to do so with suitable affections.”  (Matthew Henry)

 

            “Subject: This is a specially remarkable song. In it the greatness and the condescending goodness of the Lord are celebrated The God of Israel is set forth in his peculiarity of glory as caring for the sorrowing, the insignificant, and forgotten. The poet finds a singular joy in extolling one who is so singularly gracious. It is a Psalm of the city and of the field, of the first and the second creations, of the common wealth and of the church. It is good and pleasant throughout.

 

“Division: The, song appears to divide itself into three portions. From #Ps 147:1-6, Jehovah is extolled for building up Zion, and blessing his mourners; from #Ps 147:7-11, the like praise is given because of his provision for the lowly, and his pleasure in them; and then, from #Ps 147:12-20, he is magnified for his work on behalf of his people, and the power of his word in nature and in grace. Let it be studied with joyful gratitude.”  (Charles H. Spurgeon)

 

“When Nehemiah and his people finished rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, restoring the gates, and resettling the people, they called a great assembly for celebration and dedication, and it is likely that this psalm was written for that occasion (vv. 2, 12-14; Neh. 12:27-43).  The verb ‘gather together’ in verse 2 is used in Ezekiel 39:28 for the return of the captives to Judah, and the word ‘outcast’ in verse 2 is used for these exiles (Neh. 1:9).  One of the unique characteristics of this psalm is the large number of present participles in it—‘building, healing, binding, counting, lifting up,’ and so on—all of which speak of the constant and dynamic working of the Lord for His people.  The psalm presents three reasons why the people should praise the Lord, and each section is marked off by the command to praise God (vv. 1, 7 and 12).”  (Warren Wiersbe)

 

Praise the Lord—His People Have Been Restored (vv 1-6):  “1 Praise the LORD! For it is good to sing praises to our God; For it is pleasant and praise is becoming. 2 The LORD builds up Jerusalem; He gathers the outcasts of Israel. 3 He heals the brokenhearted And binds up their wounds. 4 He counts the number of the stars; He gives names to all of them. 5 Great is our Lord and abundant in strength; His understanding is infinite. 6 The LORD supports the afflicted; He brings down the wicked to the ground.”

 

As we looked at the introductions from different commentators and even several that I did not include we saw a difference of opinion as to when and even who penned this psalm.  Some thought that it was David and the time was when the first temple was being built.  Others though that it was during the time when the captives from Israel returned their land which was decreed by Cyrus in 537 B.C., and  Isaiah the prophet prophesied of this event by even giving the name of Cyrus in chapters 44-45 of his book.  Jeremiah also spoke of this return and even gives the length of stay in chapters 25 and 29 of his book.  After my brief look at this psalm and the different commentators that I have read I have come to the conclusion that the psalm was written after the Jews returned to Jerusalem from their captivity in Babylon.

 

As we look at the event of the Jews returning to Israel we know that this event was a very emotional event for them, and the psalmist captures the emotion of those who had returned.  Some of those who returned were old enough to remember being captured by the Babylonians and the cruel treatment that they received both in Jerusalem and then in Babylon.  They had all lost friends and family members too during this time.  We see that the psalmist shows the tenderness of God in dealing with these people, “He heals the brokenhearted And binds up their wounds.” 

 

We also see the greatness of our God in this section of Psalm 147:  “4 He counts the number of the stars; He gives names to all of them. 5 Great is our Lord and abundant in strength; His understanding is infinite.”  We see here not only the power, but also the understanding of our God and for that we surely can praise Him.

 

Spiritual meaning for my life today:  Every morning before I begin to write to my Spiritual Diary I try to have a prayer time with the Lord, and in this time of prayer I first ask the Lord to search my heart for any hidden sins and also confess sins that I know that I have committed.  I feel that this is necessary in order to have a sweet fellowship with the Lord.  Next I praise the Lord for His attributes, including His holiness, goodness, compassion, His being all powerful, all wise, all knowing, and the fact that He is everywhere.  Love and justice are the last two attributes that I praise the Lord for.  I also pray for other matters like praying that the Lord will open my heart and mind to understand from His Word, and pray that the Lord will use my Spiritual Diary as it goes onto my blog to bring honor and glory to the Lord.  As we look at this portion of this psalm we see different attributes of our Lord, as we see His power and also His compassion two aspects of His character that are worthy of our praise.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Praise the Lord for who He is, continue to learn contentment, and continue to study the Word of God in order to have my mind transformed by His Word so that I am more and more conformed to the image of my Lord.

 

Memory verses for the week:  Psalm 130:1-8

 

            1 Out of the depths I have cried to You, O LORD. 2 Lord, hear my voice! Let Your ears be attentive To the voice of my supplications. 3 If You, LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? 4  But there is forgiveness with You, That You may be feared.

    5 I wait for the LORD, my soul does wait, And in His word do I hope. 6 My soul waits for the Lord More than the watchmen for the morning; Indeed, more than the watchmen for the morning. 7 O Israel, hope in the LORD; For with the LORD there is lovingkindness, And with Him is abundant redemption. 8 And He will redeem Israel From all his iniquities.    12/10/2012 9:27:03 AM   

 

 

Psalm 146:7-10

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 12/9/2012 8:39:51 AM

 

My Worship Time                                                                Focus:  Ps. 146:7-10

 

            Message of the verses:  We will continue to look at the 146^th Psalm remembering what Dr. Wiersbe wrote at the end of his introductory commentary on this psalm:  “The author of this psalm understood that God was not just a part of life but the heart of life.”

 

            Life Means Loving God (vv.7-9):  “7 Who executes justice for the oppressed; Who gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets the prisoners free. 8  The LORD opens the eyes of the blind; The LORD raises up those who are bowed down; The LORD loves the righteous; 9  The LORD protects the strangers; He supports the fatherless and the widow, But He thwarts the way of the wicked.”

 

            1 John 4:19 says, “We love because he first loved us.”  Now here are some verses that state that God loves:  “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, (Eph. 5:25).”  “"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life (John 3:16).”  “"Because He loved your fathers, therefore He chose their descendants after them. And He personally brought you from Egypt by His great power, (Deu. 4:37).”  “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Rom. 5:8).”  “"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me (Gal. 2:20).”

            As we look at the verses from Psalm 146 we see things in them that Jesus Christ did while He was on the earth demonstrating His love, for He opened the eyes of the blind, (John 9), He set the prisoners free from sin by dying on the cross to pay for their sins. 

            When we looked at 1John 4:19 we saw that the only way that we have the ability to truly love God and others is because He first of all loved us.  Let’s look at some more verses from 1 John 4:  “20 If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. 21 And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also.”  John is saying that because God first loved us we are to demonstrate that love, by loving others.  Dr. Wiersbe writes, “if we truly love God, we will love those who need God’s help and will do all we can to help them (1John 3:10-24; James 2:14-26).  Living in love means more than enjoying God’s love for us.  It also means sharing God’s love with others.”

            Life Means Reigning with God (v. 10):  “10 The LORD will reign forever, Your God, O Zion, to all generations. Praise the LORD!”

 

            There is a verse in the book of Ephesians that states, “and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus (Eph. 2:6).”  This verse states that believers are now seated with Christ in the heavenly places, and this has been a mystery to me, but I do believe it.  John MacArthur writes the following from his study Bible:  “The tense of ‘raised’ and ‘seated’ indicates that these are immediate and direct results of salvation.  Now only is the believer dead to sin and alive to righteousness through Christ’s resurrection, but he also enjoys his Lord’s exaltation and shares in His preeminent glory.  In the heavenly places:  The supernatural realm where God reigns.  In 3:10 and 6:12, however, it also refers to the supernatural sphere where Satan temporarily rules.  This spiritual realm is where believers’ blessings are (cf. 1:3), THEIR INHERITANCE IS (1Pe. 1:4), their affections should be (Col. 3:3), and where they enjoy fellowship with the Lord.  It is the realm from which all divine relations has come and where all praise and petitions go.”

            Why is this important?  Well we may think that the time when we begin to reign with the Lord will be when we get to heaven, but the time when we reign with Him has begun the moment that we have been saved.  God uses believers to do His work on earth and that means that we all have ministries to accomplish for the Lord, and that is how we are reigning with Him here on earth.

            The psalmist finishes this psalm by telling us to Praise the Lord.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I have understood that I have a ministry for the Lord, to do work for Him that He has planned for me in eternity past (Eph. 2:10), but it was not so clear that this ministry meant reigning with Him.  It is good to learn things and to put them in to practice. 

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Contentment, and to be transformed continue to be my steps of faith.

 

Memory verses for the week:  Psalm 130:1-8

 

            11 Out of the depths I have cried to You, O LORD. 2  Lord, hear my voice! Let Your ears be attentive To the voice of my supplications. 3  If You, LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? 4  But there is forgiveness with You, That You may be feared.

    5 I wait for the LORD, my soul does wait, And in His word do I hope. 6  My soul waits for the Lord More than the watchmen for the morning; Indeed, more than the watchmen for the morning. 7  O Israel, hope in the LORD; For with the LORD there is lovingkindness, And with Him is abundant redemption. 8  And He will redeem Israel From all his iniquities.

 

12/9/2012 9:26:53 AM

Psalm 146:1-6

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 12/8/2012 9:17:17 AM

 

My Worship Time                                                                            Focus:  Psalm 146 PT-1

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                           Reference:  Psalm 146:1-6

 

            Message of the verses:  We will continue to do as we have been doing through most of the book of Psalms by looking at several introductions by different Bible Commentators in order to better understand the psalm that we are about to study.  In the introduction to the last psalm (145) we learned that all the remaining six psalms would be considered “praise psalms.”

 

            “This and all the rest of the psalms that follow begin and end with Hallelujah, a word which puts much of God’s praise into a little compass; for in it we praise him by his name Jah, the contraction of Jehovah. In this excellent psalm of praise,

 

   I. The psalmist engages himself to praise God, #Ps 146:1, 2.

 

   II. He engages others to trust in him, which is one necessary and acceptable way of praising him.

 

1. He shows why we should not trust in men, #Ps 146:3, 4.

 

2. Why we should trust in God (#Ps 146:5), because of his power in the kingdom of nature (#Ps 146:6), his dominion in the kingdom of providence (#Ps 146:7), and his grace in the kingdom of the Messiah (#Ps 146:8,9), that everlasting kingdom (#Ps 146:10), to which many of the Jewish writers refer this psalm, and to which therefore we should have an eye, in the singing of it.”  (Matthew Henry)

 

            “DIVISION: & etc. We are now among the Hallelujahs. The rest of our journey lies through the Delectable Mountains. All is praise to the close of the book. The key is high pitched: the music is upon the high sounding cymbals. O for a heart full of joyful gratitude, that we may run, and leap, and glorify God, even as these Psalms do.

 

      Alexander thinks that this song may be regarded as composed of two equal parts; in the first we see the happiness of those who trust in God, and not in man (#Ps 146:1-5), while the second gives the reason drawn from the Divine perfections (#Ps 146:5-10). This might suffice for our purpose; but as there is really no break at all, we will keep it entire. It is "one pearl," a sacred censer of holy incense, pouring forth one sweet perfume.”  (Charles H. Spurgeon)

 

            “The last five psalms are the ‘Hallelujah Psalms’ that focus our attention on praising the Lord.  This psalm begins with a vow to praise God throughout life.  The next psalm tells us it is ‘good and pleasant’ to praise the Lord, and 148 reminds us that when we praise God, we join with all creation , for heaven and earth praise Him.  In 149, God’s people are admonished to worship joyfully, and the last psalm tells us where and why and how ‘everything that has breath’ should praise the Lord.  These five psalms are a short curse in worship, and God’s people today would do well to heed their message.  Sanctuaries are turning into religious theaters and ‘worship’ is becoming more and more entertainment.  The author of this psalm understood that God was not just a part of life but the heart of life.  Paul had the same conviction (Phil. 1:21; Col. 3:4).”  (Warren Wiersbe)

 

            “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain (Phil. 1:21).”

             “When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory (Col. 3:4).”

 

            Life Means Praising God (vv. 1-2):  “1 Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul! 2 I will praise the LORD while I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.”

 

            I have mentioned in earlier Spiritual Diaries that Warren Wiersbe’s insight into the Word of God has been something that I can praise the Lord for.  It is said of him that he puts the cookies on the shelf where you can reach them.  There are times when I read his commentary that I have to share exactly what he has written, and this is one of those times.  “To receive the gifts and ignore the Giver is the essence of idolatry.  The writer promised God he would praise Him all of his life, and certainly this is wise preparation for praising Him for eternity (104:33).  To live a life of praise is to overcome criticism and complaining, to stop competing against others and comparing ourselves with them.  It means to be grateful in and for everything (1Thes. 5:18; Eph. 5:20) and really believe that God is working all things together for our good (Romans 8:28).  A life of praise is free from constant anxiety and discouragement as we focus on the Lord, who is mentioned eleven times in this psalm.” 

            After reading this I not only agree with it, but am a bit convicted by what I have read and have a desire to seek to praise the Lord more, knowing that it will be a wonderful part of what I do in heaven.

 

            Life Means Trusting God (vv. 3-6):  “3 Do not trust in princes, In mortal man, in whom there is no salvation. 4  His spirit departs, he returns to the earth; In that very day his thoughts perish.  5 How blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, Whose hope is in the LORD his God, 6  Who made heaven and earth, The sea and all that is in them; Who keeps faith forever;”

 

            In the first part of this section of Psalm 146 we hear the psalmist telling his readers not to trust in man, for there is no salvation in man.  When we look at the history of Israel, right from the beginning when Abraham was called as the father of Israel we see time and time again that they put their trust in Egypt.  Both Abraham and Isaac went down to Egypt because their faith was weak.  They were trusting in men and not in the God who called them.  I suppose we do this today in the United States, and perhaps it is done in other countries as well.  It seems that believers are more comfortable with having leaders who are believers, but they are still men, and God is in control of all leaders, for He is the One who puts them into power, and so are faith should be in the Lord and not in the leaders.  We must remember that God is in control of all things and has a plan that no one will ever stop even though there are any times when we don’t understand it, but we still need to trust the Lord.

            We see in the fifth verse the last of twenty-five beatitudes that are found in the book of psalms. (Warren Wiersbe)  We also read about the God whom we are to put are trust in.  We are to trust in the God of Jacob as seen in verse five.  After reading the commentary from Dr. Wiersbe on the God of Jacob I was greatly encouraged, for when we look at the life of Jacob we can understand how the Lord can help people who are weak like me.  “Jacob was far from being perfect, yet God honored his faith and helped him in times of need.  Jacob trusted God’s promises, for his hope was in the Lord, but too often he depended on his own schemes to see him through.”  (Warren Wiersbe)

            Our God is not only the God of Jacob, but verse six tells us that He is the God who created the heavens and the earth.  This tells us of the power and wisdom that God possess and is a part of His attributes, and character.  Stop and think about creation, the creation that is described in the pages of Scripture, especially in Genesis chapters one and two.  We see these words “God said” eight times in regard to how God created what He created:

“Ge 1:3  Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light.

Ge 1:6  Then God said, "Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters."

Ge 1:9  Then God said, "Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear"; and it was so.

Ge 1:11  Then God said, "Let the earth sprout vegetation: plants yielding seed, and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit after their kind with seed in them"; and it was so.

Ge 1:14  Then God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years;

Ge 1:20  Then God said, "Let the waters teem with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the heavens."

Ge 1:24  Then God said, "Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kind: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth after their kind"; and it was so.

Ge 1:26  Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’”

            When we see these words “God said” we know that this is the Word of God, and Hebrews 4:12 states that the Word of God is powerful, and so when we look at how God created this universe we understand that God is all powerful.  A Good One to have on your side and to put your trust in. I know that there are people today that state that the world was created in a different way that what we see in these eight  verses, but think about what their real motives are when trying to discredit the creation that is spoken of in the Scriptures.  Their motive is that if you can take God out of the creation of the universe then you don’t have to answer to Him.  Wrong!  We are told in the Scriptures that all people will someday have to bow down before the Lord.

            We also see in verse six that God is the God who keeps faith forever.  God is the covenant keeping God.  God made a covenant through the blood of Jesus Christ that is found in the New Testament, which means “New Covenant.”  We know that God is the God who will keep His covenants that He has made, including the covenant that He made with Abraham in Genesis 15.  That covenant is a covenant God made with the people of Israel, and one day the Lord Jesus Christ will come back to planet earth and sit on the throne of David and reign on earth for 1000 years.  God Keeps His Covenants.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I am amazed at when my prayers that I pray before beginning to study the Word of God are answered in the portion that I am studying.  My prayer before beginning today’s SD was confessing to the Lord that there are times when my devotions are more duty than doing them out of love for God and so my prayer was to make sure that I am in a relationship with my Lord and not in a religion.  Christianity is a relationship with the Living God and not a religion.  The section that I copied from Warren Wiersbe on the first point from this psalm was an answer to my prayer. 

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Praise is powerful!  Continue to learn contentment.  Continue to have my mind transformed by the Word of God.

Memory verses for the week:  Psalm 130:1-7

 

            1 Out of the debts I cried to You, O LORD.  2 Lord, hear my voice!  Let Your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications.  3 If You, Lord should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?  4 But there is forgiveness with You, that You may be feared.

            5 I wait for the Lord, my soul does wait, and in His Word do I hope.  6 My soul waits for the Lord more than the watchman for the morning; indeed more than the watchman for the morning.  7 O Israel, hope in the LORD; For with the Lord there is lovingkindness, and with Him is abundant redemption.

 

12/8/2012 10:57:43 AM

 

PT-2 "Psalm 145: (Psalm 145:7-21)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 12/7/2012 10:17:30 AM

 

My Worship Time                                                                             Focus:  Psalm 145-PT-2

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                            Reference:  Ps. 145:7-21

 

            Message of the verses:  We will continue looking at Psalm 145 in today’s Spiritual Diary.  Dr. Wiersbe wrote the following at the end of his introductory commentary, “But along with telling us why we should praise the Lord David tells us when we should praise Him.”

 

            Praise God from Nation to Nation (vv. 8-13a):  “8 The LORD is gracious and merciful; Slow to anger and great in lovingkindness. 9 The LORD is good to all, And His mercies are over all His works. 10 All Your works shall give thanks to You, O LORD, And Your godly ones shall bless You. 11  They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom And talk of Your power; 12  To make known to the sons of men Your mighty acts And the glory of the majesty of Your kingdom. 13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom.”

 

            One of the words that we see repeated in this psalm is the word “all” as it is seen fourteen times in the NASB translation.  I will paste the verses that have the word “all” in them so we can see where they occur.

“Ps 145:9 The LORD is good to all, And His mercies are over all His works.

Ps 145:10 All Your works shall give thanks to You, O LORD, And Your godly ones shall bless You.

Ps 145:13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, And Your dominion endures throughout all generations.

Ps 145:14 The LORD sustains all who fall And raises up all who are bowed down.

Ps 145:15 The eyes of all look to You, And You give them their food in due time.

Ps 145:17 The LORD is righteous in all His ways And kind in all His deeds.

Ps 145:18 The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth.

Ps 145:20 The LORD keeps all who love Him, But all the wicked He will destroy.

Ps 145:21 My mouth will speak the praise of the LORD, And all flesh will bless His holy name forever and ever.”

 

            Sometimes it is best to just let the Bible be its own commentator.

 

            The nation of Israel was suppose to tell their neighbors about who the Lord is and what He has done for them, as Jesus told the woman at the well, “Salvation is of the Jews, “ but the Jews were so proud of what they thought they had that they did not want to bring others into the fold.  As believers today we are suppose to tell all who will listen about the good news of the Gospel, but sometimes we forget that and just want to stay in our little comfortable houses and churches and forget all about the great commission.

 

            Praise God from Need to Need (vv. 13b-16):  “And Your dominion endures throughout all generations. 14 The LORD sustains all who fall And raises up all who are bowed down. 15 The eyes of all look to You, And You give them their food in due time. 16 You open Your hand And satisfy the desire of every living thing.”

 

            I like the way that Dr. Wiersbe explains how God works; in his commentary on this section when he says “Our great God is not an ‘absentee land lord’ who collects the rent but never repairs the roof.  He knows our every need and He is there to help those who call on Him—those who fall, those carrying back-breaking burdens, those who hunger, and certainly those who want to be saved from their sins.”

 

            The Bible talks about “common grace,” and that is grace that God gives to all of His creations.  Air to breathe, food to eat, and things like this are all supplied by the Lord to those who believe in Him, and those who don’t.  As believers when we are not supplied the things that we think we need we are to have a different attitude than those who are not believers, for sometimes by not having all we want we learn to rely more closely upon the Lord.  One thing that I surely fear in my life is that I don’t always praise the Lord for all of the wonderful things that He has given to me especially salvation.  See what Peter writes in his last letter, “3 seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. 4 For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.”  Are these not wonderful gifts from God that we should praise Him for.  He gives us what we do not deserve or will ever be able to earn (grace), and He holds back what we do deserve (mercy).

 

            Praise God from Prayer to Prayer (vv. 17-21):  “17 The LORD is righteous in all His ways And kind in all His deeds. 18 The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth. 19 He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He will also hear their cry and will save them. 20 The LORD keeps all who love Him, But all the wicked He will destroy. 21 My mouth will speak the praise of the LORD, And all flesh will bless His holy name forever and ever.”

 

               David is writing about prayer in this section.  What is prayer any way?  “Prayer is not just a creature coming to the Creator, or a servant coming to the Master; it is a child coming to the heavenly Father, knowing that He will meet the need.“ (Read Luke 11:1-13) (Warren Wiersbe)

            It is vital that when the Lord answers our prayers that we praise the Lord for answering our prayers.  How often do we forget?

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  Perhaps the 145^th Psalm should be the next portion of Scripture that I put to memory since it is all about praising the Lord, something I surely need to do more.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Remember to praise the Lord for answered prayers, and for the wonderful blessings He has given to me.  Continue to learn contentment, and continue to seek to have my mind transformed by the Word of God.

 

Memory verses for the week:  Psalm 130:1-7

 

            1 Out of the debts I cried to You, O LORD.  2 Lord hear my voice!  Let Your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications.  3 If You LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?  4 But there is forgiveness with You, That You may be feared.

            5 I wait for the LORD, my soul does wait, And in His Word do I hope.  6 My soul waits for the Lord more than the watchman for the morning; indeed more than the watchman for the morning.  7 O Israel, hope in the LORD; For with the LORD there is lovingkindness, and with Him is abundant redemption.

 

12/7/2012 11:34:52 AM