SPIRITUAL DIARY
FOR 10/22/2012 9:59:40 AM
My Worship Time Focus: Psalm 129
PT-2
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Psalm 129:3-8
Message of
the verses: As we begin the second SD in the 129th
Psalm I want to quote what Dr. Wiersbe wrote at the end of his introductory
commentary, “The psalm gives three instructions that we should follow when we
find ourselves suffering for Jesus Christ.”
Benefit from It (vv. 3-4)
“3 “The plowers plowed upon my back;
They lengthened their furrows." 4 The LORD is righteous; He has cut in two
the cords of the wicked.
As we look at verse three we will
look at two ways in which to understand this verse better. First we will look at two verses from the OT
that could help us better understand about having plowers plow on a person’s or
a nation’s back, and the first is found in Joshua 10:24, “When they brought
these kings out to Joshua, Joshua called for all the men of Israel, and said to
the chiefs of the men of war who had gone with him, "Come near, put your
feet on the necks of these kings." So they came near and put their feet on
their necks.” This verse tells that if
Israel would obey the Lord that He would allow them to defeat their
enemies. The second verse is found in
the book of Isaiah chapter fifty-one and verse twenty-three, “"I will put
it into the hand of your tormentors, Who have said to you, ’Lie down that we
may walk over you.’ You have even made your back like the ground And like the
street for those who walk over it."
Now we will look at verse three in a little different way as some Bible
teachers have said that this verse speaks of a person being beaten with a whip
and thus leaving the marks on their back, like furrows, from the whip. The first person that I would think of this
happening to is our Lord Jesus Christ and the prophet Isaiah had prophesied
about this, “I gave My back to those who strike Me, And My cheeks to those who
pluck out the beard; I did not cover My face from humiliation and spitting.”
“Who his own self bore our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being
dead to sins, should live to righteousness: by whose stripes you were healed
1Pe. 2:24 AKJV).” The Apostle Paul also
was beaten and he speaks of this in “2Co 11:24 Of the Jews five times received
I forty stripes save one.”
Dr. Wiersbe writes “The nation of
Israel has been plowed long, deep, and often, but what a harvest of blessing it
has brought to the world!” Israel did
learn much from their time of persecution in Babylon and when we look at the
book of Nehemiah we see that there was a great revival after they returned from
their captivity. I realize that it did
not last a long time, but a day will come when after another long persecution
of the Jews that all Israel will be saved.
We as believers in Jesus Christ
today can look at this plowing in a different way for it reminds us of sowing
and bringing in the harvest. Paul tells
the Galatians that whatsoever we sow we will reap. We must remember that we must plant the right
seeds in order to have the right kind of a harvest. Dr. Wiersbe concludes this section by saying,
“God permits people to treat us like dirt, and we must accept it, but we have
the privilege of transforming it by the grace of God into character that honors
the Lord.”
. Before ending I want to look at a
verse in Psalm 124:7 to help explain verse four, “7 Our soul has escaped as a bird out of the
snare of the trapper; The snare is broken and we have escaped.”
Commit to the Lord (vv. 5-8)
“5 May all who hate Zion Be put to
shame and turned backward; 6 Let them be
like grass upon the housetops, Which withers before it grows up; 7 With which
the reaper does not fill his hand, Or the binder of sheaves his bosom; 8 Nor do
those who pass by say, "The blessing of the LORD be upon you; We bless you
in the name of the LORD.’”
As we look at verse five in light of
what is going on in today’s world we can be assured that those who hate Israel
will be put to shame and they will be destroyed. There are many who take the Bible seriously
look at what is going on in the Middle East today as ushering the world into
the last days of human history as we know it.
Why do they look at it this way?
The main thing that causes many to believe that we are in the “Last
Days” is the rebirth of the nation of Israel that took place on May 14th
of 1948, and this happened in one day.
“"Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Can a land
be born in one day? Can a nation be brought forth all at once? As soon as Zion
travailed, she also brought forth her sons (Isaiah 66:8).” As we now look at the rebuilt state of Israel
we see it surrounded by enemies for they simply hate Israel because they are
Jews, and this is something that God will not stand for He told Abraham that He
would bless those who bless him and those that curse him He would curse, and we
can see this throughout history every since God formed the nation of Israel.
Ezekiel writes that there are a number of nations that will surround Israel in
the last days and that they will form an alliance in order to destroy them, but
God will destroy them. Let us look at a few verses from the 38th and
39th chapters of Ezekiel, “Eze 38:8 “After many days you will be
summoned; in the latter years you will come into the land that is restored from
the sword, whose inhabitants have been gathered from many nations to the
mountains of Israel which had been a continual waste; but its people were
brought out from the nations, and they are living securely, all of them.” “1 "And you, son of man, prophesy against
Gog and say, ’Thus says the Lord GOD, "Behold, I am against you, O Gog,
prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal; 2 and
I will turn you around, drive you on, take you up from the remotest parts of
the north and bring you against the mountains of Israel. 3 “I will strike your
bow from your left hand and dash down your arrows from your right hand. 4 “You
will fall on the mountains of Israel, you and all your troops and the peoples
who are with you; I will give you as food to every kind of predatory bird and
beast of the field. 5 “You will fall on the open field; for it is I who have
spoken," declares the Lord GOD. 6 “And I will send fire upon Magog and
those who inhabit the coastlands in safety; and they will know that I am the
LORD. 7 “My holy name I will make known in the midst of My people Israel; and I
will not let My holy name be profaned anymore. And the nations will know that I
am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel. “8 "Behold, it is coming and it shall
be done," declares the Lord GOD. "That is the day of which I have
spoken. 9 "Then those who inhabit the cities of Israel will go out and
make fires with the weapons and burn them, both shields and bucklers, bows and
arrows, war clubs and spears, and for seven years they will make fires of them.” (Ezekiel 39:1-9) We see in these verses that God will have the
last say as to what will happen to Israel, and what will happen to those who
hate them.
The psalmist goes on in this section
to speak of the enemies of Israel to be like grass that grows on top of the
flat roofs of their houses. Seeds would
blow upon the tops of these flat roofs that were composed of a mixture of mud
and mortar, wood and thatching, which would make it easy for them to grow and
so the grass would begin to grow but then the hot weather would make it so that
the shallow seeds would die very fast and this is what the psalmist says will
happen to the enemies of Israel. The
question comes up as to why should people hate Israel and the answer to this
question is that Satan hates Israel and because unbelievers are children of the
Devil “"You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires
of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the
truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks
from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.’” (John 8:44)
Satan hates Israel because the Lord Jesus Christ came from the tribe of
Judah and it was because of His death on the cross that the world, the flesh,
and the Devil have been defeated. Take a
look at the 12th chapter of the book of Revelations and you will be
able to see the intense hatred that Satan has for Israel, and then take a look
at the different countries of the world that have this same hatred and you will
see where they get it from.
The Jewish people have trusted in
the Lord to have Him care for those who hate them and Paul writes about this in
the book of Romans as he quotes the OT in this section as part of what he
writes, “17 Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in
the sight of all men. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace
with all men. 19 Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the
wrath of God, for it is written, "VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY,"
says the Lord. 20 “BUT IF YOUR ENEMY IS HUNGRY, FEED HIM, AND IF HE IS THIRSTY,
GIVE HIM A DRINK; FOR IN SO DOING YOU WILL HEAP BURNING COALS ON HIS
HEAD." 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:17-21)
As believers in Jesus Christ we owe
much to the nation of Israel, for they gave us the Word of God and they also
gave to us the Savior of the world and for that we can praise the Lord for the
nation of Israel.
Dr. Wiersbe concludes his commentary
on this psalm with these insightful words, “When people treat you like dirt
because you belong to Jesus, remember the ABC’s of this psalm: accept it,
benefit from it, commit it to the Lord.”
Spiritual
meaning for my life today: When I
look at the situation in our country and around the world I know that
eventually the outcome of all this is written in the pages of the Scriptures,
but there are times when I desire to take matters into my own hands to hurry
things up, but I have to be patient, but one thing that I can do and that is to
continue to pray for revival and to trust the Lord to work out His perfect
plan, for He is all knowing.
My Steps of Faith for Today: Continue to
seek to learn contentment and patience as I trust the Lord.
Memory verses for the
week: 1Cor. 13:8-13
8 Love never fails; but if there are
gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will
cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away. 9 For we know in part and we prophecy in
part; 10 but when the perfect come, the partial will be done away. 11 When I was a child I use to speak like a
child, think like a child, and reason like a child, when I became a man I did
away with childish things. 12 For now
we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I
will fully know just as I also have been fully known. 13 But now faith, hope, love, abide these
three; but the greatest of these is love.
10/22/2012 11:24:45
AM
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