Oct 31 (Reformation Day) - The Wrath and Mercy of God

Psalms 90:1-17
A Prayer of Moses the man of God.

1 Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations.
2 Before the mountains were brought forth,
Or ever You had formed the earth and the world,
Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.

3 You turn man to destruction,
And say, "Return, O children of men."

4 For a thousand years in Your sight
Are like yesterday when it is past,
And like a watch in the night.

5 You carry them away like a flood;
They are like a sleep.
In the morning they are like grass which grows up:
6 In the morning it flourishes and grows up;
In the evening it is cut down and withers.

7 For we have been consumed by Your anger,
And by Your wrath we are terrified.
8 You have set our iniquities before You,
Our secret sins in the light of Your countenance.
9 For all our days have passed away in Your wrath;
We finish our years like a sigh.

10 The days of our lives are seventy years;
And if by reason of strength they are eighty years,
Yet their boast is only labor and sorrow;
For it is soon cut off, and we fly away.

11 Who knows the power of Your anger?
For as the fear of You, so is Your wrath.
12 So teach us to number our days,
That we may gain a heart of wisdom.

13 Return, O LORD!
How long?
And have compassion on Your servants.

14 Oh, satisfy us early with Your mercy,
That we may rejoice and be glad all our days!
15 Make us glad according to the days in which You have afflicted us,
The years in which we have seen evil.

16 Let Your work appear to Your servants,
And Your glory to their children.
17 And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us,
And establish the work of our hands for us;
Yes, establish the work of our hands.

What a psalm of praises to God for His being and work!  He is the always existing One, eternal in the heavens, He who is who He is.  He existed from before time, before the earth and surrounding unseen were spoken into existence to be formed by His word according to His design and plan.  And what a design, from spinning atomic particles to the matter they compose to spinning stars of galaxies!  This Sovereign Ruler has allowed man to use his will to his own destruction, yet called some according to His predetermined purpose for His glory, calling us to turn away from sin and to follow Him.  He did this with Israel again and again to prove the futility of our own effort of reform and turning of repentance to have any lasting change; He Himself had to turn us by the regeneration of a new heart and mind by grace through faith in that work done on our behalf, which is the gospel of Christ Jesus our Lord.  Our history seems like long periods of time over our efforts to seek and please God, yet these are moments of an eye blink to the Eternal God above.  Time does not control nor govern God or His work with us.  We also come and go, but He ever remains constant and unchanging.  He also lets us know of His great wrath on our sins of disobedience and disbelief, looking at sin seen and hidden in our hearts, and He compares all we think, say, and do to His countenance of holiness and righteousness.  God Himself is our standard of morality, not our compromising rationalizations.  By this standard we all come short (Romans 3:20-23).  Apart from His intervening grace and mercy, we finish our lives like a defeated sigh under that wrath unless He shows atoning forgiveness according to His word of righteousness and justice.  These lives are like smoke or a vapor of fog, transitory and limited to a set number of years according to His predetermination.  This then should make us consider (as Moses who penned these words) how God hates sin and why we all deserve His wrath being sons of Adam who inherit the ultimate sin of disobedience to Him in wanting to know good and evil for ourselves, as if we know more or better than our Creator.  As is His wrath, so should be our fear.  We should count our short days on this earth and make them count for Him, for this is the only way to achieve this wisdom found in His word by lifesaving trust.  We also ask for Him to return to us when we sin (1 John 1:9) and show merciful compassion in forgiveness to cover our sin as He did in the Garden of Eden at first sin (Genesis 3:15, 21).  We therefore imitate Moses by finding satisfaction in God’s great mercy and rejoicing in Him each and every day, as glad for the number of bad days as the good according to His grace.  May we consider all the good work He has done and will continue to do (Philippians 1:6), trusting with God-given faith to see His glory and proclaim it.  His beauty of holiness on us and working in us establishes the works of our hands with Philippians 2:12-13 as our guide.  Yes, Lord, establish the work of our hands in light of Your wrath and mercy for Your glory, honor, and praise! 

The Futility of Earthly Rule

Psalms 89:38-52

38 But You have cast off and abhorred,
You have been furious with Your anointed.
39 You have renounced the covenant of Your servant;
You have profaned his crown by casting it to the ground.

40 You have broken down all his hedges;
You have brought his strongholds to ruin.
41 All who pass by the way plunder him;
He is a reproach to his neighbors.

42 You have exalted the right hand of his adversaries;
You have made all his enemies rejoice.
43 You have also turned back the edge of his sword,
And have not sustained him in the battle.

44 You have made his glory cease,
And cast his throne down to the ground.
45 The days of his youth You have shortened;
You have covered him with shame.

Selah

46 How long, LORD?
Will You hide Yourself forever?
Will Your wrath burn like fire?

47 Remember how short my time is;
For what futility have You created all the children of men?
48 What man can live and not see death?
Can he deliver his life from the power of the grave?

Selah

49 Lord, where are Your former lovingkindnesses,
Which You swore to David in Your truth?

50 Remember, Lord, the reproach of Your servants—
How I bear in my bosom the reproach of all the many peoples,
51 With which Your enemies have reproached, O LORD,
With which they have reproached the footsteps of Your anointed.

52 Blessed be the LORD forevermore!
Amen and Amen.

The psalm ends with the futility of earthly rule, that of God’s anointed king David, for the promise looked forward to the Anointed Son of God and heavenly King to come into the world (John 3:19, 12:46, 18:37).  The crown of Israel’s earthly ruler would be taken away and the kingdom with it; the crown of the Divine Potentate is from everlasting to everlasting, and His rule always was and will be.  This is the pattern of the earthly anointed king seen as a foreshadowing of God’s Anointed who was and is and always will be.  The kingdom of God’s chosen on this world was transitory, the eternal Kingdom of God in Christ cannot be shaken or moved out of place.  Dwell on these truths.  The psalmist asked how the LORD could stand at a distance and watch the earthly kingdom and its ruler be taken away, yet he knew that time here is short and of the futility of placing confidence and hope in worldly power.  We all face death, the final enemy to be defeated by the final resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:24-26, 54, 57).  God can and will deliver our lives from the power of the grave (Job 19:25-27)!  Think about what these truths really mean.  When we question God’s prosier mercies as the psalmist did, when we plead for vengeance on our enemies, when we ask God to take notice because we are His, then we can remember these certain promises and hope (1 Corinthians 15:57) of victory in His time in the final judgment and in the glory of His name and work for all time.  Those opposed to His Anointed will reproach no more.  The futility of all earthly rule will cease as His kingdom comes (Matthew 6:10, Revelation 12:10).  Blessed be our Lord, our God and Father and the Son, in the power and working of His Holy Spirit through the eternal gospel forevermore!

Eternal Faithfulness and Mercy

Psalms 89:19-37

19 Then You spoke in a vision to Your holy one,
And said: "I have given help to one who is mighty;
I have exalted one chosen from the people.

20 I have found My servant David;
With My holy oil I have anointed him,
21 With whom My hand shall be established;
Also My arm shall strengthen him.

22 The enemy shall not outwit him,
Nor the son of wickedness afflict him.
23 I will beat down his foes before his face,
And plague those who hate him.

24 "But My faithfulness and My mercy shall be with him,
And in My name his horn shall be exalted.
25 Also I will set his hand over the sea,
And his right hand over the rivers.

26 He shall cry to Me, 'You are my Father,
My God, and the rock of my salvation.'
27 Also I will make him My firstborn,
The highest of the kings of the earth.

28 My mercy I will keep for him forever,
And My covenant shall stand firm with him.
29 His seed also I will make to endure forever,
And his throne as the days of heaven.

30 "If his sons forsake My law
And do not walk in My judgments,
31 If they break My statutes
And do not keep My commandments,
32 Then I will punish their transgression with the rod,
And their iniquity with stripes.

33 Nevertheless My lovingkindness I will not utterly take from him,
Nor allow My faithfulness to fail.
34 My covenant I will not break,
Nor alter the word that has gone out of My lips.

35 Once I have sworn by My holiness;
I will not lie to David:

36 His seed shall endure forever,
And his throne as the sun before Me;
37 It shall be established forever like the moon,
Even like the faithful witness in the sky."

Selah

The promised seed to David is the Messiah-Christ who followed twenty-eight generations later as promised (Matthew 1:17).  God’s faithfulness and mercy chose David from tending sheep to shepherding God’s people and then promising a seed from him, the seed from Adam promised to redeem mankind from the curse of sin (Genesis 3:15) by that eternal gospel (Revelation 14:6, Ephesians 3:9).  David had God’s strength and grace keeping him to glorify God through him by His faithfulness of the covenant promise and mercy of deliverance.  We also have God’s faithful new covenant written eternally in Christ’s blood which bestows unending mercy in forgiveness of our sins by an ever-effectual sacrifice (Hebrews 9:26-28, 10:10, 14, 18).  This seed of David is spoken of here as His Son, the firstborn over all (Colossians 1:15), the king of all kings (1 Timothy 6:15, Revelation 17:14, 19:16), and the solid foundational rock of salvation.  He was not just the rock of David’s foundation, but of ours as well by the same faithfulness and mercy of grace.  His throne endures forever!  The same warning to us applies, namely that we are not to forget His word to live by, or suffer the discipline to correct us, just as the Seed of David suffered many stripes in our stead for our sin (Isaiah 53:5).  As the psalmist reminds us, God’s lovingkindness of grace is not taken from we who are covered in Christ, though we suffer loss (1 Corinthians 3:14-15).  This is our hope of eternal salvation, a certain promise and not a loan according to our performance.  He will not break His covenant according to His word spoken to us.  David’s Seed endures forever as does His throne which He rules from.  Think about these things and give God the glory for His work in Christ from eternity to eternity.  Amen. 

Praise for the Eternal Covenant

Psalms 89:1-18

A Contemplation of Ethan the Ezrahite.

1 I will sing of the mercies of the LORD forever;
With my mouth will I make known Your faithfulness to all generations.

2 For I have said, "Mercy shall be built up forever;
Your faithfulness You shall establish in the very heavens."

3 "I have made a covenant with My chosen,
I have sworn to My servant David:
4 'Your seed I will establish forever,
And build up your throne to all generations.'"

Selah

5 And the heavens will praise Your wonders, O LORD;
Your faithfulness also in the assembly of the saints.

6 For who in the heavens can be compared to the LORD?
Who among the sons of the mighty can be likened to the LORD?
7 God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints,
And to be held in reverence by all those around Him.

8 O LORD God of hosts,
Who is mighty like You, O LORD?
Your faithfulness also surrounds You.

9 You rule the raging of the sea;
When its waves rise, You still them.

10 You have broken Rahab in pieces, as one who is slain;
You have scattered Your enemies with Your mighty arm.

11 The heavens are Yours, the earth also is Yours;
The world and all its fullness, You have founded them.

12 The north and the south, You have created them;
Tabor and Hermon rejoice in Your name.
13 You have a mighty arm;
Strong is Your hand, and high is Your right hand.

14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne;
Mercy and truth go before Your face.

15 Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound!
They walk, O LORD, in the light of Your countenance.
16 In Your name they rejoice all day long,
And in Your righteousness they are exalted.

17 For You are the glory of their strength,
And in Your favor our horn is exalted.
18 For our shield belongs to the LORD,
And our king to the Holy One of Israel.

Such a hopeful song of praise for God’s eternal covenant with David to us all in the Christ!  As Ethan the psalmist penned and sang these words, we also should be singing of the mercies of the Lord forever and with our mouth make known His faithfulness to all generations, now and into the future until He returns!  He is merciful to save the unworthy sinner, which we all are as children of Adam, and faithful to keep His covenant of grace in Christ Jesus who died that we might not for our sins.  That faithfulness is the good news we speak, the gospel of grace and mercy.  The covenant promise was given in shadows to the anointed king David in anticipation of the Messiah, the true Anointed and the eternal covenant of grace to follow.  This song speaks of the earthly covenant (Hebrews 7:22, 8:6, 12:24) with a reflection towards the eternal heavenly to come when He became a man (John 1:1, 14).  Mercy has truly been built up forever (עוֹלָם ‘ôlâm; time out of mind, eternity) as Micah 5:2 speaks of the Messiah being from that eternal existence, timeless as the one who was and is and is to come.  Our faithful salvation of mercy is from before time and into an endless future because He is who He is (Exodus 3:14, John 8:58, 10:30).  This covenant with David was looking forward to Christ coming to us and among us, Emmanuel, established forever on His throne.  Dwell on that.  The very heavens display His wondrous works and faithfulness which we share among ourselves in the assembly of the saints.  There is no other God and we therefore fear and revere the Holy One who does only great and wonderful things (Job 5:9, Psalm 72:18).  His faithfulness surrounds Him, evident in the order of His creation all around us as the psalmist plainly reminds us.  He founded the earth and the very universe.  All things are His, including us.  His rule has the foundation of justice and righteousness, with mercy proceeding from His throne of grace.  The justice is accountability for our sin, and the righteousness is His own imputed to those He chooses, with unearned and undeserved mercy of grace in Christ alone.  We are blessed as His people to know the sound of these words of truth, and therefore live accordingly as we follow Him, rejoicing in His name as His and lifted up in His righteousness alone.  He is our strength in which we find His glory alone to live for, and His protection shields us from the adversary, for the King over all rules absolutely and sovereignly forever.  These things should cause us to praise and worship in willing obedience.  That is being a Christ follower, a true Christian living according to His word of the eternal covenant of grace. 

A Prayer for Help in Despondency

Psalms 88:1-18 

A Song. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. To the Chief Musician.
Set to "Mahalath Leannoth." A Contemplation of Heman the Ezrahite.

1 O LORD, God of my salvation,
I have cried out day and night before You.
2 Let my prayer come before You;
Incline Your ear to my cry.
3 For my soul is full of troubles,
And my life draws near to the grave.

4 I am counted with those who go down to the pit;
I am like a man who has no strength,
5 Adrift among the dead,
Like the slain who lie in the grave,
Whom You remember no more,
And who are cut off from Your hand.

6 You have laid me in the lowest pit,
In darkness, in the depths.
7 Your wrath lies heavy upon me,
And You have afflicted me with all Your waves.

Selah

8 You have put away my acquaintances far from me;
You have made me an abomination to them;
I am shut up, and I cannot get out;
9 My eye wastes away because of affliction.
LORD, I have called daily upon You;
I have stretched out my hands to You.

10 Will You work wonders for the dead?
Shall the dead arise and praise You?

Selah

11 Shall Your lovingkindness be declared in the grave?
Or Your faithfulness in the place of destruction?
12 Shall Your wonders be known in the dark?
And Your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?

13 But to You I have cried out, O LORD,
And in the morning my prayer comes before You.
14 LORD, why do You cast off my soul?
Why do You hide Your face from me?

15 I have been afflicted and ready to die from my youth;
I suffer Your terrors;
I am distraught.
16 Your fierce wrath has gone over me;
Your terrors have cut me off.

17 They came around me all day long like water;
They engulfed me altogether.
18 Loved one and friend You have put far from me,
And my acquaintances into darkness.

This song is an expression of one who is despondent, Heman the Ezrahite (1 Kings 4:31), a wise man from Solomon’s time.  It is sung from a humbleness in affliction, and with hope in God’s deliverance.  We can relate to these difficult times and should therefore follow the example to pray in times of despair and trouble for God to hear and answer with merciful grace.  There is hope in this seemingly dark contemplation of Heman, as we have hope in our Lord and Christ, Jesus the righteous (1 John 2:1).  Such hope does not disappoint (5:5, 8:24), so we pray always, night and day.  As despair drove this psalmist to give up all strength and to count himself as if dead in the afflictions, he felt separated from God and under the constant waves of His wrath (presumably for his sin).  We can feel this way sometimes as well when God does not deliver us from overwhelming suffering right away, but that is why we continue to pray.  Stop for a selah reflection on that for a while.  Then the psalm speaks of rejection from friends due to the plight caused by the suffering, by prayers of supplication continue despite the desire to give up.  Even death seems to not offer answers to Heman as an end to the waiting for relief from the LORD.  Consider that.  The psalm continues to ask how we can see the lovingkindness of God after we die, how that could show His wonderful works if we are dead - is not all forgotten then?  This view forgets the resurrection to everlasting life and the fact that what we do for God here does make a difference even if we suffer (1 Peter 2:20, 3:14, 17) for His sake and the gospel’s.  The good news is the answer to this despondent song!  We know that crying out to God does bring answers and relief in His providence and timing for good that may go unseen at the time (Romans 8:28).  God does not really hide His face of care and help for us or cast us away (Deuteronomy 31:6, Hebrews 13:5).  The psalmist was wise, but could not yet see the full picture of God’s hope in the grace of the Messiah who was yet to come (though much was written in obscure parables as Psalm 78:2 and Matthew 13:34-35 show us.  Though the song ends in a fugue of despair and distraught thought, but we know that the darkness is vanquished by the light of truth, and we will be reunited with brothers and sisters in the Lord after death, no matter how things appear now.  When we are despondent, we can certainly pray in such tangible hope (Hebrews 11:1).  Christ Himself is our help over despondency! 

The Glorious City of God

Psalms 87:1-7
A Psalm of the sons of Korah. A Song.

1 His foundation is in the holy mountains.

2 The LORD loves the gates of Zion
More than all the dwellings of Jacob.

3 Glorious things are spoken of you,
O city of God!

Selah

4 "I will make mention of Rahab and Babylon to those who know Me;
Behold, O Philistia and Tyre, with Ethiopia:
'This one was born there.'"

5 And of Zion it will be said,
"This one and that one were born in her;
And the Most High Himself shall establish her."

6 The LORD will record,
When He registers the peoples:
"This one was born there."

Selah

7 Both the singers and the players on instruments say,
"All my springs are in you."

This psalm of praise by the priests of Korah who served the LORD magnifies the celestial city of God.  The earthly Jerusalem was founded on a mountain made holy by God choosing among people chosen by Him as a nation, while the heavenly New Jerusalem will be made by God and brought down from Heaven to be founded on the Lamb as it sits on the new earth.  The psalmist sang of the love of the gates of the temporal city where His chosen went in and out to serve and worship Him, while the new gate is the Lord Himself (John 10:7-9).  He loves our dwelling with Him more than our places where we currently live, just as He loved the earthly city’s gates more than the peoples’ cities and homes then.  Glorious things were certainly spoken of concerning that temporal town, but the shadow of that to come, the eternal city of God to come, is of infinitely greater glory because God will be ever present there as will we to worship in spirit and in truth.  Stop and dwell on that new dwelling for a while.  Selah.  Then remember those faithful in the lineage of Christ like Rahab who rescued God’s people and helped defeat the enemy, becoming a link in the physical line of the Messiah to come, along with many others as Hebrews chapter 11 mentions.  The blessing to be remembered forever is to be born in God’s land, which kingdom we are born into through Christ.  That is the true and lasting birthright to be remembered and of honor.  The LORD Himself records us in the Lamb’s book, registering us as His from before the founding of the earth itself (Philippians 4:3, Revelation 3:5, 21:27, Ephesians 1:4).  We are born again in Him (John 3:3, 1 Peter 1:23) because we are registered in His book and made holy in His righteousness because we are there (Isaiah 4:3).  Think on that grace for a while, then acknowledge as the psalmist did here in the final verse that all we have springs out of our Lord and His grace for His glory, honor, and praise.  We earn none of it, for grace is a gift, not a wage we earn; the only wages we earn are from sin to death apart from Him.  How we then anticipate the glorious city of God foreshadowed in this psalm and in other scriptures!  Amen. 

A Meditation on Mercy, Grace, Truth, and Glory

Psalms 86:1-17
A Prayer of David.

1 Bow down Your ear, O LORD, hear me;
For I am poor and needy.

2 Preserve my life, for I am holy;
You are my God;
Save Your servant who trusts in You!
3 Be merciful to me, O Lord,
For I cry to You all day long.

4 Rejoice the soul of Your servant,
For to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
5 For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive,
And abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You.

6 Give ear, O LORD, to my prayer;
And attend to the voice of my supplications.
7 In the day of my trouble I will call upon You,
For You will answer me.

8 Among the gods there is none like You, O Lord;
Nor are there any works like Your works.

9 All nations whom You have made
Shall come and worship before You, O Lord,
And shall glorify Your name.
10 For You are great, and do wondrous things;
You alone are God.

11 Teach me Your way, O LORD;
I will walk in Your truth;
Unite my heart to fear Your name.

12 I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart,
And I will glorify Your name forevermore.
13 For great is Your mercy toward me,
And You have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.

14 O God, the proud have risen against me,
And a mob of violent men have sought my life,
And have not set You before them.

15 But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious,
Longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth.

16 Oh, turn to me, and have mercy on me!
Give Your strength to Your servant,
And save the son of Your maidservant.

17 Show me a sign for good,
That those who hate me may see it and be ashamed,
Because You, LORD, have helped me and comforted me.

This song is a prayer of meditation by king David on God’s glory, but also on His mercy, grace, and truth in all He is and does.  It begins with a beggar’s humble heart willing to yield to the LORD as one in great need, not full of self or strength.  The servant called by God is holy in His sight, and he trusts the one who is able to deliver him out of trouble.  He is constantly asking for mercy and not demanding what he believes he is entitled to.  Because he lifts up his very life to God, he only asks for the joy of forgiveness and mercy which only the LORD can give.  When troubles come, he prays for his supplications to be heard and answered.  He prays these things with a confident hope, not a mere wishful desire, due to knowing God’s goodness of character in mercy and grace.  He knows and acknowledges that there is no other God like Him, not any works such as He alone can do.  He therefore gives glory to God.  Such confidence in prayer trusts also that one day every knee in every land will bow in submission of worship to the living and loving God, ascribing all glory to Him for who He is and all He has done.  He is great and does wonderful things.  There is no other God!  Like the psalmist, then, we also pray that He would teach us His way by His word and Spirit, that we may truly fear our awesome God and live accordingly as called (Ephesians 2:10).  We join in praising and giving glory to our great God and Savior wholeheartedly because of His mercy towards us in Christ whom David anticipated.  He has saved us from our just due of death and hell by that grace of mercy according to His word of truth.  So when the unjust and ungodly proudly rise up against us, we learn from the psalmist to deliver in His enduring compassion and grace overflowing in mercy and truth.  Thus we also cry out in when in troubled waters, gaining strength from our merciful God as His beloved children.  We pray that others will see this grace in our lives and the lack in their own to their shame, that they truly see God’s help and comfort to those who are His, that they may desire the same and trust in Him.  May these things be the meditation of our hearts.  Amen.  

Mercy & Truth Meet, Righteousness & Peace Kiss

Psalms 85:1-13 

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.

1 LORD, You have been favorable to Your land;
You have brought back the captivity of Jacob.

2 You have forgiven the iniquity of Your people;
You have covered all their sin.

Selah

3 You have taken away all Your wrath;
You have turned from the fierceness of Your anger.

4 Restore us, O God of our salvation,
And cause Your anger toward us to cease.

5 Will You be angry with us forever?
Will You prolong Your anger to all generations?

6 Will You not revive us again,
That Your people may rejoice in You?

7 Show us Your mercy, LORD,
And grant us Your salvation.

8 I will hear what God the LORD will speak,
For He will speak peace
To His people and to His saints;
But let them not turn back to folly.

9 Surely His salvation is near to those who fear Him,

That glory may dwell in our land.

10 Mercy and truth have met together;
Righteousness and peace have kissed.

11 Truth shall spring out of the earth,
And righteousness shall look down from heaven.

12 Yes, the LORD will give what is good;
And our land will yield its increase.

13 Righteousness will go before Him,
And shall make His footsteps our pathway.

God’s grace delivers His people from captivity to sin, then and now.  In the work of God through His Son whom we kiss and embrace (Psalm 2:12) His mercy meets truth, and His righteousness kisses peace, peace with God in Him (Romans 5:1) and His righteousness, and His truth met His atoning justification and forgiveness for us.  Selah.  Just as God turned from temporary wrath on Israel’s sin, now Je does so once forevermore in His Son for those who meet and kiss Him, embracing by faith His work to deliver and His righteousness to justify.  He revives us by giving eternal life in that mercy of grace, and gives us such joy!  Listen then to His voice and not turn back to the emptiness of sin.  His salvation is for those who fear Him and trust His mercy in truth and the peace beyond understanding which comes from His truth of our bad news of sin bringing death to the good news of life tasted freely as a gift of our calling as His chosen people.  That truth is seen in creation as Romans 1:20 describes, and his righteousness shines down from the Father with whom there is no variation or turning from the promises.  He only gives good things, and His righteousness leads us by trust in truth through life to eternity with Himself.  Hallelujah and amen!

Blessings in God’s House

Psalms 84:1-12
To the Chief Musician. On an instrument of Gath. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.

1 How lovely is Your tabernacle,
O LORD of hosts!
2 My soul longs, yes, even faints
For the courts of the LORD;
My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.

3 Even the sparrow has found a home,
And the swallow a nest for herself,
Where she may lay her young—
Even Your altars, O LORD of hosts,
My King and my God.

4 Blessed are those who dwell in Your house;
They will still be praising You.

Selah

5 Blessed is the man whose strength is in You,
Whose heart is set on pilgrimage.

6 As they pass through the Valley of Baca,
They make it a spring;
The rain also covers it with pools.

7 They go from strength to strength;
Each one appears before God in Zion.

8 O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer;
Give ear, O God of Jacob!

Selah

9 O God, behold our shield,
And look upon the face of Your anointed.

10 For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand.
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
Than dwell in the tents of wickedness.

11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield;
The LORD will give grace and glory;
No good thing will He withhold
From those who walk uprightly.

12 O LORD of hosts,
Blessed is the man who trusts in You!

The sons of Korah knew the blessings from being in the presence and service of the LORD.  Here they sang of that joy and fulfillment of dwelling in God’s house, the congregation of His people.  This longing was as if his entire heart and soul were set on being in the presence of God and His people.  Like nesting birds, they found there home at the altar of God where sacrifices of worship were offered in reasonable service (Romans 12:1).  Those who live in God’s presence will be constantly praising Him.  Selah, dwell on that!  We find strength in setting our hearts fully on the anointed, the Messiah-Christ, as verse 9 reveals and 5 promises by principle.  We are sojourners in this life on the way to an everlasting life before our Lord and God in the celestial city to come down from Heaven (Revelation 21:2).  When we pass through our own valleys of weeping and sorrow here, we find springs of grace and comfort from above along the way of our journey, increasing in His strength because we know that we will one day appear before Him there!  There is hope and comfort along the sojourner’s path, and so we pray as these gave examples for us to follow as a map guiding the pilgrim making progress in His sanctification.  He hears our prayers.  Selah.  Oh, knowing that our protector, our shield is more than faith (Ephesians 6:16), but is God Himself - knowing this, we look upon the face of the anointed (Messiah, מָשִׁיחַ), and find our hiding place under His wings (Psalm 91:4, 119:114).  This is why the psalmist sang here that it is infinitely better to be the humblest and lowest servant in God’s house than live in luxury with wickedness apart from our holy God.  Because He is holy, we are to be also (1 Peter 1:15-16).  He will not keep any good thing from the righteous, and protects us as a shield and gives light as the sun to us.  Such grace and glory offered to us!  Above all else, we are blessed for trusting Him, which is faith in His word and work (John 6:29, Genesis 15:6, James 2:23, Romans 4:3).  How completely happy and contently fulfilled is the one who trusts in Him! dwelling in Him with heart and soul!  Amen and amen. 

Prayer For and Against Enemies of God’s People

Psalms 83:1-18
A Song. A Psalm of Asaph.

1 Do not keep silent, O God!
Do not hold Your peace,
And do not be still, O God!

2 For behold, Your enemies make a tumult;
And those who hate You have lifted up their head.
3 They have taken crafty counsel against Your people,
And consulted together against Your sheltered ones.

4 They have said, "Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation,
That the name of Israel may be remembered no more."
5 For they have consulted together with one consent;
They form a confederacy against You:

6 The tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites;
Moab and the Hagrites;
7 Gebal, Ammon, and Amalek;
Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre;
8 Assyria also has joined with them;
They have helped the children of Lot.

Selah

9 Deal with them as with Midian,
As with Sisera,
As with Jabin at the Brook Kishon,
10 Who perished at En Dor,
Who became as refuse on the earth.

11 Make their nobles like Oreb and like Zeeb,
Yes, all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,
12 Who said, "Let us take for ourselves
The pastures of God for a possession."

13 O my God, make them like the whirling dust,
Like the chaff before the wind!

14 As the fire burns the woods,
And as the flame sets the mountains on fire,
15 So pursue them with Your tempest,
And frighten them with Your storm.

16 Fill their faces with shame,
That they may seek Your name, O LORD.

17 Let them be confounded and dismayed forever;
Yes, let them be put to shame and perish,
18 That they may know that You, whose name alone is the LORD,
Are the Most High over all the earth.

This song is a prayer for God to intervene against the enemies of His people.  It begins with asking God to act because the situation is so dire; the psalmist begs the LORD to move and to speak out against them, for it seems that they cannot wait any longer for His providence in their persecution.  Their enemies have caused excessive trouble and disorder, proudly coming against them and counseled together as a conspiracy to destroy Israel.  They aimed to eliminate the nation God had created, a bad pattern for the enemies of the cross of Christ to eliminate that people who are of all nations, including Israel, as promised to Abraham.  This confederacy of evil was composed of the peoples of the nations which were to be defeated by Israel when clearing a righteous place for their new nation, but failed to do.  Now these enemies were out to do the same together in retaliation.  They hated both God and God’s people.  Think about the ramifications for us.  Therefore, the psalmist asked the LORD to intervene, to deal decisively with these enemies as He had with prior ones named here.  He asks them to be reduced to dust and blown away by the wind, to be pursued by storm and tempest, then burned up, to put them to shame and instill the fear of God in them because of His impending judgment.  Why?  So that they would also seek God’s name when shamed and fearful.  If not, then that they would be utterly confused and disappointed in their confederacy against God’s chosen people, and that they would be brought to nothing.  Why?  So that they would be forced to confess He is LORD, the most high divine ruler over them all (Isaiah 45:23, Romans 14:10-12, Philippians 2:9-10) and give Him the glory due Him.  We also pray for our enemies to bow before Christ, the Lord and King (1 Timothy 6:14-15, Revelation 17:14, 19:16) as they fight against us for His name’s sake and that of the everlasting gospel.  This is also our prayer for and against God’s enemies. 

A Cry for Justice

Psalms 82:1-8
A Psalm of Asaph.

1 God stands in the congregation of the mighty;
He judges among the gods.

2 How long will you judge unjustly,
And show partiality to the wicked?

Selah

3 Defend the poor and fatherless;
Do justice to the afflicted and needy.

4 Deliver the poor and needy;
Free them from the hand of the wicked.

5 They do not know, nor do they understand;
They walk about in darkness;
All the foundations of the earth are unstable.

6 I said, "You are gods,
And all of you are children of the Most High.
7 But you shall die like men,
And fall like one of the princes."

8 Arise, O God, judge the earth;
For You shall inherit all nations.

This is a cry pleading for God to exercise judgment for justice to prevail in the world.  The psalmist Asaph sang this as he watched the world judge without justice, showing favoritism to those associated with the corrupt rulers.  Nothing has changed much since then.  People ascend to power through force of coupes in autocratic nations or by manipulation of voters in democracies.  Either way, most in power show partiality to friends and backers of influence for their power and control.  Truth and justice often fall to the wayside, and we may ask God to come quickly to exercise His true justice in righteous judgment as man cannot.  Think and dwell on these things.  The call is to defend the poor and orphaned ones unable to care for themselves, who are exploited and ignored or starved.  It is also to give fair judgment of justice for those desperately in need of help as victims of others, ones not able to get help on their own.  We should pry them out of the hands of wicked men by leveraging justice for all, the hallmark of liberty in equitable treatment, not weighted one way or the other.  Such is possible on an individual level, but only fully by God on the national level.  We do not ignore our own responsibility, but do not expect it from the world’s governing systems.  The theocracy to come after the resurrection is our solid expectation and true hope for the justice which we cry out for.  This world walks in darkness (John 12:35, 1 John 2:11, Ephesians 6:12, 1 Thessalonians 5:4), and cannot understand the light which God brings in Christ as John 1:5 tells us.  Their foundation is unstable (Matthew 7:26-27) as is every system on earth; only God’s rule is truly just and fair.  The scripture in verse 6 here tells us also that the mighty ones of the earth, its judges and princes, die the same as the poor and oppressed.  They are not above death and final justice in judgment.  The righteous Judge will administer justice as He inherits the nations of all the world as His own (Acts 17:26, Revelation 5:9-10, 14:6-7).  He prepared a place for we the people of God through Christ, and demonstrates His mercy triumphing over judgment for us by grace through faith in His work of righteousness (John 6:29, 1 Corinthians 1:30, Romans 3:22, 10:4).  Our cry for justice has been heard in His mercy for His chosen who know they are poor, afflicted, and in need (Psalm 89:14, Isaiah 16:5, Zechariah 7:9). 

Call to Repentance

Psalms 81:1-16 

To the Chief Musician. On an instrument of Gath. A Psalm of Asaph.

1 Sing aloud to God our strength;
Make a joyful shout to the God of Jacob.

2 Raise a song and strike the timbrel,
The pleasant harp with the lute.
3 Blow the trumpet at the time of the New Moon,
At the full moon, on our solemn feast day.

4 For this is a statute for Israel,
A law of the God of Jacob.
5 This He established in Joseph as a testimony,
When He went throughout the land of Egypt,
Where I heard a language I did not understand.

6 "I removed his shoulder from the burden;
His hands were freed from the baskets.
7 You called in trouble, and I delivered you;
I answered you in the secret place of thunder;
I tested you at the waters of Meribah.

Selah

8 "Hear, O My people, and I will admonish you!
O Israel, if you will listen to Me!

9 There shall be no foreign god among you;
Nor shall you worship any foreign god.

10 I am the LORD your God,
Who brought you out of the land of Egypt;
Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.

11 "But My people would not heed My voice,
And Israel would have none of Me.
12 So I gave them over to their own stubborn heart,
To walk in their own counsels.

13 "Oh, that My people would listen to Me,
That Israel would walk in My ways!
14 I would soon subdue their enemies,
And turn My hand against their adversaries.

15 The haters of the LORD would pretend submission to Him,
But their fate would endure forever.
16 He would have fed them also with the finest of wheat;
And with honey from the rock I would have satisfied you."

This plea for repentance is to be sung for God’s people as we forget His mercy and grace.  It should be sung out loud with raised voices with joy in knowing Him.  Percussion, strings, and brass should follow our voices to celebrate and honor Him in worship and praise.  This was the law of the LORD for Israel and a pattern for all with the law written in our hearts now, to honor God in songs of joyful praise as part of our worship with our very lives (Romans 12:1-2).  Here the worship loudly testified during the feast days, but for us it should be in all things and at all times as we reflect on His great mercy and grace in Christ our Lord in honor to our Father by the enabling of His Spirit living in each of us; every day can be celebrated, not only on the Lord’s Day where we feast on His body and drink of His blood in communion with Him.  Like Israel, we have had our burden taken from us, the greatest of all which was the weight of sin’s penalty.  Like Israel, we are delivered from trouble when we cry out to Him, even when we are tested and found wanting.  Dwell on these things.  Selah.  As the psalmist said, we should also listen when admonished and have no other objects of worship and reverence, which for us means neither idols on church walls nor rulers on political pedestals.  The first commandment makes it clear, having been written now on our hearts (Ezekiel 36:26, 2 Corinthians 3:3) that we worship no other.  He has delivered us from the bondage of sin and fills us with good things, which things were symbolized by the exodus from Egypt and God’s providence of providing manna in the desert.  May we then not repeat the mistakes of Israel in turning away again, for then they were left to their own desires of a hardened heart and the unhappy ending of that choice.  May all of us as His people listen and heed all the scriptures record Him telling us, that we do not suffer in the hands of the world who hate the Lord.  The world hates God and sometimes pretends to follow, but in reality, their fate bears out in judgment.  Our eternal fate is sealed in Christ and in following Him, not in the deceit and misleading of our adversary (Matthew 24:24, 2 Timothy 2:18-19).  When we stumble, we admit it, repent, and turn from sin to following Him again and again (1 John 1:9).  Let this example remind us of our heart’s worship.  Little children, keep yourselves from idols (1 John 5:21). 

Prayer for Restoration

Psalms 80:1-19 

To the Chief Musician. Set to "The Lilies." A Testimony of Asaph. A Psalm.

1 Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel,
You who lead Joseph like a flock;
You who dwell between the cherubim, shine forth!
2 Before Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh,
Stir up Your strength,
And come and save us!

3 Restore us, O God;
Cause Your face to shine,
And we shall be saved!

4 O LORD God of hosts,
How long will You be angry
Against the prayer of Your people?

5 You have fed them with the bread of tears,
And given them tears to drink in great measure.
6 You have made us a strife to our neighbors,
And our enemies laugh among themselves.

7 Restore us, O God of hosts;
Cause Your face to shine,
And we shall be saved!

8 You have brought a vine out of Egypt;
You have cast out the nations, and planted it.
9 You prepared room for it,
And caused it to take deep root,
And it filled the land.

10 The hills were covered with its shadow,
And the mighty cedars with its boughs.
11 She sent out her boughs to the Sea,
And her branches to the River.

12 Why have You broken down her hedges,
So that all who pass by the way pluck her fruit?
13 The boar out of the woods uproots it,
And the wild beast of the field devours it.

14 Return, we beseech You, O God of hosts;
Look down from heaven and see,
And visit this vine
15 And the vineyard which Your right hand has planted,
And the branch that You made strong for Yourself.
16 It is burned with fire, it is cut down;
They perish at the rebuke of Your countenance.

17 Let Your hand be upon the man of Your right hand,
Upon the son of man whom You made strong for Yourself.
18 Then we will not turn back from You;
Revive us, and we will call upon Your name.

19 Restore us, O LORD God of hosts;
Cause Your face to shine,
And we shall be saved!

This psalm is a prayer crying out for restoration of God’s people.  The cry begins with asking an attentive ear from God to shepherd His flock, exercising divine strength to do so.  Then the refrain that appears three times follows.  It asked for restoration, God’s favor (grace), and salvation (deliverance from their troubles).  The intent is to see God’s working and our response.  Asaph begs to know how long God will be angry against their prayers left unanswered, remembering and reminding Him of their just suffering at His hand with tears, strife, and culminating with the mocking by the ungodly around them.  Again follows the refrain yearning and begging for restoration, grace, and deliverance.  He reminds God of His sovereign work to bring them out of bondage, plant them in a promised land, and yet then allowing them to be broken down and trampled after such promises.  Yes, they sinned and reaped what they sowed, but they also had the promises of grace and forgiveness to restore them for His glory.  We who are in Christ also sin, but are not forsaken, and so we can relate to fervent prayers in similar adversity.  We also desire restoration when we stray because of adversity in our circumstances among the enemy set against the Lord and His anointed ones.  We also pray for God to look with down from Heaven attention to our sorry state, and to rebuke the adversary in order to give relief and restoration.  Like the psalmist, we pray for God’s hand of goodness in power to strengthen us so we do not turn back from trusting and following in the difficult times.  We call on His name!  May our Lord restore, shower grace, and deliver us from evil and the evil one set against us that we may increase in fruitfulness as His people (Matthew 6:13, Luke 11:4, 2 Timothy 4:18, Psalm 22:13, 1 Peter 5:8, Luke 8:15). 

A Dirge and a Prayer of Praise

Psalms 79:1-13
A Psalm of Asaph.

1 O God, the nations have come into Your inheritance;
Your holy temple they have defiled;
They have laid Jerusalem in heaps.

2 The dead bodies of Your servants
They have given as food for the birds of the heavens,
The flesh of Your saints to the beasts of the earth.
3 Their blood they have shed like water all around Jerusalem,
And there was no one to bury them.

4 We have become a reproach to our neighbors,
A scorn and derision to those who are around us.

5 How long, LORD?
Will You be angry forever?
Will Your jealousy burn like fire?

6 Pour out Your wrath on the nations that do not know You,
And on the kingdoms that do not call on Your name.
7 For they have devoured Jacob,
And laid waste his dwelling place.

8 Oh, do not remember former iniquities against us!
Let Your tender mercies come speedily to meet us,
For we have been brought very low.

9 Help us, O God of our salvation,
For the glory of Your name;
And deliver us, and provide atonement for our sins,
For Your name's sake!

10 Why should the nations say,
"Where is their God?"
Let there be known among the nations in our sight
The avenging of the blood of Your servants which has been shed.

11 Let the groaning of the prisoner come before You;
According to the greatness of Your power
Preserve those who are appointed to die;
12 And return to our neighbors sevenfold into their bosom
Their reproach with which they have reproached You, O Lord.

13 So we, Your people and sheep of Your pasture,
Will give You thanks forever;
We will show forth Your praise to all generations.

This dirge, a song of lament for those who died at the hand of the enemy, is mixed with a prayer of hope for deliverance and atonement to cover the sins of God’s people while executing judgment on those not knowing or following Him.  It is a lament for sin’s punishment and praise for God’s grace of atonement.  Asaph laments the defilement of God’s holy temple and people at the hand of the ungodly of the nations.  It was so bad that their bodies lay strewn about, not properly buried, as the carrion eating birds feasted on them.  Their enemies made them a reproach to look down on and a source of ridicule to see and talk about in a bad light.  So Asaph asked the question all God’s people do when oppressed and destroyed, “how long, oh LORD, how long will your anger allow us to suffer?”  And, “Will His jealousy for His people consume them?”  These questions surface again and again until the end (Revelation 6:10) when God judges the unrighteous and ungodly finally and for eternity.  We anticipate His judgment and hang our certain hope on the atoning death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior, our great and just God of merciful grace, humbly knowing we were also once His enemies (Romans 5:10, Colossians 1:21) and deserving of the same justice.  Christ is the just one who is our justifier (Romans 3:26) in whose righteousness we now confidently stand!  God will certainly pour out His wrath against sin on all the nations, the people who do not know Him or call on His name for salvation and worship (Genesis 4:26, 1 Corinthians 1:2).  By His work and according to God’s righteousness in Christ alone we find tender mercies to cover our iniquity and atonement for our sins for the glory of His name, the name above all names (Philippians 2:9-11, Isaiah 45:23-24).  Though the world asks where is our God, His vengeance on them will be their answer as the psalmist here spoke and asked God to do.  We who are the sheep of God’s pasture, Jew and Gentile alike, we give eternal thanks and praise for our deliverance from our just end under His wrath according to His word of grace.  This is why we collectively praise Him until He returns for the final judgment (Jude 1:14-15) on sin and elimination of its presence among us.  Come quickly, Lord (1 Corinthians 16:22, Revelation 22:12, 20)! 

God's Kindness to Rebellious Israel, part 3 of 3

Psalms 78:52-72

52 But He made His own people go forth like sheep,
And guided them in the wilderness like a flock;
53 And He led them on safely, so that they did not fear;
But the sea overwhelmed their enemies.

54 And He brought them to His holy border,
This mountain which His right hand had acquired.
55 He also drove out the nations before them,
Allotted them an inheritance by survey,
And made the tribes of Israel dwell in their tents.

56 Yet they tested and provoked the Most High God,
And did not keep His testimonies,
57 But turned back and acted unfaithfully like their fathers;
They were turned aside like a deceitful bow.
58 For they provoked Him to anger with their high places,
And moved Him to jealousy with their carved images.

59 When God heard this, He was furious,
And greatly abhorred Israel,
60 So that He forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh,
The tent He had placed among men,
61 And delivered His strength into captivity,
And His glory into the enemy's hand.

62 He also gave His people over to the sword,
And was furious with His inheritance.
63 The fire consumed their young men,
And their maidens were not given in marriage.
64 Their priests fell by the sword,
And their widows made no lamentation.

65 Then the Lord awoke as from sleep,
Like a mighty man who shouts because of wine.
66 And He beat back His enemies;
He put them to a perpetual reproach.

67 Moreover He rejected the tent of Joseph,
And did not choose the tribe of Ephraim,
68 But chose the tribe of Judah,
Mount Zion which He loved.
69 And He built His sanctuary like the heights,
Like the earth which He has established forever.

70 He also chose David His servant,
And took him from the sheepfolds;
71 From following the ewes that had young He brought him,
To shepherd Jacob His people,
And Israel His inheritance.

72 So he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart,
And guided them by the skillfulness of his hands.

After reminding Israel of God’s deliverance and the judgment on those set against His people, He goes on to show what He did for His own.  He led them as a Shepherd to safety out of the powerful army of the Egyptians, which bondage is symbolic of sin and its hold on all of Adam’s children, and buried the enemy under the waters of the collapsed path to freed through the Red Sea.  God led them to His holy presence on His mountain, putting the fear of Him into them and delivering His word of commands to them to follow His will, what He saved them to out of sin.  This is as our own deliverance from sin in order to follow, serve, and worship Him according to His word of grace in holiness.  The Lord had given them a promised land to be theirs, with cities already built, a shadow of the heavenly dwellings prepared for all in Christ (John 14:2-3).  Unfortunately, they rebelled and went back to the bad examples of their forefathers, rejecting God’s word received on the mountain in fear before, yet now disobeyed and disregarded.  The deceitfulness of sin (Hebrews 3:13) had hardened their hearts and led their minds astray.  Seeking lifeless idols which really were their own ungodly desires, they broke the first commandment to have and worship one God only, earning the wrath of God for their sin (Romans 6:23).  They were sent back into captivity to sin to renew their consciences and turn beck in repentance, much like Hymenaeus and Alexander in 1 Timothy 1:19-20 who were delivered temporarily into the enemy’s hand until they learned to stop blaspheming the Lord.  The alternative for Israel was judgment and death; in Christ it is a loss of reward in Heaven (1 Corinthians 3:14-15) because of a better covenant of grace in mercy.  For Israel, God later seemed to suddenly awake and see their state, and delivered them from the enemy, but in reality He was giving them time to repent as well.  He further chose one tribe as His going forward, a pattern of His predetermined choice of all His people, including us as well as them.  He established a place for worship and an anointed leader, a foreshadowing of the Messiah, the Christ, to come and rule forever over His chosen people who are His inheritance.  This revealed His shepherding of us all according to His proven faithfulness and by the skill of the hand of His providence.  We can trust Him to complete the sanctifying work in us (Philippians 1:6) as well.  These things were written for our example to learn from that we do not lose hope, as Romans 15:4 reminds us.  These things are God’s kindness to us in spite of our rebellion, the grace of the gospel in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

God's Kindness to Rebellious Israel, part 2 of 3

Psalms 78:21-51

21 Therefore the LORD heard this and was furious;
So a fire was kindled against Jacob,
And anger also came up against Israel,
22 Because they did not believe in God,
And did not trust in His salvation.

23 Yet He had commanded the clouds above,
And opened the doors of heaven,
24 Had rained down manna on them to eat,
And given them of the bread of heaven.
25 Men ate angels' food;
He sent them food to the full.

26 He caused an east wind to blow in the heavens;
And by His power He brought in the south wind.
27 He also rained meat on them like the dust,
Feathered fowl like the sand of the seas;
28 And He let them fall in the midst of their camp,
All around their dwellings.

29 So they ate and were well filled,
For He gave them their own desire.
30 They were not deprived of their craving;
But while their food was still in their mouths,
31 The wrath of God came against them,
And slew the stoutest of them,
And struck down the choice men of Israel.

32 In spite of this they still sinned,
And did not believe in His wondrous works.
33 Therefore their days He consumed in futility,
And their years in fear.

34 When He slew them, then they sought Him;
And they returned and sought earnestly for God.
35 Then they remembered that God was their rock,
And the Most High God their Redeemer.

36 Nevertheless they flattered Him with their mouth,
And they lied to Him with their tongue;
37 For their heart was not steadfast with Him,
Nor were they faithful in His covenant.

38 But He, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity,
And did not destroy them.
Yes, many a time He turned His anger away,
And did not stir up all His wrath;
39 For He remembered that they were but flesh,
A breath that passes away and does not come again.

40 How often they provoked Him in the wilderness,
And grieved Him in the desert!
41 Yes, again and again they tempted God,
And limited the Holy One of Israel.

42 They did not remember His power:
The day when He redeemed them from the enemy,
43 When He worked His signs in Egypt,
And His wonders in the field of Zoan;

44 Turned their rivers into blood,
And their streams, that they could not drink.
45 He sent swarms of flies among them, which devoured them,
And frogs, which destroyed them.

46 He also gave their crops to the caterpillar,
And their labor to the locust.
47 He destroyed their vines with hail,
And their sycamore trees with frost.
48 He also gave up their cattle to the hail,
And their flocks to fiery lightning.

49 He cast on them the fierceness of His anger,
Wrath, indignation, and trouble,
By sending angels of destruction among them.

50 He made a path for His anger;
He did not spare their soul from death,
But gave their life over to the plague,
51 And destroyed all the firstborn in Egypt,
The first of their strength in the tents of Ham.

Disbelief and a lack of trust in who God is and in His providential working led to God unleashing His fury on His chosen who did these rebellious acts.  Had they forgotten that the LORD had reigned down manna from Heaven to sustain them in spite of their unrighteousness?  Had they disregarded the angel’s food from Heaven (John 6:31-33) as nothing, when they only deserved God’s wrath and recompense instead of that great mercy and grace?  In their discontent the people of God complained even more as He kept them alive with this gracious gift, demanding meat as they had when in bondage in Egypt (Hebrews 8:9-10, 12) instead of the freedom given them in the midst of want.  Do we who are freed from bondage to sin on Christ consider these things and still complain, or do we learn by their example what to do instead?  If we live by a selfish name and claim perversion of the gospel in order to fill our desires crying out as deprived stomachs, do we suppose that we will not also suffer as they did after gorging themselves on quail supplied as demanded?  Or do we instead find godliness in contentment with our daily bread of provision?  Those had not learned from the consequences and continued wandering for forty years in sin and unbelief.  They not only did not do as God said, but did not trust Him or His word or His  care for them as the birds of the air (Matthew 6:26).  Though when some of them suffered death for that disobedience, they temporarily turned back to God (repented) by searching for Him and obeying to avoid further punishment.  They then remembered that God was their Rock and Redeemer.  Do we repent and later turn back in reverse repentance to repeat the past sins as they did, or will we learn from their example to not just give lip service with hearts not set on Him (2 Chronicles 16:9)?  God’s compassion and mercy saved them from further punishment because He forgave the iniquity of their sin (Psalm 32:5) as He has ours.  Because we are as a breath which passes easily and quickly away, God’s grace now in Christ is even more assured because we are eternally, once for all time, released from His condemning wrath on sin.  Its penalty no longer holds us to eternal punishment because of the atonement of Jesus Christ our Lord.  Even so, may we learn not to provoke God as they did, tempting and limiting God in His word and work.  We should meditate on God’s redeeming power towards us, and consider the deliverance out of Egypt with the plagues and the Destroyer of His enemies while passing over those covered in the life-giving blood of the sacrifice, symbolic of Christ’s life given as the eternal Lamb to come for us all who are chosen.  We have escaped destruction (2 Thessalonians 1:8-9), and should therefore live accordingly in that eternal security.  Remember God’s kindness to rebellious Israel.

God's Kindness to Rebellious Israel, part 1 of 3

Psalms 78:1-20

A Contemplation of Asaph.

1 Give ear, O my people, to my law;
Incline your ears to the words of my mouth.

2 I will open my mouth in a parable;
I will utter dark sayings of old,
3 Which we have heard and known,
And our fathers have told us.

4 We will not hide them from their children,
Telling to the generation to come the praises of the LORD,
And His strength and His wonderful works that He has done.

5 For He established a testimony in Jacob,
And appointed a law in Israel,
Which He commanded our fathers,
That they should make them known to their children;

6 That the generation to come might know them,
The children who would be born,
That they may arise and declare them to their children,
7 That they may set their hope in God,
And not forget the works of God,
But keep His commandments;

8 And may not be like their fathers,
A stubborn and rebellious generation,
A generation that did not set its heart aright,
And whose spirit was not faithful to God.

9 The children of Ephraim, being armed and carrying bows,
Turned back in the day of battle.
10 They did not keep the covenant of God;
They refused to walk in His law,
11 And forgot His works
And His wonders that He had shown them.

12 Marvelous things He did in the sight of their fathers,
In the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.
13 He divided the sea and caused them to pass through;
And He made the waters stand up like a heap.

14 In the daytime also He led them with the cloud,
And all the night with a light of fire.
15 He split the rocks in the wilderness,
And gave them drink in abundance like the depths.
16 He also brought streams out of the rock,
And caused waters to run down like rivers.

17 But they sinned even more against Him
By rebelling against the Most High in the wilderness.
18 And they tested God in their heart
By asking for the food of their fancy.

19 Yes, they spoke against God:
They said, "Can God prepare a table in the wilderness?
20 Behold, He struck the rock,
So that the waters gushed out,
And the streams overflowed.
Can He give bread also?
Can He provide meat for His people?"

The ingratitude of God’s people led to ignoring His word and spiritual rebellion.  May we learn from this psalm telling the story of how a lack of contentment leads to rebellious sin and further disobedience to His word.  This psalm opens with a call to hear and heed the call of His voice through the word, to listen to the “dark sayings of old,” which are parables, hidden gems of wisdom as Jesus told later.  We must consider what God tells us and seek Him for the understanding in both cases from His word.  Like Israel of old, we then must teach them to our children, physical and spiritual, all the wondrous works, words, and powerful works which He has done for His children for His praise.  God established His word in a written record for our reference to live accordingly, and as a promise of our inheritance by covenant, the old of works which is impossible to keep, and the new covenant which is kept by Christ through faith in His work on our behalf.  As verse 7 instructs us, we then are to teach our children to remember God’s works, work to keep His commands, and hope in God alone for life and a right standing in His righteousness.  We are to exhort to warn our spiritual children who are disciples of Him (Matthew 28:19-20, 1 Thessalonians 5:14, 2 Timothy 4:2, Hebrews 3:13, 10:24-25) to set their hearts right and be spiritually faithful to the Lord God, being led and corrected by His word (2 Timothy 3:16-17).  Remember and bring to remembrance the rebellion of Israel as our warning that we are not hardened by the deceitfulness of sin which leads to our own rebellion and hardening of our hearts.  We can learn from these examples (1 Corinthians 10:11) in order to avoid repeating the same errors lying latent in our fallen nature.  Remember how God led His people out of bondage through the Red Sea, how He led them faithfully by a pillar of cloud and fire through their journey, how He provided water and food out of the desert, and then how their lack of contentment brought great loss when their satisfaction would have given great gain instead (1 Timothy 6:6), an apt lesson for us all.  Discontentment only breeds sin because we no longer are trusting God, not living by faith in His good providence and provision, and that hardens our hearts to make us unfruitful.  May we not repeat that error in asking or even demanding more to satisfy our desires instead of being content with His good and needed provision each day, our daily bread.  May we not question that provision by wanting bread and meat because He gave us weather from the Rock as in the wilderness.  Our prayers, therefore, should not be demanding more bit thankful for all the abundance given each day already.  God’s kindness to His people should keep us from such rebellion.