Month: March 2021

Psalm 24.7-8

Lift up your heads, O gates!

And be lifted up, O ancient doors,

That the King of glory may come in.

Who is this King of glory?

The Lord, strong and mighty,

The Lord, mighty in battle!

The excitement of anticipation is something that ought to stay with us for a lifetime. We may get a bit better at disguising it as we age but what a loss if we cannot look forward with eagerness. An imminent birth is one of the most universal of events, that in all but the worst of times, raises up hope and joy. Advent is a period of anticipated joy at the coming of Christ. You may say it is more a matter of remembering than anticipation as Jesus has come and gone. That would be a very limited way of thinking about Advent. Throughout scripture and into current times faith brings with it hope and that hope is centred on the presence and coming of Jesus. Paul reminds us, ‘we are waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ.’ ^{Titus 2.13} The Messiah was looked forward to throughout the period of the prophets. Those in Jesus’ time were still looking forward to the Messiah even though most did not recognize him when he was present with them. In modern times, believers look forward to his return when he will bring judgement and a new creation.

This hope is not just for the individual, it is a collective hope for all the people of God, in shared anticipation and celebration. How then should we prepare? Psalm 24 is for collective community use, remembering and celebrating the time when David brought the ark of the Lord to Jerusalem. The ark was the most precious and holy object, it represented the presence of God and his contract with the people of Israel. The ark’s arrival in Jerusalem said to the people of the time, the presence of God is with us, he has come among us. The psalm provides a model of how we could prepare our hearts for the presence and coming of Jesus Christ.

It opens with recognizing that the whole earth and everything in it is his and he created it. Whether we choose to acknowledge him or not, ‘The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein.’ ^v1Jerusalem was built on a hill, the temple had not yet been constructed. To approach the ark or be part of the procession carrying the ark one had to ascend the hill. Holiness was imperative and therefore to come and participate in this celebration and worship it was necessary to have the right heart attitude. David therefore writes, ‘who shall stand in this holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully.’ Advent then is an ideal time to take time to let the Spirit search our hearts and open up to us what is deceitful, insincere and impure in our lives. As he exposes each element take the time to calmly seek his forgiveness by confessing to him what the Spirit of God has shown you to be true. This should not be a rushed process it is too important to be flippant, we are wanting the most holy God, maker of all things, to be present in our lives.

Neither should we be afraid that he will not keep his promises to us and remove our sin as far as the east is from the west. Listen to the promise of God, say it out loud, ‘He will receive blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation.’ ^v5 Now is the time to seek his face. ^v6

Then this advent we can join with the psalmist and lift up our heads so that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? It is Jesus Christ, strong and mighty in battle. What battle is this? The battle with sin and death and for our souls. Physically separated as we are we can still as one church of God lift our heads to him in anticipation.

Have you placed your hope in Jesus?

Are you eagerly awaiting him this Advent?

Come, Thou long expected Jesus (with Lyrics)

Psalm 76

Psalm 76 continues the theme of the victory of God over his enemies which probably draws it’s inspiration from God’s victory over the Assyrians and General Sennacherib who scorned the God of Judah and then overnight his army died, camped outside the walls of Jerusalem, by the word of God. Where we see God’s victories in battle in the Old Testament through, or on behalf of, his people Israel, they foreshadow Jesus’ victory on the cross over sin, death and Satan. (Colossians 2.15,20 & 1 Corinthians 15.15.56-57.) The psalm uses concealed imagery of God as a lion, to be feared. Revelation 5 uses the same imagery where Jesus is termed the lion/lamb of Judah. ‘Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered…’ ^{Rev 5.5} and ‘Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honour and glory and blessing!’ ^{Rev 5.12}

Psalm 76 is a psalm of praise to the God of Judah, which was the remaining kingdom of Israel, the Assyrians having already conquered and dispersed the northern nation of Israel. ^v1 The word obliquely translated, tent (NIV) and abode, (ESV) is the Hebrew word for a lion’s den elsewhere in scripture. Salem is the old name for Jerusalem and Zion is the mountain on which Jerusalem is built. God therefore is dwelling with his people. ‘His abode has been established in Salem, his dwelling place in Zion.’ ^v2 In the New Testament God’s dwelling place is not a city or building or even the tent that travelled with God’s people during the exodus, he dwells in each one of his people, the church of God. ‘Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?’ ^{1 Corinthians 3.16}

It was there, where he dwells, that God caused the victory. ^v3 It is in our hearts and lives that God now has the victory over sin and evil. This should be as much a source of praise for us as the victory over the Assyrians was for the inhabitants of Jerusalem. Verses 4 to 6 summarise the victory in 2 Kings 19. Just as no soldier was responsible for the defeat of the Assyrians so it is not by our own efforts that we are saved from the consequences of sin and death. It is solely by the grace of God.

The psalm celebrates God’s victory continuing the image of a lion hunting in the land surrounding Jerusalem. The enemy are the lion’s prey, ‘Glorious are you, more majestic than the mountains full of prey.’ ^v4

It is right to fear the God who judges because he is awesome, righteous and just. ‘But you, you are to be feared! Who can stand before you when your anger is roused? God’s judgement will be to save the humble, ^v9 they are those who faithfully believe and trust in him. The psalm ends with dismissing any rage his enemies might have concerning his judgement.

Do we live in the daily knowledge that God dwells with us?

Spirit of the Living God

Psalm 24.7-8

Lift up your heads, O gates!   And be lifted up, O ancient doors,

That the King of glory may come in.    Who is this King of glory?

The Lord, strong and mighty,    The Lord, mighty in battle!

The excitement of anticipation is something that ought to stay with us for a lifetime. We may get a bit better at disguising it as we age but what a loss if we cannot look forward with eagerness. An imminent birth is one of the most universal of events, that in all but the worst of times, raises up hope and joy. Advent is a period of anticipated joy at the coming of Christ. You may say it is more a matter of remembering than anticipation as Jesus has come and gone. That would be a very limited way of thinking about Advent. Throughout scripture and into current times faith brings with it hope and that hope is centred on the presence and coming of Jesus. Paul reminds us, ‘we are waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ.’ ^{Titus 2.13} The Messiah was looked forward to throughout the period of the prophets. Those in Jesus’ time were still looking forward to the Messiah even though most did not recognize him when he was present with them. In modern times, believers look forward to his return when he will bring judgement and a new creation.

This hope is not just for the individual, it is a collective hope for all the people of God, in shared anticipation and celebration. How then should we prepare? Psalm 24 is for collective community use, remembering and celebrating the time when David brought the ark of the Lord to Jerusalem. The ark was the most precious and holy object, it represented the presence of God and his contract with the people of Israel. The ark’s arrival in Jerusalem said to the people of the time, the presence of God is with us, he has come among us. The psalm provides a model of how we could prepare our hearts for the presence and coming of Jesus Christ.

It opens with recognizing that the whole earth and everything in it is his and he created it. Whether we choose to acknowledge him or not, ‘The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein.’ ^v1Jerusalem was built on a hill, the temple had not yet been constructed. To approach the ark or be part of the procession carrying the ark one had to ascend the hill. Holiness was imperative and therefore to come and participate in this celebration and worship it was necessary to have the right heart attitude. David therefore writes, ‘who shall stand in this holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully.’ Advent then is an ideal time to take time to let the Spirit search our hearts and open up to us what is deceitful, insincere and impure in our lives. As he exposes each element take the time to calmly seek his forgiveness by confessing to him what the Spirit of God has shown you to be true. This should not be a rushed process it is too important to be flippant, we are wanting the most holy God, maker of all things, to be present in our lives.

Neither should we be afraid that he will not keep his promises to us and remove our sin as far as the east is from the west. Listen to the promise of God, say it out loud, ‘He will receive blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation.’ ^v5 Now is the time to seek his face. ^v6

Then this advent we can join with the psalmist and lift up our heads so that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? It is Jesus Christ, strong and mighty in battle. What battle is this? The battle with sin and death and for our souls. Physically separated as we are we can still as one church of God lift our heads to him in anticipation.

Have you placed your hope in Jesus?

Are you eagerly awaiting him this Advent?

Come, Thou long expected Jesus (with Lyrics)

Psalm 75.1

For many the Covid Pandemic will have been, and continues to be, a time when the foundations of their world have shaken to the point of collapse. Nothing is more shattering than the death or threat of death to those we love but added to this has been financial risks through loss of income or employment, the value of many people’s savings has plummeted. As a country we are daily told the death toll as compared with the previous day. Emotionally nearly all have suffered, families have been separated and for a while we wondered if and how it would end. Because nearly all of us in the West have been living in a period of nearly unprecedented peace and stability it has come as a huge shock. Living through times of societal trauma though is no new experience. Is there a distinctively biblical or Christian perspective that can be brought to bear and assist us when, ‘the earth totters, and all its’ inhabitants’? ^v3

Psalm 75 is a psalm of praise when just such an event has happened. The fact that it is a song of praise is in itself profound. Whatever has happened or is happening the psalm expresses confidence in God, rooted in a whole society’s experience of him over a long period of time. ‘We give thanks to you, O God; we give thanks, for your name is near. We recount your wondrous deeds.’ ^v1 We do not know for certain what events inspired this song of Asaph. Asaph was a great psalmist in David’s time but psalms that bear his name also derive from descendants and a school of Asaph that continued for hundreds of years. Probably the best fit is when Sennacherib of Assyria with the army of the world’s greatest power at the time arrived at Jerusalem’s walls, challenged the God of Judah and by an act of God met his downfall and was totally humiliated. ^{2 Kings 18-19}

When a society is experiencing their greatest need, it is a time for God’s people (now the modern church) to give thanks and praise to God because of his wondrous deeds. In the time of the psalmist he would have recounted the Lord’s victory over Egypt and the gift of the promised land as well as God’s defeat of Sennacherib. For us we have an even greater victory to declare and one that changes not only society but individuals’ lives now and into eternity. Foundation shaking events cause people to question their lives and their futures. Some do not but many ask fundamental questions of life. The church in obedience to Christ should declare the Christian good news of Jesus and the confidence we have in him.

Have we continued to thank and praise our Lord during this time?

Have we shared our confidence and the reasons for it with others?

Trust In You (Live) – Lauren Daigle

Psalm 74 Part 2

Have you ever felt cut off from God? A feeling that you are forgotten? It is a dreadful feeling to consider that God has wiped his hands of you, your chance has gone. Perhaps you have looked around and said to yourself, “If it this bad, God must have turned his back on me.” I am sure that if one is trapped in the middle of a famine with people dying all around or one is fleeing from war as a refugee, then there would be a great temptation to think that God has forgotten you. It doesn’t have to be that sort of situation though, frequently that sense of separation from God is a direct result of our own sin that has not been reconciled and we are living under a weight of guilt with a sense of spiritual oppression.

There are times when those feelings are a bit like physical pain, they are there to prompt us into action, to deal with the underlying cause. If we suffer from leprosy and have lost feeling in our foot, we could be walking with a stone in our shoe that is progressively damaging our foot and causing infection. If only we could feel the pain then we would remove the stone. Similarly, if sin has caused a breakdown in relationship with God it takes conviction of sin to cause us to address the problem.

Psalm 74 describes the psalmist coming to terms with the consequences of sin and rebellion against God at a macro level. The sin of a country’s spiritual leadership and a nation following suit. Judah at the time of the psalm was a picture of devastation. A vastly superior army had gone through the country wrecking it. There was not a concept of human rights at the time, the countryside had been pillaged, the city of Jerusalem was broken down with the temple being the principal focus for destruction. Many of the inhabitants including the fittest, best and brightest were taken into slavery and marched to Babylon. Babylon was the agent for God’s discipline of his own people. It should not have been unexpected, God had repeatedly warned this would be what happened if his own people rejected him for idols and pursued the corrupt practices of those who worshipped foreign gods.

The psalm then opens with a cry of anguish, ‘O God, why do you cast us off forever? Why does your anger smoke against the sheep of your pasture?’ ^v1 The word smoke evoking the smoke of the burnt temple and the sheep being a term frequently used to describe God’s own people. He then uses a biblical approach to intercession and appeals to God by reminding God of his previous goodness and promises to his people. ‘Remember your congregation, which you have purchased from of old.’ ^v2 God needs no such reminding but it places the plaintiff in the history of God’s redemption story. We need to do the same thing when we come yet again to him on the basis of Jesus’ sacrifice for us. We then recognize that the only basis for redemption and reconciliation is his goodness and promises. When he asks God to, ‘direct his steps to the perpetual ruins’, ^v3 he is confessing his own helplessness and yet he knows God cares for his own.

The depth of the damage done by the Babylonian army especially the desecration of the temple is set out in detail. ^{vv 4-9} The Psalmist appeals to God on the basis of surely you do not wish to see Satan and his representatives remain victorious, represented by their placing of signs regarding their idols in the temple. From a New Testament perspective, we know that Jesus has overcome the power of Satan through his death, resurrection and ascension. However, we also know there still remains a conflict for the modern Christian, as James instructed, ‘Submit yourselves, then to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.’ ^{James 4.7} The Psalmist now surveying the temple ruins is in the place where he wants to do just that. However, he has lost a sense of spiritual direction. ‘We do not see our signs; there is no longer any prophet, and there is none of us who knows how long.’ ^v9

He then appeals to God for the destruction of Judah’s enemies. There do remain times in a modern context where such prayer is appropriate even though it may seem in conflict with praying for one’s enemies. Consider for instance whether one might pray for the destruction of ISIS or Pol Pot’s regime and their genocidal oppression.

Where at the beginning of the psalm he pleads with God to remember, the psalmist now reminds God and by doing so reminds himself and his people of what God has done. ^{vv 12-17} As the Psalmist ranges through the salvation history of Israel and Judah, particularly the Exodus from Egypt, we also need to regularly in prayer revisit our salvation through Jesus.

He concludes with an appeal to God to fulfill his covenant in the salvation of his people who have now become a poor and needy people. ‘Let the poor and needy praise your name.’ Whether we are one of the poor and needy as the Psalmist was or we see the needs of the poor and needy we know that God’s response was to send Jesus his Son.

Have you ever felt the discipline of God?

How would you advise someone who came to you with questions about God’s discipline?

Great Jehovah Official Video – Travis Greene