Month: June 2025

A Primer on Praise

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1 Praise the LORD!
Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
    for his steadfast love endures forever!
2 Who can utter the mighty deeds of the LORD,
    or declare all his praise?
3 Blessed are they who observe justice,
    who do righteousness at all times!

4 Remember me, O LORD, when you show favor to your people;
    help me when you save them,
5 that I may look upon the prosperity of your chosen ones,
    that I may rejoice in the gladness of your nation,
    that I may glory with your inheritance.

6 Both we and our fathers have sinned;
    we have committed iniquity; we have done wickedness.
7 Our fathers, when they were in Egypt,
    did not consider your wondrous works;
they did not remember the abundance of your steadfast love,
    but rebelled by the sea, at the Red Sea.
8 Yet he saved them for his name’s sake,
    that he might make known his mighty power.
9 He rebuked the Red Sea, and it became dry,
    and he led them through the deep as through a desert.
10 So he saved them from the hand of the foe
    and redeemed them from the power of the enemy.
11 And the waters covered their adversaries;
    not one of them was left.
12 Then they believed his words;
    they sang his praise.

13 But they soon forgot his works;
    they did not wait for his counsel.
14 But they had a wanton craving in the wilderness,
    and put God to the test in the desert;
15 he gave them what they asked,
    but sent a wasting disease among them.

16 When men in the camp were jealous of Moses
    and Aaron, the holy one of the LORD,
17 the earth opened and swallowed up Dathan,
    and covered the company of Abiram.
18 Fire also broke out in their company;
    the flame burned up the wicked.

19 They made a calf in Horeb
    and worshiped a metal image.
20 They exchanged the glory of God
    for the image of an ox that eats grass.
21 They forgot God, their Savior,
    who had done great things in Egypt,
22 wondrous works in the land of Ham,
    and awesome deeds by the Red Sea.
23 Therefore he said he would destroy them—
    had not Moses, his chosen one,
stood in the breach before him,
    to turn away his wrath from destroying them.

24 Then they despised the pleasant land,
    having no faith in his promise.
25 They murmured in their tents,
    and did not obey the voice of the Lord.
26 Therefore he raised his hand and swore to them
    that he would make them fall in the wilderness,
27 and would make their offspring fall among the nations,
    scattering them among the lands.

28 Then they yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor,
    and ate sacrifices offered to the dead;
29 they provoked the LORD to anger with their deeds,
    and a plague broke out among them.
30 Then Phinehas stood up and intervened,
    and the plague was stayed.
31 And that was counted to him as righteousness
    from generation to generation forever.

32 They angered him at the waters of Meribah,
    and it went ill with Moses on their account,
33 for they made his spirit bitter,
    and he spoke rashly with his lips.

34 They did not destroy the peoples,
    as the LORD commanded them,
35 but they mixed with the nations
    and learned to do as they did.
36 They served their idols,
    which became a snare to them.
37 They sacrificed their sons
    and their daughters to the demons;
38 they poured out innocent blood,
    the blood of their sons and daughters,
whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan,
    and the land was polluted with blood.
39 Thus they became unclean by their acts,
    and played the whore in their deeds.

40 Then the anger of the LORD was kindled against his people,
    and he abhorred his heritage;
41 he gave them into the hand of the nations,
    so that those who hated them ruled over them.
42 Their enemies oppressed them,
    and they were brought into subjection under their power.
43 Many times he delivered them,
    but they were rebellious in their purposes
    and were brought low through their iniquity.

44 Nevertheless, he looked upon their distress,
    when he heard their cry.
45 For their sake he remembered his covenant,
    and relented according to the abundance of his steadfast love.
46 He caused them to be pitied
    by all those who held them captive.

47 Save us, O LORD our God,
    and gather us from among the nations,
that we may give thanks to your holy name
    and glory in your praise.

48 Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel,
    from everlasting to everlasting!
And let all the people say, “Amen!”
    Praise the LORD!  – Psalm 106:1-48 ESV

They say hindsight is 20/20. This euphemistic idiom expresses the insight one receives after coming out on the other side of a difficult circumstance. Looking back at a situation, it seems obvious what should have been done, but it was not apparent in the moment. The author of the 106th Psalm appears to have hindsight bias as he chronicles events from the history of the nation of Israel. 

This psalm provides a sweeping overview of Israel’s less-than-flattering relationship with Yahweh. It painstakingly outlines their track record of apostasy and disobedience while reminding them of God’s patient display of love, grace, and mercy.

The psalmist declares his own culpability and responsibility for their strained relationship with Yahweh.

Like our ancestors, we have sinned.
    We have done wrong! We have acted wickedly!
Our ancestors in Egypt
    were not impressed by the LORD’s miraculous deeds. – Psalm 106:6-7 NLT

This psalm appears to have been written late in Israel’s history, long after the fall of the northern kingdom of Israel to the Assyrians and Judah’s subsequent fall to the Babylonians. So, the author is writing retrospectively, looking back on centuries of disobedience and rebellion against God that culminated in the defeat and captivity of His chosen people.

The books of 1st and 2nd Chronicles recap the history of Israel and are aimed at an audience that had just returned from 70 years in captivity in Babylon. This remant of former captives might have had reason to question the goodness of God and His faithfulness to them. After all, He had allowed Nebuchadnezzar and his Babylonian troops to destroy Jerusalem, desecrate the Temple, and deport them into a seven-decade-long period of slavery and oppression. Why had Yahwen allowed that to happen? How could a good and loving God allow His children to suffer for so long?

Considering the context, this Psalm takes on a whole new light. In it, the psalmist is calling on the people of Israel to praise Yahweh.

Praise the LORD!

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good!
    His faithful love endures forever.
Who can list the glorious miracles of the LORD?
    Who can ever praise him enough? – Psalm 106:1-2 NLT

He encourages them to give Yahwen thanks for His goodness and lovingkindness. He challenges them to remember all that God has done for them. Just in case their memory is spotty and they have difficulty recalling what God has done on their behalf, he tells them. In not-so-subtle fashion, he outlines the not-so-pretty history of the people of Israel and their interactions with God.

He begins his epic recounting of their sin-filled saga all the way back to Egypt. From the very beginning, they had questioned God and rebelled against His plans for them. Even after He miraculously released them from captivity in Egypt, they rebelled against His leadership when they found themselves at the Red Sea with no way across and the enemy bearing down on them. They questioned His lovingkindness and doubted His power. Yet, He still provided a way of escape. During their days in the wilderness, they repeatedly complained against His leadership, ability to provide, and the integrity of His plan for their lives. The Psalmist reminds his readers, “In the wilderness, their desires ran wild, testing God’s patience in that dry land” (Psalms 106:14 NLT).

Driven by their physical desires, and not just for food, the people continually rebelled against God. The list goes on and on, and their track record was not a good one. They forgot God, worshiped idols, and complained continually. They even rejected the idea of the promised land, demanding that Moses allow them to return to Egypt. They seemingly forgot the fact of their 400 years of captivity and suffering, or decided that they would rather be slaves in Egypt than servants of the one true God in the land of promise.

The psalmist reminds them how God repeatedly punished them for their rebellion. He sent nations against them, using these foreign invaders to subjugate and oppress them. Then, God would miraculously deliver them, only to see them fall back into the same sin and rebellion. This cycle of sin, suffering, and salvation is the story of the period of the Judges.

Again and again he rescued them,
    but they chose to rebel against him,
    and they were finally destroyed by their sin.

Even so, he pitied them in their distress
    and listened to their cries. – Psalm 106:43-44 NLT

Even so. Nevertheless. Yet. Still.

Various translations render verse 44 differently, yet it provides the key to understanding this entire psalm. Despite all they had done to alienate God and rebel against Him, He responded in love, kindness, mercy, and grace. He looked down. He heard their cry. He remembered His covenant with them. He relented. Even when they found themselves in captivity in Babylon, God caused their captors to show them mercy, to the point that they allowed the people of God to return to their own land.

God cared for His rebellious people even though they had rejected Him. That is why He is worthy of their praise. He had saved them and gathered them from among the nations. So, their response should be to glorify His name and bless Him for who He is and all that He has done. The psalmist strongly encourages them to thank God for His undeserved grace and mercy. This message should have resonated with the people of Israel because He had been good to them. He had graciously orchestrated their return to the land and allowed them to rebuild their destroyed capital and desecrated Temple. Yahweh had kept His promise and restored their broken relationship with Him.

But what about us? Do we fully understand all that God has done for us through the death, burial, and resurrection of His Son? Do we comprehend the magnitude of our own sin and rebellion, our alienation from God due to our inherited and inherent sin natures? We, too, were separated from God by a gulf that was too wide for us to cross. We were condemned by sin and were worthy of God’s righteous and just punishment. We were dead in our sinfulness and yet, nevertheless, even so, still – God sent His Son.

For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. – Romans 5:6-8 NASB

We couldn’t save ourselves, so God did it for us by sending His Son to die in our place. He showed us mercy when we deserved wrath. He extended grace that was unwarranted and undeserved. Now we stand before Him as forgiven, righteous, redeemed, restored, and with full access to His throne as His children. So why wouldn’t we praise Him? Why wouldn’t we constantly thank Him for all that He has done? Why would we waste a single second complaining about our lot in life? Why would we even think about whining when He has saved us from captivity to sin and the penalty of eternal death?

And all the people shall say, “Amen.”
Praise the Lord! – Psalms 106:48 NASB

Father, I have so much to praise You for, but I need nothing more than the fact that You have saved me in spite of me. You took me when I was at my worst and provided a way of salvation I couldn’t have come up with on my own. I was dead and You made me alive. I was captive to a life of sin and You set me free. I was condemned to death and You pardoned me. You paid the price for my sin that I could never have afforded to pay. I stand before You restored, redeemed, and fully forgiven by You. So You are more than worthy of my praise! Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Remember and Rejoice

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1 Oh give thanks to the LORD; call upon his name;
    make known his deeds among the peoples!
2 Sing to him, sing praises to him;
    tell of all his wondrous works!
3 Glory in his holy name;
    let the hearts of those who seek the

Oh give thanks to the LORD; call upon his name;
    make known his deeds among the peoples!
2 Sing to him, sing praises to him;
    tell of all his wondrous works!
3 Glory in his holy name;
    let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice!
4 Seek the LORD and his strength;
    seek his presence continually!
5 Remember the wondrous works that he has done,
    his miracles, and the judgments he uttered,
6 O offspring of Abraham, his servant,
    children of Jacob, his chosen ones!

7 He is the LORD our God;
    his judgments are in all the earth.
8 He remembers his covenant forever,
    the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations,
9 the covenant that he made with Abraham,
    his sworn promise to Isaac,
10 which he confirmed to Jacob as a statute,
    to Israel as an everlasting covenant,
11 saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan
    as your portion for an inheritance.”

12 When they were few in number,
    of little account, and sojourners in it,
13 wandering from nation to nation,
    from one kingdom to another people,
14 he allowed no one to oppress them;
    he rebuked kings on their account,
15 saying, “Touch not my anointed ones,
    do my prophets no harm!”

16 When he summoned a famine on the land
    and broke all supply of bread,
17 he had sent a man ahead of them,
    Joseph, who was sold as a slave.
18 His feet were hurt with fetters;
    his neck was put in a collar of iron;
19 until what he had said came to pass,
    the word of the LORD tested him.
20 The king sent and released him;
    the ruler of the peoples set him free;
21 he made him lord of his house
    and ruler of all his possessions,
22 to bind his princes at his pleasure
    and to teach his elders wisdom.

23 Then Israel came to Egypt;
    Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham.
24 And the LORD made his people very fruitful
    and made them stronger than their foes.
25 He turned their hearts to hate his people,
    to deal craftily with his servants.

26 He sent Moses, his servant,
    and Aaron, whom he had chosen.
27 They performed his signs among them
    and miracles in the land of Ham.
28 He sent darkness, and made the land dark;
    they did not rebel against his words.
29 He turned their waters into blood
    and caused their fish to die.
30 Their land swarmed with frogs,
    even in the chambers of their kings.
31 He spoke, and there came swarms of flies,
    and gnats throughout their country.
32 He gave them hail for rain,
    and fiery lightning bolts through their land.
33 He struck down their vines and fig trees,
    and shattered the trees of their country.
34 He spoke, and the locusts came,
    young locusts without number,
35 which devoured all the vegetation in their land
    and ate up the fruit of their ground.
36 He struck down all the firstborn in their land,
    the firstfruits of all their strength.

37 Then he brought out Israel with silver and gold,
    and there was none among his tribes who stumbled.
38 Egypt was glad when they departed,
    for dread of them had fallen upon it.

39 He spread a cloud for a covering,
    and fire to give light by night.
40 They asked, and he brought quail,
    and gave them bread from heaven in abundance.
41 He opened the rock, and water gushed out;
    it flowed through the desert like a river.
42 For he remembered his holy promise,
    and Abraham, his servant.

43 So he brought his people out with joy,
    his chosen ones with singing.
44 And he gave them the lands of the nations,
    and they took possession of the fruit of the peoples’ toil,
45 that they might keep his statutes
    and observe his laws.
Praise the LORD! – Psalm 105:1-45 ESV

According to this unnamed psalmist, Yahweh was worthy of praise because of His faithful commitment to the people of Israel. This entire psalm is a call for the Israelites to acknowledge the trustworthiness and greatness of their covenant-keeping God. In the opening lines of his song, the psalmist repeatedly charges his fellow Israelites to recall and recount God’s wondrous works on their behalf.

Let the whole world know what he has done. – Psalm 105: 1 NLT

 Tell everyone about his wonderful deeds. – Psalm 105:2 NLT

Remember the wonders he has performed,
    his miracles, and the rulings he has given… – Psalm 105:5 NLT

If the Israelites needed a reason to celebrate Yahweh’s goodness and greatness, their rich and storied history was filled with examples. But for the psalmist, the most remarkable illustration of Yahweh’s faithfulness was the covenant He made with Abraham, the patriarch and progenitor of the Hebrew people.  Centuries earlier, God had called this pagan idol worshiper to abandon his clan, homeland, and false gods for a new lifelong relationship with Him.

“Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.” – Genesis 12:1-3 NLT

What made this promise even more remarkable was that Abraham was already an old man, married to an equally old and barren wife. But despite the poor odds for success, Abraham obeyed and followed Yahweh to the land of Canaan. The psalmist adds a line to his song that celebrates God’s faithfulness to fulfill His covenant commitment to Abraham.

He always stands by his covenant—
    the commitment he made to a thousand generations.
This is the covenant he made with Abraham
    and the oath he swore to Isaac.
He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree,
    and to the people of Israel as a never-ending covenant:
“I will give you the land of Canaan
    as your special possession.” – Psalm 105:8-11 NLT

While no timeline is given to establish the dating of this psalm, it was obviously written long after the Israelites had entered and taken possession of the land of Canaan. Centuries had passed, and the Israelites had enjoyed a long tenure as occupants of the “land of promise.” It had taken hundreds of years for God to fulfill His covenant commitment to Abraham, but every facet of His original promise had occurred just as He said it would. With each passing generation, God reaffirmed His intention to keep His word. After the death of Abraham, God reiterated His covenant promise to Abraham’s son, Isaac.

“Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you and will bless you, for to you and to your offspring I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath that I swore to Abraham your father. I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and will give to your offspring all these lands. And in your offspring all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.” – Genesis 26:3-5 NLT

When Isaac eventually died, God passed on His covenant promises to Isaac’s son, Jacob, whom God later renamed Israel.

“I am El-Shaddai—‘God Almighty.’ Be fruitful and multiply. You will become a great nation, even many nations. Kings will be among your descendants! And I will give you the land I once gave to Abraham and Isaac. Yes, I will give it to you and your descendants after you.” – Genesis 35:11-12 NLT

But despite God’s promises, Jacob’s small family was anything but a great nation, and they lived as relative nomads in the land that was supposed to be their inheritance.

…they were few in number,
    a tiny group of strangers in Canaan.
They wandered from nation to nation,
    from one kingdom to another.
Yet he did not let anyone oppress them.
    He warned kings on their behalf:
“Do not touch my chosen people,
    and do not hurt my prophets.” – Psalm 105:12-15 NLT

But God was not done, and the psalmist recalls the next phase of God’s promise-keeping plan for His chosen people. Verses 16-22 recount the astonishing story of Joseph, the son of Jacob, who was sold into slavery by his own brothers. Jealous of Joseph’s favored-son status, his brothers plotted to get rid of him by selling him to slave traders and then telling their father that he had been killed by a wild animal. They lived with this lie for years while their brother experienced a roller-coaster existence in the land of Egypt.

They bruised his feet with fetters
    and placed his neck in an iron collar.
Until the time came to fulfill his dreams,
    the Lord tested Joseph’s character.
Then Pharaoh sent for him and set him free;
    the ruler of the nation opened his prison door.
Joseph was put in charge of all the king’s household;
    he became ruler over all the king’s possessions. – Psalm 105:18-21 NLT

This was all part of God’s plan for the descendants of Abraham. He had sent Joseph ahead to prepare for the next phase of His covenant-fulfilling strategy, which was in keeping with another promise He made to Abraham.

“You can be sure that your descendants will be strangers in a foreign land, where they will be oppressed as slaves for 400 years. But I will punish the nation that enslaves them, and in the end they will come away with great wealth. (As for you, you will die in peace and be buried at a ripe old age.) After four generations your descendants will return here to this land… – Genesis 15:13-16 NLT

The psalmist knew the story well and recounted how Jacob and his family migrated to Egypt to escape a famine in the land of Canaan.

Then Israel arrived in Egypt;
    Jacob lived as a foreigner in the land of Ham.
And the LORD multiplied the people of Israel
    until they became too mighty for their enemies.
Then he turned the Egyptians against the Israelites,
    and they plotted against the LORD’s servants. – Psalm 105:23-25 NLT

The Book of Genesis affirms that Jacob’s family was anything but a great nation when they arrived in Egypt.

…there were seventy members of Jacob’s family in the land of Egypt. – Genesis 46:27 NLT

But as the psalmist recounts, the Israelites grew in number, just as God had said they would. In fact, their numbers increased so significantly that they became a threat to the Egyptians. In four centuries, the Israelites had multiplied and prospered under God’s sovereign hand, causing the Pharaoh to enact a series of edicts that enslaved and oppressed God’s people. But verses 26-36 recount how Yahweh raised up a deliverer to rescue His people from slavery and lead them back to the land of Canaan.

Through a series of devastating plagues, Yahweh punished Pharaoh and the people of Egypt for their refusal to set His people free. But eventually, God persuaded the pride-filled Pharaoh to release the Israelites and allow them to return to the land of promise.

Moses served as their official God-appointed tour guide and leader, but it was really Yahweh who directed their path and provided for all their needs along the way.

The LORD spread a cloud above them as a covering
    and gave them a great fire to light the darkness.
They asked for meat, and he sent them quail;
    he satisfied their hunger with manna—bread from heaven.
He split open a rock, and water gushed out
    to form a river through the dry wasteland. – Psalm 105:39-41 NLT

The psalmist leaves little doubt that Yahweh was behind every part of their ancestors’ wilderness experience. Yahweh had led them and fed them. He provided for all their needs and traveled alongside them in the form of a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night (Exodus 13:21). Their 40-year journey from Egypt to Canaan had been filled with God’s presence and marked by His power. Despite their grumbling, complaining, disobedience, and disloyalty, the Israelites learned that their God was faithful and trustworthy. He never abandoned them along the way. Instead, He showered them with mercy and grace, repeatedly rescuing and redeeming them from one self-inflicted disaster after another.

According to the psalmist, Yahweh, “remembered his sacred promise to his servant Abraham. So he brought his people out of Egypt with joy, his chosen ones with rejoicing” (Psalm 105:42-43 NLT). But Yahweh didn’t stop there; He led them to and into the land of promise, providing them with victories over their enemies and ownership of their inheritance. 

He gave his people the lands of pagan nations,
    and they harvested crops that others had planted.
All this happened so they would follow his decrees
    and obey his instructions. – Psalm 105:44-45 NLT

With all that as background, the psalmist calls on the descendants of Abraham to “Praise the LORD!” (Psalm 105:45 NLT). This was a call to celebrate God’s goodness and greatness and remember His faithfulness and covenant-keeping nature. The danger each generation of believers faces is forgetting God’s faithfulness. Even Moses knew that the generation that entered the land of Canaan would be tempted to forget all that Yahweh had done, so he provided them with a sobering warning.

“Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the Lord your God and disobey his commands, regulations, and decrees that I am giving you today. For when you have become full and prosperous and have built fine homes to live in, and when your flocks and herds have become very large and your silver and gold have multiplied along with everything else, be careful! Do not become proud at that time and forget the Lord your God, who rescued you from slavery in the land of Egypt. Do not forget that he led you through the great and terrifying wilderness with its poisonous snakes and scorpions, where it was so hot and dry. He gave you water from the rock! He fed you with manna in the wilderness, a food unknown to your ancestors. He did this to humble you and test you for your own good. He did all this so you would never say to yourself, ‘I have achieved this wealth with my own strength and energy.’ Remember the Lord your God. He is the one who gives you power to be successful, in order to fulfill the covenant he confirmed to your ancestors with an oath.” – Deuteronomy 8:11-18 NLT

Remember and rejoice. Praise the LORD for who He is and all that He has done. But never forget that “The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning (Lamentations 3:22-23 NLT).

Father, You are a good and trustworthy God who has proven Yourself faithful and true for generations. We have no cause to doubt You, but we do. We have no reason to question Your goodness and greatness, but we do so anyway. Yet, You respond with mercy and grace. You shower us with undeserved blessings and continue to fulfill all Your covenant promises. You never go back on Your word, and never give up on Your people. We have every reason to praise You but we are quick to forget and prone to complain. Our forgetfulness leads to ungratefulness. Our dissatisfaction results in disobedience. Help us see you more clearly, remember You regularly, and praise You more frequently. For You are worthy of our praise. Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Plenty of Cause for Praise

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1 Bless the LORD, O my soul!
    O LORD my God, you are very great!
You are clothed with splendor and majesty,
2     covering yourself with light as with a garment,
    stretching out the heavens like a tent.
3 He lays the beams of his chambers on the waters;
he makes the clouds his chariot;
    he rides on the wings of the wind;
4 he makes his messengers winds,
    his ministers a flaming fire.

5 He set the earth on its foundations,
    so that it should never be moved.
6 You covered it with the deep as with a garment;
    the waters stood above the mountains.
7 At your rebuke they fled;
    at the sound of your thunder they took to flight.
8 The mountains rose, the valleys sank down
    to the place that you appointed for them.
9 You set a boundary that they may not pass,
    so that they might not again cover the earth.

10 You make springs gush forth in the valleys;
    they flow between the hills;
11 they give drink to every beast of the field;
    the wild donkeys quench their thirst.
12 Beside them the birds of the heavens dwell;
    they sing among the branches.
13 From your lofty abode you water the mountains;
    the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work.

14 You cause the grass to grow for the livestock
    and plants for man to cultivate,
that he may bring forth food from the earth
15     and wine to gladden the heart of man,
oil to make his face shine
    and bread to strengthen man’s heart.

16 The trees of the LORD are watered abundantly,
    the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.
17 In them the birds build their nests;
    the stork has her home in the fir trees.
18 The high mountains are for the wild goats;
    the rocks are a refuge for the rock badgers.

19 He made the moon to mark the seasons;
    the sun knows its time for setting.
20 You make darkness, and it is night,
    when all the beasts of the forest creep about.
21 The young lions roar for their prey,
    seeking their food from God.
22 When the sun rises, they steal away
    and lie down in their dens.
23 Man goes out to his work
    and to his labor until the evening.

24 O LORD, how manifold are your works!
    In wisdom have you made them all;
    the earth is full of your creatures.
25 Here is the sea, great and wide,
    which teems with creatures innumerable,
    living things both small and great.
26 There go the ships,
    and Leviathan, which you formed to play in it.

27 These all look to you,
    to give them their food in due season.
28 When you give it to them, they gather it up;
    when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.
29 When you hide your face, they are dismayed;
    when you take away their breath, they die
    and return to their dust.
30 When you send forth your Spirit, they are created,
    and you renew the face of the ground.

31 May the glory of the LORD endure forever;
    may the LORD rejoice in his works,
32 who looks on the earth and it trembles,
    who touches the mountains and they smoke!
33 I will sing to the LORD as long as I live;
    I will sing praise to my God while I have being.
34 May my meditation be pleasing to him,
    for I rejoice in the LORD.
35 Let sinners be consumed from the earth,
    and let the wicked be no more!
Bless the LORD, O my soul!
Praise the LORD! – Psalm 104:1-35 ESV

When was the last time you expressed your love and adoration to God? I mean, really let Him know how much you appreciate Him? In this psalm, the anonymous author echoes David’s words in Psalm 103.

Bless the Lord, O my soul… – Psalm 103:1 ESV

His word-for-word use of David’s lyrics is not a case of plagiarism but a recognition of the truth behind their meaning. He understands that true worship begins in the soul, or man’s heart. So, he repeats David’s words, but makes them his own by adding a personal touch to explain his cause for rejoicing.

Bless the LORD, O my soul!
    O LORD my God, you are very great!
You are clothed with splendor and majesty… – Psalm 104:1 ESV

While David focused on Yahweh’s love, grace, mercy, and provision for His people, this unnamed psalmist concentrates His attention on the wonder of Yahweh’s handiwork, particularly His creation.

You are dressed in a robe of light.
You stretch out the starry curtain of the heavens;
    you lay out the rafters of your home in the rain clouds.
You make the clouds your chariot;
    you ride upon the wings of the wind.
The winds are your messengers;
    flames of fire are your servants. – Psalm 104:2-4 NLT

Using his sanctified imagination, the psalmist tries to picture the moment Yahweh created the heavens and the earth. Familiar with the oft-repeated details of the creation account, he describes God as arrayed in light, a symbol of His purity, power, and life-giving nature.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.

Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. – Genesis 1:1-4 NLT

God began His act of creation by illuminating the darkness with the light of His presence. It is no coincidence that the Genesis account records the presence of light before the sun, moon, and stars came into existence. Without advanced scientific training or a degree in cosmology, the psalmist inherently understood that God was the original source of light.

In the Book of Revelation, the apostle John records his vision of the New Jerusalem, the divinely designed and constructed city that will be the final home for God and His people at the end of the age. After destroying His first creation, God will begin again.

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.

I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” – Revelation 21:1-4 NLT

When God recreates heaven and earth this time, there will be one dramatic difference.

And the city has no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its light. The nations will walk in its light, and the kings of the world will enter the city in all their glory. Its gates will never be closed at the end of day because there is no night there. – Revelation 21:23-25 NLT

The psalmist had no way of knowing what John saw in his vision, but he inherently knew that God was the source of light. He understood the power and majesty of God because he could see it in the universe around him. When he witnessed the seas and the mountains, he could only conclude that they were the handiwork of an all-powerful God who was to be treated with awe and admiration.

But the psalmist didn’t stop with his admiration for God’s creative ability; he went on to describe God’s life-sustaining power.

You make springs pour water into the ravines,
    so streams gush down from the mountains.
They provide water for all the animals,
    and the wild donkeys quench their thirst.
The birds nest beside the streams
    and sing among the branches of the trees.
You send rain on the mountains from your heavenly home,
    and you fill the earth with the fruit of your labor.
You cause grass to grow for the livestock
    and plants for people to use.
You allow them to produce food from the earth… – Psalm 104:10-14 NLT

The entire creation was designed to support and sustain life, but specifically human life. Man was the apex of God’s creation and was intended to be the caretaker of all that He had made. The rest of the creative order was designed as the source of human flourishing and fruitfulness.

Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth,c and the small animals that scurry along the ground.”

So God created human beingsd in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.”

Then God said, “Look! I have given you every seed-bearing plant throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food. And I have given every green plant as food for all the wild animals, the birds in the sky, and the small animals that scurry along the ground—everything that has life.” And that is what happened. – Genesis 1:26-30 NLT

The psalmist understood that God had designed the earth for mankind. He could survey the world around him and see that every facet of the creation pointed to God’s sustaining power. The LORD had created an environment in which life would not only survive, but thrive. His power kept the stars and planets in their places, provided light and warmth from the sun, and food for every living creature, including man.

They all depend on you
    to give them food as they need it.
When you supply it, they gather it.
    You open your hand to feed them,
    and they are richly satisfied.
But if you turn away from them, they panic.
    When you take away their breath,
    they die and turn again to dust.
When you give them your breath, life is created,
    and you renew the face of the earth. – Psalm 104:27-30 NLT

The psalmist was blown away by it all, and he expressed his awe in the form of a prayer.

May the glory of the LORD continue forever!
    The LORD takes pleasure in all he has made! – Psalm 104:31 NLT

He knew that the universe was no accident and that the ongoing existence of humanity could not be left to chance. Yahweh was the only logical explanation for all that existed and the only hope for its continued flourishing. Without God’s ongoing power and provision, life as we know it would be unsustainable. And, as the psalmist thought about this sobering truth, he could only respond in worship and praise.

I will sing to the LORD as long as I live.
    I will praise my God to my last breath!
May all my thoughts be pleasing to him,
    for I rejoice in the LORD. – Psalm 104:33-34 NLT

Let’s face it, most of us take God for granted. We rarely think about the fact that each breath we take is a gift from Him. Unless we happen to be standing at the brink of the Grand Canyon looking out over its majestic landscape, we probably don’t get blown away by His creative handiwork. We rarely stand in awe of His power and creativity as we drive to work or mow the grass. But if we could train ourselves to think “godly” thoughts and look for Him daily in the world around us, we would probably be more grateful and a lot less grumpy!

So, let us adore Him, sing His praises, and shout about His incredible mercies. Remind one another of His limitless love. We have much for which to be grateful, and there’s more to come.

Let all that I am praise the Lord. Praise the Lord! – Psalm 104:35 NLT

Father, give me eyes to see You, lips to praise you, ears to hear you, hands to serve you, feet to follow you, and a lifetime that is filled with adoration for who You are and all that You have done. Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Bless the LORD

/ kdmiller55 / Leave a comment

Of David.

1 Bless the LORD, O my soul,
    and all that is within me,
    bless his holy name!
2 Bless the LORD, O my soul,
    and forget not all his benefits,
3 who forgives all your iniquity,
    who heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the pit,
    who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
5 who satisfies you with good
    so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

6 The LORD works righteousness
    and justice for all who are oppressed.
7 He made known his ways to Moses,
    his acts to the people of Israel.
8 The LORD is merciful and gracious,
    slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
9 He will not always chide,
    nor will he keep his anger forever.
10 He does not deal with us according to our sins,
    nor repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
    so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west,
    so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
13 As a father shows compassion to his children,
    so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him.
14 For he knows our frame;
    he remembers that we are dust.

15 As for man, his days are like grass;
    he flourishes like a flower of the field;
16 for the wind passes over it, and it is gone,
    and its place knows it no more.
17 But the steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him,
    and his righteousness to children’s children,
18 to those who keep his covenant
    and remember to do his commandments.
19 The LORD has established his throne in the heavens,
    and his kingdom rules over all.

20 Bless the LORD, O you his angels,
    you mighty ones who do his word,
    obeying the voice of his word!
21 Bless the LORD, all his hosts,
    his ministers, who do his will!
22 Bless the LORD, all his works,
    in all places of his dominion.
Bless the LORD, O my soul! – Psalm 103:1-22 ESV

Gratefulness to God begins with an awareness of all He has done for us. Failure to recognize God’s activity in our lives makes it extremely unlikely that we will be grateful. It’s hard to praise Him for all He has done if we remain oblivious to His activity in our lives. In this psalm, David is purposefully recalling and acknowledging the LORD’s gracious involvement and declares his intent to “never forget the good things he does for me” (Psalm 103:2b NLT). Then he goes on to list all those “good things:”

  • He forgives all my sins
  • He heals all my diseases
  • He redeems me from death
  • He crowns me with love and tender mercies
  • He fills my life with good things
  • He renews my youth
  • He gives righteousness and justice
  • He is compassionate and merciful
  • He is slow to get angry
  • He is filled with unfailing love
  • He will not constantly accuse us
  • He doesn’t remain angry with us forever
  • He doesn’t punish us for all our sins
  • He doesn’t deal harshly with us, as we deserve
  • He shows us unfailing love that is immeasurable and unlimited
  • He has removed our sins as far as the east is from the west
  • He treats us like a father would his children
  • He is tender and compassionate
  • He knows and understands our weaknesses
  • His love for us remains forever
  • He rules over everything

This rather extensive list is not unique to David. All of these “good things” are available to us as His children, and are just as true of my relationship with God as they were of David. The problem is that we don’t tend to think about them. Instead, we dwell on the things we believe God has failed to do for us. We concentrate on all the unanswered prayers and unmet expectations. We may have some specific need we want God to address, but in our estimation, He has failed to adequately deal with it. In the meantime, we fail to recognize and appreciate the unfailing love, mercy, forgiveness, and grace He extends to us daily, like clockwork.

One of the most amazing realizations David expresses in this Psalm is found in verse 10. The NET Bible translates it this way:

He does not deal with us as our sins deserve;
he does not repay us as our misdeeds deserve. – Psalm 103:10 NLT

This is another way of looking at God’s incredible mercy and grace. You see, mercy is God not giving you what you deserve (withheld punishment), and grace is God giving you what you don’t deserve (unmerited favor). David understood that, due to our sin, God had every right to deal with us harshly, but He chose to show mercy instead. Rather than give us what we deserve, God showers us with His unmerited grace. Until we come to grips with the reality of that statement, we will never properly praise God for who He is and what He has done.

Christ’s death on the cross is the ultimate expression of God’s love and grace. His death made our forgiveness possible. The sacrifice of His Son allowed God to withhold our punishment because, in dying in our place, Christ paid our debt in full. The righteous wrath of God was satisfied once and for all. As a result, God removed our sins “as far as the east is from the west” (Psalm 103:12 ESV). We no longer stand before God as guilty and condemned, but as forgiven and redeemed. Despite our past sinful actions, God now sees us as righteous and holy. The apostle Paul understood the magnitude of this gracious act of God.

So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. – Romans 8:1-2 NLT

So if we think about it, we have just as much to be grateful for as David did – even more. We have enjoyed the benefit of Christ’s sacrificial, substitutionary death on the cross. So, like David, we should be able to say, “Let all that I am praise the Lord; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name” (Psalm 103:1 NLT).

Father, the good things You have done for me are real and deserving of my gratitude and praise. I should be praising You for who You are and all that You have done and continue to do on a daily basis. Open my eyes and help me see Your activity in and around my life. Give me an increasing awareness of Your grace and mercy so that I will praise You more. Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Some Things Never Change

/ kdmiller55 / Leave a comment

A Prayer of one afflicted, when he is faint and pours out his complaint before the Lord.

1 Hear my prayer, O LORD;
let my cry come to you!
2 Do not hide your face from me
    in the day of my distress!
Incline your ear to me;
    answer me speedily in the day when I call!

3 For my days pass away like smoke,
    and my bones burn like a furnace.
4 My heart is struck down like grass and has withered;
    I forget to eat my bread.
5 Because of my loud groaning
    my bones cling to my flesh.
6 I am like a desert owl of the wilderness,
    like an owl of the waste places;
7 I lie awake;
    I am like a lonely sparrow on the housetop.
8 All the day my enemies taunt me;
    those who deride me use my name for a curse.
9 For I eat ashes like bread
    and mingle tears with my drink,
10 because of your indignation and anger;
    for you have taken me up and thrown me down.
11 My days are like an evening shadow;
    I wither away like grass.

12 But you, O LORD, are enthroned forever;
    you are remembered throughout all generations.
13 You will arise and have pity on Zion;
    it is the time to favor her;
    the appointed time has come.
14 For your servants hold her stones dear
    and have pity on her dust.
15 Nations will fear the name of the LORD,
    and all the kings of the earth will fear your glory.
16 For the LORD builds up Zion;
    he appears in his glory;
17 he regards the prayer of the destitute
    and does not despise their prayer.

18 Let this be recorded for a generation to come,
    so that a people yet to be created may praise the LORD:
19 that he looked down from his holy height;
    from heaven the Lord looked at the earth,
20 to hear the groans of the prisoners,
    to set free those who were doomed to die,
21 that they may declare in Zion the name of the LORD,
    and in Jerusalem his praise,
22 when peoples gather together,
    and kingdoms, to worship the LORD.

23 He has broken my strength in midcourse;
    he has shortened my days.
24 “O my God,” I say, “take me not away
    in the midst of my days—
you whose years endure
    throughout all generations!”

25 Of old you laid the foundation of the earth,
    and the heavens are the work of your hands.
26 They will perish, but you will remain;
    they will all wear out like a garment.
You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away,
27     but you are the same, and your years have no end.
28 The children of your servants shall dwell secure;
    their offspring shall be established before you. – Psalm 102:1-28 ESV

This is one of those psalms most of us can relate to because we’ve all had times in our lives when we felt just as the psalmist did. He cried out to God, asking that his prayer be heard, but felt as if God had turned a deaf ear to his plight. Things were so bad that he couldn’t sleep, had lost his appetite, and felt like everything was caving in on him.

My heart is sick, withered like grass,
    and I have lost my appetite.
Because of my groaning,
    I am reduced to skin and bones. – Psalm 102:4-5 NLT

Does that sound familiar? It does to me. The fact is, we all go through moments like that because we live in a fallen world. We are surrounded by hurt and heartache. People do mean things to other people. Difficulties and trials come, and almost always at the wrong time. It was true in the psalmist’s day, and it is true in ours as well. Some things never change. Centuries pass, generations come and go, but the sinful state of humanity remains the same as it always has been.

Yet, while describing his life’s dark and depressing circumstances, the psalmist breaks up his lament with the word “but.”

But you, O LORD, are enthroned forever;
    you are remembered throughout all generations. – Psalm 102:12 ESV

He recognizes that there is one other unchanging feature surrounding his life: The consistency and constancy of Yahweh. While his sorrow and heartache remained, he reminded himself that his God was still on His throne and in complete control of all the affairs of men.

For the psalmist, the Temple in Jerusalem was the dwelling place of God. In the Holy of Holies, the glory of God rested over the Mercy Seat on top of the Ark of the Covenant. This manifestation of God’s presence and power was meant to provide His people with assurance and confidence. It was in the Most Holy Place that God met with His people. But the psalmist describes a scene in which the Temple and the city of Jerusalem were in disarray and needed God’s intervention.

You will arise and have mercy on Jerusalem—
    and now is the time to pity her,
    now is the time you promised to help. – Psalm 102:13 NLT

Something had happened. Not only was the psalmist’s life in turmoil, but the capital city had also suffered some significant loss. Yet, the psalmist knew that God was still enthroned on high, and from His unique vantage point, He could look down on the sufferings of mankind and intervene. God could hear the groanings of the prisoner set free those doomed to death. God was not bound by time or limited in how He could deal with our difficulties.

The psalmist compares the brevity of his own life to God’s eternality.

He broke my strength in midlife,
    cutting short my days.
But I cried to him, “O my God, who lives forever,
    don’t take my life while I am so young!” – Psalm 102:23-24 NLT

Man is finite, but God is infinite and will outlast the world He created. He will be around long after we are gone. Unlike those He made, Yahweh’s years will never end. He has no birth date or death date. And while our lives will end, God will still be there faithfully and sovereignly interacting with those who follow after us.

Suffering and God’s sovereignty are part of life. When we think everything is out of control, we need to remind ourselves that He is not. He remains unchanged and unaffected by the affairs of life. His strength never weakens, His sovereignty never wanes, and His ability to hear and respond to the needs of His people never diminishes. God sits on His throne and rules over the affairs of men, whether we recognize it or not. So, despite his personal circumstances and the current conditions surrounding Jerusalem, the psalmist can say, “You are always the same; you will live forever.
The children of your people will live in security. Their children’s children will thrive in your presence” (Psalm 102:27-28 NLT). 

No matter what happens in this life, God remains unchanging and reliable. He is always consistent, caring, powerful, and present, even when our circumstances seem to prove otherwise. God said of Himself, “For the mountains may move and the hills disappear, but even then my faithful love for you will remain. My covenant of blessing will never be broken” (Isaiah 54:10 NLT). He promises to show His children mercy. And Jeremiah, who was known as “the weeping prophet,” echoed his confidence in Yahweh’s unwavering mercy and compassion.

For no one is abandoned
    by the Lord forever.
Though he brings grief, he also shows compassion
    because of the greatness of his unfailing love.
For he does not enjoy hurting people
    or causing them sorrow. – Lamentations 32:31-33 NLT

God is unchanging, and His compassion is unwavering. Even when He appears distant or disinterested in our circumstances, He is there and cares. He hears and answers. His power remains constant, and His plans for our lives remain firmly established and unstoppable.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” – Jeremiah 29:11 NLT

Father, help me to continue to learn to focus on You and not my circumstances. You are the unchanging one. You are the ONLY thing I can count on in this life. You are consistent and constant, faithful and unfailing. And Your eternalness reminds me that I have a secure future – forever. This life is NOT all there is. Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

I Will…

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A Psalm of David.

1 I will sing of steadfast love and justice;
    to you, O LORD, I will make music.
2 I will ponder the way that is blameless.
    Oh when will you come to me?
I will walk with integrity of heart
    within my house;
3 I will not set before my eyes
    anything that is worthless.
I hate the work of those who fall away;
    it shall not cling to me.
4 A perverse heart shall be far from me;
    I will know nothing of evil.

5 Whoever slanders his neighbor secretly
    I will destroy.
Whoever has a haughty look and an arrogant heart
    I will not endure.

6 I will look with favor on the faithful in the land,
    that they may dwell with me;
he who walks in the way that is blameless
    shall minister to me.

7 No one who practices deceit
    shall dwell in my house;
no one who utters lies
    shall continue before my eyes.

8 Morning by morning I will destroy
    all the wicked in the land,
cutting off all the evildoers
    from the city of the LORD. – Psalm 101:1-8 ESV

After a lengthy pause, the psalter picks back up with the psalms of David, the famous king of Israel whom God deemed “a man after his heart” (1 Samuel 13:14 ESV). David had been God’s handpicked successor for Saul, the first king of Israel, who had proven unfaithful and disobedient. The people of Israel recognized that their demand to be like all the other nations (1 Samuel 8:19-20) and have a human king to rule over them had produced less-than-satisfactory results.

Then all the tribes of Israel went to David at Hebron and told him, “We are your own flesh and blood. In the past, when Saul was our king, you were the one who really led the forces of Israel. And the LORD told you, ‘You will be the shepherd of my people Israel. You will be Israel’s leader.’”

So there at Hebron, King David made a covenant before the LORD with all the elders of Israel. And they anointed him king of Israel.

David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years in all. He had reigned over Judah from Hebron for seven years and six months, and from Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah for thirty-three years. – 2 Samuel 5:1-3 NLT

In one of his psalms, Asaph recorded God’s selection of David and described why the Lord had deemed this young man to be the right man for the job.

He chose his servant David,
    calling him from the sheep pens.
He took David from tending the ewes and lambs
    and made him the shepherd of Jacob’s descendants—
    God’s own people, Israel.
He cared for them with a true heart
    and led them with skillful hands. – Psalm 78:70-72 NLT

This psalm provides a glimpse into David’s “true heart” as he reveals his intentions to serve God with integrity, honesty, and a selfless commitment to His will. Notice how many times David begins a sentence with the words, “I will…”

I will sing of your love and justice, Lord.

I will praise you with songs.

I will be careful to live a blameless life…

I will lead a life of integrity in my own home.

I will refuse to look at anything vile and vulgar.

I will have nothing to do with those who deal wickedly.

I will reject perverse ideas and stay away from every evil.

I will not tolerate people who slander their neighbors.

I will not endure conceit and pride.

I will search for faithful people to be my companions.

I will not allow deceivers to serve in my house, and liars will not stay in my presence.

David vocalized his commitment to use his divine appointment as king to live a set-apart life that reflected his love for and submission to God. Yahweh had done much for him, and he was expressing his desire to return the favor.

But this psalm begs the question: What will you do for God? Most of us have a long list of things we want God to do for us. We have prayer requests we would like Him to answer. We have problems we would like Him to solve. We have people in our lives we would like Him to change or remove, conflicts we need Him to resolve, illnesses we want Him to heal, mysteries we want Him to reveal, and cloudy futures we demand that He clear up.

But what are we willing to do for Him? Over and over again in this short Psalm, David says, “I will…” This is not evidence of a prideful heart or an over-inflated ego. David is simply expressing his willingness to praise God, pursue a life of integrity, refuse to look at anything inappropriate, reject relationships with the wicked, not tolerate conceit in his life, search out the faithful as his companions, and hire those whose lives are above reproach as his employees.

David was telling God that he was serious about living a life set apart for God’s use. He understood the concept of holiness and knew that his life would be distinctive and different as God’s chosen servant. It was to be characterized by a different way of life. David was not pledging to do these things to please God or score brownie points, but because they are characteristic of someone who shares God’s heart.

In Psalm 86, David prayed, “Teach me your ways, O Lord, that I may live according to your truth! Give me purity of heart, that I may honor you” (Psalm 86:11 NLT). In Psalm 101, David describes what he has learned about God’s way – His path for living life. It is a life characterized by integrity or wholeness. It is “sound” or “healthy” in all areas, not just parts. There is no compartmentalization or hidden areas where God has no sway or influence. When David says, “I will be careful to live a blameless life,” he is not promising a life of sinless perfection. He is declaring his intention to live a life of wholeness or integrity. He is committing to do everything he can to live a life that will bring glory to God in every detail.

David tells God, “I will lead a life of integrity in my own home.” That word translated “integrity” shares the same root word as the one translated “blameless” earlier in the verse. Again, it has to do with wholeness and completeness. David is expressing his desire to live a holy, set-apart life in every area of his life — even at home, where no one else can see him.

There is a sense in which we will have to make difficult decisions if we want to live according to God’s way. Like David, we must “refuse to look at anything vile and vulgar” (Psalm 101:3 NLT). Think about that the next time you turn on the TV or head to the movie theater. We will have to “hate all who deal crookedly” and “have nothing to do with them” (Psalm 101:3 NLT). David is not telling us to hate the lost, but to refuse to enjoy the companionship of those whose lives dishonor God. Do you enjoy the company of those who have no heart for the things of God more than you enjoy the company of believers? This is speaking more about having a love affair with their behavior than with the individuals themselves. Are the lifestyles of the godless more appealing to us than the lifestyles of the godly? David said, “I will search for faithful people to be my companions” (Psalm 101:6 NLT). He wanted to hang with the holy, not the heathen.

David wanted his life to be different, so he was willing to change how he lived. He sought new habits and new friends. He chose to give up old ways of doing things. He decided to surround himself with good influences. What are you willing to do for God? What steps will you take to ensure your life is marked by integrity or wholeness?

Father, You want all of my life, not just the parts that people see on Sunday morning. You desire that I would be willing to make changes to the way that I live. You have given me a new heart and the power to live differently, but I still have to choose to do so. And it begins with the daily decisions to live my whole life for You. Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Good Shepherd

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A Psalm for giving thanks.

1 Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth!
2  Serve the LORD with gladness!
    Come into his presence with singing!

3 Know that the LORD, he is God!
    It is he who made us, and we are his;
    we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
    and his courts with praise!
    Give thanks to him; bless his name!

5 For the LORD is good;
    his steadfast love endures forever,
    and his faithfulness to all generations. – Psalm 100:1-5 ESV

This anonymous psalm closes out this section of the psalter that celebrates Yahweh’s rule and reign. It provides a succinct yet triumphant statement regarding the Almighty’s worthiness of worship and adoration, and repeats a phrase found in an earlier psalm.

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth;
    break forth into joyous song and sing praises! – Psalm 98:4 ESV

This call for God’s people to respond to His majesty and might with joy-filled voices is meant to be a command, not a suggestion. The psalmist can’t imagine any other acceptable response to all that God has done. He is a great and good God who not only formed man out of the dust of the ground, but also created the nation of Israel from an elderly man and his equally old and barren wife. The Israelites existed because God had done the impossible. He took a pagan idol worshiper and commissioned him for an impossible mission.

“Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you.” – Genesis 12:1 NLT

Abram had to abandon his false gods and follow Yahweh, leaving behind his homeland and family to travel to a distant land that God promised to give his descendants as their inheritance. If Abram obeyed, God assured Abram that his future descendants would be great in number and a blessing to the nations.

“I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.” – Genesis 12:2-3 NLT

And God had kept that promise. That is why the psalmist calls on the people of Israel to acknowledge the miracle God had done for them.

Acknowledge that the LORD is God!
    He made us, and we are his.
    We are his people, the sheep of his pasture. – Psalm 100:4 NLT

The Israelites had been richly blessed by God, but they had responded with disobedience, unfaithfulness, and ingratitude. For generations, they had chosen to worship the gods of the pagan nations around them. Their kings had proven to be poor leaders, and their priests had exposed themselves as unreliable shepherds.

Yet, the psalmist knew that God still deserved their adoration and praise. That is why he called them to reverse their trend of infidelity and return to the One who created them and called them His own.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving;
    go into his courts with praise.
    Give thanks to him and praise his name. – Psalm 100:4 NLT

The people of Israel had proven to be unreliable, unfaithful, and undeserving of Yahweh’s grace and mercy, but they remained His chosen people. Yahweh’s faithfulness was unshakeable, and His love was unfailing.

For the Lord is good.
    His unfailing love continues forever,
    and his faithfulness continues to each generation. – Psalm 100:5 NLT

There is no indication of when this psalm was written, but it could have been at any time in Israel’s less-than-flattering history. Their very existence as a nation was due to God’s unmerited love and favor, and He deserved their undivided adoration and appreciation.

Over the centuries, this moving psalm has inspired other authors to pick up the pen and “ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name” (Psalm 29:2 ESV). In 1561, William Kethe used Psalm 100 as the inspiration for his hymn: “All People That On Earth Do Dwell.”

All people that on Earth do dwell,
Sing to the Lord with cheerful voice;
Him serve with fear, his praise forthtell;
Come ye before him and rejoice.

The Lord, ye know, is God indeed;
Without our aid he did us make;
We are his folk, he doth us feed,
And for his sheep he doth us take.

O enter then his gates with praise,
Approach with joy his courts unto;
Praise, laud, and bless his name always,
For it is seemly so to do.

For why? The Lord our God is good;
His mercy is forever sure;
His truth at all times firmly stood,
And shall from age to age endure. – William Kethe (1561)

But this engaging imagery of Yahweh as the good and gracious shepherd must be balanced by the weight of His holiness and justice. God could not turn a blind eye to the disobedience of His chosen people or the poor leadership of those appointed to serve as His undershepherds. The Book of Ezekiel records God’s less-than-pleased response to the shoddy shepherding of Israel’s kings and priests.

“Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds, the leaders of Israel. Give them this message from the Sovereign Lord: What sorrow awaits you shepherds who feed yourselves instead of your flocks. Shouldn’t shepherds feed their sheep? You drink the milk, wear the wool, and butcher the best animals, but you let your flocks starve. You have not taken care of the weak. You have not tended the sick or bound up the injured. You have not gone looking for those who have wandered away and are lost. Instead, you have ruled them with harshness and cruelty. So my sheep have been scattered without a shepherd, and they are easy prey for any wild animal. They have wandered through all the mountains and all the hills, across the face of the earth, yet no one has gone to search for them.” – Ezekiel 34:2-6 NLT

They had dropped the ball, and Yahweh was not pleased.

“As surely as I live, says the Sovereign Lord, you abandoned my flock and left them to be attacked by every wild animal. And though you were my shepherds, you didn’t search for my sheep when they were lost. You took care of yourselves and left the sheep to starve. Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord. This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I now consider these shepherds my enemies, and I will hold them responsible for what has happened to my flock. I will take away their right to feed the flock, and I will stop them from feeding themselves. I will rescue my flock from their mouths; the sheep will no longer be their prey.” – Ezekiel 34:8-10 NLT

Despite the failed leadership of Israel’s royal and religious castes, Yahweh was going to restore the fortunes of His abandoned flock. He would step in and remedy the problem by rescuing His sheep

“I myself will search and find my sheep. I will be like a shepherd looking for his scattered flock. I will find my sheep and rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on that dark and cloudy day. I will bring them back home to their own land of Israel from among the peoples and nations. I will feed them on the mountains of Israel and by the rivers and in all the places where people live. Yes, I will give them good pastureland on the high hills of Israel. There they will lie down in pleasant places and feed in the lush pastures of the hills. I myself will tend my sheep and give them a place to lie down in peace, says the Sovereign Lord. I will search for my lost ones who strayed away, and I will bring them safely home again. I will bandage the injured and strengthen the weak. But I will destroy those who are fat and powerful. I will feed them, yes—feed them justice!” – Ezekiel 34:11-16 NLT

God will accomplish this divine rescue by appointing a shepherd who will replicate the leadership of David, the great shepherd-king of Israel.

“So I will rescue my flock, and they will no longer be abused. I will judge between one animal of the flock and another. And I will set over them one shepherd, my servant David. He will feed them and be a shepherd to them. And I, the Lord, will be their God, and my servant David will be a prince among my people. I, the Lord, have spoken!” – Ezekiel 34:22-24 NLT

And centuries later, Jesus would claim to be the fulfillment of this divine promise of restoration and redemption.

“I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me were thieves and robbers. But the true sheep did not listen to them. Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures. The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep. A hired hand will run when he sees a wolf coming. He will abandon the sheep because they don’t belong to him and he isn’t their shepherd. And so the wolf attacks them and scatters the flock. The hired hand runs away because he’s working only for the money and doesn’t really care about the sheep.

“I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me, just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. So I sacrifice my life for the sheep. I have other sheep, too, that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them also. They will listen to my voice, and there will be one flock with one shepherd.” – John 10:7-16  NLT

The psalmist had no way of knowing about Jesus’ incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection. He was equally oblivious to the Second Coming of Christ and His role as the Shepherd-King who would reign in righteousness from David’s throne in Jerusalem for a thousand years. But the psalmist knew enough about Yahweh’s faithfulness and unfailing love to understand that He could be trusted and was worthy of worship and praise. How much more should we be willing to acknowledge the greatness of our God when we know how the story ends?

“His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation” (Psalm 100:5 NLT). Jesus is the proof of that statement, and should be all the motivation we need to sing Yahweh’s praises.

Father, I don’t praise You enough, and I certainly don’t thank you enough for all that You have done for me. I am blessed beyond belief. That You, the God of the universe, chose to have a relationship with me and made it possible through the gracious gift of Your Son’s sinless life should blow me away and leave me with no other response that to shout Your praises. Forgive me for my ingratitude. I am sorry that I treat Your grace so cheaply and your love as if I somehow deserve it. I know nothing could be further from the truth. So, I stop right now to say, “the Lord is good. His unfailing love continues forever, nand his faithfulness continues to each generation. Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Worthy of Our Worship

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1 The LORD reigns; let the peoples tremble!
    He sits enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth quake!
2 The LORD is great in Zion;
    he is exalted over all the peoples.
3 Let them praise your great and awesome name!
    Holy is he!
4 The King in his might loves justice.
    You have established equity;
you have executed justice
    and righteousness in Jacob.
5 Exalt the Lord our God;
    worship at his footstool!
    Holy is he!

6 Moses and Aaron were among his priests,
    Samuel also was among those who called upon his name.
    They called to the LORD, and he answered them.
7 In the pillar of the cloud he spoke to them;
    they kept his testimonies
    and the statute that he gave them.

8 O LORD our God, you answered them;
    you were a forgiving God to them,
    but an avenger of their wrongdoings.
9 Exalt the LORD our God,
    and worship at his holy mountain;
    for the LORD our God is holy! – Psalm 99:1-9 ESV

The psalmist opens his song with a statement of God’s kingship and sovereignty.

The LORD reigns… – Psalm 99:1 ESV

This statement is not up for debate or open to discussion. It is a matter-of-fact declaration of a non-negotiable reality. Yahweh rules over all and is worthy of worship, reverence, and obedience. His unprecedented power and authority are without question and demand the fear of all men. That is why the psalmist states, “Let the peoples tremble!” (Psalm 99:1 ESV).

To illustrate Yahweh’s majestic holiness, the psalmist describes Him as “enthroned above the cherubim” (Psalm 99:99:1 NLT), a reference to the Shekinah glory of God that appeared above the Mercy Seat on the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle. The instructions for constructing this earthly “throne” were given to Moses by God on top of Mount Sinai in the wilderness.

“You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold. Two cubits and a half shall be its length, and a cubit and a half its breadth. And you shall make two cherubim of gold; of hammered work shall you make them, on the two ends of the mercy seat. Make one cherub on the one end, and one cherub on the other end. Of one piece with the mercy seat shall you make the cherubim on its two ends. The cherubim shall spread out their wings above, overshadowing the mercy seat with their wings, their faces one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubim be. And you shall put the mercy seat on the top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the testimony that I shall give you. There I will meet with you, and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim that are on the ark of the testimony, I will speak with you about all that I will give you in commandment for the people of Israel.” – Exodus 25:17-22 NLT

Once the Tabernacle was completed, God agreed to inhabit it with His glory and dwell among the people of Israel.

“I will meet with you, to speak to you there. There I will meet with the people of Israel, and it shall be sanctified by my glory.” – Exodus 29:42-43 ESV

“I will dwell among the people of Israel and will be their God.” – Exodus 29:45 ESV

The promise was meant to reassure His people by guaranteeing His abiding presence. But it was also intended to instill in them a reverential fear because of His holiness. The entire Tabernacle was an elaborate symbol of Yahweh’s glory and greatness. It was adorned with gold, silver, expensive fabrics, and finely crafted furnishings that testified to the majesty of its divine inhabitant. This was no ordinary tent but the dwelling place of Yahweh, the God of the universe and the all-powerful King who loves justice and establishes equity on earth. That is why the psalmist demands a response of awe and reverence from the people of God.

Praise the LORD our God.
Worship before his footstool.
He is holy! – Psalm 99:5 NLT

As if to drive home his point, the psalmist recalls how Yahweh appeared to the people of Israel as a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night, to guide them during their journey from Egypt to the land of Canaan. They were never without His abiding presence and never lacked His protection and provision for their needs. When they prayed to Him, He listened. When they sinned, He punished. When they grew thirsty, He provided them with water to drink. When they ran out of food, He graciously gave them manna and quail. And all He asked for in exchange was their worship.

But let’s be honest. Most of us need a good reason to worship God, which usually has more to do with us than Him. We’ll worship Him if He has been good to us. We’ll worship Him if He has met our expectations and fulfilled all our desires. We’ll worship Him if our life goes as we expected it to go. But let one thing go wrong, and all bets are off. We find it hard to worship God amid difficulties. Singing His praises is difficult when we’re busy singing the blues.

But the Psalmist reminds us that our praise of God has little to do with what He has done for us lately. It has everything to do with who He is. He is God, and He is holy. So we should exalt or lift up His name, simply because of who He is. Our praise should be motivated by His character and essence, not His ability to meet our laundry list of needs or wants.

God is not worthy of our praise or worship because He meets all our desires and answers every one of our prayers. We worship Him because He deserves it.

God rules. On your toes, everybody!
He rules from his angel throne—take notice!
God looms majestic in Zion,
He towers in splendor over all the big names.
Great and terrible your beauty: let everyone praise you!
    Holy. Yes, holy. – Psalms 99:1-3 MSG).

He is KING! He is mighty, majestic, powerful, and deserving of our honor, respect, fear, awe, obedience, gratefulness, and worship. Worship is a recognition of who God is. It is an awareness that He is God and we are not. When we come to God only for what we can get from Him, that is the farthest thing from worship. In doing so, we turn Him into a glorified slot machine. We pull the handle, hoping to hit the jackpot. We want Him to deliver on our desires for happiness, success, popularity, peace, comfort, and contentment. And when He doesn’t come through, we express disappointment rather than worship.

But again, the psalmist reminds us, “Exalt the LORD our God and worship at his holy mountain in Jerusalem, for the LORD our God is holy!” (Psalm 99:9 NLT). We are to worship Him simply because He is holy. He is set apart, distinct, different, sacred, one-of-a-kind, unique, and without equal in all the world. And if that doesn’t get us to worship Him, then the psalmist reminds us that one day God will judge the earth. He will send His Son back to set things right and restore the world to its original splendor. He will judge the nations. He will put an end to sin and establish His Kingdom on earth. That’s the God who deserves our worship, praise, honor, glory, and full attention.

Shout your praises to God, everybody!
Let loose and sing! Strike up the band!

Round up an orchestra to play for God,
Add on a hundred-voice choir.

Feature trumpets and big trombones,
Fill the air with praises to King God.

Let the sea and its fish give a round of applause,
With everything living on earth joining in.

Let ocean breakers call out, “Encore!”
And mountains harmonize the finale—

A tribute to God when he comes,
When he comes to set the earth right. – Psalm 98:4-9 MSG

Father, You deserve my praise and worship, not because You do things for me, but simply because of who You are. Forgive me for the many times I hold back on my praise because I am waiting for You to meet my needs on my terms. I fail to recognize Your holiness and so I fail to give You the honor You so rightfully deserve. Open my eyes to the reality of Your uniqueness. Let me see You in all Your splendor and holiness, and shout Your praises simply because of who You are. Anything You do for me is like icing on the cake – an extra bonus from the hand of the Almighty God. Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

What’s God Done For You Lately?

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A Psalm

1 Oh sing to the LORD a new song,
    for he has done marvelous things!
His right hand and his holy arm
    have worked salvation for him.
2 The LORD has made known his salvation;
    he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations.
3 He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness
    to the house of Israel.
All the ends of the earth have seen
    the salvation of our God.

4 Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth;
    break forth into joyous song and sing praises!
5 Sing praises to the LORD with the lyre,
    with the lyre and the sound of melody!
6 With trumpets and the sound of the horn
    make a joyful noise before the King, the LORD!

7 Let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
    the world and those who dwell in it!
8 Let the rivers clap their hands;
    let the hills sing for joy together
9 before the LORD, for he comes
    to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness,
    and the peoples with equity. – Psalm 98:1-9 ESV

According to the psalmist, singing God’s praises should be a regular part of a believer’s life. The “marvelous things” He has done are not relegated to the pages of Scripture, nor are they destined to serve as memorials of His former activities on behalf of His people. He is the God of the past, present, and future, and continues to display His power and pour out His grace in abundance. Jeremiah provides a timely reminder that Yahweh is ever-present and always working, tirelessly dispensing His love and mercy just as He did in the past.

The faithful love of the LORD never ends!
    His mercies never cease.
Great is his faithfulness;
    his mercies begin afresh each morning. – Lamentations 3:22-23 NLT

Too often, the stories of God’s miraculous interventions on behalf of His people are spoken of in the past tense. They become little more than Sunday School tales about the Israelites’ Red Sea crossing or Daniel’s deliverance from the lion’s den. To prove His power, we are forced to search the pages of Scripture and recall the well-documented accounts about manna, water from a rock, the ten plagues, or the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. But the psalmist challenges us to “sing a new song” that chronicles more recent evidence of His power and personal activity in our lives.

God is not on sabbatical or taking early retirement. He is alive and still actively involved in the lives of His children, performing extraordinary deeds and accomplishing deliverance with His right hand and mighty arm. But for many believers, stories of God’s miraculous power remain in the ancient past and rarely appear in their daily lives. Yet the psalmist would challenge us to expect more from God.

He remains loyal and faithful to the family of Israel.
All the ends of the earth see our God deliver us.
Shout out praises to the LORD, all the earth.
Break out in a joyful shout and sing! – Psalm 98:3-4 NLT

Yahweh continues to provide evidence of His power and plenty of reasons to rejoice in His faithfulness. His sovereign oversight of the universe remains unchanged. His care and concern for His chosen people have not diminished. His plan for the redemption of mankind and the renewal of all things has not been altered or abandoned. In fact, the psalmist reminds us that God is far from done.

Let the sea and everything in it shout,
along with the world and those who live in it.
Let the rivers clap their hands!
Let the mountains sing in unison
before the Lord.
For he comes to judge the earth.
He judges the world fairly,
and the nations in a just manner. – Psalm 98:7-9 NLT

In these verses, the psalmist emphasizes the future, reminding God’s children that they have no reason to fear what lies ahead. The One who created the universe has plans for it. The Judge of all the earth will one day step in to arbitrate and adjudicate all the injustices and inequities that plague this fallen world.

Let the fields and their crops burst out with joy!
    Let the trees of the forest sing for joy
before the Lord, for he is coming!
    He is coming to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with justice,
    and the nations with his truth. – Psalm 96:12-13 NLT

“For he has set a day for judging the world with justice by the man he has appointed, and he proved to everyone who this is by raising him from the dead.” – Acts 17:31 NLT

The LORD will mediate between nations
    and will settle international disputes.
They will hammer their swords into plowshares
    and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will no longer fight against nation,
    nor train for war anymore. – Isaiah 2:4 NLT

God has a track record of faithfulness and a long history of interceding on behalf of His people, but He is not a past-tense God. He is far from finished and not resting on the laurels of His past accomplishments. In fact, another psalm reminds us that God is wide awake and fully active, all the time.

He will not let you stumble;
    the one who watches over you will not slumber.
Indeed, he who watches over Israel
    never slumbers or sleeps.

The LORD himself watches over you!
    The LORD stands beside you as your protective shade.
The sun will not harm you by day,
    nor the moon at night.

The LORD keeps you from all harm
    and watches over your life.
The LORD keeps watch over you as you come and go,
    both now and forever. – Psalm 121:3-8 NLT

The reality of God’s persistent presence and undiminished power should cause every believer to “Shout out praises to the LORD” and “Break out in a joyful shout and sing!” (Psalm 98:4 NLT). He is at work all around us, rescuing, redeeming, restoring, and revealing His unfailing love and faithfulness in visible and tangible ways. And one day, He is going to complete His plan of redemption for the world, sending His Son to set up His earthly Kingdom where He will rule in righteousness and dispense justice. Paul wrote to his young protege Timothy, reminding him of Jesus’ future earthly reign, when He will “judge the living and the dead when he comes to set up his Kingdom” (2 Timothy 4:1 NLT).

The apostle John was given a glimpse of mankind’s final judgment, which will occur at the end of Christ’s 1000-year reign on earth. Though the psalmist would not have known the details concerning this future event, this is the judgment he had in mind when he wrote, “For he comes to judge the earth. He judges the world fairly, and the nations in a just manner” (Psalm 98:9 NLT).

And I saw a great white throne and the one sitting on it. The earth and sky fled from his presence, but they found no place to hide. I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before God’s throne. And the books were opened, including the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to what they had done, as recorded in the books. The sea gave up its dead, and death and the grave gave up their dead. And all were judged according to their deeds. Then death and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire. This lake of fire is the second death. And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire. – Revelation 19:11-15 NLT

Father, You never sleep or slumber. You don’t take days off. There is never a moment when You are distracted or disinterested in what is taking place on this planet. And You are as actively involved in my life as You were in the daily affairs of the Israelites. I just don’t see it. Sadly, I seldom look for or expect Your activity in my life. Even when I pray, I tend to doubt whether You will come through. Yet, the psalmist encourages me to sin a new song every day. I am to shout your praises on a regular basis, not just because of what You’ve done in the past but because of what You are doing in the present. Open my eyes so that I can see Your power all around me. Then open my mouth so that I can sing Your praises for all to hear. Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The LORD of All the Earth

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1 The LORD reigns, let the earth rejoice;
    let the many coastlands be glad!
2 Clouds and thick darkness are all around him;
    righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
3 Fire goes before him
    and burns up his adversaries all around.
4 His lightnings light up the world;
    the earth sees and trembles.
5 The mountains melt like wax before the LORD,
    before the LORD of all the earth.

6 The heavens proclaim his righteousness,
    and all the peoples see his glory.
7 All worshipers of images are put to shame,
    who make their boast in worthless idols;
    worship him, all you gods!

8 Zion hears and is glad,
    and the daughters of Judah rejoice,
    because of your judgments, O LORD.
9 For you, O LORD, are most high over all the earth;
    you are exalted far above all gods.

10 O you who love the LORD, hate evil!
    He preserves the lives of his saints;
    he delivers them from the hand of the wicked.
11 Light is sown for the righteous,
    and joy for the upright in heart.
12 Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous,
    and give thanks to his holy name! – Psalm 97:1-12 ESV

While this psalm is not the first to promote God’s universal kingship and sovereignty, it appears to be predicting a future reign when Yahweh comes to rule on earth. The psalmist opens by placing his emphasis on the earth, not heaven.

The LORD reigns.
Let the earth be happy.
Let the many coastlands rejoice. – Psalm 97:1 NLT

The location of the LORD’s realm has shifted from heaven to earth, where His righteous rule will radically alter the political, social, and spiritual landscape. The LORD’s appearance will be dramatic and life-altering for all those who are alive when this epic event takes place.

Dark clouds surround him;
equity and justice are the foundation of his throne.
Fire goes before him;
on every side it burns up his enemies.
His lightning bolts light up the world;
the earth sees and trembles.
The mountains melt like wax before the Lord,
before the Lord of the whole earth. – Psalm 97:2-5 NLT

The psalmist uses figurative language to describe the LORD’s arrival on earth and paints a foreboding picture of divine judgment against all wickedness and unrighteousness. The imagery of dark clouds, fire, and lightning is meant to convey God’s power and holiness. It is the same language used by Moses to describe God’s presence on Mount Sinai.

On the morning of the third day, thunder roared and lightning flashed, and a dense cloud came down on the mountain. There was a long, loud blast from a ram’s horn, and all the people trembled. Moses led them out from the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. All of Mount Sinai was covered with smoke because the LORD had descended on it in the form of fire. The smoke billowed into the sky like smoke from a brick kiln, and the whole mountain shook violently. As the blast of the ram’s horn grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God thundered his reply. The LORD came down on the top of Mount Sinai and called Moses to the top of the mountain. – Exodus 19:16-20 NLT

Moses emphasized the LORD’s arrival on Mount Sinai by stating that He descended on it in the form of fire. The LORD “came down on the top of Mount Sinai,” and His arrival was epic and frightening. Moses describes the impact of God’s dramatic entrance on the people of Israel.

When the people heard the thunder and the loud blast of the ram’s horn, and when they saw the flashes of lightning and the smoke billowing from the mountain, they stood at a distance, trembling with fear.

And they said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen. But don’t let God speak directly to us, or we will die!” – Exodus 20:18-19 NLT

The psalmist seems to have had this event in mind when he penned the words of his song. He envisioned another display of divine glory and judgment as the LORD makes a second unforgettable entrance into the realm of men. His arrival will be impossible to miss and prove, once and for all, that He is the one true God.

The sky declares his justice,
and all the nations see his splendor.
All who worship idols are ashamed,
those who boast about worthless idols.
All the gods bow down before him. – Psalm 97:6-7 NLT

With the LORD’s dramatic appearance, all doubt in His existence and sovereignty will disappear. His arrival will be visible and so impactful that any further belief in false gods will be impossible to maintain. Their feasibility will fade in the light of His glory.

The apostle John was given a glimpse of this future event and he recorded what he saw in the Book of Revelation.

Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. Its rider was named Faithful and True, for he judges fairly and wages a righteous war. His eyes were like flames of fire, and on his head were many crowns. A name was written on him that no one understood except himself. He wore a robe dipped in blood, and his title was the Word of God. The armies of heaven, dressed in the finest of pure white linen, followed him on white horses. From his mouth came a sharp sword to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod. He will release the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty, like juice flowing from a winepress. On his robe at his thigh was written this title: King of all kings and Lord of all lords. – Revelation 19:11-16 NLT

But the prophets had predicted this event long before John penned his words. God had given them an insight into His future plans to send His Son to rule and reign on earth as the King of kings and Lord of all lords.

“On that day the Lord will defend the people of Jerusalem; the weakest among them will be as mighty as King David! And the royal descendants will be like God, like the angel of the Lord who goes before them! For on that day I will begin to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.

“Then I will pour out a spirit of grace and prayer on the family of David and on the people of Jerusalem. They will look on me whom they have pierced and mourn for him as for an only son. They will grieve bitterly for him as for a firstborn son who has died.” – Zechariah 12:8-10 NLT

In that day the Lord will punish the gods in the heavens
    and the proud rulers of the nations on earth.
They will be rounded up and put in prison.
    They will be shut up in prison
    and will finally be punished.
Then the glory of the moon will wane,
    and the brightness of the sun will fade,
for the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will rule on Mount Zion.
    He will rule in great glory in Jerusalem,
    in the sight of all the leaders of his people. – Isaiah 24:21-23 NLT

As my vision continued that night, I saw someone like a son of man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient One and was led into his presence. He was given authority, honor, and sovereignty over all the nations of the world, so that people of every race and nation and language would obey him. His rule is eternal—it will never end. His kingdom will never be destroyed. – Daniel 7:13-14 NLT

In the opening chapter of Revelation, John relays a message he received from Christ.

He has made us a Kingdom of priests for God his Father. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.

Look! He comes with the clouds of heaven.
    And everyone will see him—
    even those who pierced him.
And all the nations of the world
    will mourn for him.
Yes! Amen!

“I am the Alpha and the Omega—the beginning and the end,” says the Lord God. “I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come—the Almighty One.” – Revelation 1:6-8 NLT

The psalmist depicts an as-yet-future day when God will manifest His glory on earth again. But on this occasion, it will be the Son of God who makes a dramatic entrance into the world of men. Unlike His first advent, Jesus’ second coming will be marked by power and sovereignty. He will come to rule and reign over all the earth, and He will mete out judgment upon all those who stand opposed to His Kingdom and are unwilling to recognize Him as their Lord and Savior. But the people of God will rejoice when they see the arrival of their King and the inauguration of His earthly Kingdom.

Zion hears and rejoices,
the towns of Judah are happy,
because of your judgments, O LORD.
For you, O Lord, are the Most High over the whole earth;
you are elevated high above all gods. – Psalm 97″8-9 NLT

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, will return one day and establish an earthly Kingdom over which He will reign for a thousand years. At the end of that time, another epic event will take place that will dramatically alter the universe by renewing God’s creation and reestablishing His relationship with mankind once and for all. The apostle John describes this remarkable reality in the closing chapters of the Book of Revelation.

I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” – Revelation 21:3-4 NLT

No longer will there be a curse upon anything. For the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there, and his servants will worship him. And they will see his face, and his name will be written on their foreheads. And there will be no night there—no need for lamps or sun—for the Lord God will shine on them. And they will reign forever and ever. – Revelation 22:3-5 NLT

The psalmist had no way of knowing the details concerning these future events, but he wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and foreshadowed their coming. And he closed his psalm with a call to worship God for His faithfulness, sovereignty, and holiness.

You who love the LORD, hate evil!
He protects the lives of his faithful followers;
he delivers them from the power of the wicked.
The godly bask in the light;
the morally upright experience joy.
You godly ones, rejoice in the LORD.
Give thanks to his holy name. – Psalm 97:10-12 NLT

The LORD reigns, whether we recognize it or not. He is sovereign over all, whether we believe it or not. And one day, He will demonstrate the reality of His power and the scope of His sovereign rule when He sends His Son to right all wrongs and prepare the way for His presence to dwell among men for eternity.

Father, these truths are diffiicult to understand and even harded to believe. The world in which we live appears to be out of control and at odds with the idea of Your sovereignty. The majority of earth’s population stands opposed to Your very existence and refuse to acknowledge Your right to rule their lives. Even as believers, we wrestle with doubts and question whether You are in control.. But this psalm reminds us that You reign at all times and You have a plan to renew and remake this world according to Your terms and in keeping with Your promise to make all things new. Help me keep my eyes on the prize and not get distracted by the cares and concerns of this world. Your Son is coming again and He will finish what He started. Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.