Bible Truth Daily Devotion

August 19, 2010

The Grace and the Righteous Deeds of God

Filed under: Devotion in Psalm — Tags: , , , , , , , , — Pastor Brian Cheung @ 8:00 am

The Grace and the Righteous Deeds of God

Psalm 68

 

 

This psalm is a recounting of deeds that God has performed in leading the Jews from the slavery in Egypt to the monarchy reign in the Promised Land.  God’s work includes the blessing and the directing into a path of righteousness.  The psalm has many difficult similes and some prophecies. It is best to read the psalm along with the commentary.  

 

Commentary:

Psalm 68:1-4. This portion of the psalm summarizes what follows.  It gives praises to God because the Lord favors the righteous and defeats the wicked.  The name of God is Yahweh, commonly shown in capital letters and written as the word “LORD.” 

Psalm 68:5-6. God looks after the fatherless, the widow, the lonely, and the prisoners, but the Lord punishes the rebellious.  The word “prisoners” describe the Jews under the slavery in Egypt; they had no freedom and were abused by the Egyptians.  The lonely people are the Jews who were able to enter into Canaan from the desert.  The rebellious are the unbelieving Jews who refused to enter into Canaan; as a result of their rebellion, they wandered 40 years and died in the desert. 

Psalm 68:8-9. During the wandering years in the desert, God performed miracles that caused the earth to shake and that sent rains in the parched land.

Psalm 68:11-13. This passage is a general statement of how God provided for Israel.  It describes the enemy armies fleeing before the homes of the Jews.  Consequently, the women at home were able to collect spoils of war, which usually belonged to the soldiers.  There was no recorded event prior to David’s time matching the description here; the closest one would be the story of Deborah (Judge 4).  An event during the time of the divided kingdom was similar to this passage (2King 6:24-7:20). 

Dove is the animal emblem of the Jews.  Verse 13 describes the provision of God through the abundance of the spoil.  The spoils covers Israel like the wings of dove being covered with silvers and gold. 

Psalm 68:14.  Zalmon is a mountain close to Shechem.  The word Zalmon can also mean “dark, black.”  This verse can be either a literal description of the winter time in which snow fell in Mt. Zalmon or a figure of speech about white bones scattered on a dark hillside.  Since there is no recorded event of either, it is difficult to determine what this is. 

Psalm 68:15-16.  The passage here personalizes the event which David picked Jerusalem as the temple site.  Surely, there were other more famous mountains than Jerusalem in the land of Judea.  Bashan, the region east and northeast of the Sea of Galilee, was depicted as a worship center in v. 15. Yet God chose Jerusalem, which figuratively became the envy of all other mountains. 

Psalm 68:18-19.  Verse 18 is quoted in Eph 4:8, describes that Jesus has descended into hell and taken captives with Him into heavens.  As such, v. 18 is a prophecy.  Verse 19 then perfectly describes what our Savior has done on the cross.  Our daily sins have been borne by His suffering on the cross.  Our Lord is surely our God and our salvation (the word “salvation” is yeshuah, see Ps 67:2).  

Psalm 68:22-23.  The depths of the sea and Bashan are figures of speech (v. 22).  The depths represent the deepest part, while Bashan is the highest peak in Judea.  Together they form the merism, which is everywhere on earth.  In v. 23, the dogs are drinking the blood of the enemies.

Psalm 68:27.  David here recalled that the tribe of Benjamin ruling Israel with the tribe of Judah supporting it.  These two tribes were in the southern end of the nation.  In the north end were the tribes of Naphtali and Zebulun.  That encompassed the whole kingdom.

Psalm 68:30-31. The phrase “the beasts in the reeds” refer to Egypt.  The phrase “the herd of bulls with the calves of the peoples” refers to the cohorts that came with Egypt for the wars and the spoils.  God would defeat these kings.  They would send tributes to God (v. 31). 

 

Meditation:

This psalm is a good illustration of what we can mediate on in our silence.  For the awesome deeds of righteousness, God caused the rebellious generation to wander in the desert, so the Lord made a nation out of the obedient people.  For the blessing, God sent rain and defeated the enemies in miraculous proportion.  When the psalmist recounted these deeds and blessings of God, God became real and awesome to him.  He spontaneously praised God joyously and loudly. 

The next time you are going to the worship, have a time of silent and wait for God. During the waiting period, recount the blessings and the awesome deeds of righteousness of God like David did.  Keep doing that until God becomes real and awesome to you.  Then you start the worship.

 

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you for your grace.  We especially thank you for leading us to walk in the path of righteousness for your name sake.  We pray that we will give you our best worship all the days of our life.  In Jesus’ name we pray.  Amen.

August 18, 2010

The Purpose of Blessings

Filed under: Devotion in Psalm — Tags: , , , , , , , — Pastor Brian Cheung @ 1:00 am

Psalm 67

 

 

Blessings of God are like jewels in life.  They sparkle and stand out as the highlight of our life.  We all know that they are precious, but do we know what is the purpose for them?  Today’s psalm offers an excellent perspective of the purpose of blessings.  Read the psalm and read the commentary to find out what it is.

 

Commentary:

Psalm 67:1. This verse is a shortened version of Number 6:24-26

24 The Lord bless you, and keep you;

25 The Lord make His face shine on you, And be gracious to you;

26 The Lord lift up His countenance on you, And give you peace.’

The Israelites would recognize it as a blessing right away.  The blessing onto the Jews has a purpose.

Psalm 67:2.  The purpose of God’s blessing is to make known the way of God to all people on earth.  The way of God is also the salvation of God.  Who is the way of God?  Jesus proclaims that He is the Way (John 14:6).  The word salvation is yeshuah in Hebrew or Jesus in English.  Jesus is the salvation and the way of God.  The job of the Jews and Christians now is to make Jesus known to all the earth.

Psalm 67:3-4.  The ultimate goal is to bring people into praising God.  Jesus came to look for worshippers on earth (John 4).  The people who are saved would praise God with gladness and joy. 

The word judge can also mean govern.  During the millennium reign, Jesus Christ will govern all people and guide all the nations on earth.  This prophecy of millennium is sure, found even in the psalm.

Psalm 67:5-7.  The blessings of God are seen through the abundant harvest (v. 6).  As surely as God blesses His people, His authenticity becomes self-evident to people on the earth (v. 7).  All people of God should give God the praise (v. 5).  That way, we will accomplish our purpose of making known God’s way to all people.

 

Meditation:

Are we making known what God has blessed us?  Blessings are not something to be hidden for our fond memory at old age.  It is to be shared and proclaimed, so that the way of God is known.  Blessings are evident of the might of our Lord.  When we give testimony of our blessings, it opens door to share the salvation of God to others.

The purpose of blessings is to share about the ultimate blessing of God—Jesus Christ.  Jesus is the salvation of God.  Through the Way, all men can come to the Father.  God has not provided another way; Jesus is the only way. 

When people come to receive Jesus as our Savior and Lord, they then know how to worship God.  Only through the forgiveness of sins then we are worthy to present ourselves in front of God.  Only when we are cleansed from our sins, then our worship is acceptable.  Let’s all praise God for the salvation through Jesus Christ—the Son of God.

 

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you that you have given us tremendous blessings.  The most important of them is the salvation through Jesus Your Son.  We should also count the wonderful blessings that God you have for us and share them with our friends and family.  We pray that we will use the testimonies of your blessing and share the good news of Jesus Christ with them.  In Jesus’ name we pray.  Amen.

August 17, 2010

Instruction on Proclaiming the Name of God

Filed under: Devotion in Psalm — Tags: , , , , , , , — Pastor Brian Cheung @ 1:00 am

Psalm 66

 

 

More than just soul-smoothing or spirit-uplifting poems, psalms can be important teaching tool.  This psalm teaches us how to proclaim the name of God, both internally at the church and externally in the world.  Read the psalm and then the commentary to reflect on the teaching from the Lord.

 

Commentary:

Psalm 66:1-4.  This section of the psalm is a command to all the earth to praise God.   It gives specific ways on how to praise.   The psalmist calls all to praise with a shout, not just any shout but a joyful shout (v. 1).  Then he calls everyone to sing (v. 2).   In case people do not know what to shout or sing for, the psalmist tells people that we should tell God of the wondrous work and His power (v. 3).  

An obvious observation contradicts the command of the psalmist.  Not everyone on earth worship Jesus Christ, the Lord of lords.  Further reading shows that people of the earth would worship not out of reverence or love but out of fear.  Even the enemies of God will give feigned obedience to the Lord (v. 3; Dt. 33:29).  Hence, in the name of Jesus, all knees shall bow and all mouth will confess (Phil 2:10-11).  But this will happen when the millennium arrives. 

Psalm 66:5-7.  The next section reveals to us what we should ascribe to God.  The work of God is shown in external and internal perspectives of the Jews.  Internally, the Jews were delivered through the crossing of the Red Sea (v. 6).  Externally, all nations are ruled by God (v. 7); this fact is proclaimed in Is 44:7 and deduced by Job in Job 12:23. 

Psalm 66:8-15.  The psalmist does not stop at calling all people on earth to praise God.  He specifically calls on the people of God to perform their God-given duty—making known His name in all the earth (v. 8).  This section gives specifics about proclaiming God’s name among God’s people. 

These specifics are often overlooked by today’s church.  We are too busy singing songs that other people make or watching powerful testimonies given by someone do not know personally; we have forgotten to give praise to God about ourselves in front of other Christians. 

The psalmist specifically tells us to give details of the trials that we receive (vv. 9-12).  The psalmist also reminds us to pay our vows in front of others (vv. 13-15).  All these need to be done among brothers and sisters in Christ. 

Psalm 66:16-20. Continuing the thought of proclaiming God’s name, this section describes what we should present to the outsiders.  We should focus on the prayer and praise we have given (v. 17).  Do not forget to make the righteous character of God known (v. 18).  Then we declare the answer we receive from God (v. 19).  Finally, we proclaim the lovingkindness of God and His willingness to hear the earnest prayer of the needy.

 

Meditation:

When the millennium comes, everyone will submit to the lordship of Jesus.  By then, it is too late for the non-believers.  They will not enjoy the love of God given through Jesus Christ for them. If we say we love our friends and family, we will have to do something for them now.  We need to proclaim the name of God to them. 

The process of proclaiming is both external and internal.  Let’s practice them in the church through testimonies and thanksgiving.  Then let’s reach out to the world through our bold proclamation.  The world may not like what we tell them, but they can never accuse us in front of God for not ever telling them.

 

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for this psalm instructing us how to make known your name.  We ask that the Holy Spirit within us strengthening us and emboldening us to do this work of love.  We pray that your name be worshipped everywhere in love.  In Jesus’ name we pray.  Amen.

August 16, 2010

Preparing for Worship

Filed under: Devotion in Psalm — Tags: , , , , — Pastor Brian Cheung @ 1:00 am

Psalm 65

 

 

How do we prepare our hearts for worship?   The psalmist has given us some guideline for worship preparation. 

 

Commentary:

Psalm 65:1. The word silence is duwmiyah in Hebrew.  It only occurs four times in the OT.  It also means to wait.  Putting the two together would mean a silent wait for God.  That comes before the praise and thanksgiving. 

This is how we should come to worship, both corporately and privately.  Have a time of silence and wait for God’s presence before worship.  Then we will sing praises to Him.

Psalm 65:3. The original literal translation of this verse is, “the words of iniquities overwhelm (above) me; you forgive the transgressions.”  The psalmist speaks of how the forgiveness of God is real and precious to him at times when he is overwhelmed by the enormity of his sins.  This thought connects with the observation or proclamation cited in the preceding verse.  

Psalm 65:4.  The feeling of being forgiven expands in this verse.  Describing the forgiveness in picturesque terms, persons getting pardons are compared to dwelling in God’s courts.  God’s court is like the palace of a king; the persons would enjoy the food and the provisions from the king.  They will surely be satisfied.  God’s court is also in heaven.  For anyone mired in the utter despair of sins, God’s forgiveness of sins is indeed heavenly. 

Psalm 65:5. The verse can be read as “by awesome deed of righteousness, you answer us.”  God expresses Himself through the work of His hand; the deed of righteousness describes how fitting God gives to the Jews.   God is trustworthy because of His fitting reward.  Examples of God’s deeds are in the following verses. 

Psalm 65:6-13.  Verses 6 and 7 cover the mountains and the seas.  Verse 8 encompasses the whole earth, including the rising and the setting of the sun.  Verse 9-10 describes how God contributes to the growth of crops in the land. Verse 11-12 summarizes the blessings of God in the land.  Verse 13 personalizes the abundance experienced by the meadows and valleys. 

 

Meditation:

Are we too busy before we worship?  I mean if we spend any quiet time waiting for the presence of our Lord or we do things right up to the moments of worship whether we are at home or in church.  Too often we chat, check email, or read up on the latest before worship time.  What we should do is to give that moment of silence to wait for the presence of the Lord.  Feel the real presence of God before we spend anytime singing praises to Him.  Review His forgiveness and know the joy before we shout joyfully in His name. 

Worship is not empty headed action.  It is rooted in an out-flowing of gratitude.  When we are full of thanks, it spills out from our mouth.  We cannot help but sing praises to the Lord. 

So before each worship, spend time dwelling on the blood of the cross. Retract the steps of the sufferings of our Savior.  See how his hands and feet were nailed for our sins. Count that stripes on His back; each one is for the sins that we have yesterday and today.   Experience His forgiveness when He cried out to the Father, “Forgive them for they know not what they are doing.”  The word of the cross is the power of God.  Let God’s power thoroughly transforms us before we worship.

Before the worship, think of the awesome deed of righteousness God had worked in our life.  Count how God renew us and put us on the right path.  There is no substitute for the work of God in us.  Each one is unique and worthy of praise.  Worship God for He is worthy of all our praise.

 

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you for you have indeed work mightily in us.  We pray that we give you the worship that is worthy of your sacrifice. We give you thanks and adoration.  In Jesus’ name we pray.  Amen.

August 14, 2010

The Acceptable Worship

Filed under: Devotion in Psalm — Tags: , , — Pastor Brian Cheung @ 1:00 am

Psalm 63

 

 

Worship is a major part of Christian living.  Exactly what type of worship is God looking for?  This psalm provides a good look of an acceptable worship. 

 

Commentary:

Psalm 63:1.  Situation drives our thought.  The followers of Christ should aim to achieve the highest thought in all situations.  Surely, the psalmist shows us that the highest thought is to think of God even in life’s most unpleasant situation. 

The psalmist was situated in the wilderness. He described it as dry and weary.  Overcome by thirst, he did not think of the wine in his palace but thought of God.  In fact, he said his flesh yearned for the Lord. 

Psalm 63:2. How did David come to that?  A better question is how can we come to that point in our life?  It turns out that David had experienced God in a real way.  He said that he saw God in the sanctuary.  The sanctuary was the worship place in the OT.  There in the worship, David had seen the power and the glory of the Lord. 

Almost all Christians have been to worship.  Someone has defined worship as when a participant experiences God. If that is the case, perhaps only a few of us has been to a real worship because few has experienced God like David had.  Likewise, only a few of us have been transformed to be more like David. 

Psalm 63:3. Exactly what kind of worship did David have?  David proclaimed that the lovingkindness of God is better than life.  Wow! That attitude is refreshing in today’s electronic craze culture.  David was weighing the world on one end of the scale and God on the other.  There was no toss up; God and His lovingkindness won hand down.  David was totally committed to God.  He would praise Him all day long. 

Psalm 63:4.  The psalmist said that he would bless God and would lift up his hands in God’s name.  The action of blessing God is to give praise to Him or to thank Him.  The action of lifting the hands is a motion to pray (Ps 28:2).  When the hand is lifted up in worship, it signifies an attitude of praying. 

Psalm 63:5. The word “soul” can be understood as the life.  The phrase “marrow and fatness” is the choice food of David’s day; they are like the fried stuff or the beef stew of our day.  Here in the desert, the thought of God put the psalmist in high elation.   The thought of God satisfied his life like he just had the best meal of his life. 

Psalm 63:6.  Time was never a reason to stop thinking about God.  If the thought of God came late in the night, the psalmist would sit up and meditate. 

Psalm 63:8-9.  The righteous man would be upheld by God.  Hence, the psalmist was confident that he would be restored and that the wicked would perish.  

Psalm 63: 11.  Those rejoices in God would triumph ultimately.  There will be a crown of life waiting for those who will stand for their testimony with their life and proclaim that Jesus Christ is their Lord and Savior.  The liars would not be able to enter into heaven. 

In this psalm, David was talking about those who defamed him would be stopped. 

 

Meditation:

In reading this psalm, we need to ask ourselves this question: When was the last time that you and I are sold out to God?   The enthusiasm and the devotion of David were unprecedented at his time.  We can duplicate his intensity in our time and make our Lord and Savior pleased. 

When we can give God our best, our worship will be accepted by God.  There we shall meet God and experience Him.  Let’s make the acceptable worship an everyday experience because it is the best thing in life, just like the psalmist said. 

 

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, we praise you for your lovingkindness is better than life.  Let us lift up our hand and give thanks to you for your are good.  Let us rejoice over the thought of your grace.  Give us that boldness to proclaim your name in public.  In Jesus’ name we pray.  Amen.

July 29, 2010

The King of the Earth

Filed under: Devotion in Psalm — Tags: , , , , — Pastor Brian Cheung @ 8:00 am

Psalm 47

 

 

Is clapping of hands appropriate during worship?  What about after the singing?  This psalm has that answer and more about worship.

 

Commentary:

Psalm 47:1. The psalmist calls all peoples to praise God with action.  The peoples are not any people but the people of God.  The action of praise and worship include shouting with the voice of joy and clapping of hands.  This shouting is to raise the voice.  In other words, sing or read loudly in worship.  The clapping of hands is done to drive the worship or to show triumph.  These meanings here should define how we raise our voices and clap our hands in our “contemporary” worship. 

Psalm 47:2. God is to be praised and to be feared by everyone on earth.  The word fear is yare in Hebrew.  In addition to fear, the word also means to revere.   

Psalm 47:3.  God would rule the earth through His people.  Although that did not occur in Israel time, God would absolutely rule in the Millennium kingdom.  

Psalm 47:6. The phrase “sing praises” is repeated four times.  Two of which is repeated.  When it is repeated, it means to sing praises strongly. 

Psalm 47:7.  God is the King of the earth. 

Psalm 47:8.  God reigns over the nations

Psalm 47:9.  God is the shields.  The word shield is “magen” in Hebrew.  It is more appropriate to translate the word as suzerains or benefactors in this verse.  This translation is consistent with the theme of the psalm.  In five other places, vv. 2, 3, 6, 7, and 9, God is sovereign over all the earth.    He is the suzerain, and we are the vessels. 

 

Meditation:

Certainly it is the right thing to ascribe God the honor and glory with clapping of hands.  In the same vein of thought, it is not alright to share that worship with fellow men.  Only God alone deserves our dedication.  So it is wrong to give each other appreciation for singing well or playing well during the course of worship. 

 

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, you are the great King in heaven, and you reign over the earth.   We pray that your kingdom will come and bring that everlasting peace.  In Jesus’ name we pray.  Amen.

July 22, 2010

The New Song

Filed under: Devotion in Psalm — Tags: , , , , — Pastor Brian Cheung @ 8:00 am

Psalm 40

 

 

Some churches may have an emphasis to sing “new” songs in worship.  What exactly is a new song?  If there are criteria to new songs, what are they?  Read the psalm today and check out the commentary for the answers.

 

Commentary:

Psalm 40:1.  Prayers can have three answers.  God can tell us “yes” or “no, but I have something better for you.”  God may also want us to wait.  The psalmist was surely aware of that and waited patiently for an answer to his prayer.

Psalm 40:3. The phrase “new song” appears six times in the book of Psalm (33:3, 40:3, 96:1, 96:1, 144:9, and 149:1).  Four of them are written in the imperative voice.  One other is the action that the psalmist will take (144:9).  The one here alone describes what God has done to give the palmist a new song. 

The new song was a result of the blessings that David received from the Lord.  His prayer was answered, and He was reestablished in the Lord (vv. 1-2).  David experienced anew the grace of God in his life, so he sung a new song.

A new song is also a testimony of the grace of God.  It aims to evangelize people.  The verse emphasizes this effect; people hearing the new song will be touched to trust, in future tense, in the Lord.   The future tense implies that these people did not believe before they hear the song, but the testimony changes them.  Hence, a new song should tell a story to lead others to believe in the Lord.  An example of a song giving a powerful testimony is “It is Well in My Soul.”  (See the background of the song in http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/i/t/i/itiswell.htm.)  

Therefore, this verse tells us that a new song has the dual purpose of giving praise to God and to tell a testimony to convince others to faith.  This dual purpose is a good benchmark in evaluating the tremendous amount of new Christian songs appearing in the marketplace daily.  Christian music has been commercialized in the end of the twentieth century.  Song writing is a career that many seek after.  Christian singers become a popular profession instead of a mere calling.  Songs are written to make money.  Sometimes, this has driven the writers and singers to produce records to sustain their income instead of to tell the powerful work of God in their life.  The substance of faith is delineated from the Christian new songs.  (The subject of errant theology is another comment.) This benchmark to evaluate new songs to use or to listen to is needed now more so than ever before.  Christians, especially worship leaders, should examine the background of the song to see if there is a substantial testimony for the praise words contained within.   Without that powerful testimony, the new songs are just mere intellectual exercise of human minds.  It will not transform the hearts of man. 

Psalm 40:6-8.  David was intimate with what God desires in a man.  He had the privilege to witness the downfall of his predecessor, King Saul.   He heard the word of Prophet Samuel uttered to Saul and paraphrased them here (1Sam. 15:22).  David knew that God desires His people to love His precept instead of merely going through the motion. 

 

Meditation:

Praise the Lord that giving a new song is not an exclusive domain of song writers and singers.  Every Christian should have an experience that fulfills the dual purpose of a new song.  We all have a testimony that powerfully tells of the wondrous work of God in our life, and every Christians should be able to give praise to God.   Every Christian is fit to write a new song.  In fact, it is the calling of everyone to give the testimony (1Pe 3:15). 

Let’s put forth the grace of God in our life to change life.  Rather in selecting a new song composed by others or giving one of our own, we should emphasize the part of the testimony, so others can hear and believe. 

 

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you that that you have given us a new song.  We pray that we contemplate your work and give our testimony to others.  In Jesus’ name we pray.  Amen.

July 14, 2010

The Upright

Filed under: Devotion in Psalm — Tags: , , , , , — Pastor Brian Cheung @ 8:00 am

Psalm 33

 

 

Who should praise God?  Some believers do not have the discernment about worship.  They think everyone can worship.  Although it is true that everyone can sing, it is not true that everyone can worship.  In today’s psalm, the psalmist is not ambiguous when it comes to the business of singing and worship. 

 

Commentary:

Psalm 33:1. The phrase “praise is becoming to the upright” means that praise is befitting to the upright.  The Message version translates, “Upright people will sound best when praising.”  Certainly if the righteous people do not praise God, only the non-upright people will be left doing the work.  Since the non-upright people do not really know God, they would be saying things that they do not mean.  That is hypocrisy.  What an awful sound that would have been to God. 

Psalm 33:3. The psalmist calls for the righteous people to giving God the skillfully played music.  Lest we forget that God is worthy of all glory and honor, we must give the Lord our best offering. 

In giving our offering, we should also give it from the bottom of our heart.  Here, the psalmist calls us to offer with a shout of joy. God loves a cheerful giver.  No one should offer out of compulsion.

Psalm 33:4, 6, 9. The word of God is upright, it creates, and it endures forever. 

Psalm 33:12-19. God created everyone in the world.  He is not partial to anyone, but the Lord looks down from heaven to see who would choose Him as their God. 

False idols are creations to comfort men or to fix a situation.  They are like horses or strength that gives people false hopes for victory.  The upright people would look toward the Lord for deliverance.  They rely on the Lord for true salvation.

 

Meditation:

God is seeking the upright people to worship Him.  The upright people are not the sinless people, but they are the saved people who confess their sins and ask Jesus Christ to cover them with His blood.  The others have not entered into the righteousness.  Their worship does not please God. 

The righteous ones need to put in times and effort to make the worship right.  Choir members and worship leaders need to practice.  Their rehearsal should focus on God knowing that the Lord is the only audience.  Their offering needs to be freely given.  Worship leaders and choir members cannot participate because they are left with no choice.  They are not there because none other would step up, so they have to perform.  Leading worship is a privilege and should be cherished.

 

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you that you uphold justice.  We pray that we will follow you and always be the light to shine darkness in this world.  In Jesus’ name we pray.  Amen.

July 9, 2010

The Glory and the Strength of God

Filed under: Devotion in Psalm — Tags: , , , , , — Pastor Brian Cheung @ 8:00 am

Psalm 29

 

 

In this psalm, David is considering the powerful and majestic characteristic of God and our response. 

 

Commentary:

Psalm 29:1. The word “ascribe” is to give.  And the word “mighty” in Hebrew is elim, which can means the mighty men or gods.  The psalmist calls the people of God to give God the praise that rightfully belongs to Him.  Two characteristics of God are emphasized in this song.  They are the glory and the strength of God. 

Psalm 29:2. The phrase “the glory due to His name” can be interpreted as “the glory of His name.”  The name of God is glorious in two folds.  The first is the weightiness of the name.  The name of God shall not be mentioned casually but shall be invoked with reverence.  Believers should consider the appropriateness for the timing and situation to use the name of God—both for Yahweh and our Lord Jesus Christ.  

God’s name is glorious because of its profound meaning.  Yahweh means “I AM.”  The name speaks of the nature of eternal self-existence and signifies the indescribable characteristic of God.  The Lord is greater than a mountain or the sun.  He creates the eagles and all animals.  There is none like God.  That is why He is who He is—or I AM who I AM. 

This verse is a call for people to worship in holy array.  The word “worship” describes a physical movement of bowing down.  The word “array” in Hebrew refers to the adornment or attire.  At the time of David, not only the priest had to wear a different clothing to worship God, but others were called to worship God with holy attire (Ps 96:9).  There had to be a separate set of clothing for worship.  The psalmist calls the people to bow down in worship clothing. 

Psalm 29:3-4. The sound of great waters is thunderous.  At the bottom of the Niagara Fall, the water roars like thunder.  Yet greater still is the voice of God.  The voice of God covers the sound of many waters.  The psalmist describes it as powerful and majestic. 

Psalm 29:5-9a.  The voice of God is not only loud, but its power changes thing.  It breaks the cedar of Lebanon.  Lebanon is the country in the north of Israel, and it was subservient to Israel in the time of David.  In Kadesh, the desert home of the wandering Israelites for nearly 38 years, God’s voice was like thunder and was accompanied with fire in Mt. Sinai.  The desert was lit by the pillar of fire at night.  The psalmist also describes how the voice of God changed the nature. 

Psalm 29:9b-11.  God is glorious and worthy of praise. Everything that has breath shall praise Him.  The Lord shall be the strength of His people.  God’s people shall enjoy peace when they hold God up as king.

 

Meditation:

Many women ponder on what to dress each day.  Men do not do that usually.  But in consideration of the call of the psalmist of bowing before God in holy attire, all Christians should consider that each Sunday. 

I recall a story about a unique baptism.  We are accustomed to the white robes, usually provided by the church.  This particular person showed up with a white tuxedo.  Asked why he went with a tux, he replied this is the most important ceremony of his life. 

It goes beyond the clothing.  In consideration how great the name of God is, Christians should set out to make God’s name great in their life.   Like putting on the garment, we should select the behavior we would have each day.  Let that behavior be the Christ-like garment for the world to see.  When there is any good comment, ascribe the praise to the triune God, the Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

 

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, we praise you for your glorious and powerful name. May the voice of God be heard in our land.  May every knee bow and every tongue confess Jesus is Lord.  In Jesus’ name we pray.  Amen.

July 7, 2010

The Power to Overcome Heartache and Hopelessness

Filed under: Devotion in Psalm — Tags: , , , , , — Pastor Brian Cheung @ 8:00 am

Psalm 27

 

 

Vulnerability often brings out the open attack from the enemies.  This situation is often the most difficult one for people suffering.  The enemies are many, and people once thought to be trustworthy would abandon you.  Heartache and hopelessness are inevitable.  How do we overcome this?  This psalm empowers us to overcome the heartache and hopelessness.  

 

Commentary:

Psalm 27:1-3. The psalmist begins with a proclamation of his fearlessness as a result of God’s protection.  Unlike the taunting we see at our sport games, this is not about the psalmist.  Its focus is on God.  It is a genuine praise of God from the heart. 

The situation for the psalmist was dire though.  The enemies had come out of the shadow and intended to maim or kill.  They numbered in many, and they surrounded him.  Yet the psalmist was confident that God would destroy his enemies. 

Psalm 27:4. The desire of the psalmist is to be in the presence of God.  This is true for this life and the eternal life to come.  The glory of God is in the temple. 

There is no longer any temple in Jerusalem.  There is a reason for that.  Jesus proclaims that we will no longer worship in certain place because God is a spirit (John 4:21-24).  Instead of an earthly place, we worship in spirit and in truth.  We look forward to the heavenly temple in heaven (Revelation11:19). 

Psalm 27:5-6. God’s protection was a real experience for David.  When David was on the run, he sought out refuge from the priest.  The priest gave him the bread for sustenance and the sword for protection.  David would give a thanksgiving offering for what God has done in his life.

Psalm 27:10. David felt a great abandonment.  Although his parents never really turned against him, he felt like he was largely forgotten.  Yet he was comforted because he knew that God would always be by his side and would be ready to pick him up when he fell.

Psalm 27:11. Like a son loving his father by wanting to learn his way, the psalmist asks God to teach him His way.

Psalm 27:12-14. Trusting God is a persistent, continuing effort.  In fact, if we stop believing, we will be despaired just like the psalmist said he would. We will be hopeful if we keep trusting God.  The word “waiting” is a faithful watch, believing that God will come through in the right time.  (See the commentary in Psalm 25:3). 

 

Meditation:

Have you been a situation that God has rescued you from?  If so, you have a thanksgiving to give in public.  Only then, you would complete the cycle of getting the power to overcome heartache and hopelessness.

 

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you that you rescue us in many ways.  We pray that we have power to live out as the light of the world.   In Jesus’ name we pray.  Amen.

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