PSALM 116
Reason for prayer verse 1- 2
I love the LORD
BECAUSE HE has heard my voice and my supplications
BECAUSE HE has inclined HIS ear to me
THEREFORE will I call upon HIM as long as I live
Need for prayer verse 3
The sorrows of death compassed me
and the pains of hell got hold upon me
I found trouble and sorrow
Deliverance through prayer verse 4- 6
THEN called I on the name of the LORD
O LORD – I beseech YOU – deliver my soul
Gracious is the LORD – and righteous – yea – our God is merciful
the LORD preserves the simple – I was brought low
and HE helped me
Prayer brings rest in the LORD verse 7- 9
Return unto your rest – O my soul
for the LORD has dealt bountifully with you
for YOU have delivered my soul from death
mine eyes from tears – my feet from falling
I will walk before the LORD in the land of the living
Thanksgiving for answered prayer verse 10- 14
I believed – THEREFORE have I spoken – I was greatly afflicted
I said in my haste
All men are liars
What shall I render unto the LORD for all HIS benefits toward me?
I will take the cup of salvation
and call upon the name of the LORD
I will pay my vows unto the LORD now
in the presence of all HIS people
Promises made in prayer need to be kept verse 15- 19
Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of HIS saints
O LORD – truly I am YOUR servant
I am YOUR servant – and the son of YOUR handmaid
YOU have loosed my bonds
I will offer to YOU the sacrifice of THANKSGIVING
and will call upon the name of the LORD
I will pay my vows unto the LORD now
in the presence of all HIS people
in the courts of the LORD’S house
in the midst of you – O Jerusalem
Praise you the LORD
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
:1 “I love the LORD, because He has heard My voice and my supplications.
The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982).
Heard – 8085 שָׁמַע, שֶׁמַע [shamaʿ /shaw·mah/] v n m. A primitive root; TWOT 2412, 2412a; GK 9048 and 9049; 1159 occurrences; AV translates as “hear” 785 times, “hearken” 196 times, “obey” 81 times, “publish” 17 times, “understand” nine times, “obedient” eight times, “diligently” eight times, “shew” six times, “sound” three times, “declare” three times, “discern” twice, “noise” twice, “perceive” twice, “tell” twice, “reported” twice, and translated miscellaneously 33 times. 1 to hear, listen to, obey. 1A (Qal). 1A1 to hear (perceive by ear). 1A2 to hear of or concerning. 1A3 to hear (have power to hear). 1A4 to hear with attention or interest, listen to. 1A5 to understand (language). 1A6 to hear (of judicial cases). 1A7 to listen, give heed. 1A7A to consent, agree. 1A7B to grant request. 1A8 to listen to, yield to. 1A9 to obey, be obedient. 1B (Niphal). 1B1 to be heard (of voice or sound). 1B2 to be heard of. 1B3 to be regarded, be obeyed. 1C (Piel) to cause to hear, call to hear, summon. 1D (Hiphil). 1D1 to cause to hear, tell, proclaim, utter a sound. 1D2 to sound aloud (musical term). 1D3 to make proclamation, summon. 1D4 to cause to be heard. 2 sound.
DEVOTION: What causes you to be thankful to the Lord? The beginning of this psalm is a unique expression of love for the LORD, the psalmist loved God because the Lord had granted his prayer request. Consequently, he promised to continue praying to Him as long as he lived. This expression of love for God is unusual in the psalms. More often the psalmists spoke of their respect for Yahweh. This writer was uncommonly affectionate.
Psalm 115 was a national call to trust in the Lord and 116 is a personal call of an individual to thank the Lord for as long as he lived. As you reflect upon how the Lord has worked in your life are you thankful and determined to remember Him for the rest of your life? So often we are thankful for a short time or until something difficult arises and then we forget to give thanks!
Don’t let the circumstances affect your praise to the Lord. Give thanks each day.
CHALLENGE: Give thanks to the Lord each day for His mercies and works in your life. (Dr. Brian Miller – board member)
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 2 The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell gat hold on me: I found trouble and sorrow. (6869 “trouble” [tsarah] means extreme distress of body or mind, anxiety, affliction, adversity, anguish, tribulation, or calamity.)
DEVOTION: Here we have David hunted by death and the grave. It seems that throughout his life he was being persuaded by some enemy. Sometime it was his own sin that was causing the problem but other times he was trying to do what the LORD was telling him today.
He loved the LORD and wanted to serve HIM but found himself in situations that he knew were sin but he yielded to the temptation. He confessed his sin and the LORD forgave him.
Sometimes we find ourselves in the same situation with the LORD. We do things that we know are wrong yet we still do them. It is sin and because of sin there has to be judgment by God.
At times the LORD forgives without a major judgment but at others HE was hard on David because of the nature of the sin. God doesn’t want HIS followers to sin and if they do HE wants confession.
David found trouble like most of us. It is because we are all sinners even after we accept Christ as our Savior. We still yield to sin and yet we have the power of God to help us to not yield.
So there might be days when we feel the “pains of hell” have gotten hold of us. When this happens we need to confess our sin and watch the LORD forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
CHALLENGE: What are you doing with your sin? Are you confessing and allowing the LORD to restore us to fellowship again? HE wants us to walk with HIM while we are confessing our sins to HIM. HE loves us.
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: 7 Return unto your rest, O my soul; for the LORD has dealt bountifully with you. (4494 “rest” [manowach] means repose, refuge, place where you can recuperate from activity, be in a state of contentment and satisfaction, cease movement, or a settled spot.)
DEVOTION: We live in a restless world. We have many things on our mind most of the time. We sometimes say that we don’t have time to even think because of the activity of the world around us. We think that this is just happening in our lifetime but it is not.
Here is the Psalmist surrounded with trouble. He feels that this trouble is going to lead to his death. He seems to think that everyone is against him and that the LORD has left him alone. This is never true but this is how we sometimes think about our relationship with the LORD.
HE has promised to never leave us or forsake us but we seem to always be on the run from the problems HE allows in our lives. We don’t seem to know how to settle down and allow HIM to give us comfort and a time of recuperation from activity.
Here the Psalmist is telling himself that he needs to return to a place of relaxation from all the anxieties of life. God has provided such a place if we allow ourselves to go to that place and trust in the LORD to take care of our every need.
How did the Psalmist get to this state of contentment and satisfaction? He allowed the LORD to take him there because he realized that the LORD had promised to take care of his every need. HE doesn’t want us to be anxious about anything but to realize we can have complete rest and tranquility if we put our complete trust in HIM.
CHALLENGE: God has made a promise to us that we can TRUST HIM in every circumstance. We have to learn to believe HIM!!!
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 8 For YOU have delivered my soul form death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling. (2502 “delivered” [chalats] means to draw off, to save from ruin, destruction or harm, to withdraw oneself, be rescued, or set free.)
DEVOTION: There are many times in the life of David that he disobeyed the LORD. He was a sinner that was saved by grace as we are today. He was supposed to bring his sacrifices to the LORD and ask HIS forgiveness for sin. He was supposed to obey the commands of the LORD. He was supposed to consult the LORD in every decision he made.
What he was supposed to do was not what he always did. When he sinned, he would pray for the LORD to forgive him. He was sorry for his sin. He knew that the LORD had saved him from ruin many times in his lifetime. He knew that the LORD had blessed HIM with many blessings that he didn’t deserve.
We have to realize the same truth today. We are sinners and we deserve judgment for our sin but the LORD still forgives those who ask for forgiveness. The LORD still helps believers to change their ways to be better servants of HIM.
HE is looking for us to realize that we need to keep close to him even after we sin. HE wants us to confess our sins and HE will be faithful and just to forgive us our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
It is a great verse and a great truth. God can love us because of Christ. We need to love HIM back each day.
CHALLENGE: Remember HE is the only one who can rescue us. Turn to HIM in confession each day to receive HIS blessings and forgiveness.
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: 12 What shall I render unto the LORD for all his benefits toward me?
(7725 “render” [shuwb] means repay, to return, turn back, go back, repent, or answer.)
DEVOTION: Have you ever drifted from the LORD? Has HE placed you in jail? The Psalmist seems to have been put in bonds while he was away from the LORD. While in his bonds he made some promises to the LORD. He promised twice in this psalm to “pay his vows.” We need to watch what we promise the LORD when we are going through a difficult time in our life. Too often we make promises to the LORD that we don’t keep because we don’t want to or we forgot we gave HIM a promise.
The author of this psalm tells the LORD that he loves HIM. He calls upon him when he is surrounded by trouble and sorrow. He knows that the LORD is gracious. He knows the LORD is righteous. He knows he can depend on the LORD for help at any time.
Rest is what the LORD gives HIS children. He could walk without being concerned about falling. He knew the LORD would raise him up again. The psalmist is apparently thanking the LORD for saving his life. He appreciated the LORD answering his prayers.
He asks the question in this verse to think through his obligation to the LORD. He gives many instants of what he is going to do because of the LORD helping him in a troubling situation.
When we go through a life- threatening situation and we pray and the LORD answers – what do we do? Do we thank HIM? Do we promise HIM things? Do we fulfill what we promise? Should we?
The psalmist thinks so. So should we. We need to bring our gifts to the LORD. Please remember to offer sacrifices of thanksgiving to the LORD after HE helps us through life-threatening situations. We need to praise the LORD at all times.
CHALLENGE: Keep your promises to the LORD – HE always keeps HIS!!
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DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Pay your vows verse 14, 18
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Heard by the LORD verse 1
Supplications verse 1
Inclined HIS ear verse 2
Call verse 2, 13, 17
Called verse 4
Spoken verse 10
Pray committing to serving the LORD verse 16- 17
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
Sacrifice of thanksgiving verse 17
Courts of the LORD’S house verse 19
Praise the LORD verse 19
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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal) verse 1, 4- 7, 9, 12, 13- 19
Hears voices in prayer verse 1, 2
Name of the LORD verse 4, 13, 17
God – Elohim (Creator, Sovereign) verse 5
Grace verse 5
Righteous verse 5
Merciful verse 5
Preserves the simple verse 6
Benefits given to believers verse 12
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Simple verse 6
Land of the living verse 9
All men verse 11
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Liars verse 11
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Love the LORD verse 1
LORD hears our voice verse 1
Call on the LORD verse 2, 4, 13
Trouble verse 3
Sorrow verse 3
Deliverance verse 4, 8
Grace verse 5
Mercy verse 5
Brought low and HE helped verse 6
Preservation verse 6
Help verse 6
Rest verse 7
Bountifully blessed verse 7, 12
Deliverance from death verse 8
Dried my tears verse 8
Stopped feet from falling verse 8
Walk before the LORD verse 9
Believe verse 10
Afflicted verse 10
Benefits verse 12
Salvation verse 13
Call upon the name of the LORD verse 13
Pay your vows verse 14, 18
Saints (death of) verse 15
Servant verse 16
Son of YOUR servant verse 16
Loosed bonds verse 16
Sacrifice of thanksgiving verse 17
Praise the LORD verse 19
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Presence of all HIS people – pay vows verse 18
Courts of the LORD’S house verse 19
Jerusalem verse 19
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
Death verse 3, 8, 15
Pains of hell verse 3
Death of saints verse 15
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DONATIONS:
Remember that all donations to Small Church Ministries are greatly appreciated. The treasurer will send a receipt, at the end of the year unless otherwise requested. Please be sure to make check out to “Small Church Ministries.” The address for the treasurer is P.O. Box 604, East Amherst, New York 14051. A second way to give to the ministry is through PayPal on the website: www.smallchurchministries.org. Also, if you can support this ministry through your local church, please use that method. Thank you.
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QUOTES regarding passage
7 Because of the goodness of God, the psalmist can speak words of comfort to himself. Unlike the psalmist in 42:5, who comforted himself in despair, and like 103:1–2, the psalmist can reflect on his misery and on the acts of God’s goodness (g-m-l; see 13:6; cf. 119:17; 142:7). He may be “at rest” (cf. 23:2; 1 Kings 5:4), disregarding the turbulence around him, because he knows his God (vv. 5–6). (VanGemeren, W. A. (1991). Psalms. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs (Vol. 5, p. 726). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
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7. Return. He here addresses his soul, as in Ps. 42, 43. Return to Him from whom thou wanderest so often, who has delivered thee so often. Unto thy rest (7), the resting-place and the restful trust in God. Dealt well, done thee good in the highest sense. (Murphy, J. G. (1875). A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Book of Psalms (p. 598). Andover: Warren F. Draper.)
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7. The deliverance vouchsafed in answer to prayer stills the tumult of the soul. The rest is the rest of confidence in God. (Perowne, J. J. S. (1882). The Book of Psalms; A New Translation, with Introductions and Notes, Explanatory and Critical (Fifth Edition, Revised., Vol. 2, p. 333). London; Cambridge: Deighton Bell and Co.; George Bell and Sons.)
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7. Return unto thy rest, O my soul. Luther, “Be thou again joyful, O my soul.” The meaning seems to be, “Return to thy former tranquillity and calmness; thy former freedom from fear and anxiety.” He had passed through a season of great danger. His soul had been agitated and terrified. That danger was now over, and he calls upon his soul to resume its former tranquillity, calmness, peace, and freedom from alarm. The word does not refer to God considered as the “rest” of the soul, but to what the mind of the psalmist had been, and might now be again. (Barnes, A. (1870–1872). Notes on the Old Testament: Psalms (Vol. 3, p. 161). London: Blackie & Son.)
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7. Return unto thy rest, O my soul] Abandon anxiety and resume the perfect tranquility that springs from trust in God. The plural form of the word for rest denotes full and complete rest. For the address to the soul cp. 42:5, and 103:1ff., a Psalm further connected with this Psalm by its use of Aramaic forms of pronominal suffix.
dealt bountifully] Cp. 13:6. (Kirkpatrick, A. F. (1906). The Book of Psalms (p. 689). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.)
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7 Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for fthe Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee. Unto thy rest; unto that tranquillity of mind and cheerful confidence in God’s promises and providence which thou didst once enjoy. (Poole, M. (1853). Annotations upon the Holy Bible (Vol. 2, p. 179). New York: Robert Carter and Brothers.)
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7. “Return unto thy rest, O my soul.” He calls the rest still his own, and feels full liberty to return to it. What a mercy it is that even if our soul has left its rest for a while we can tell it—“it is thy rest still.” The Psalmist had evidently been somewhat disturbed in mind, his troubles had ruffled his spirit; but now with a sense of answered prayer upon him he quiets his soul. He had rested before, for he knew the blessed repose of faith, and therefore he returns to the God who had been the refuge of his soul in former days. Even as a bird flies to its nest, so does his soul fly to his God. Whenever a child of God even for a moment loses his peace of mind, he should be concerned to find it again, not by seeking it in the world or in his own experience, but in the Lord alone. When the believer prays, and the Lord inclines his ear, the road to the old rest is before him, let him not be slow to follow it. “For the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee.” Thou hast served a good God, and built upon a sure foundation; go not about to find any other rest, but come back to him who in former days hath condescended to enrich thee by his love. What a text is this! and what an exposition of it is furnished by the biography of every believing man and woman! The Lord hath dealt bountifully with us, for he hath given us his Son, and in him he hath given us all things: he hath sent us his Spirit, and by him he conveys to us all spiritual blessings. God dealeth with us like a God; he lays his fulness open to us, and of that fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. We have sat at no niggard’s table, we have been clothed by no penurious hand, we have been equipped by no grudging provider; let us come back to him who has treated us with such exceeding kindness. More arguments follow. (Spurgeon, C. H. (2009). The treasury of David: Psalms 111-119 (Vol. 5, pp. 68–69). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.)
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5. The relief which he asked is the result not of his merit, but of God’s known pity and tenderness, which is acknowledged in assuring himself (his “soul,” Ps 11:1; 16:10) of rest and peace. All calamities (Ps 116:8) are represented by death, tears, and falling of the feet (Ps 56:13). (Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Vol. 1, p. 381). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.)
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2. David, in his returns of gratitude to God, showed himself a good man. God had done all this for him, and therefore,
(1.) He will live a life of delight in God (v. 7): Return unto thy rest, O my soul! [1.] “Repose thyself and be easy, and do not agitate thyself with distrustful disquieting fears as thou hast sometimes done. Quiet thyself, and then enjoy thyself. God has dealt kindly with thee, and therefore thou needest not fear that ever he will deal hardly with thee.” [2.] “Repose thyself in God. Return to him as thy rest, and seek not for that rest in the creature which is to be had in him only.” God is the soul’s rest; in him only it can dwell at ease; to him therefore it must retire, and rejoice in him. He has dealt bountifully with us; he has provided sufficiently for our comfort and refreshment, and encouraged us to come to him for the benefit of it, at all times, upon all occasions; let us therefore be satisfied with that. Return to that rest which Christ gives to the weary and heavy-laden, Mt. 11:28. Return to thy Noah; his name signifies rest, as the dove, when she found no rest, returned to the ark. I know no word more proper to close our eyes with at night, when we go to sleep, nor to close them with at death, that long sleep, than this, Return to thy rest, O my soul (Henry, M. (1994). Matthew Henry’s commentary on the whole Bible: complete and unabridged in one volume (p. 910). Peabody: Hendrickson.)
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116:1–19 See note on Ps 113:1–9. This is an intensely personal “thank you” psalm to the Lord for saving the psalmist from death (116:3, 8). The occasion and author remain unknown, although the language used by Jonah in his prayer from the fish’s stomach is remarkably similar. While this appears to deal with physical death, the same song could be sung by those who have been saved from spiritual death. (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Ps 116:1–19). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.)
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FROM MY READING:
(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)
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Daily Hope
Today’s Scripture
Genesis 46-47
We have moved several times and each one is an adventure that unfolds uniquely and at its own pace. The anticipation of moving is exciting and exhilarating as the prospects of what’s new looms before us! The lure of the unknown and the excitement of the move drives us forward with unbounded energy.
Israel (Jacob) and his family were instructed to come to Egypt and to settle in the land of Goshen. Pharoah and the court of Egypt had such high regards for Joseph that his family was welcomed to reside close to Joseph. God allowed this land to be a place where the nation of Israel could prosper and be nurtured until it was strong enough to survive in a hostile world.
Moving is never an easy task and it gets more difficult as you become older. Jacob was now 130 years old and yet he drew strength from knowing that God was directing him and that his son was in Egypt preparing a place for him to live. While he had been warned about Egypt by his father (26:2) and knew the troubles Abraham had going to Egypt previously, he went with confidence. God had directed him in 46:3 to go and prosper there with his son Joseph.
While Egypt was not Israel’s home, it was a place where God could provide a haven and build Israel into a great nation. Jacob was a blessing to both his children, grandchildren, and Pharaoh while he lived in Egypt.
The New Testament writers describe believers as pilgrims, sojourners, and ambassadors in a foreign land until we reach home. While we are foreigners, we are to represent our Savior and assist others to come to know Him. This week speak, act, and be an example of the God we serve.
With an Expectant Hope, Pastor Miller (Board Member of SCM)
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The Israelites migrate to Mount Sinai where Moses meets with God.
INSIGHT
God’s love for us is nothing less than total. And He leaves no doubt in our minds as to His commitment to us. The Lord goes so far as to establish a covenant with Israel at Mount Sinai and with us at Calvary as an expression of His absolute commitment to us.
We should have two responses: we should love fully the God who first loved us. And, if we are to love our family as God loves us, we must leave no doubts in their minds as to the totality of our love for them. Communicate your love to them in certain terms.
(Quiet Walk)
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GLORY BE TO GOD
I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.
John 17:4
The coming of the Holy Spirit is part of this great and vital plan of salvation, and it is, of course, one of the most wonderful aspects of all. In the council in eternity, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit spoke together and planned the salvation of man. The Father stated the great scheme, and the Son accepted the decision that He should be the One to carry out the plan; and then it was equally decided that the Holy Spirit should complete what the Son had done for mankind.
This is what is sometimes called “the economy of the Trinity,” the division of the work between the three Persons, and it is something that appears very clearly throughout the Scriptures. It appears, for example, in the very beginning, in Genesis, where we are shown how the creation itself was the work of the Trinity: “In the beginning God…” Then we are told that “the Spirit of God moved…“Everything was made through the Word, but in a sense the agency was still the Spirit.
The Father sends the Son, and the great business of the Son is to glorify the Father. He says, “I have glorified thee on the earth; I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do” (John 17:4).There is a sense in which the Lord Jesus Christ never glorified Himself. That is why He laid aside His glory, and why He was not born in a king’s palace but in a stable. That, too, is why He took upon Himself the form of a servant; it was all to glorify the Father. All His life as a man was in a sense lived just in this way, in order that all the glory and power might be to God the Father.
A Thought to Ponder: Our Lord lived so that all the glory and power might be to God the Father. (From Saved in Eternity, pp. 85-86, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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That Goodly Mountain
“And I besought the LORD at that time, saying, O Lord GOD, thou hast begun to shew thy servant thy greatness, and thy mighty hand: for what God is there in heaven or in earth, that can do according to thy works, and according to thy might? I pray thee, let me go over, and see the good land that is beyond Jordan, that goodly mountain, and Lebanon.” (Deuteronomy 3:23-25)
This was the heartfelt prayer of Moses, for he was longing to see the Promised Land that had been his goal for so many years. He knew that God, rebuking his disobedience at Meribah, had said: “Therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them” (Numbers 20:12). Yet, he desired greatly to “go over” the Jordan to see firsthand the “goodly mountain.”
The “goodly mountain” most likely was majestic Mount Hermon, the 9,200-foot, snow-capped peak dominating the southern end of the mountain ranges of Lebanon. God would not allow Moses to enter the land, even though He “shewed him all the land” from the top of Mount Pisgah before he died (Deuteronomy 34:1).
But then, in a marvelous and mysterious way, Moses finally did not only see but stand on Mount Hermon! “And after six days Jesus…bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, And was transfigured before them:…And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him” (Matthew 17:1-3). There, on the Mount of Transfiguration— that goodly mountain—was Moses, along with Elijah, speaking with Jesus “of his decease which he should accomplish at Jerusalem” (Luke 9:31). God had answered his prayer! He had “begun to show” Moses the greatness of His might long ago in Egypt, but now he could see the greatness of His love as Christ prepared to die for his salvation and ours. (HMM. The Institute for Creation Research)
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Ancient scholars Jerome and Tertullian referenced stories of how in ancient Rome, after a general triumphed in an epic victory, he would be paraded atop a gleaming chariot down the capital’s central thoroughfares from dawn to sunset. The crowd would roar. The general would bask in the adoration, reveling in the greatest honor of his life. However, legend has it that a servant stood behind the general the entire day, whispering into his ear, Memento mori (“Remember you will die”). Amid all the adulation, the general desperately needed the humility that came with remembering that he was mortal.
James wrote to a community infected with prideful desires and an inflated sense of self-sufficiency. Confronting their arrogance, he spoke a piercing word: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble” (James 4:6). What they needed was to “humble [themselves] before the Lord” (v. 10). And how would they embrace this humility? Like Roman generals, they needed to remember that they would die. “You do not even know what will happen tomorrow,” James insisted. “You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes” (v. 14). And owning their frailty freed them to live under the solidity of the “Lord’s will” rather than their own fading efforts (v. 15).
When we forget that our days are numbered, it can lead to pride. But when we’re humble d by our mortality, we see every breath and every moment as grace. Memento mori.
By Winn Collier (Our Daily Bread)
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The Holy Spirit comes upon the believing Jews gathered at the temple.
INSIGHT
Who would have expected the coming of the Holy Spirit in the New Testament to be like this? Rushing wind. Fire. Many languages spoken and all being understood. Those with unbelieving hearts always find a “natural” explanation, but those who believe drop to their knees and cry out to God! “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” (2:37). Revelation always demands a response. Unbelievers always look for a way to get out from under the authority of Scripture. But the believing heart will cry out, “O God, what shall I do?” Search your mind. Is there some response you should make to God right now? (Quiet Walk)
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You Can Do Better
Do not let the sun go down on your anger. EPHESIANS 4:26
Every so often—through an aspect of His grace that feels much more like a punch in the stomach—God will crash His way into a pity party and spoil all the fun we get from sulking. That’s exactly what happened on the night I was telling you about yesterday.
As I lay in bed feeling sorry for myself and angry at Barbara, God began the process of convicting me of my selfishness. He reminded me that the very next day, I would be speaking to a large conference crowd, telling them what they should do in situations just like this one.
Oh, yeah . . . I forgot.
And with that little revelation of reality and honesty, all the air went out of my argument. I didn’t turn over to face Barbara right away, but I did promise myself I was going to be the first to set things straight in the morning. I was going to apologize. She was right. It was my fault. All my fault.
Things were still a little tense when we sat down together at breakfast the next morning, but I looked Barbara in the eye and admitted how selfish and preoccupied I had been, how I should have responded to her first distress signal. “It was very insensitive of me. I blew it. I’m sorry.”
“Well,” she said, “I’m sorry, too. It was pretty childish of me to hit you with that pillow. But finding you sitting there watching TV when I needed you, it just . . . that was the last straw.”
We talked a while longer. Then I headed out to catch my plane. But by the time I left, we were both feeling a lot better. Even though we didn’t feel like it, we forgave each other anyway—by an act of the will.
Reconciliation. It’s better than American Express. Don’t leave home without it. (Moments with You Couples Devotional by Dennis and Barbara Rainey)
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