PSALM 92
It is great to worship the LORD verse 1- 3
It is a good thing to give THANKS to the LORD
to SING praises to YOUR name – O most High
to SHOW forth YOUR loving-kindness in the morning
and YOUR faithfulness every night
upon an instrument of ten strings
and upon the psaltery
upon the harp with a solemn sound
It is great to thank the LORD verse 4- 8
For YOU – LORD – have made me glad through YOUR work
I will triumph in the works of YOUR hands
O LORD – how great are YOUR works
and YOUR thoughts are very deep
A BRUTISH man knows not – neither does a fool understand this
when the wicked spring as the grass
and when all the workers of iniquity do flourish
it is that they shall be destroyed for ever
BUT YOU – LORD – are most high forevermore
It is not good to be an enemy of the LORD verse 9- 11
For – lo – YOUR enemies – O LORD – for – lo
YOUR enemies shall perish
all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered
BUT my horn shall YOU exalt like the horn of an unicorn
I shall be anointed with fresh oil
Mine eyes also shall see my desire on mine enemies
and mine ears shall hear
my desire of the wicked that rise up against me
It is good to be among the righteous verse 12- 15
The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree
he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon
Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the
courts of our God – they shall still bring forth fruit in old age
they shall be fat and flourishing
to show that the LORD is upright – HE is my rock
and there is no unrighteousness in HIM
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 1 “It is good to give thanks to the LORD, And to sing praises to YOUR name, O Most High;” The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982). (Good – 2896 טָבַב, טִבָּה, טֹוב, טֹוב, טֹוב, טֹובָה [towb /tobe/] adj n m f. From 2895; TWOT 793a; GK 3176 and 3177 and 3201 and 3202 and 3205 and 3208; 559 occurrences; AV translates as “good” 361 times, “better” 72 times, “well” 20 times, “goodness” 16 times, “goodly” nine times, “best” eight times, “merry” seven times, “fair” seven times, “prosperity” six times, “precious” four times, “fine” three times, “wealth” three times, “beautiful” twice, “fairer” twice, “favour” twice, “glad” twice, and translated miscellaneously 35 times. 1 good, pleasant, agreeable. 1A pleasant, agreeable (to the senses). 1B pleasant (to the higher nature). 1C good, excellent (of its kind). 1D good, rich, valuable in estimation. 1E good, appropriate, becoming. 1F better (comparative). 1G glad, happy, prosperous (of man’s sensuous nature). 1H good understanding (of man’s intellectual nature). 1I good, kind, benign. 1J good, right (ethical). 2 a good thing, benefit, welfare. 2A welfare, prosperity, happiness. 2B good things (collective). 2C good, benefit. 2D moral good. 3 welfare, benefit, good things. 3A welfare, prosperity, happiness. 3B good things (collective). 3C bounty. James Strong, Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2001).
DEVOTION: Worship takes on many forms and often is reflected in our music and selection of songs. It may be a musical composition with an orchestra or simple choruses with the guitar yet the intent is the same. To give thanks and to declare the attributes and qualities of the Lord that He has revealed. The psalmist desires to do this as he exclaims his worship before the Lord! It may be in praises or in the declaration of His loving kindness and faithfulness. All this is done to express his awareness of God’s work! Are you giving thanks and singing praises as you recognize God’s powerful presence around you?
CHALLENGE: Maybe you cannot sing very well, but the psalmist gives you another option and that is to declare yourself; maybe you cannot speak and even yet the Lord challenges us to use an instrument to declare the work of the Lord in your life! Take a moment and give thanks in song, word or through an instrument. It is good!
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 4 For YOU, LORD, have made me glad through YOUR work: I will triumph in the works of YOUR hands. (7442 “triumph” [ranan] means sing aloud, shout, to give a ringing cry, to call loudly, to produce a song with the voice as a response of joy, or to emit a tremulous and stridulously sound.
DEVOTION: Victory is what every believer wants over the works of the world, flesh and devil. There are so many areas of temptation that beat against us each day. We know that the only way we can win a victory is with the help of the LORD.
Here we have a saint telling the LORD the he is glad because the LORD has given him a victory over the temptation of the world, the flesh and the devil. He is so glad that he feels that he has won a victory in the war against sin in his life.
God is working in everyone who has chosen to follow Jesus today. HE wants us to have victories on a regular basis over the world the flesh and the devil. It is not easy but with HIS help we can do it on a daily basis.
We need to sing praises to him like this individual because of the victory HE has given us. There were times while I was at Buffalo Bible Institute where I would be singing as I was walking to the dining hall or other places.
On one of these occasions someone asked me what I had to sing about. I told him that the LORD had given me a victory but all his response was he didn’t like me singing. He was someone who was serious all the time and a smile would have hurt his face.
God wants us to celebrate every victory we have with HIS help. We need to be singing, praying and praising over each victory we have in this world.
Our enemy is real and he doesn’t want us singing at all. He wants us to be mourning and groining all the time. That is not what the Christian life should look like.
CHALLENGE: Remember to praise the LORD over every victory and tell others about your victories. Share HIS blessings.
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: 6 A brutish man knows not’ neither does a fool understand this. (1198 “bruttish” [ba’ar] means foolish, stupidity, lacking sense or understanding or judgment, senselessness, or to lack understanding, implying arrogance or stubbornness.)
DEVOTION: There are people who will never seem to get what we have in our life with Christ. They will always think that we are weird. They will think that we have something wrong in the head to trust in the LORD and watch HIM work in our life.
We can try to tell him about the LORD but it just goes over his/her head. No matter how we explain it, it will always sound foolish to them and they will just use it as something to put us down in front of others.
We need to understand that there are people who will never want to become a follower of Jesus Christ because they think that we are fools for even thinking the way we think and acting the way we act.
This was true in the Old Testament times and it is true today. We are supposed to witness to all those that we meet to help them understand that there is a life after death and if they don’t know the LORD they will spend it hell for eternity.
Many of the people we witness to will just say that they will have fun with their friends in hell but the Bible teaches that it will not be a time of fun. It is sad that some people just don’t want to hear the message of salvation and would rather continue on the path they are headed without really realizing what is going to happen in the end.
CHALLENGE: We can’t stop witnessing to them even if they make fun of us and think what we are saying is foolishness.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 10 But my horn shall thou exalt like the horn of an unicorn: I shall be anointed with fresh oil. (7488 “fresh” [ra‘anan] means to be green, verdant, new, prosperous, or flourishing.)
DEVOTION: Kings and priest and prophets were anointed with oil for service to the LORD. The psalmist is telling us that he will be anointed with a new oil that will cause him to flourish and have strength to serve (horn).
One of our services to the LORD is to worship HIM. The Psalmist is worshiping the LORD in the morning and evening. He is presenting to the world the loving-kindness of the LORD and HIS faithfulness. He is glad that he can worship the LORD on musical instruments. He praises the LORD for HIS wonderful works.
He is also concerned about those who are wicked. They are the enemies of the LORD. They have no understanding of how God works because they are spiritually ignorant. He even calls the enemies of the LORD a fool.
This same Hebrew word is used in verse fourteen to talk of a person in old age that shall bring forth fruit and be fat. It is not the fat of weight but the fat of fruit in a person’s life. The Holy Spirit is the one who causes us to manifest the fruit of the Spirit in our lives.
This verse seems to be saying that the psalmist wants a new anointing of the Holy Spirit on his life for service, so that, he can bring forth fruit in his old age.
Are we asking for a life that is flourishing in our service to the LORD? It will make us a THANKFUL person. This thankful person is going to tell others about the wonder works of the LORD. He is going to tell others about the loving-kindness the LORD shows to HIS people. He is going to praise the LORD on a regular basis.
Once we have the anointing of the LORD we are to flourish in our witness for HIM. We will have a restoration of vitality. We can watch what the LORD does to our enemies because they are HIS enemies too. How “new” are we???
Like the Psalmist do we have a deep desire to have fresh oil from the LORD? Some people haven’t received a new message from the LORD in a long time. We can’t receive our fresh oil from someone else – it has to come from the LORD.
CHALLENGE: We can listen to others but then take what they say before the LORD to confirm their message is from HIM!!!
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: 15 To show that the LORD is upright: HE is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in HIM. (5766 “unrighteousness” [‘evel] means iniquity, wickedness, unjust, badness, malice, injustice, wrong, or perversity.
DEVOTION: The lives of those who are true believers in the LORD show that HE has been faithful to them. They give a testimony to the grace and mercy the LORD has shown them throughout their lives. They know that there are going to be troubles and trial all the days of their lives but that the LORD is by their side through them all.
Those who don’t know the LORD have to know that their times of prosperity will be short lived. They are looking for the here and now and those who are followers of the LORD are looking for the hereafter. It is a choice.
God has been faithful in all HIS dealing in my life and in the lives of those who are genuine followers of the LORD. HE has not kept us from all trials but has given us strength to face each trial HE allows in our lives for our good.
HE never leaves us alone during those trials HE allows in our lives. HE is always right in HIS actions. HE knows what is best for us. HE is one we can count on even when we don’t like what HE is allowing in our lives.
I was asked by a nurse in the cancer hospital what I thought of God allowing me to have cancer and I told her that I deserve the lake of fire for eternity and cancer was nothing compared to that. HE has been gracious to me throughout my life. HE has never been “not right” in what HE has allowed in my life. HE knows what it will take to cause me to grow closer to HIM.
CHALLENGE: What will it take to cause you to grow closer to HIM? Everything HE brings into each of our lives is for our good and our growth. The Psalmist accepted this truth and we need to accept it as well.
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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)
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)
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
Sing praises verse 1
Instruments verse 3
Ten strings, psaltery, harp
Anointed with fresh oil verse 10
House of the LORD verse 13
Courts of our God verse 13
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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, 5, 8, 9,
13, 15
Name of the LORD deserves praise verse 1
Most High verse 1, 8
Loving-kindness verse 2
Faithfulness verse 2
Great works verse 4, 5
Deep thoughts verse 5
House of the LORD verse 13
God – Elohim (Creator, Sovereign) verse 13
Courts of our God verse 13
Upright verse 15
Rock verse 15
No unrighteousness verse 15
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Anointed with fresh oil verse 10
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)
Brutish man verse 6
Fool verse 6
Wicked verse 7
Workers of iniquity verse 7, 9
Enemies verse 9, 11
Cedar in Lebanon verse 12
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Brutish man verse 6
Fool verse 6
Wicked verse 7, 11
Workers of Iniquity verse 7, 9
Unrighteousness verse 15
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Thankful verse 1
Sing praises verse 1
Glad verse 4
Triumph verse 4
Exalted horn verse 10
Anointed with fresh oil verse 10
Righteous verse 12
Flourish verse 12- 14
Bring forth fruit verse 14
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Psalmist song for a sabbath day verse 1- 15
Good to give praise to the LORD
Show lovingkindness in the morning
Show faithfulness every night
Instrument of ten strings
Psaltery
Harp with solemn sound
Bring forth fruit in old age
shall be fat and flourishing
Horn of believer verse 10
House of the LORD verse 13
Courts of our God verse 13
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
Destroyed for ever verse 7
Enemies of God perish verse 9
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QUOTES regarding passage
This Song for the Sabbath is proof enough, if such were needed, that the Old Testament sabbath was a day not only for rest but for corporate worship (‘a holy convocation’, Lev. 23:3), and intended to be a delight rather than a burden. If it was at the same time a test of faith and loyalty against the pull of self-interest (‘When will the new moon be over … And the sabbath, that we may offer wheat for sale?’ Amos 8:5; cf. Isa. 58:13f.), the psalm’s picture of transient worldlings and, in contrast, of the godly who ever renew their strength, is doubly appropriate.
The hymn, ‘Sweet is the work, my God, my King’, by Isaac Watts, is a felicitous and illuminating paraphrase of this psalm.
5, 6. To look up, in true worship as in verses 1–4, is to be made not only ‘glad’ (4) but thoughtful, awed by the scale of God’s design (5). By contrast, to be blind to all this is to become ‘like the beasts that perish’ (49:10, 12, 20), which is the literal force of the word the dull man (6). It has nothing to do with mental capacity: only with the use of it. Cf. Samuel Johnson on those who ask no more of life than to be carefree: ‘It is sad stuff; it is brutish. If a bull could speak, he might as well exclaim,—Here am I with this cow and this grass; what being can enjoy better felicity?’
10. Fresh oil, in such a context, speaks eloquently of a renewed anointing (cf. av, rv, neb), or consecration, to serve God. There may be the additional thought of preparing a ‘living sacrifice’, since the verb is used elsewhere not for anointing but for moistening the meal-offering with oil before presenting it at the altar (Exod. 29:40, et al.). In some Christian circles this phrase from the psalm still enriches the prayers offered for ministers and preachers.
12, 13. Flourish, in both verses, is the same verb as ‘sprout’ in verse 7, making a telling contrast to it which is intensified by the further details of the picture. The palm tree is the embodiment of graceful erectness; the cedar, of strength and majesty. Their natural dignity and stability are enhanced here by the honoured place they are pictured as occupying and the protection they accordingly enjoy (cf. 52:8). Setting metaphor aside, the connection between the house of the Lord and the flourishing of the righteous is explained in the promise of Isaiah 40:31 (av): ‘They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength …’
15. The final verse returns us to the keynote of the psalm, which is not the contemplation of our prospects but the praise of God. The opening verses called us to declare this (2) with our lips; the conclusion, with our lives. To show (or ‘declare’) that the Lord is upright is the crowning phrase to which verses 12–14 lead up; i.e. that by our vitality we may not only sing but ‘be’ (in terms of Eph. 1:12, av) ‘to the praise of his glory’.
(Kidner, D. (1975). Psalms 73–150: An Introduction and Commentary (Vol. 16, p. 366). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.)
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11 God’s justice in life is one aspect of the hope of the godly. The psalmist confesses his joy in knowing and in having witnessed God’s justice by the downfall of the wicked (cf. 54:7; 112:8; 118:7; 119:84). Another aspect of hope is the ultimate and complete cessation of evil. This hope finds expression in the final exclamation: “there is no wickedness in him” (v. 15). Evil and God cannot coexist. Therefore this verse has also been rendered in the future tense. Even in the affirmation of God’s past acts lies hope for a greater future! (See the appendix to Ps 1: The Ways of Wisdom and Folly.)
15 The psalm comes to a close by summarizing the major motif and by returning to the beginning. As we have observed in v. 2, the phrase “proclaiming” is identical in form to “to proclaim” in the MT. The godly “proclaim” in hymns of praise and thanksgiving the mighty deeds of the Lord. His deeds reflect his “upright” character, as the wicked are abased and the righteous are exalted. Therefore they exclaim that he is their “Rock” (cf. 28:1; 42:9; 62:2; Deut 32:4), on whom they rely for sustenance and stability. He does not disappoint his children, because, unlike man, there is no “wickedness” in him (cf. 119:3; Zeph 3:5). He alone is reliable!
(VanGemeren, W. A. (1991). Psalms. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs (Vol. 5, p. 606). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
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Ver. 15.—To show that the Lord is upright. The happy and flourishing old age of the righteous (ver. 14; comp. Ps. 91:16) is a strong indication of God’s faithfulness and truth, showing, as its does, that he keeps his promises, and never forsakes those that put their trust in him (comp. Pss. 27:10; 37:25; Isa. 41:17, etc.). He is my Rock—rather, that he is my Rock—and that there is no unrighteousness in him. Both clauses depend on the “show” of the preceding hemistich. (Spence-Jones, H. D. M. (Ed.). (1909). Psalms (Vol. 2, p. 283). London; New York: Funk & Wagnalls Company)
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92:12–15. The wicked may flourish but like grass their prosperity is short- lived (v. 7). On the other hand the righteous will flourish like … palm trees and cedars of Lebanon. These trees picture fruitfulness and vitality (v. 14) under God’s good hand (cf. 1:3). Those who are so blessed will proclaim the righteousness of the Lord, their Rock (cf. comments on 18:2). (Ross, A. P. (1985). Psalms. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 861). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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15 Proclaiming, more forcibly ‘bent on proclaiming’: increasing years should bring increasing spiritual determination. Wickedness, deviation from the norm, the negative counterpart of upright, ‘straight’. Rock, a metaphor deriving from Exodus 17:1–7. (Carson, D. A., France, R. T., Motyer, J. A., & Wenham, G. J. (Eds.). (1994). New Bible commentary: 21st century edition (4th ed., p. 547). Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press.)
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92:1–15 This psalm expresses the exuberance of the psalmist as he recognizes that God is merciful in salvation, great in His works of creation, just in His dealings with the wicked, and faithful in prospering His children. (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Ps 92:1–15). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.)
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15. To declare, &c. Thus in the end God’s righteous government of the world will be manifested. The flourishing of the workers of iniquity has been but for a moment (ver. 7, 9, 11); the joy and prosperity of the righteous is for ever. This is the signal proof of God’s righteousness: this is the justification of the Psalmist’s confidence resting ever on that unshaken “Rock.” (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. 181). London; Cambridge: Deighton Bell and Co.; George Bell and Sons.)
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15. To shew that the Lord is upright. That is, This will be a proof that God is faithful to his promises; that he is the true friend of his people. The fact that they live long,—that they are happy and useful even in old age, will be a demonstration that God is the friend of virtue, and that he deals with men according to their character.
He is my rock. He is my defence; that which constitutes my security. See Notes on Ps. 18:2. This is language of strong confidence in view of all that is said in the psalm.
And there is no unrighteousness in him. This is said in the most absolute form,—implying the most entire confidence. God is altogether to be trusted. There is no evil or wrong in his character or in his dealings. In all respects he is worthy of confidence:—worthy to be loved, trusted, adored, obeyed, by the inhabitants of all worlds. What a sublime thought is this! What a consolatory truth! What would the universe be if God, a Being of infinite power, were not a Being of perfect righteousness, and could not be trusted by the creatures which he has made! (Barnes, A. (1870–1872). Notes on the Old Testament: Psalms (Vol. 3, p. 25). London: Blackie & Son.)
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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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Christians have long struggled to understand the various ways the Bible, especially the New Testament, talks about “the world.” In John 16:33, for example, Jesus tells His disciples that “in this world (they) will have trouble,” but to “be of good cheer” because He has “overcome the world.” The Greek word here for “world” is “kosmos,” often used by New Testament writers to present the world as an enemy of God and God’s people, alongside the flesh and the Devil.
However, in His famous conversation with Nicodemus (recorded a few chapters earlier), Jesus says that “God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son” to save it. The same word is used here, “kosmos.”
Understanding God’s posture to His created world was a central part of the thought and work of a 20th-century theologian whom every Christian should know. Herman Bavinck, who died a century ago, was a Dutch Reformed theologian and statesman who served alongside the more famous Abraham Kuyper. Theologian and Colson Center board member Jennifer Marshall Patterson recently wrote about Bavinck’s work in a WORLD Opinions column. As she explained, God’s love for His creation and His plans in Christ to restore it, rather than replace it, was central to Bavinck’s theology. It also makes a world of difference within a Christian worldview.
Bavinck lived and wrote amid a rapidly shifting cultural landscape. So, in many ways, his time resembled our own. Through his work, he sought to help Christians develop a robust “world-and-life view,” one not only big enough to handle the vast changes of the emerging modern world but which would enable God’s people to join His work in restoring all that’s marred and misdirected by sin.
Bavinck was especially fond of the oft-used biblical metaphor of leaven. According to Patterson, he saw the Christian worldview as an “activating agent that enables everything to expand to the fullness of its created potential.” Jesus likened the Kingdom of God to leaven, which works through the dough, turning it into bread. In other words, leaven works according to the nature of the dough, not against it. In the same way, Christ works to redeem God’s creation, a creation He declared to be “very good,” though now marred by the Fall of humanity. Simply put, the Gospel does not work against creation but according to God’s intent for it.
At the same time, Bavinck never downplays the damage of the Fall. He describes it as a brokenness manifested in our four most fundamental relationships, relationships we were created with by God: our relationship with God, our relationship with self, our relationship with others, and our relationship with the created order. As Patterson put it, “Sin fractured each of these relationships. God’s grace operates to restore them. In our context today, the challenges that individuals and communities face—from divorce to opioid addiction to suicide—have to do with brokenness in one or more of these relationships.”
Among Bavinck’s most import and powerful insights is that instead of seeing the full scope of these relationships as largely irrelevant, as many Christians do, we are called to announce Christ’s redemptive work for each of them. Even further, we are to advance this redemptive work in any way we can. This is what real “human flourishing” looks like. (Break Point)
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August 9th Prayer in the Father’s hearing
Father, I thank Thee that thou hast heard Me. John 11:41.
When the Son of God prays, He has only one consciousness, and that consciousness is of His Father. God always hears the prayers of His Son, and if the Son of God is formed in me the Father will always hear my prayers. I have to see that the Son of God is manifested in my mortal flesh. “Your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost,” the ‘Bethlehem’ of the Son of God. Is the Son of God getting His chance in me? Is the direct simplicity of the life of God’s Son being worked out exactly as it was worked out in His historic life? When I come in contact with the occurrences of life as an ordinary human being, is the prayer of God’s Eternal Son to His Father being prayed in me? “In that day ye shall ask in My name.…” What day? The day when the Holy Ghost has come to me and made me effectually one with my Lord.
Is the Lord Jesus Christ being abundantly satisfied in your life or have you got a spiritual ‘strut’ on? Never let common sense obtrude and push the Son of God on one side. Common sense is a gift which God gave to human nature; but common sense is not the gift of His Son. Supernatural sense is the gift of His Son; never enthrone common sense. The Son detects the Father; common sense never yet detected the Father and never will. Our ordinary wits never worship God unless they are transfigured by the indwelling Son of God. We have to see that this mortal flesh is kept in perfect subjection to Him and that He works through it moment by moment. Are we living in such human dependence upon Jesus Christ that His life is being “manifested in our mortal flesh”? (Chambers, O. (1986). My utmost for his highest: Selections for the year. Grand Rapids, MI: Oswald Chambers Publications; Marshall Pickering.)
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Genesis 21
Abraham and Sarah rejoice in the birth of the son of promise.
INSIGHT
Perhaps we do not celebrate enough — often enough or grandly enough. Perhaps we do not make enough out of the good things God does for us.
Abraham made a great feast on the day Isaac was weaned. Certainly that was a cultural event.
It would seem odd to celebrate the same event today. Yet there are other things we could celebrate within our culture, but we don’t.
When was the last time you made a big deal out of something important? Perhaps a high school or college graduation. A successful music recital. Climbing a mountain, or running a marathon.
God has created us with emotions that make life a richer experience for us. Perhaps we should celebrate more — in both quantity and quality. (Quiet Walk)
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THE HOUSE OF CORNELIUS
And as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning.
Acts 11:15
You can say that the Day of Pentecost was the day of public inauguration of the Church as the Body of Christ. There was something new there that had never been before. There is a sense in which you can speak of the Church in the Old Testament, yes, but it is not the same as the Church was subsequent to the Day of Pentecost.
Look at what happened in the house of Cornelius. Peter, of course, as a Jew would obviously have found it very difficult to believe that Gentiles could really come into this unity. That was why the vision was given to him as he was there on the top of the house. As he was praying he saw a great sheet coming down with clean and unclean animals and birds upon it, and he heard God’s voice telling him to kill and eat. God said, “What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common” (Acts 10:15).
But is there not a further suggestion that even that vision was not enough? Certainly it was enough to take Peter to the house of Cornelius and to preach as he did. But even while Peter was preaching, the Holy Spirit descended upon Cornelius and his household. And Peter and the Jews were amazed at this. They could not quite understand it, but they had to face the facts as they heard these other people speak with tongues and magnify God. “They of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 10:45).
The thing that Peter later emphasized was that while he was speaking, the Holy Spirit descended upon them: “And as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning” (Acts 11:15). Now you see what was happening. God was declaring that the Church was to consist of Jews and Gentiles.
A Thought to Ponder
God was declaring that the Church was to consist of Jews and Gentiles.
(From God the Holy Spirit, pp. 36-37, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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Abram’s Obedience Test
“And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God….And he gave him tithes of all.” (Genesis 14:18, 20)
This is one of the more curious passages of the Old Testament. Abram had rescued his nephew Lot, along with the people of Sodom and Gomorrah, after a fierce running battle with a five-king federation led by Chedorlaomer, the king of Elam (Genesis 14:1-17).
As Abram returned victorious from the battle, he was met by Melchizedek, the king of Salem, who seems either to represent or actually be the pre-incarnate Person of Jesus Christ (Hebrews 7:1-3). Melchizedek greeted Abram with words of victory and praise, to which Abram responded with a no-nonsense declaration of his service to the “most high God” (Genesis 14:22-24).
The king of Sodom offered to let Abram take the spoils of war. The custom was (and is) well established that the victor was due all the value of the conquered land. Abram’s response was most gracious. Not only would he take nothing for himself other than what was due his servants and confederates, but he would return everything outside of the tithe to the original owners. “Now consider how great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils” (Hebrews 7:4).
It is here that tithing is established in Scripture, long before the Mosaic law. The event is so incidental that it seems the custom had already been in practice for some time. Whatever the case, Abram offers “tithes of all” to Melchizedek without a second thought. Centuries later, the Lord Jesus told the Pharisees that they ought to pay their tithes “and not to leave the [weightier matters] undone” (Matthew 23:23). It is interesting how much the tithing practice is still debated among God’s children.
(HMM III, The Institute for Creation Research)
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“The city hath no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it.” —Revelation 21:23
Yonder in the better world, the inhabitants are independent of all creature comforts. They have no need of raiment; their white robes never wear out, neither shall they ever be defiled. They need no medicine to heal diseases, “for the inhabitant shall not say, I am sick.” They need no sleep to recruit their frames—they rest not day nor night, but unweariedly praise him in his temple. They need no social relationship to minister comfort, and whatever happiness they may derive from association with their fellows is not essential to their bliss, for their Lord’s society is enough for their largest desires. They need no teachers there; they doubtless commune with one another concerning the things of God, but they do not require this by way of instruction; they shall all be taught of the Lord. Ours are the alms at the king’s gate, but they feast at the table itself. Here we lean upon the friendly arm, but there they lean upon their Beloved and upon him alone. Here we must have the help of our companions, but there they find all they want in Christ Jesus. Here we look to the meat which perisheth, and to the raiment which decays before the moth, but there they find everything in God. We use the bucket to fetch us water from the well, but there they drink from the fountain head, and put their lips down to the living water. Here the angels bring us blessings, but we shall want no messengers from heaven then. They shall need no Gabriels there to bring their love-notes from God, for there they shall see him face to face. Oh! what a blessed time shall that be when we shall have mounted above every second cause and shall rest upon the bare arm of God! What a glorious hour when God, and not his creatures; the Lord, and not his works, shall be our daily joy! Our souls shall then have attained the perfection of bliss. (Spurgeon, C. H. (1896). Morning and evening: Daily readings. London: Passmore & Alabaster.)
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You’d think incredibly harsh laws designed to protect the planet would—you know—protect the planet. But that’s not typically the case.
Sometimes, caring for the environment requires making important sacrifices. Far more often, however, the calls to action we’re told will save the planet spawn needlessly inconvenient laws with little if any benefit. That’s the case with this new campaign to ban plastic straws.
Last month, Santa Barbara made national news and invited not a little bit of ridicule by passing an ordinance which could send restaurant employees to jail for up to six months for giving out plastic straws.
Seattle has also sipped this environmental Kool-Aid, imposing a $250 fine on straw-distributing outlaws. Not to be outdone, San Francisco’s city council voted unanimously to adopt a similar ban. Other efforts to criminalize plastic straws are underway in New York City, Portland, and Washington, D.C.
Now, even if we think the penalties are ridiculous, a case can be made for serious steps that would stop an environmental crisis. That case cannot be made here, however.
Among the problems with the modern environmental movement is it majoring in the minors. Environmental activists and legislators obsess over trivial life choices that have little real impact on the earth, but which give the appearance of eco-friendliness. Choices like the type of car you drive, the shoes you wear, the coffee you drink most often represent “virtue-signaling,” the tendency to value appearance over action.
And make no mistake, bans on straws with fines that are fit for grand theft are the epitome of appearance over action. As Katherine Timpf at National Review points out, straws represent just 0.02 percent, or 1/5000th of the total plastic waste entering the world’s oceans. When you consider the fact that the U.S. is responsible for only one percent of that total, the idea that a San Francisco Starbucks is going to sell the straw that breaks the planet’s back is laughable.
The environmental movement’s new war on straws is just part of its misguided war on all things plastic. I call it misguided because this war is being waged in all the wrong countries. As a study by the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research found last year, ninety percent of the plastic polluting our world’s oceans comes from just ten rivers, and all of those are located in Asia and Africa.
And, as Susan Freinkel wrote several years ago in the New York Times, plastic doesn’t have to be a pollutant. This marvelous substance was originally “hailed for its potential to reduce mankind’s heavy environmental footprint,” replacing commodities like paper, which exact a high toll on nature. (Remember the “paper or plastic” decision at the grocery store).
Our true problem, Freinkel suggests, is not plastic, but a culture with throwaway habits. We love to use products once and then toss them in the trash, on the ground, or into rivers and oceans. Changing public behavior and reducing the amount of plastic we throw away would go a lot further toward saving the environment than aggressive bans on one very tiny, inconsequential piece of plastic.
Christians ought to take environmental problems seriously. And that should mean looking for solutions that are effective. Our top environmental priority should be stewardship, not signaling. God entrusted this world to us—we should keep it beautiful and healthy.
Modern environmentalism, with its commitment to regulate almost every detail of our lives for very little ecological benefit isn’t achieving that goal. Still, the folks in Santa Barbara and elsewhere are just going to have to suck it up and deal with life without straws.
Please come to BreakPoint.org/free and download this month’s free resource: a chapter from pro-life advocate Stephanie Gray’s book, “Love Unleashes Life.” It’s our featured BreakPoint resource for August.
BreakPoint is a Christian worldview ministry that seeks to build and resource a movement of Christians committed to living and defending Christian worldview in all areas of life. Begun by Chuck Colson in 1991 as a daily radio broadcast, BreakPoint provides a Christian perspective on today’s news and trends via radio, interactive media, and print. Today BreakPoint commentaries, co-hosted by Eric Metaxas and John Stonestreet, air daily on more than 1,200 outlets with an estimated weekly listening audience of eight million people. Feel free to contact us at BreakPoint.org where you can read and search answers to common questions.
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Walking in Truth
“I rejoiced greatly that I found of thy children walking in truth, as we have received a commandment from the Father.” (2 John 1:4)
This beautiful metaphor, “walking in truth,” is found only in the two one-chapter epistles of John—here in our text, and in 3 John 1:3 and 4. This principle should indeed characterize our daily lives, since our Lord and Savior is Himself “the truth” (John 14:6), the Word of God that we believe is “truth” (John 17:17), and the Holy Spirit who indwells our bodies is the very “Spirit of truth” (John 15:26).
The New Testament also uses other characteristics of the Christian life under this figure of walking. When a person is born again through faith in Christ and testifies of this by following the Lord in baptism, he or she is said to be raised to “walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4).
Then, since the Holy Spirit has come to indwell our bodies, to comfort, guide, and constrain us as needed, we are exhorted to “walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16). Furthermore, we are commanded to “walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us” (Ephesians 5:2). This is not erotic love, of course, or even brotherly love, but unselfish agape love that sacrifices its own interests for the needs of others.
There are still more such exhortations. “Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time” (Colossians 4:5). Furthermore, we are to “walk in the light, as he is in the light” (1 John 1:7).
All of these and other similar admonitions can be summarized as simply following the example of Christ. “He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked” (1 John 2:6). “He that followeth me,” said Jesus our Lord, “shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life” (John 8:12). (HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)
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Quote: Maybe IF we start telling people the BRAIN is an APP, they’ll start using it!!
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