majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him in Psalm 114:1-8,
1 When Israel came out of Egypt,
the house of Jacob from a people of foreign tongue,
2 Judah became God's sanctuary,
Israel his dominion.
3 The sea looked and fled,
the Jordan turned back;
4 the mountains skipped like rams,
the hills like lambs.
5 Why was it, O sea, that you fled,
O Jordan, that you turned back,
6 you mountains, that you skipped like rams,
you hills, like lambs?
7 Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord,
at the presence of the God of Jacob,
8 who turned the rock into a pool,
the hard rock into springs of water.
I have included the entire psalm here as it speaks to me of an amazing
reality. The Creator steps into his creation and selects a people for
himself. The psalmist points to the creation's trembling when the Lord
led his people out of bondage to make them a nation he would inhabit.
"Judah became God's sanctuary, Israel his dominion." The Lord had
already chosen Abraham, the man of faith, and his offspring for
himself, but when he led them out of Egypt, he set the stage for
Israel's establishment as a nation. Right here on planet earth in the
midst of Satan's territory.
Why should the creation tremble before God as he establishes the
nation of Israel? Israel becomes the camp of God and all who are
outside the camp remain in an estranged relationship with him.
Unfortunately for Israel, she will demonstrate that sin within the
heart of any people will destroy the best of opportunities for any
people (as Israel's history will show). Ultimately, it will be the
spiritual offspring of Abraham that will become God's camp (read
Romans 9).
We are told in Scripture that Satan is the ruler of this world. The
world and all who belong to it are in rebellion against God and
estranged from him. The creation exists in a lost and fallen state
outside of the camp of God. For creation to witness those who become
members of God's kingdom is a frightening thing. As some enter in, the
others remain outside. It is a reminder for them that the day of the
Lord is coming and the world and all its people will suffer God's
terrible wrath and anger.
For me, this is a time when I see the world trembling outside the camp
of God. It is manifested in the opposition seen so often today of any
vestige or reminder of God. No God in the schools, no God in the pubic
square, God must be expunged from all things political. The religious
history and heritage of our nation must be scrubbed of any remembrance
of God. Some call it a culture war. Some call it a shift from free
market capitalism and democracy to fascist socialism. I call it for
what I see it, the very same thing the psalmist of Psalm 114 saw. The
world is trembling at the presence of God and attempting to shield
itself from any reminder that he is here within the creation as he
inhabits his people, the church. The world shudders at the thought
that the Lord is headed our way like an unstoppable freight train
rolling down the tracks...
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd
love to hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
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