Got Love, Faithfulness, Righteousness and Peace? - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Psalm 85:10-13,

"Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other. Faithfulness springs forth from the earth, and righteousness looks down from heaven. The Lord will indeed give what is good, and our land will yield its harvest. Righteousness goes before him and prepares the way for his steps."

This psalm recalls God's goodness to Israel. Now, however, the nation is withering under God's discipline and the plea is made "Restore us again, God our Savior, and put away your displeasure toward us. Will you be angry with us forever? Will you prolong your anger through all generations? Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you? Show us your unfailing love, Lord, and grant us your salvation."

Within this plea is the recognition of those good things associated with the Lord, good things the nation turned her back on in their infidelity toward God: love, faithfulness, righteousness and peace.

I am struck with the contrary things that mark our culture today. What is recalled by the "Sons of Korah" are the very things missing in the public square today, whether it be in the halls of congress, academia, the media, the courts, just simply everywhere.

The best things in life are only found in the sphere of God's presence and activity. We might find this appeal to God to be as appropriate for us today as it was in the day it was penned.

How would you like to live in an atmosphere where  love, faithfulness, righteousness and peace abounded? I know I would. We simply don't get these things without embracing God - just the opposite.

A blog with my ruminations over the years can be found here: http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Joy in Justice, Joy in Redemption - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Psalm 83:1-2,

"O God, do not remain silent; do not turn a deaf ear, do not stand aloof, O God. See how your enemies growl, how your foes rear their heads."

Asaph calls out to God for justice against Israel's enemies. He calls the enemies of Israel God's own enemies in that Israel was God's chosen people. Although God used other nations to get the attention of wayward Israel, Asaph now calls for God to bring his vengeance against them. "May they ever be ashamed and dismayed; may they perish in disgrace. Let them know that you, whose name is the Lord— that you alone are the Most High over all the earth." Verses 17-18.

Certainly Asaph felt Israel's treatment at the hands of her enemies warranted a response from God. Asaph was looking for some justice.- a righting of the wrongs perpetrated by Israel's enemies. It appears to me that all mankind feels a deep need to see justice done, a righting of the wrongs. While this world is filled with culprits, there always exists a felt need for justice.

Perhaps this is why we are told so often in the Scriptures that people rejoice when God comes to bring his justice:

Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;
    let the sea resound, and all that is in it.
Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them;
    let all the trees of the forest sing for joy.
Let all creation rejoice before the Lord, for he comes,
    he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness
    and the peoples in his faithfulness. Psalm 96:11-13

On the other hand, a sinner like me faced the justice of God and that is a horrifying prospect. How thankful I am for Jesus Christ who took my punishment on himself on that cross. God's justice for my sin was laid upon him and now I stand forgiven with the same righteousness as Jesus Christ himself! He has redeemed me from God's justice! All this for simply embracing him in faith.

A blog with my ruminations over the years can be found here: http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.

Cursing in the Scriptures - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Psalm 83:13-17,

"Make them like tumbleweed, my God, like chaff before the wind. As fire consumes the forest or a flame sets the mountains ablaze, so pursue them with your tempest and terrify them with your storm. Cover their faces with shame, Lord, so that they will seek your name. May they ever be shamed and dismayed; may they perish in disgrace."

Psalm 83, attributed to Asaph, is one of many of the psalms that can be categorized as 'imprecatory." An imprecation is a curse and here we see Asaph calling for a curse on the enemies of Israel. Edom, Ishmaelites, Moabites, Hagrites, Byblos, Ammon, Amalek Philistia, Tyre and Assyria are all mentioned by name in this psalm. Verses 6-8.

Asaph quotes them as saying, "Come... let us destroy them as a nation, so that Israel's name is remembered no more." Verse 4. Because of Asaph's view that Israel is the nation of God's people, Asaph calls the enemies of Israel, God's enemies, "See how your enemies growl, how your foes rear their heads. With cunning they conspire against your people; they plot against those you cherish." Verses 2-3. While they very well may be God's enemies, God is using them to chastise his own people due to Israel's infidelity against God through their idol worship.

As I read this, however, I am reminded of Paul's admonition to the Roman church, "Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse." Romans 12:14. On the other hand we see Paul cursing those who attempted to destroy the fledgling new church in Galatia, "But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God's curse! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God's curse!" Galatians 1:8-9.

Jesus taught, "But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you." Matthew 6:27-28.

My take-away on all this is that I best understand what it is I am doing in living out what I find in the Scriptures. Blindly following what I see done in the Scriptures is not always appropriate - I need to understand the circumstances and the intention God has purposed for the various passages of the Scriptures. Good questions to ask ourselves when we read our Bibles are, "What exactly is it the Lord wants me to learn from this passage? How should this order my life?"

 

A blog with my ruminations over the years can be found here: http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.

Our Intolerant God - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Psalm 82:8,

"Rise up, O God, judge the earth, for all the nations are your inheritance."

God is not just the God of Jews and Christians. He is every person's God. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is the God of all people for all time everywhere. There is no other "god". All other "gods" are the fictions, the imaginations of people's minds.

If this statement sounds intolerant, exclusionary and non-inclusive, that is because it is. Consider what Jesus said to Nicodemus, "Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again." John 3:3. Later in that gospel he says, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6.

In that there is no other "god", except the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, then all that we see in life is a part of his creation. A big part of that is that all nations on earth have always belonged to him and he does with them as he sees fit. And, when he brings this age to a close, all nations "are your inheritance."

We read in Isaiah 45:22-24, "'Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other. By myself I have sworn, my mouth has uttered in all integrity a word that will not be revoked: Before me every knee will bow; by me every tongue will swear. They will say of me, 'In the Lord alone are deliverance and strength.' All who have raged against him will come to him and be put to shame."

A blog with my ruminations over the years can be found here: http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.  

Celebration! - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Psalm 81:1-5,

"Sing for joy to God our strength; shout aloud to the God of Jacob! Begin the music, strike the timbrel, play the melodious harp and lyre. Sound the ram's horn at the New Moon, and when the moon is full, on the day of our festival; this is a decree for Israel, an ordinance of the God of Jacob. When God went out against Egypt, he established it as a statute for Joseph. "

This psalm recalls the wonderful things the Lord had done for Israel and his command they recognize him for it as their God. Yet Israel failed to do so and in verses 11-12 we read, "But my people would not listen to me; Israel would not submit to me. So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts to follow their own devices. If my people would only listen to me, if Israel would only follow my ways, how quickly I would subdue their enemies and turn my hand against their foes!"

Yet, the psalm begins with a call for celebration. Celebration with singing, with shouting, with the playing of music and the call to do so with the ram's horn. Celebration! In spite of Israel's rejection of God they had plenty to celebrate. Paul mentions the wonderful things the Lord had set Israel apart for, "Theirs is the adoption to sonship; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen." Romans 9:4-5.

We, likewise, have plenty to celebrate God for. Peter tells us, "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this you greatly rejoice..." 1 Peter 1:3-6a.

Celebrate the Lord today!!

A blog with my ruminations over the years can be found here: http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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On Being Given Over By God - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Psalm 81:11-12,

"But my people would not listen to me; Israel would not submit to me. So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts to follow their own devices."

Here is a frightful judgment: God giving people "over to their stubborn hearts to follow their own devices." In this case it is the people of Israel who had a proclivity to turn from their God to the fake religion of idol worship.

God had commanded the nation, "Hear me, my people, and I will warn you— if you would only listen to me, Israel! You shall have no foreign god among you; you shall not worship any god other than me." Verses 8-9. This, however, was something the nation could not seem to keep from.

God required the nation of Israel to worship only him, something he wanted in place prior to sending his Son to the nation. I suspect one of the reasons may have been that when Jesus Christ revealed himself to the people of Israel at his first coming, God wanted the issue to be only about Jesus Christ and whether his people would embrace him in faith, thus taking away any excuse the nation might otherwise have (such as, "How could we be expected to embrace your Son since we don't even know you?"). However, that is merely conjecture on my part. I do believe God meets us all more than halfway in many ways  and takes all away all our excuses for judgment day. One example of this is found in Matthew 25:41-45 when the Lord took away the excuses of the "goats" (those who failed to embrace him in faith) on his left in his judgment of them.

In any event, I shudder to think of being among those who are given "over to their stubborn hearts to follow their own devices." No hope, no future, nothing to look forward to except the misery of missing out on God's wonderful opportunity he holds out to all of us if we but embrace him in faith - "joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand." Psalm 16:11. All lost in exchange for a fiery lake of burning sulfur, Revelation 21:8.

A blog with my ruminations over the years can be found here: http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.  

Suddenly Destroyed - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Psalm 80:14a,

"Return to us, God Almighty!"

This plea of the nation of Israel through Asaph is remarkable. The tables have turned! Israel had repeatedly turned away from God to idols. As soon as they found themselves in hot water they would cry out to him and he would restore them. In the peace and prosperity they gained through the restoration of the nation they would turn from God all over again, only to repeat the cycle. We see this over and over again throughout Israel's history up to this current horrific difficulty they now faced. No longer is God asking the nation to return to him, they are asking him to return to them!

Israel was utterly destroyed, along with Jerusalem and the temple. All gone except for a small remnant that had been taken into captivity in Babylon. God finally broke the back of the nation, and now, the relatively few left of the nation was suffering intensely. God finally got their attention. Never again would they chase after the false idols of their neighbors as they did before.

I am reminded of Proverbs 29:1, "Whoever remains stiff-necked after many rebukes will suddenly be destroyed—without remedy." This is the state Israel had found herself in - destroyed.

Following a seventy year captivity in Babylon, God would eventually allow the captives to return to their homeland. As he prepared the world for the first coming of his Son, Jesus Christ, he re-planted the nation as a precursor for the context in which he wanted to present Jesus Christ to the world. All this was God's agenda that he masterfully carried out.

I am reminded myself on a personal level that the caution given us in Proverbs 29:1, and illustrated in Psalm 80: it never pays to "remain stiff-necked after many rebukes" when God is working in our lives.

A blog with my ruminations over the years can be found here: http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.  

Biding Our Time While God Makes His Adjustments Within Us - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Psalm 80:8-12,

"You transplanted a vine from Egypt; you drove out the nations and planted it. You cleared the ground for it, and it took root and filled the land. The mountains were covered with its shade, the mighty cedars with its branches. Its branches reached as far as the Sea, its shoots as far as the River. Why have you broken down its walls so that all who pass by pick its grapes?"

As the remnant of Israel languishes in her captivity in Babylon due to her rejection of God over the years, Asaph makes an observation. He notes it was the Lord himself who brought Israel to the promised land, drove out the previous occupants and planted the nation there. He goes on to note how the nation had flourished there as he describes it using the metaphor of a mighty cedar with its branches.

Since it was the Lord who brought Israel out of Egypt to transplant her in the promised land, Asaph pleads with the Lord to not allow the remnant of the nation to waste way in captivity. He asks the Lord to "restore us" and that the nation will not then turn from him as it had done earlier, but call on his name.

This is exactly what the Lord will accomplish with the nation. Following the captivity and some adjustment upon their return to the land, the nation would never again abandon the Lord. Not that the nation would no longer have its problems, but when Jesus Christ shows up several centuries later, Israel is found to have finally embraced God in such a way that Paul characterizes the unbelieving Jews of his day as "For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge." Romans 10:2.

Although as nation they failed to embrace Jesus Christ as her Messiah, they nevertheless were done with chasing after idols. Now, as Paul says, "I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in, and in this way all Israel will be saved. As it is written: 'The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob. And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins.'" Romans 11:25-27. Another painful opportunity for the Jews as the Lord shapes them into what he desires.

The message for me is that when God needs to make adjustments in our lives, he will do it very effectively and while we may find it difficult, and very difficult at times, we will need to bide our time while the Lord brings about what it is he desires to see within us.

A blog with my ruminations over the years can be found here: http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.  

A Yearning for the Lord's Wrath on the Wicked - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Psalm 79:6,

"Pour out your wrath on the nations that do not acknowledge you, on the kingdoms that do not call on your name..."

Here is a sentiment that I suspect is widespread and growing among the Lord's people today: to see the Lord exact his vengeance on those who harm others in their rebellion against God.

We live in a day that can best be described as David does in Psalm 12:7-8, ".... the wicked... freely strut about when what is vile is honored by the human race." In that psalm David observes that the Lord protects his people from the wicked who plunder and malign them. I'm quite certain that God's people that live in any age yearn for the Lord to pour out his wrath on those who harm others.

The gathering dark clouds of hatred and animosity that currently infect our culture today by those who insist on the right to take the lives of babies both unborn and now, born, (babies whose lives belong to the Lord) is bringing the occasion for this sentiment to grow strongly among those of us who are counted among God's people today.

Watch for it...

Perhaps Paul's admonition is important here (as he quotes Deuteronomy 32:35 and Proverbs 25:21-22), "Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: 'It is mine to avenge; I will repay,' says the Lord. On the contrary: 'If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.' Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." Romans 12:19-21.

A blog with my ruminations over the years can be found here: http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.

The Lord: Not to be Trifled With! - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Psalm 79:1-4,

"O God, the nations have invaded your inheritance; they have defiled your holy temple, they have reduced Jerusalem to rubble. They have left the dead bodies of your servants as food for the birds of the sky, the flesh of your own people for the animals of the wild. They have poured out blood like water all around Jerusalem, and there is no one to bury the dead. We are objects of contempt to our neighbors, of scorn and derision to those around us."

These were horrific times for the people of Israel. Not only had their nation been divided north and south with the northern 10 tribes wiped out, the remaining ones had been vanquished, with only a remnant carried off to Babylon after Jerusalem and the temple had been destroyed. Asaph's words here make clear just how desperate these remaining captive Jews were.

And, yet, it was the Lord who had brought all of this destruction on them. They had rejected God and pursued the worship of the idols of their neighbors. They now lived in the midst of God's judgment. "How long, Lord? Will you be angry forever? How long will your jealousy burn like fire?" Verse 5.

Having finally gotten their attention in a big way they now plead with the Lord, "Do not hold against us the sins of past generations; may your mercy come quickly to meet us, for we are in desperate need. Help us, God our Savior…" Verses 8-9a.

The Lord had determined to make some adjustments to the mindset of his people and he certainly was very effective at it. I am reminded of what he says in Isaiah 55:10-11, "As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it."

When the Lord decides to make some changes or accomplish whatever it is he desires, he certainly is overwhelmingly effective at it.

The Lord is not to be trifled with!

A blog with my ruminations over the years can be found here: http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.

The Eradication of Idol Worship in Israel - Ruminating in the Word of God

"The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Psalm 78:1-3,

"My people, hear my teaching; listen to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth with a parable; I will utter hidden things, things from of old—  things we have heard and known, things our ancestors have told us."

Two main themes appear to me in this "parable" of Asaph. The first is the acknowledgement of Israel's lack of faith in their God - despite the very many compelling things God had done for the nation that should have brought it. The second is God's fury over this very lack of faith in him as expressed in their idolatry.

Of the things that should have persuaded Israel's faith in God:

God divided the sea so Israel could escape Egypt's army during their exodus from their enslavement in Egypt, verse 13.
God led the nation with "cloud by day and with light from the fire all night", verse 14.
God split rocks in the wilderness to provide water for the nation as they made their way, verses 15-16.
God provided Israel with manna from heaven to eat, verses 23-24, and meat, verses 26-29.
God performed miracles in Egypt that brought them deliverance from their enslavement there, verses 42-53.
God brought Israel to the land he had given them, verse 54.
God drove out the existing nations living in the land God had given them, verse 55, and settled them there..

Despite all this the Israelites rebelled against God, they were "disloyal and faithless", verse 57. As a result God was furious with them, verses 21, 59 and 62. The expression of Israel's rejection of God was their pursuit of idols and their worship of them, "They angered him with their high places; they aroused his jealousy with their idols. When God heard them, he was furious; he rejected Israel completely", verses 58-59.

This psalm very well expresses Israel's history with God from the time of their exodus from Egypt to their return to the land from their Babylonian captivity. Much of the Old Testament is given to the themes Asaph presents in Psalm 78. To understand Psalm 78 is to understand the bulk of Israel's history provided us in the Old Testament, kind of a "Cliff Notes" introduction to Exodus through Ezra/Nehemiah/Esther as well as the books of the prophets at the end of our Old Testament.

The actions of God against his idolatrous people were so effective that Paul claimed in his day that even those who rejected Jesus Christ at that time were zealous (in their own misguided way) for God, Romans 10:1-2, "Brothers and sisters, my heart's desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge." By this time Israel had completely abandoned idol worship. - a condition God pursued and accomplished among them prior to sending his Son among them.

A blog with my ruminations over the years can be found here: http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.  

God's Dreadful Drawing of People - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Psalm 78:34-35,

"Whenever God slew them [God's people Israel], they would seek him; they eagerly turned to him again. They remembered that God was their Rock, that God Most High was their Redeemer."

Here is an interesting reality. In our sinful nature, it appears the times we suffer most is when we turn to God. It was certainly true for Israel and I firmly believe it is true for us today. Even for believers. The writer of Hebrews, in chapter twelve, tells us we all are "disciplined" by God in a way that is difficult and painful for us so that we might be drawn to him and share in his holiness.

God created a special people for himself, Israel, to bring his Son into the world to provide redemption for all mankind that we might receive forgiveness, avoid his judgment of us for our sins, and share an eternal life of bliss with him. In order to use his people for that purpose he worked with them in their collective expression of rebellion toward him to shape them into what he wanted them to be when Jesus Christ was born.

A key tool he used was to bring suffering among them to draw their attention back to him - even to the point of putting many of them to death at times. We see this throughout Israel's history.

It seems many today have created their own image of what God is like. I suspect it is the few who are aware that when we desire to see God move among people, it isn't "fairy dust" he sprinkles to bring about a great awakening. It is quite something else - and often dreadful but always needful.

A blog with my ruminations over the years can be found here: http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.

Meditating on the Lord - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Psalm 77:10-12,

"Then I thought, 'To this I will appeal: the years when the Most High stretched out his right hand. I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will consider all your works and meditate on all your mighty deeds.'"

Asaph recalls a time when he was very distressed and unable to sleep. He even says he was too troubled to speak, he groaned and his "spirit grew faint", verses 3-4.

During this difficult time he decided to turn his thoughts to the great deeds of the Lord. There he found comfort and relief from his distress. As he meditated he recalled the Lord's miracles, his works, his ways, his power. "What god is as great as our God?" Verse 13. Asaph meditated on the Lord's holiness, his greatness, his power and the redemption he provided his people.

Here is a tip to me: when in distress and struggling with difficulty, meditate on the Lord! Of course it helps me if I am reading the Scriptures so I have something to meditate on...

A blog with my ruminations over the years can be found here: http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.  

God's Judgment Brings Praise from Everybody! - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing,
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him and what came to my heart and mind in Psalm 76:10,

"Surely your wrath against mankind brings you praise, and the
survivors of your wrath are restrained."

Here is an interesting comment by Asaph. When God brings his wrath
against mankind it brings him praise. Naturally, my first impulse is
to think in terms of the "afflicted of the land" are those that praise
God when he judges those who afflict them. God saves them from their
plight and they express their thankfulness, appreciation, reverence
and adoration of the One who brought them relief.

It does cause me to think of the culprits in such a context. Those who
perpetrate affliction on others who are helpless, and both suffer and
survive God's judgment, what is their outlook on God? I bring it up
because of another psalm that raises another interesting observation,
"In spite of all this, they [unfaithful Israel] kept on sinning; in
spite of his [God's] wonders, they did not believe. So he ended their
days in futility and their years in terror. Whenever God slew them,
they would seek him; they eagerly turned to him again. They remembered
that God was their Rock, that God Most High was their Redeemer." Psalm
78:32-35.

Isn't that a fascinating observation? When God judged the rebellious
people of Israel, the survivors of his judgment would turn around and
seek him, "eagerly turned to him again." It would only be following
God's judgment of them that they would remember that God had done
wonderful things for them in the past, as their redeemer (a reference
to Israel's deliverance from their enslavement in Egypt and subsequent
exodus led by Moses.)

I suspect that all people praise God for his judgments, both
perpetrators of injustice as well as their victims. Certainly, it is
easy to see why the survivors of God's terrible wrath are restrained.
I suspect their is more than just restraint as this verse in Psalm 76
tells us.

Note: I will be on vacation for the next week and a half and out of
town next week. See you all back here May 13, Lord willing!

A blog with my ruminations over the years can be found here:
http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to
hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send
me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are
receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply
and let me know.