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 117:1-2,
"Praise the Lord, all you nations;
extol him, all you peoples.
For great is his love toward us,
and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever.
Praise the Lord."
Here is the entirety of Psalm 117, two short verses. It is a call to praise the Lord for his great love and his enduring faithfulness. Not a call to praise for only Israel, but for all nations of the earth, all peoples. As the psalmist does so, he recognizes that the Lord's great love and his enduring faithfulness is for all mankind.
The love the Lord has had for his own people Israel, he has for all mankind. When he sent his Son Jesus Christ into the world, he did not just send him to the nation of Israel, but for the benefit of all nations. Jesus Christ came to take the punishment for the sins of all the peoples of all nations upon himself. God is the God of all nations and expresses his great love and enduring faithfulness to all nations.
Paul makes this very clear in Romans 9:22-26 where he speaks of God's judgment on those who reject him, as well as his mercy on those who are his, who have embraced him in faith (as he quotes the prophet Hosea), "What if God, although choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath—prepared for destruction? What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory—even us, whom he also called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles? As he says in Hosea: 'I will call them "my people" who are not my people; and I will call her "my loved one" who is not my loved one,' and, 'In the very place where it was said to them, "You are not my people," there they will be called "children of the living God."'"
As Paul told the philosophers in the Athenian Areopagus, "now he commands all people everywhere to repent..." Acts 17:30.
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.
"Praise the Lord, all you nations;
extol him, all you peoples.
For great is his love toward us,
and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever.
Praise the Lord."
Here is the entirety of Psalm 117, two short verses. It is a call to praise the Lord for his great love and his enduring faithfulness. Not a call to praise for only Israel, but for all nations of the earth, all peoples. As the psalmist does so, he recognizes that the Lord's great love and his enduring faithfulness is for all mankind.
The love the Lord has had for his own people Israel, he has for all mankind. When he sent his Son Jesus Christ into the world, he did not just send him to the nation of Israel, but for the benefit of all nations. Jesus Christ came to take the punishment for the sins of all the peoples of all nations upon himself. God is the God of all nations and expresses his great love and enduring faithfulness to all nations.
Paul makes this very clear in Romans 9:22-26 where he speaks of God's judgment on those who reject him, as well as his mercy on those who are his, who have embraced him in faith (as he quotes the prophet Hosea), "What if God, although choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath—prepared for destruction? What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory—even us, whom he also called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles? As he says in Hosea: 'I will call them "my people" who are not my people; and I will call her "my loved one" who is not my loved one,' and, 'In the very place where it was said to them, "You are not my people," there they will be called "children of the living God."'"
As Paul told the philosophers in the Athenian Areopagus, "now he commands all people everywhere to repent..." Acts 17:30.
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.
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