Daily Meditations

Psalm 138:3 Prayer emboldens Prayer is many things; the word can be applied to any communication we have with the Lord our God. Those daily encounters can range from long sessions on our knees accompanied by fervent pleas, to a quick shout-out to heaven as we go about our daily lives. It is important that we establish times of quiet on a daily basis, when we close the door and allow ourselves, and God, to be in fellowship together. During such times we can read His Word and inevitably find that He speaks back to us, and the communication is two-way. Some of the Psalm-writers talk of such times when the Lord brings them out of a tight situation and into “a spacious place.”  Can I boast of regular times of deep regular intimacy with my Father? No, like so many, I find prayer to be hard work at times and often it is easier to pray with others than to be alone with God. There are so many distractions! David has been calling out to God because of the proximity of his enemies and their d...

Psalm 138:2 The Temple and the Word This verse causes some scholars to question the authorship of the Psalm. They ask, “If David wrote this how could he talk about bowing down towards God’s holy temple?” As we know, the Temple in Jerusalem was not built until after David’s death, it would be put in place by his son, Solomon. David himself was responsible for bringing the ancient Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem and setting it up there pending the construction of the Temple. David visited this place daily, it was the dwelling place of God Almighty and therefore, in his mind, the Temple of God. As he worshiped there, the King dreamed of what would be, of the outstanding structure that would ultimately stand as a magnificent statement to the world of a God who lives forever amongst His people. As David bowed and worshipped his mind was occupied with two glorious themes: the unfailing love of God and the faithfulness of God. These recurring attributes of the Lord have occupied our thoughts...

Psalm 138:1 Universal praise Psalms 138 to 145 are all attributed to David, and we can certainly detect his style and personality in each of these songs. The Psalm before us praises God for His protection and salvation from deadly foes although it is difficult to determine if David is writing personally or on behalf of Israel. Or maybe, both! David’s desire is that praise to the Lord should not just be confined to him and to Israel but that all the kings of the earth might praise the name of our God (v4). They never have David, but one day, they will!   V1        We need to reflect back on Psalm 82 (and others) that introduce us to the  “bene elohim”  or the “sons of God”. These songs, along with other Scriptures, describe to us the divine council and the celestial beings that serve before the Lord and who engage with Him over matters on earth. Psalm 82 introduces us to the  “great assembly”  and to a God who not only judg...

Psalm 137:8-9 Babylon, doomed to destruction The last two verses of this Psalm cry out vengeance against the land of Babylon. As we have seen, Hebrew poetry often personified royal cities, nations or peoples as women, thus Zion is referred to as “Virgin Daughter Zion” in 2 Kings 19:21. Babylon here is a daughter who is doomed to destruction as the prophets had foretold. (Isaiah 13 and 47 predict this as does Jeremiah 50-51.) Isaiah speaks of a  “cruel day when the day of the Lord comes with wrath and fierce anger – to make the land desolate and destroy the sinners within it.”  Isaiah 13:9. He talks of  “the children being dashed to pieces before their very eyes!”  Isaiah 13:16. Isaiah 47 speaks of calamity and catastrophe hitting the land, although it is worthy of note that the following chapter (48) is headed “Stubborn Israel” in many Bibles!  Jeremiah is no less vitriolic in his condemnation of Babylon and the chapters mentioned above make chilling readin...

Psalm 137:7 Tear down Jerusalem! The Edomites were   an ancient Semitic people who lived in the region of Edom, south of Israel, in what is now mainly southern Jordan.  This later became the Kingdom of the Nabataeans and housed the city of Petra, much visited by tourists today. The Edomites we re the descendants of  Esau ,   Jacob's twin brother.   The name "Edom" is derived from the Hebrew word for "red," and the Bible associates it with Esau's reddish appearance at birth.  The verse we are studying shows that the tense relationship between Israel and Edom was at its lowest on the day that Jerusalem fell to the Babylonians. The Edomites were jubilant and cried out,  “Tear it down – tear down its foundations!”  Apparently, the phrase  “tear it down” in Hebrew means  “strip her”  for cities were portrayed as women. In other words, the Edomites hoped for the complete humiliation of Jerusalem and its people. Edom is a symbolic term in ...

Psalm 137:6 The God who never forsakes His people Strong words these aren’t they? The author is suggesting that his tongue should become glued to the roof of his mouth if he failed to remember the Lord and the joys of Jerusalem. In other words, he would prefer to be dumb! Notice that the only comfort this man and his contemporaries had, were their memories. In their view God was 750 miles away, for that was the distance from Babylon to Jerusalem. What this shows us is that the Jews had become over-dependent on their religion, on their temple, on the Holy City and all the rites and regulations that were integral to their faith, they had no concept of a God who remained with them and who was still watching over them. As previously mentioned, Daniel understood this as did his friends, Shadrach, Meshak and Abednego. For these men God was not confined to a place or to a time, He was always present with those who worshipped and obeyed Him. Here is a vital lesson, if we need to go to a place,...