Psalm 21:5  
To God be the glory!
        It is a feature of the Psalms that when it comes to describing victory and glory and honour and splendour, all of the credit must be given to God Himself. David certainly accredited all his successes to God Almighty and this Psalm teaches us that Jesus does the same. Who was it who preserved His life in the grave? Who was it who raised Him back to life?  Who gave Him the victory over the enemies of sin and death and the devil?  It was God the Father working out His plan and purpose, through His Son, in keeping with His promises. The victories attained by Jesus at the cross came from God the Father. The glory now heaped upon Jesus comes from the Father too. The splendour and majesty accredited to Jesus were bestowed by the Father.
We too cannot take credit for the victories we may have won in our lives. I have noted that athletes and in particular, footballers, often make some kind of gesture to the heavens when they achieve success. Perhaps that is not such a bad thing – to give God the glory for everything positive and good that happens to us. Sometimes that involves battles and periods of conflict, but we will win through and when we do, it is time to give the glory to God. Beware any Christian leader, preacher, miracle man (so-called) or evangelist who takes the glory, he or she is not acting at all like Jesus. He is our King and our Lord but even He does not keep the glory for Himself. We praise the Lord Jesus for His victory at the cross and for His powerful resurrection, but He gives all the glory to His Father. Amen!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Psalm 106:13

Psalm 106:13 Do not forget We need to remember that Israel’s relationship with the Lord God was based on His laws and their obedience. It was possible for them to live lives that were highly blessed, that incorporated the provision of God in every tiny detail of their national and individual existence. God was prepared to give them everything they needed, He would provide food and water for them and their flocks. He would guide them on their journey. He would protect them from their enemies. He would inspire and direct their leaders. He would keep them from the heat of the sun and the terrors of the desert night. He would take them to the land that He had promised, in double quick time. There was no reason why they could not be in situ in just a few months. Everything they could possibly need was His to provide and He was willing to sacrifice anything to see them gratefully settled in Canaan.  There was just one snag, it all depended upon their obedience and faithfulness. God insis...
Read more

Psalm 119:135

Psalm 119:135 His shining face In verse 58 0f the Psalm we commented on the apparent impossibility of being able to see the face of God. And yet this intimacy was something that the psalmists, and other writers, craved. The High Priestly blessing, prayed over the people every day, asks that the Lord make His face shine upon them. In verse 58 we discovered that this plea involved more than just being able to see the face of God, which was impossible; I quote,  “ The Hebrew word for face in the Old Testament can be translated “presence.” Now things start to make more sense! Those Israelites who so regularly abandoned the Lord God were being reminded to seek again the presence of God and the psalmist lets it be known that this is his constant quest. When you think about it, a person’s face reveals a great deal about their character and personality even, maybe, their circumstances or lifestyle. The more we seek the face of God and the more we spend time in His presence, the more like H...
Read more

Psalm 42:1

Psalm 42:1 Why Lord?   This Psalm and the one that follows offer painful pleas to the Lord.  “Why have You forsaken me? When can I go and meet with God? Why must I go about mourning? Why is my soul so downcast?”  The good news is that the writer knows the answer, “ Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Saviour and my God.”  You will note that these two Psalms (41 and 42) are written by the Sons of Korah. These men, the Korahites, were Levites whose particular role was the worship and ceremonial or liturgical activities at the Tabernacle and later the Temple. They would, therefore, have composed music and songs like this as part of their role and also been engaged with the choir that sang at various times during the day and on festive occasions.    V1        The Psalm starts poetically but also with a heart cry;  “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God.”  I’ve r...
Read more