Daily Meditations

Psalm 47:5 Shouts of joy Are you, like me, just longing to put a tune to these words? A joyful, exuberant melody, suitable for large groups and accompanied by drums and horns? This verse describes a procession, led by priests in colourful robes, accompanied by Levite singers and musicians weaving their way through rapturous crowds, singing with their hands uplifted and their voices raised in shouts of joy. The procession described may have been an occasion when the Ark of the Covenant was carried up to the Temple and taken into the throne room of God, the Holy of Holies. This was undoubtedly a joyful event and of huge significance to the people who were more than spectators, they were part of the glorious parade, for this was their city, their God, their Ark, their heritage, their hope and their collective identity. In Revelation 11:15-19 a similar, heavenly scene unfolds at the sounding of the seventh trumpet – the last trump. God’s sovereign reign over the earth is about to commence,

Psalm 47:4 Because He loves us Let’s be clear here, the Israelites were not a war-mongering nation who volunteered to secretly sneak out of Egypt, cross the Red Sea and then inflict carnage and military conquest on everyone who stood in their way. Neither did they set their sights on Canaan and decide to march across the desert in double quick time, to arrogantly trample across that land of promise, driving out its inhabitants and re-setting its borders. In fact, their experience was the very opposite, they left Egypt under the cover of darkness hotly pursued by Pharaoh’s army, they crossed the Red Sea by some kind of miracle and then wandered aimlessly in the wilderness for 40 years with no clue about where they were going! They conquered Jericho by blowing trumpets and instead of cleansing Canaan they wasted years doing deals with the indigenous tribes. If it were not for the Lord God’s constant intervention and miraculous provision, they would never have made it! In fact they never

Psalm 47:3 Who is like You, Lord? It’s not possible to truly grasp the enormity of this verse without researching its message. The destiny of Israel was always in God’s hands, they had to bear arms and fight for their land as an act of obedience, but the success of these missions was down to the Lord. In Exodus 15 we find a remarkable song written by Moses and his sister Miriam – I wish I knew the tune! In the song, the right hand of the Lord is credited with the destruction of Egypt’s forces. Philistia is in anguish, the chiefs of Edom are terrified, the leaders of Moab are trembling, and the people of Canaan will melt away. The song says,  “Who among the gods is like you, Lord? Who is like you – majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?” In 2 Samuel 8, these predictions are literally fulfilled, and the nations mentioned by Moses and Miriam are listed under King David’s conquests. 2 Samuel 8:6 says, “T he Lord gave David victory, wherever he went.” I wonder if our under

Psalm 47:2 He is awesome! Isn’t it great when you did deeper into a verse of Scripture and discover that there are hidden delights? On the face of it, this verse is straightforward,  “For the Lord Most High is awesome, the great King over all the earth.”  Why, even a very young believer could pronounce such words! The title,  “Most High”  is borrowed from the time of Abraham. The ancient father of Israel had secured a great military victory over King Kedorlaomer (from the region of Babylon) and in so doing had rescued his nephew, Lot, and also earned the favour of the Canaanite kings of Sodom and Gomorrah. The story unfolds in Genesis 14. On his way back home to his camp, Abraham happened to pass the city of Salem where he was met by its king – Melchizedek. The two men shared bread and wine just outside Jerusalem! Does that remind you of anyone? Melchizedek is named as  “priest of God Most High”  and he uses the name  “Most High”  to pronounce a blessing on Abraham. The term “Most High

Psalm 47:1 Intro We have waded our way through some quite depressing Psalms, where the writers have blamed God for their circumstances and poured out their woes. In others there have been threats of dire judgement and the bitter, anguished outpourings of suffering songwriters. What a joy Psalm 47 is! This is a celebration of the reign of the God of Israel – over all nations. Many consider this to be an anthem sung at the annual Feast of the Tabernacles and it was probably part of some kind of procession. A noisy, exuberant, happy Psalm later adapted for singing in the synagogues at Rosh Hashanah – the Jewish New Year. It is used in the Christian liturgy to celebrate the Ascension of Christ. Isn’t it wonderful how this collection of God-given, holy songs fit every mood and every occasion. A reminder that our musical worship should be adaptable and suitable for the occasion, reflecting every emotion and circumstance. God understands! We do not have to be on our best behaviour all of the

Psalm 46:11 Selah! This verse is a repeat of verse 7 but there is an adjunct, for the Psalm ends with that delightful little word – “Selah”. It is not recorded in all Bible versions, but it is definitely present in the Hebrew text. It is a good moment to remind ourselves of its meaning, even though that meaning is not entirely clear! In musical terms, it means to pause or be silent, in other words stop singing, be quiet and listen to the instruments. After the words that we have just pondered, that would certainly be a good idea. Practice it right now, let’s go back and ponder the Psalm, its context but also its application for today. Let’s take comfort from the fact that, despite all that is raging around us, God is our refuge and strength. Whatever happens in the future, even terrible natural disasters to the point where it appears the world is being uncreated, we should not fear. God is in His throne room and He continues to pour His river of blessing upon His people. He will shatte

Psalm 46:10 Be still! “Be still, and know that I am God.”  This little phrase is probably in the top 5 of most loved verses for many Christians. Most interpret it to mean that there are times to just stop from our busy-ness and rest in the calming presence of the Lord God and find His peace. In fact, it does not mean that at all!  “Be still”  in Hebrew means  “Enough!”  God has had enough of the wars and the fighting and the wickedness of mankind, described in the previous verses. “Enough is enough” He says, “Stop all of your striving and acknowledge me as God.”  This is the voice of an angry God who is weary of man’s constant desire to conquer and to subdue and to take control and to have power. “When will you stop and acknowledge me instead of trying to do things your way?”  This interpretation is borne out by the following words,  “I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”  This is not a hopeful wish but a declaration of intent and, of course, come the re

Psalm 46:8-9 He makes wars cease Why would anyone want to,  “Come and see what the Lord has done, the desolations he has brought on the earth” ? is God such a wrathful, destructive Being that He must cross the world smashing and breaking and ruining its beauty? This statement needs to be put into context, the only times we read that God brings desolation is upon cities or settlements where  sin and wickedness are so prevalent, that there is no hope  of restoration. Sodom and Gomorrah, Jericho, Caesarea Philippi and Jeroboam’s altar at Tel Dan are good examples in Israel today. Some of these places cannot be found, others are just ruins, never to be reclaimed. These once great settlements are meant to be signs, warning us of the dangers of trifling with God. The wider context are the empires, cultures and other political, man-made structures that have collapsed throughout human history, never to rise again. Where men have been particularly bloodthirsty and brutal, we usually find that t

Psalm 46:7 The Lord Almighty There are two very different titles given to God in this verse. Firstly, He is described as the Lord Almighty. Apparently, this is correctly translated, “The Lord of Hosts!” “Hosts” in Hebrew was a word used to describe either human armies, or the sun moon and stars, or it was used to portray gatherings of angels. Whichever way you look at it, the title is simply telling us that God is sovereign over all, be it the mighty forces on earth, in the heavens or in the spiritual world beyond. Wherever there is a coming together of powers and authorities – our God is the Lord Almighty! That is why He is All-mighty!  Contrast this with a more down-to-earth description of God, He is the God of Jacob. To be precise, Israel. The vast powers of heaven and earth are under His sovereignty but so is the little state of Israel, no bigger than Wales, with no great natural resources, stuck in the middle of North – South, Mediterranean trade routes. Isn’t it amazing how the L

Psalm 46:6 He lifts His voice This verse is strictly in the past tense so that it reads , “The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved. He uttered His voice, the earth melted.”  Later on, in the Psalm, we read of the God who destroys the power of the nations who are hostile to Him and brings peace. The Apostle John picks up on this theme in Revelation as he describes the prayers of the twenty-four elders worshipping God as the Seventh Trumpet is sounded. Listen to Revelation 11:18. “ The nations were angry, and your wrath has come. The time has come for judging the dead, and for rewarding your servants the prophets and your people who revere your name, both great and small – and for destroying those who destroy the earth.”  This is a sombre verse to read at a time when the greatest threat to mankind is our destruction of the earth!  Notice that God only has to speak, that is all that He has ever done. He lifted up His voice and everything that exists came into being. He utters His voice

Psalm 46:5 The city of God Let’s talk some more about this City of God, Psalm 48 is just around the corner and it will give us plenty to consider about this holy mountain. Of course, it is Zion. Of course, it is Jerusalem. It was the first and only city of the People of Israel and remains the City of God for many of them today. Sadly, it is dominated by the mosques and the endless calls to prayer from their minarets. It is riddled by buildings dedicated to every strand of Christian history and type of religious belief. The city is filled with people from every corner of the globe and each has a different agenda and view of who or what or how they worship. It is a city of conflict and turmoil, of plots and schemes and it portrays man at his best and at his worst! Thank God that He has not given up on this city, for it remains at the centre of human politics, culture and religion. All eyes still look to Jerusalem. Which is just as well, for Messiah will return to this place and from Zion

Psalm 46:4 The river of God Let’s get one fact straight here, there is no river in Jerusalem and there never has been! There is a spring, called the Gihon, on the west bank of the Kidron Valley that fed the old city of David, but no river. I believe that the river was and is the continual flow of the sustaining and refreshing blessings of the Lord God. In Genesis 2:10 we read of a river that flowed out of the Garden of Eden that, unnaturally, divided into four other great rivers.  Isaiah refers to Zion as being like a place of broad rivers and streams. (Is 33:21.) Indeed, the Bible is full of this kind of language when describing the Lord God who made water come out of a rock and sustained His people for 40 years in the wilderness. How did He do this for say, two million people, unless they had a river? Jesus took the analogy further when He proclaimed that,  “If any man is thirsty, let him come unto me and drink and out of his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.”  John 7

Psalm 46:2-3 Though the earth give way The terrifying prospect that unfolds in these verses are enough to shake anyone’s faith! The picture being painted is of catastrophic destruction of the earth where whole continents are torn apart, mountains are uprooted and the oceans becoming roaring cauldrons for the land masses. It is as if creation is becoming uncreated! In Genesis 1:9-10 the Lord God gathers the waters to one place and the dry land appears, and so it has ever been since that creative upheaval. This Psalm reverses the process and dares us to imagine the consequences as the waters return again in triumph and the land masses are flattened by the onslaught of the primeval deep.  It is more than likely that the author of the Psalm is imagining what it will be like if Israel is sucked down from her lofty place and swallowed by the tumultuous oceans. Like a mountain range she will be crushed and broken and drawn under the waters – uncreated! In some ways, that is exactly what happe

Psalm 46:1 The City of God The commentators on this Psalm describe it as a celebration of the city of Jerusalem. That was and is an earthly capital; we can look forward to a heavenly secure city as described in Revelation 21. Whatever the setting, this is a song of hope that celebrates certainty! God’s kingdom will come, He will triumph, and He will reign over all the earth. The Psalm was sung at the Temple and was apparently divided between refrain and response. So, the citizens of Jerusalem sang verses 1-3 and a Levite choir leader would respond by singing verses 4-6. The people sang v7,11 and the Levite would respond with v8-10. In other words, everyone has a place in this Psalm, it celebrates the glory of God amongst all of His children. Hallelujah!   The Psalm begins with a declaration of hope,  “God is our refuge. God is our Strength. God is an ever-present help in trouble.”  The thing is, when we declare our hope in God we are not dealing with someone or something earth-bound or

Psalm 45:17 An everlasting Kingdom And so this enigmatic Psalm draws to a close and at its end is the promise of eternal remembrance. The writer of the Psalm has every intention to ensure that the King’s memory never fades and that His rule and reign will be celebrated forever. The Psalm is written wholly for that reason.  if there was ever a human king who fulfilled the brief it was David, his reign is still firmly embodied in the history of Israel and of course, his greatest descendant, Messiah Himself, will never be forgotten. While earthly kings come and go and leave their mark for good or bad, they eventually succumb to death and become the subjects of history and memory. Their kingdoms fade. The King of kings however, has a kingdom that increases in influence, size and power, and as time passes it will grow and flourish rather than receding. What a future awaits those who follow this King. Indeed, a day will come when all nations will bow down before Him and acknowledge that Jesu

Psalm 45:16 Raising Princes The subject of this Wedding Song returns to the king. He eagerly waits to receive his bride and there is even anticipation of the fruits of their union! The golden couple will have children, they will have sons who will continue the royal line. So, the fathers will be replaced by princes throughout the land. I wonder if we value dynastic succession as much as we should? I don’t know much about the faith of my predecessors; on my father’s side I have a grandad who came to faith on his deathbed and a gran who was heavily involved in village church life. On my mother’s side was a grandmother who lived her life for others and who was described as a godly woman. It is more than likely that somewhere in that past there were those who prayed for the salvation of their children, namely my parents who both came to Christ when I was a young child. Isn’t it true that our inheritance - what we leave with the world when we pass, is not just children but Princes? Those wh

Psalm 45:14-15 Into the palace of the King These are beautiful verses that describe the entrance of the bride into the chambers of her king. Her garments are highly decorative, the word “embroidered” literally means of needlework. Just as in a modern wedding ceremony, the bride is accompanied by her companions or bridesmaids. In ancient times these had to be young virgins, hence the story that Jesus told about the wise and foolish virgins. (Matthew 25.) This is a parade that is celebrated with great joy and gladness, as the text tells us. The palace gates and doors are open to receive the princess. She is adorned in the finest of gowns. Her attendants are jubilant and excited to be part of this ritual. And before them stands the king, eagerly awaiting the entrance of his beautiful bride. These pictures are meant to resonate with us as we anticipate the arrival of the bride of Christ into the palace of heaven. At the first resurrection, those who are alive on earth and those who have sl

Psalm 45:13 Interwoven with gold In Exodus 39 we read about the Ephod, a sleeveless, holy garment worn by the High Priest of Israel. On each shoulder was an onyx stone inscribed with the names of six of Jacob’s sons. Whenever the Priest entered the holy presence of Almighty God, he carried the whole of Israel with him. He also wore a breastplate bearing the names of the twelve tribes of Israel, chiselled on to precious stones. The remarkable thing was that the Ephod was woven out of gold, blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen. “ They hammered out thin sheets of gold and cut strands to be worked into the blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen – the work of skilled hands.”  Exodus 39:2-3. Now it may be coincidence that the princess in this verse has a gown interwoven with gold, a gown that she puts on in her chamber. It may be a coincidence that she, like the High Priest, once fully dressed, makes her entrance into the king’s palace. Or it may be that we are being

Psalm 45:12 Rich and famous It’s not unusual to find places “personified” in the Scriptures, this verse literally says that the daughter of Tyre will visit the Queen, bringing gifts. Tyre was a great port and trading city on the Mediterranean coast. The King of Tyre recognised David as King of Israel and Solomon used this major import / export centre to build up the prosperity of the nation. Ships came and went from Tyre bringing goods from all over the then known world. So, the Queen-to-be is being promised gifts and great wealth and the attentions of the rich and powerful once she becomes the wife of her King. It is almost as if she needs to be reassured and the picture painted here puts us in mind of the of the Tudors and Plantagenets with their powerful allegiances and their Courts, open to the notables in the land.  I cannot begin to imagine what it will be like when the King of Heaven is eternally united with His bride. The prophets give us glimpses and also talk of a day when Ch

Psalm 45:11 He is Lord I sn’t this a powerful statement, “ Let the king be enthralled by your beauty?”  No doubt, the queen-to-be is a stunning looking woman, she is being encouraged to not hold back, to let her natural attractions be fully visible to her new husband, to woo him with her loveliness, probably in the bed chamber. I guess he already had some inkling of this, or he would not want to marry her!  However, the verse has something more serious to teach us. Look at these words,  “Honour him, for he is your lord.”   This literally means to worship him or pay homage to him. The meaning is to get down on one’s knee and touch the forehead to the ground at the feet of someone of royal rank. It might surprise you to know that this expression is sometimes used of people greeting Jesus, it was a common mark of respect. When the Samaritan woman said to the Lord in John 4:20 , “Our fathers worshipped on this mountain,”  she didn’t just mean that they held services there. Worship and payi

Psalm 45:10 We are a new family! For the first time here, our attention is taken from the king to his royal bride. It would be natural to expect a few words describing her beauty and her glorious attire but no, we have a surprising, rather harsh injunction;  “Listen carefully to what I am about to say to you. Forget your people and forget your family!”  Great advice is it not, for a bride on her wedding day? I suspect that this is what might be said to a young woman who is wavering, who still has ties to her past and her upbringing, who is somewhat daunted by the responsibility of her new role? Perhaps the Psalm writer is being kinder than we think, he is encouraging this young lady to depend completely upon the king who adores her, and to give herself one hundred percent to the partnership that is about to begin. Her future will not be for the faint-hearted or for one with divided loyalties. Is this not a lesson for us? We are the bride of the glorious King, the Lord Jesus who has pro

  Psalm 45:9 The Wedding Guests King Solomon made the mistake of taking many wives from the pagan nations around him, he had been warned but never-the-less chose to ignore the Lord God and endlessly satisfied his lusts with beautiful women. 1 Kings 11:1-3. I don’t think that the king in this Psalm has surrounded himself with wives, but I do think that the rulers of other nations sent their daughters to the royal court to be beautified and paraded. This was a sign that the king had enormous influence and that he commanded the respect and honour of the surrounding monarchies. He was an international celebrity! But our king had eyes for one woman only on this auspicious day – his bride.  What was the gold of Ophir? No one is entirely sure. In 1 Kings 10:11 we read that King Hiram of Lebanon brought gold from Ophir to Solomon. Later in the same chapter we read that,  “The king had a fleet of trading ships at sea along with the ships of Hiram. Once every three years it returned, carrying go

Psalm 45:8 Spices and ointments It’s time to find out a little about Middle Eastern spices and ointments!  Myrrh   In Genesis 37:25 Joseph’s brothers are sitting down to have a meal while their beleaguered brother sulks in a nearby cistern or well. They look up and see a caravan of Ishmaelites heading their way from Gilead; their camels loaded with spices, including myrrh. It is believed that this was an aromatic gum extracted from thorn bushes. It was used in beauty treatments and also mixed with wine and drunk to relieve pain. We are familiar with it because of the gifts of the wise men to baby Jesus and because it was used to anoint His body after death as a holy anointing oil.  Myrrh was used in Biblical times as an alluring feminine perfume and also to perfume royal nuptial robes. It is widely used today in aromatherapy treatments. Aloes There are a large number of these ground-hugging plants, producing succulent leaves, and the fleshy content is used to make medicines to treat wo

Psalm 45:7 Anointed with joy What a lovely verse! On a human level we have a king, on his Wedding Day, who loves righteousness and hates wickedness. That’s unusual isn’t it? This godly man is superior to his noble guests who pay him respect as he walks through their ranks and acknowledges their acclaim. A king, of course, has to be anointed and it is at this point that we realise that the Psalm writer is not talking about any old earthly monarch. He eyes are lifted heavenward and he foresees another King, one who has been set apart by God Himself and instead of fragrant anointing oils, this King is endowed with the oil of joy. We are talking, of course, about the Lord Jesus once again. How good it is to know in what high esteem He is held by Elohim, God of gods.  The writer of the book of Hebrews picks up this verse to confirm that it is indeed talking about the Son of God who is superior to all other heavenly powers. (Hebrews 1:9.) Later in the letter he writes,  “For the joy set befo

Psalm 45:6 The eternal throne While there is no doubt that the wedding of an earthly king is being celebrated here, we have already seen that the language used has a deeper and future meaning. Some commentators suggest that earthly kings, like David, were addressed or described as gods and this verse could be interpreted that way. While that may be so, it could also be understood that the songwriter’s attention is diverted away from the earthly scenario for a moment. He sees the pomp and the ceremonial splendour and the great man who is at the centre of it all. but he also sees the outworking of the will of God and the deep religious undercurrents that are at work in Israel and this motivates him to exclaim,  “Your throne, O God, will last forever and ever; a sceptre of justice will be the sceptre of Your kingdom.”  In other words, what is unfolding, on this auspicious day, is an earthly reflection of the outworking of God’s eternal kingdom that embraces heaven and earth. God’s throne

Psalm 45:5 We are at war! A successful king overcomes his enemies. It seems to me that, as human beings, we all have enemies that need to be crushed and subdued. Sadly, some people live their whole lives under the influence and reign of their foes and they never taste victory. That includes, of course, victims of abuse and violence as well as those who suffer from depression, mental illness and spiritual darkness too. But there are other, inner forces, that bring people into bondage – dark thoughts, lust, greed, addictions, regrets, fear and anxiety …. the list is a long one. The enemy of mankind is hell-bent on ensuring that none of us lives a life of complete fulfilment and joy. Without a doubt, the higher we rise up the ladder of command, the more we may be tested, and no king will last for long if he is inept at identifying and disposing of his enemies. In this verse the foes are nations and leaders and rulers of other kingdoms, it is vital that the monarch deals successfully with

Psalm 45:4 Truth, humility and justice Truth, humility and justice – it cannot be emphasised enough just how important these qualities are to God and the effects of pursuing them may have, not just on individuals but also on nations. How many world leaders do you know who pursue truth above all else? How many are there who humble themselves before the Lord God and their own people? Why do we expect the opposite; a strong leader must be self-confident and intelligent and one step ahead of his / her contemporaries. Anything less and we deem them to be weak. As for justice? Well justice, as God sees it, is an indispensable expression of true faith and devotion to Him. God is just and God will judge; He will judge even His own people if they are unfaithful, disobedient and break His covenants. The lessons can be learned from Israel who consistently failed to honour Him and who believed that outward ritual and religious observance were pleasing to Him. They also failed to realise that God i