Psalm 50:2

Psalm 50:2 

God shines forth

There were two literal ways that God shone forth from Zion. Firstly, His glory shone from the Holy of Holies, that inner sanctuary in the Temple where one man was allowed entrance just once a year. The Israelites referred to this presence as the “Shekinar” glory of God. The word simply means “the presence.” That Shekinar glory first appeared on Mount Sinai when Moses received the Law. It entered the inner sanctuary of the Tabernacle and later the Temple in Zion. Very few saw it over the centuries, but the glory removed any need for artificial light in that shrouded, inner room that had no opening to the sky. 

The second occasion when the light shone forth from Mount Zion was during the Feast of Tabernacles. This festive occasion lasted from 15th to 21st of the 7th month – Tishri, which corresponds with late September / early October and the Jewish New Year. Huge crowds would gather in Jerusalem and spend this holiday living in shelters or booths. It was a festival like no other, taking place shortly after the Day of Atonement (on 10th Tishri) and after all the harvests had been gathered. It was a time for Israel to remember how their ancestors had been delivered from Egypt and had lived in shelters / booths during their time in the Wilderness. On the evening of the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles, four giant candelabra were lit in the Court of Women at the Temple. Each of these structures was 75 feet high and had four bowls that were filled with oil and kept alight during the festivities. It is recorded that all of Jerusalem was lit up by these great pillars and their blazing cups. It was after they were extinguished, at the end of an annual festival that Jesus announced, in the Temple Courts, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12, John 9:5. Whichever way you look at it, the light of God has shone forth from Zion. May it do so again! 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Psalm 4:1 Smear campaigns

Psalm 4:1    Smear campaigns   The background to this Psalm is so familiar; David is being slandered and maligned by his detractors.  It seems that some calamity has befallen the nation and the king is getting the blame! Lies are being told, a smear campaign has begun, and the reputation of the Sovereign is under threat.  As usual, if something goes wrong, culpability is laid at the feet of the one in charge.  David, quite rightly, turns to the Lord his God and prays for relief and for mercy. The Satan is a master of such campaigns and his emissaries gleefully turn on Christians in leadership positions although the whispering campaign can affect all of us. The whispering starts in our own heads, but it can also come from the lips of our detractors. It goes something like this: - You’re the reason it went wrong You messed up again You should have seen it coming Surely you know better You are not worthy You don’t know what you’re doing Someone else ought to be in c
Read more

Psalm 74:16

Psalm 74:16 God established the sun and the moon “ In  the beginning   God created   the heavens   and the earth.   2  Now the earth was formless   and empty,   darkness was over the surface of the deep,   and the Spirit of God   was hovering over the waters. 3  And God said,   “Let there be light,” and there was light.   4  God saw that the light was good,   and he separated the light from the darkness.   5  God called   the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.”   And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.” These, so familiar, words from Genesis 1 remind us of who is in charge! There would be no light without God. There would be no day or night without God. There would be no earth without God. And there would have been no living things unless God had created order out of chaos. The sun, moon and stars would not be fixed in their orbits without God and you and I would not exist unless He ordered our conception. It is because we see God as glorious, righteous
Read more
Psalm4:8        I will lie down and sleep                Th ere are times, in the life of all believers, when we no longer have control of situations. We can do nothing more. We have given our all, we have tried every possible solution and now it is out of our hands. As someone has wisely said, “It is time to let go and let God.” If we truly trust Him, if our faith will allow us, we can turn our backs on our enemies. We can block our ears to the threats. We can ignore the lies and the deceit and say,  “In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone Lord, make me dwell in safety.” I should imagine that the devil, having sent a hurricane our way is not amused, when we settle in our beds in the midst of it all and drift off into a peaceful sleep! But that is our right and privilege once we let the Lord God Almighty take control. These spiritual attacks are like whirlwinds, they blow with terrifying intensity and threaten to turn us upside down; the disciples witnessed one of thes
Read more