Daily Meditations

Psalm 89:7 He is greatly feared We are back in Psalm 82 territory here, where God presides over the great assembly and renders judgement among the gods. That Psalm suggested a number of things about this assembly: - ·       That it is the council of the angelic beings that gather around God’s throne at His command ·        That it is the rulers of Israel ·        That it is the rulers of the earth who are, unknowingly, controlled by the “gods” ·        That it is the evil powers in the heavenly realms that do the Satan’s bidding or  ·        It could be all of these and more! What we do know is that there are spiritual beings operating in the spiritual realm, whose activities affect the affairs of this world. We know that seraphim, cherubim, archangels and angels are part of this throng, but other spiritual beings work against the will of Almighty God.  Who or whatever these beings may be, they are hidden from our sight although they have occasionally been known to appear as humans and

Psalm 89:6 He is the greatest! Since the beginning of time, mankind has sought either to find God to expose Him or to worship Him. By exposing Him, I mean that many seek to prove that He does not exist or, if He does, man is greater or at least equal to Him. To go on this quest blindly, through unbelief, has to be the most pointless waste of time ever, and yet many of the cleverest and most educated people in the world pursue this path. It started with the idolisation of His creation and to this very day many worship created things rather than the Creator. The quest moves on to build structures or to find ways that reach to the heavens in order to prove the greatness of man and the curious absence of God. Many of the scientific endeavours over the years have been led by men who do not believe in God and seek to prove that they are right in their unbelief!  We take a different line. We see the sun and the moon and the stars and are transfixed by the power and the glory of the One who ma

Psalm 89:5 The assembly of the holy ones We have met the “assembly of the holy ones” before, in Psalm 82. These next three verses give us more insight into their relationship with the Lord God. But firstly, we need to establish what the Bible writers mean by the term, “heavens.” We could simply state that the heavens are the realms above us. That is true, but also simplistic. For instance, we know that the air we breathe and the clouds that we see scudding across the sky, are in the heavens. Man has gone one step further and entered outer space which is also the heavens. Jesus ascended from the earth and entered heaven to take up His place at God’s right hand. The heavens are where angels dwell and the stars are sometimes also associated with these heavenly beings in Bible literature. If heaven is where God is, we might also argue that it is here on earth and all around us, for He is with us by His Holy Spirit. Thus, Paul argues that “ our struggle is not against flesh and blood but ag

Psalm 89:3-4 The covenant with David God loves covenants, He has been making them with men since the beginning of time. The first was in the Garden of Eden in Genesis 1:27-30. Later in the same Bible book we read of covenants with Abraham and Noah. He made a massive covenant with Israel at Sinai and now we read that He also covenanted with David. A covenant is more than just a promise, it is a legally binding contract between two sides. Both are signatories and whilst the terms and conditions are contractual, God’s covenants are also very personal. It is expected that both sides will keep to their agreement although man has failed miserably in this, just as the Lord God has never wavered or reneged on any of His obligations. The covenant with David is found in 2 Samuel 7:8-16 and it was made when David brought the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem shortly after becoming King. The covenant includes the following commitments: - ·        I will make your name great ·        I will provide

Psalm 89:2 Loved forever! Love, in human terms, can be a bit of a transitory thing. It can be deeply emotional and full of passion; it can also be a form of dependence that is not expressed by feelings but is never-the-less founded in affection. Our loves for our children, our pets, our jobs, our home and a thousand and one other things all vary according to their place in our lives and the kind of people that we are. The deepest form of human love is usually between husband and wife or bride and groom, and the Scriptures use these analogies to explain the quality and depth even of our relationship with Jesus Christ. Human love varies in intensity according to the changing moods of the giver ,which is why we cannot measure God’s love in human terms. His love never wavers in its strength, and it never changes in its duration, so that we can affirm with the psalmist that it stands firm forever. How wonderful to be loved like that, to know that someone loves us regardless of age, time and

Psalm 89:1 I will sing - regardless! This poignant Psalm is both a sad reminder of the past, glorious days of the reign of King David but also, a joyful reminder of the glorious reign of the Lord God for those who obey and serve Him. The song is credited to Ethan the Ezrahite and was probably written after Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonian Emperor, ransacked Jerusalem and effectively put paid to the state of Israel. Ethan is shocked and saddened by these events and he recalls, on numerous occasions, the wonderful days when the nation was at its zenith under David’s rule. Ethan is perplexed by the very thought that the Lord would abandon His people and allow the crown to be cast into the dust. Once again, we will encounter the twin qualities of love and faithfulness which characterize the rule of the Lord God and the Psalm ends with a prayer for restoration and a plea for Him to reverse the catastrophic events that He obviously caused to take place.  V1        The couplet of love and faith

Psalm 88:18 The pain of darkness This Psalm has not made pleasant reading. There is no praise or mention of gratitude and thanksgiving. There are no positive encouragements to be found, the writer is in the darkest of places with little hope of recovery or restitution. In this last verse his friends and neighbours have abandoned him, although he argues that it is God who has taken him from them. He continues to apportion blame, this is God’s doing; the imminency of death, the waning of physical strength, the loneliness of the grave, the intensity of the darkness, the waves of wrath, the rejection of friends and the pointlessness of prayer. This man has had a lifetime of suffering and it is all God’s fault!  Personally, I draw back at the idea of blaming the Lord God for all of my troubles, not least because I have brought most of them upon myself! But what if I were a godly, moral, righteous man who had not put a foot wrong and who could see no reason for the trials that had come upon

Psalm 88:16-17 Terrors like a flood These two verses liken the troubles of the psalmist to the waves of a flood that wash over him and, at times, engulf him completely. There is no escaping this vast ocean of misery that stretches back to his youth and up to the present time, that goes on to the horizon as far as his eye can see. When he awakens, trouble and pain are with him. All through the day they suck at his strength and seek to take away his life. During the night hours there is no respite, the sickness never goes away. The realm of dry land is the normal habitat for mankind and the creatures God has made, to be surrounded by a flood suggests that there is nothing normal about the daily experiences of Heman the Ezrahite. I suspect that most of us view the Lord Jesus in the way He is presented in the many pictures and icons that have been produced over the centuries. At His crucifixion He is a beaten, broken and bloodied figure of man. He wears His crown of thorns, His eyes stare

Psalm 88:15 A life of suffering Heman the Ezrahite was certainly no stranger to affliction, this verse tells us that he had suffered since he was a young man. His whole adult life had been spent in a state of severe ill health, whether physical or mental we do not know. Obviously, Heman was a man of words, he was able to express himself and give an insight into the agonies and desolation that had been part of every day of his adult life. If we are fit and well and generally enjoy good health, it is easy to overlook the suffering of many disabled and seriously ill people, especially those who put on a brave face despite their inner anguish and longing to be fit and strong.  As we have seen, Heman’s dark revelations give us an indication of the deepest woes suffered by the Lord Jesus. Isaiah describes Him as  “a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief ….. despised and held in low esteem.”  The passage in Isaiah 53 goes on to say that  “He took up our pain and suffering, and yet we consi

Psalm 88:13-14 Abandoned! According to the introduction to this Psalm, it was written by Heman the Ezrahite. His pitiful cries for mercy are heart-breaking indeed and few of us are called to descend into the abyss of misery and isolation that he seems to have suffered. Yet, in the midst of it all, Heman never gave up! He cried out to the Lord continuously, every morning his prayers ascended, and he never ceased to seek help and solace. To Heman it was an injustice that the Lord rejected him and turned His face away. Why was this happening? Where was God when he most needed Him? What had he done to deserve such treatment? Heman could not possibly understand that he was being granted an understanding of the suffering of Messiah. Few Jews understood the mission of the Lord when He came and even fewer realised that He would be rejected by the nation and forsaken by His Father. It is against this backdrop that we, once again, ponder the desolation of our Lord as He pleads for mercy and for

Psalm 88:12 The land of oblivion This truly is one of the darkest and most grim of all the Psalms. The previous verse informed us that there is no love in Sheol or Hades, and that God’s faithfulness does not operate in that place of destruction. We are now given two more attributes of God that are withdrawn when a soul takes leave of this planet and enters the realm of darkness. None of God’s wonders are exhibited in that cursed place, memory has gone so that it is impossible to recall the glory of creation and the marvels of God in the physical world. It is also impossible to have any sense of the righteousness and justice of Almighty God.  The Psalm writer calls this place,  “the land of oblivion.”  Memory decays here, sight is weak, past wonders are not remembered and the 5 senses are dulled and useless. It was a place that was greatly feared by the ancient peoples, and it should be feared today by those who have not received Christ and who know nothing of the love and mercy of our

Psalm 88:11 Love and faithfulness God’s kindness, mercy and love are all bound together in one package! If you opt for one of these attributes, you will get them all. In addition, He adds His faithfulness, faithfulness that, according to Psalm 36:5, reaches to the skies. In other words, this planet has been constructed specifically so that these characteristics of Almighty, Creator God might be displayed. This creation abounds in His love, mercy and kindness, every living thing, every mountain, river and plain, every cloud and every heavenly object shouts of His faithfulness. Each new day is a gift from Him, His angels work tirelessly to watch over us, the seasons are ordered to produce the food we need, all creation works harmoniously so that we might enjoy our brief stay on this planet. And yet. And yet most people live out their petty lives with their eyes and ears closed to their Creator, preferring to believe that everything around them came about by accident or was provided by so

Psalm 88:10 The place of the departed What a curious verse? Two questions are directed here to the Lord God and it’s a job to know if the one who seeks answers is being serious or sarcastic!  Psalm 6:5 states,  “Among the dead no one proclaims Your name. Who praises you from the grave?”  And Psalm 115:17 says,  “It is not the dead who praise the Lord, those who go down to the place of silence .” I think that the Psalm writer who wrote today’s verse is simply stating fact; the realm of the dead is a place of darkness and emptiness. There is no direct light there. There is no sound there. There is no experience of life and energy, and the created beauty of earth is unseen and unknown. No spirits rise up. No lips utter praise, no heart beats with joy and wonder, no soul reaches out to its creator. The place of the departed spirits is dull, monotonous, gloomy, completely without life, it is lonely and silent. No one would ever wish to go there, and no one will ever return. Jesus visited th

Psalm 88:9 My eye are dim The Old Testament occasionally talks of eyes being dimmed and there are a number of causes. Obviously, sight diminishes with creeping old age and I guess that, in those days, there was no treatment for cataracts or the provision of spectacles for long or short-sightedness! In the time of the Psalms failing eyesight went hand in hand with failing strength and with grief, trouble and affliction. If an individual yearned for relief and for hope, but none came, they might say that their eyes grew weak with longing. Such emotions were often stirred by the oppression of their foes or their lack of progress against the obstacles they faced. In the verse before us it is grief that leads to the dimming of the eyes. This is a description of a man who is so overcome by his heartache that he can see nothing and no one because of the pain.  In this time of deep travail our psalmist spreads out his hands to the Lord God and He calls out for deliverance and help. We will nev

Psalm 88:8 Abandoned by friends V8           Abandonment by friends is a painful experience. Job writes about it in Job 19:13-19.   “He has alienated my family from me;      my acquaintances are completely estranged from me. My relatives have gone away;      my closest friends have forgotten me. My guests and my female servants count me a foreigner;      they look on me as on a stranger. I summon my servant, but he does not answer,      though I beg him with my own mouth. My breath is offensive to my wife;      I am loathsome to my own family. Even the little boys scorn me;      when I appear, they ridicule me. All my intimate friends detest me;      those I love have turned against me.” We cannot begin to imagine how Jesus felt as He was condemned to die by Pontius Pilate. By this time Simon Peter had already denied Him and as He made the painful journey to the crucifixion site, His only comfort came from a stranger from Libya, Simon of Cyrene, who was compelled to carry the cross. At

Psalm 88:7 Overwhelmed by waves It was not uncommon for peoples of ancient times to fear the wind and the waves; the weather was way out of their control and impossible to understand, the best that they could do was to attribute the mighty forces of creation to the activities of the gods. In Israel’s case, one God had the elements in His hands, and He controlled the waves, the tides, the storm clouds, as well as the sun, the moon and the stars. Even to this day, we have no control over earthquakes, weather patterns, tsunamis, tornados, hurricanes etc. When you think about it, the modern-day clamour about climate change is caused simply by the fact that things are happening to the planet that man cannot control! He has never been able to control these things, only God can control them! The writer of this Psalm sees the calamities that have overcome him as waves of wrath, elemental forces have brought him to the point of death and behind all of them, lies the angry hand of God. We might

Psalm 88:6 The lowest pit The lowest place can only mean Sheol (Gk Hades), the realm of the dead. As we have seen, the Old Testament Scriptures have many descriptions of this place, it is called the pit, a place of silence,  “let the wicked be put to shame and be silent in the realm of the dead”.  (Psalm 31:17). and of darkness,  “before I go to the place of no return, to the land of gloom and utter darkness, to the land of deepest night, of utter darkness and disorder, where even the light is like darkness.”  (Job 10:21-22.) Some Biblical writers see Sheol as a state where decay and destruction are rife and others relate it to natural features like dust and mire, slime and mud. Put all of these together and it is not a place to be anticipated but greatly feared. Thinking about it, we have to conclude that when God withdraws from a place and abandons those who enter it, there is no light. There is no sound. There is no speech. There are no relationships. There is no purpose. There is n

Psalm 88:5 Remembered no more The writer of this Psalm is, as we have seen, in a very dark and gloomy place. There is no hope. There is no help. He sees himself like a victim of the battlefield, a slain body lying in an open grave, a useless corpse whose time has gone.  In this place, there is no identity or individuality, a corpse is a corpse, it is forsaken and useless and remembered no more. It serves no purpose; its life has been sucked away and it is soon forgotten. We need to remember that in this life whilst we are living, breathing beings, we are always within the reach of God’s care. To die without Him means to enter a future existence without Him. For the ancients, who lived before Christ, there was no hope of resurrection. They had limited understanding of what lay beyond the grave, all they knew was that death was like a pit and the world beyond cut them off from the privileges, beauty and wonder, and relationships enjoyed during a life on earth.  Jesus must have known that

Psalm 88:4 The pit of death The suffering of this broken and forsaken man does not improve! It is New Year’s Day 2023 as I meditate upon this verse. We all want the coming year to be a time of peace and prosperity and personal wellbeing however, the Psalm reminds us it could be anything but! Our writer realises that the sentry at the gates of Sheol is already preparing to record his name, he is about to join the ranks of the departed, and there is nothing he can do about it! He cannot fight it for he has no strength. He cannot walk away, his journey takes him inexorably, step by step, towards the gaping jaws of death. No one steps forward to rescue him, he is doomed! This Psalm, and others like it, surely give us an insight into the mind and soul of the Lord Jesus as He faced the bitter trial of His crucifixion and realised that there was no way back. His was a lonely journey, what few friends accompanied Him stood at a distance and watched with broken hearts. They had no means to defy

Psalm 88:3 Overwhelmed with troubles At this point in his suffering, the writer clearly believes himself to be close to death. We do not know if this situation was caused by illness or danger or enemy activity, all we know is that he did not expect to survive. However, in the midst of this mortal crisis, he finds the words to express how he feels, and he records the dire effect of the trials on his mental, physical and spiritual wellbeing. In his head he can see no way out of this, his inner being shakes with fear and an overwhelming awareness of the brooding power of death and the tentacles of the grave claw at his soul.  It is impossible for us to imagine how our Lord Jesus felt as He hung upon that wretched Roman crucifix. In three hours of darkness His body writhed with pain and His soul was tortured by the fear of what death might do to Him. Who could ever enter that ghastly chamber and emerge again? No one had done it before Him and without His Father’s help, how could He survive

Psalm 88:2 Turn your ear to my cry There is little doubt that there have been many believers over the years, who have cried out to the Lord with no reassurance that their requests have been heard. In fact, this would be true of all of us. There are many prayers that have taken a lifetime to be answered, and many others that seem to be completely ignored! Presumably, this has something to do with the nature of the requests and the way in which our prayers match the purpose and plan of the Lord. Sometimes, our prayers can be very selfish and demanding with little thought as to how the Lord God will be able to respond. Too often we make an appeal based on our own limited understanding of a situation and it is impossible for the Lord to answer us on our terms. Having said all of the above, it is a sad believer who cannot recall any occasion when their prayer was answered, and who knows of no miraculous intervention from heaven.  All prayer offered in good faith, from a heart of devotion is

Psalm 88:1 On the brink of death Many of the Psalmists’ writings have already taken us to the edge of the grave. This psalm is equally dark and depressing, for the writer appears to suggest that his whole life has been lived under the threat of death. He speaks as if every day has been an experience of the wrath of God, to the point that friends and family have withdrawn from him and turned him into an object that is repulsive to them. The Psalm suggests that some godly people are called to live on the edge of darkest trouble, their days are full of suffering and there is little hope or joy in their time on this earth.  it is not inappropriate to interpret these words as a prophetic prayer from the lips of the Lord Jesus. There were few days of joy or relaxation during His early life, He was weighed down by the suffering of others, the grievances of the world, the rejection of His Father and the attacks of His enemies. I don’t know about you, but I find it hard to imagine Him ambling a