Psalm 101:3

Psalm 101:3

That which is vile!

The word for “vile” in this verse is “beliyya’al” in Hebrew. In Greek it became “beliar” and was used as a name for the Satan – “Belial.” “What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?” 2 Corinthians 6:15. Paul’s comments in 2 Corinthians have to do with idols and the profanities that were practiced at the pagan temples of his day. We can identify with his sentiments when we consider the vileness of much of the content of our TV screens, cinema films and the internet. We should make a vow this day that we will not look upon such things or approve of them in any way. The same applies to the idols of our age and the artifacts of the world’s religions, it may not be possible to avoid seeing them, but we do not approve of them. 

The world is full of evil and inhabited by those who practice evil. The faithless are those who rebel against God, against truth, against righteousness, against moral laws, against God’s Word, against all that is right. Sadly, it’s a bit of a job to find people and places where all of these are upheld, that is why the church should be so different to anything else on this planet. When we come together with other believers our goal is to celebrate our freedom from vileness and our identity in the Lord. 

If you are a citizen of Christ’s kingdom, you are an exile, because at present the world around you is not under His rule. You are living under foreign rule. While you await Christ’s return, your true citizenship in his kingdom is “kept in heaven for you” 1 Peter 1:4. Like exiles in any country, you do not necessarily enjoy the favour of the rulers of the land where you live, especially when you will have no part in their schemes and their transgressions. Yeshua came to this land Himself but was “rejected by mortals” 1 Peter 2:4; and all citizens of his kingdom should expect the same treatment. Nonetheless, God has called us to stay here, to reside in this alien land while conducting the work of Christ, until He comes.

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