Daily Meditations

Psalm 115:6-7 Pointless idols The description of the false gods continues with a catalogue of the pointless features that characterise the idols that represent them. Let’s be clear here, no object made of wood, stone, metal, plastic or any other material can possibly respond to human worship or obeisance. These man-made icons are incapable of any kind of reaction for they have no life in them. Neither is there any point in idolising animals, birds, sea creatures or any living thing, because they are lesser beings than we are. To venerate a lesser being is completely futile! How ridiculous it is for men to bow down to or revere a created object whilst the Creator longs for the praise and respect that He is due!  What is much more devious about all of this, is that the devil recognises the foolishness of men and connives to give these idolatrous objects an aura and even a sense of spirituality that will keep them in focus, rather than their Maker! That some idols appear to have spiritual

Psalm 115:4-5 Our God or idols? In Romans 1, the Apostle Paul describes the process by which people end up worshipping idols and false gods. It starts with the suppression of truth by wickedness. V18. In the context it seems that it is particularly the truth about the God of Creation. When nations  abandon the Lord God as their Maker they immediately remove their need for accountability, and faith in Him is completely undermined. From God’s point of view such foolishness, and disregard of the obvious, leaves men without any excuse when they eventually have to account to Him! The process degenerates further in that unbelieving humans now see no point in giving thanks or glory to God. V21. If He is not the Creator and there are calculable and alternative explanation for our origins, then God no longer features as a God who must be honoured and obeyed.  From the Lord’s point of view, he sees all this as futility and darkness and who is responsible for the deception of darkness? The Satan.

Psalm 115:3 God does whatever please Him The backdrop to this verse is, of course, the nature of who God is and where He dwells. Israel believed that their God was supreme over all the nations and that His dwelling place was upon the highest throne imaginable. If He was truly God, then there was no one or nothing greater than He, His dwelling place must be above the earth, above the heavens, above the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms. Their God was above all!  By contrast, the gods of the nations were inferior, lesser beings who were subject to God’s will and who could not oppose Him and expect to succeed. Because He could do whatever pleased Him, the Israelites believed that their God had the right to give life and take it, to destroy nations, to appoint whomsoever He chose as ruler over any group of people. After all, it was God who sent the Flood, it was God who dispersed the nations after Babel, it was the God of Israel who gave them unprecedented and unlikely victorie

Psalm 115:2 Where is their God? The division of the “gods” among the nations happened after Babel. “ When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance, when He divided all mankind, He set up the boundaries for the peoples according to the number of the sons of God  (the elohim.)  For the Lord’s portion is His people, Jacob His allotted inheritance.” Deuteronomy 32:8-9. Deuteronomy 4 warns Israel against worshipping idols and bowing down to the heavenly bodies, all things that the Lord has  “apportioned to all the nations under heaven.”  (v19). In other words, the God of the Old Testament chose Israel alone to be His inheritance, both the people and then the land that He gave them. All the other nations were allocated out and could not know YAHWEH, unless they came through the nation of priests – Israel. Thus, they worshipped the sun and the moon and the stars. Thus, they made their idols and did obeisance to images and objects made of wood and stone for they had no access to the on

Psalm 115:1 To God be the Glory! This Psalm is the third in the “Hallel” and it offers praise to the Lord who is the One True God, as opposed to the idols of the nations. This God is full of love and faithfulness, and He blesses all those who trust in Him. The point is that there is only One God and as such He is worthy of our obedience and our worship. Psalm 115 helps us to understand this and to give Him the rightful place of honour in our lives.   V1        There is no room in our churches, in our families or in our individual hearts for pride or self-importance. We are nothing, we have achieved nothing; the plaudits of the world or even our fellow believers are misplaced, it is to the Lord alone that all glory is due. Do we think that have achieved something if our church is growing, that somehow this is a tribute to us? Do we think that our well-balanced, polite and capable kids are the product of just our own efforts? Do we think that our status and standing or popularity are ach

Psalm 114:8 Springs of water It has proved difficult for archaeologists to say for certain where the actual site of Mount Sinai is. It is most certainly in the Sinai Peninsula and traditionally shares its location with another famous mountain of the Bible – Horeb. Mountains in the area can reach above 7,000 feet and Moses first became acquainted with the geography of Sinai when he was a shepherd for his father-in-law, Jethro. It was somewhere amongst these mountains that Moses was commanded by God to strike the rock at Horeb with his staff and out of that rock water flowed and the grumbling community of Israel were able to drink. Our verse today takes this a bit further and suggest that a pool formed and thus provided a constant source of water for the people and their livestock. There is more than a suggestion elsewhere that the supply remained with the people and accompanied them on their wilderness wanderings, how else would around 2 million people not die of thirst? Thus, Horeb was

Psalm 114:7 Tremble, earth Verse 6 of this Psalm asks the question “Why?” This is the never-ending quest of the unbeliever, who longs to know why but refuses to attribute the unexplained to the Lord God. People will always continue to ask the same question and they will never be satisfied with their own answers or those that “experts” provide. As we saw, the question is not why but who? And here we have the answer,  “Tremble, earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob …..”    There is an unbridgeable dividing line between the majority of the world who will spend lifetimes looking for answers without being prepared to acknowledge the presence and handiwork of God, and those who simply trust in Him. The dividing line is so distinct that many Christians find it hard to cross it! When you do cross over you can see why the rest of the earth should be taking the advice of the psalmist,  “Tremble, earth.”  There is nothing on our planet that is subject to chance o

Psalm 114:5-6 Why, oh why, oh why Four questions here that, at first sight, are somewhat puzzling:  1.       Why was it, sea, that you fled? 2.       Why, Jordan, did you turn back? 3.       Why, mountains, did you leap like rams? 4.       Why, … you hills like lambs? What is the explanation for this behaviour? Why was it that these geological or topographical features, that were normally dependable and intransigent, started to behave in irrational and unpredictable ways? What happened to them? What was it that made them perform in this manner? One translation suggests that the question being asked was, “What ailed you, O you sea, that you fled? …..” Thus far, in this Psalm, we have not read of the One who was behind these events although, of course, we know it was the Lord. Verse 7 will give us the answers but for now let us imagine ourselves as ignorant observers witnessing these happenings, for that is the position of the godless, unbelieving nations watching on. There must have bee

Psalm 114:3-4 The Sea, a river, mountains and hills These verses are written to convey a sense of awe as we reflect on how the waters flee and the mountains and hills leap! In the writer’s mind, the sheer presence of the Lord God and the power of His voice were enough to cause even the most stable of geographical features to react and recoil, for they recognised the hand and authority of their Creator! Most would consider this language to be figurative, but I suspect that the Psalm coneys more than this. If God acts, if He speaks, if His commands are issued, nothing can withstand Him. Earthquakes, floods, tempests, volcanos, thunder and lightning, deluges, hurricanes – you name it, and the Lord our God is able to command it!  In this instance, we are obviously considering the deliverance of Israel from Egypt; the Red Sea parted at the Lord’s command and, 40 years later, the River Jordan, in full spate, did the same thing. There may well have been seismic activity at the same time, why

Psalm 114:2 Where is their God? As we know, the land of Canaan was occupied by 12 tribes of Israelites once they had settled and conquered their enemies. Sadly, after the reign of Solomon, the land was divided; geographically, politically, spiritually and culturally. Two kings reigned, the northern kingdom, which consisted of 10 tribes, was called Israel (also Ephraim), and the southern kingdom which embraced Judah and Benjamin was named ….. you guessed it, Judah! Here in the Psalm, the two kingdoms are viewed as the one people of God. Sadly, the nation as a whole was meant to be a kingdom of priests, a holy nation (Exodus 19:3-6), not a divided, embittered land torn apart by civil war!  The Temple, built by Solomon, was to be the sanctuary of God, where He dwelt amongst His people and this was, of course, situated in Jerusalem in Judah. Thus, the occupants of the north, when they occasionally halted their worship of idols and other gods, had to create their own place of worship. In 1

Psalm 114:1 The God who delivers Remember that this Psalm forms part of what is called the “Egyptian Hallel.” As we have noted previously, the Hallel encompasses Psalms 113-118, and it became part of the Jewish liturgy at all major festivals including Passover. There can be no doubt about the subject of this Psalm which, for reasons I cannot remember, was my favourite when I was a teenager! Psalm 114, of course, celebrates the Exodus, the deliverance of Israel from Egypt. This was the moment in history when the nation took on its own identity, prior to this the people were just known as Hebrew slaves, under the domination of Egypt and without an inheritance or a collective purpose. The moment that Moses appeared to take on Pharaoh and his government, everything changed! This was a deeply spiritual moment too, for the Lord God began to fulfil His promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He opened the way for the nation to journey to the Promised Land and He did it against enormous odds. Le

Psalm 113:9 The childless woman Following on from yesterday’s meditation, we can now see that the psalm-writer had Hannah in mind as he penned his song. Hannah would also have been in the minds of the thousands of Jews who celebrated the Feasts, either at the Tabernacle or in their local communities, and who sang the Hallel. (See introduction) Hannah is the woman who was childless, who settled in her home until Samuel was weaned, and who became a happy mother of children.  Barrenness was a great disgrace in ancient times but particularly so in Israel. Children were a gift from God, as they still are, but in a culture that was founded on blessings and curses, it was inevitable that people would question Hannah’s barren state and also what she might have done to deserve this! So, for a woman like her, being childless was a cause of deep anguish, soul-searching and pain. It was alright for her husband Elekanah, he obviously was not the cause of the problem for he produced children through

Psalm 113:8 Hannah's Song 1 Samuel 2 records the wonderful Song of Hannah. You will remember that she was the wife of a man called Elkanah who also had another wife called Peninnah. Penenniah had produced sons and wives for her husband, but Hannah was barren and clearly felt that she was second rate and cursed for her infertility. Hannah’s rival often provoked her, reducing her to weep bitter tears. You will remember that the Tabernacle was housed in Shiloh at that time and the High Priest was an old man named Eli and most families tried to visit at least once per year. One day, Eli saw Hannah praying and weeping at the entrance to the Tabernacle and he thought she was drunk, in fact she was deep in prayer to the Lord for a son, whom she promised to give back to Him should a pregnancy ever take place. Eli took pity on Hannah and effectively promised her that the Lord God would grant what she had asked. The rest, as they say, is history. Samuel was born and after the weaning period

Psalm 113:7 He raises the poor and needy n the human order of things, the higher up the ladder of fame, prosperity and power you go, the greater the respect that you are shown. It comes with the territory, and it is expected by those who climb that ladder; indeed, we call them social climbers! Some of us have had a lifetime of watching from the sidelines as the high and mighty in the world have come and gone, I cannot recall any who gave the Lord God credit for their success or who gave Him glory in the way they conducted themselves. Queen Elizabeth 11 was certainly a religious, Christian lady who spoke of her faith from time to time, but I can think of no others like her. The interesting fact is that this verse tells us that the Lord God Almighty does not align Himself with the rich and famous, it’s as if the very act of climbing that ladder draws individuals away from Him and takes them ever closer to the one who is the ruler of this world – the devil! Instead, God  “raises the poor

Psalm 113:5-6 “Who is like the Lord our God?”   That’s a question that takes some people a lifetime to resolve, for others it can be answered in a second for many of us believe that there is none like Him. Interestingly the prophet Micah’s name means  “Who is like the Lord?”  I wonder if Micah needed to deliberate for very long before answering the question?  How can there be anyone like our God, if He is the supreme Being in the universe and if He rules and reigns over all other physical and spiritual creations? He is the Lord our God, the word “our” here is very important, it signifies relationship and ownership. In Exodus 19:5-6 the Lord gives voice to this principal of ownership when addressing Israel, “ Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation .” We can make the mistake of thinking that our relationship with Him is all about

Psalm 113:4 The Lord is exalted Firstly, let us note that this verse embraces praise of the Lord at every level. Here on earth He is to be praised over all the nations, and in heaven His glory exceeds all others. This refrain echoes the words found in Psalm 57:5,11,  “Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let Your glory be over all the earth .”  The nations, as a whole, do not exalt or glorify the Lord God, in fact they blaspheme His name and curse His works. But, that should not stop us from exalting Him and lifting up His name over our nation and any other that we choose. When these words were written I’m sure the psalmist was not thinking about the songs and praises of 21 st  century Christians, he was far more concerned with matters at his time, and the fact that every conceivable god had a name that was being exalted. Nothing has changed! Let’s remind ourselves of what we have learned about our God: - Psalm 95:3 tells us that,  “The Lord is the great God, the great King above all

Psalm 113:1-3 Praise the Lord! This is the beginning of what is called the “Egyptian Hallel.” The Hallel encompasses Psalms 113-118, and it became part of the Jewish liturgy at all major festivals including Passover. At this symbolic event, Psalms 113 and 114 were sung before the Passover meal and before the second cup, the Cup of Praise, was drunk. Psalms 115 to 118 were sung after the meal, when the fourth cup, the Cup of Thanksgiving, had been filled.  This Psalm is a hymn to the Lord, and it celebrates His name and His authority. In addition, it reminds us that the Lord is not impressed by the status that the world places on people, He shows mercy and favour to the poor and seats them with princes. In everything He is to be praised.   V1-3    Notice that this Psalm begins with a number of injunctions to praise the Lord! V1        Praise the Lord V1        Praise the Lord, you His servants V1        Praise the name of the Lord V2        Let the name of the Lord be praised V3        

Psalm 112:10 The pointlessness of the wicked Thus far, we have meditated upon 9 verses of a Psalm that have extolled the virtues of the righteous. They are blessed and find great delight in the commands of the Lord. Their children will grow in the fear of the Lord, and they too will be men and women of renown. The righteous will prosper, and their gracious acts of compassion will be remembered forever. Justice will light their way and they will be rewarded for their big-hearted kindness. Such people remain unshaken by tragedy and disaster for they are steadfast and trust in their God whatever circumstances may come their way. The righteous are fearless and they will triumph over their foes and show generosity to the poor. All these things will enhance their reputations and they will always be remembered.  Contrast all this with the ways of the wicked! They will merely spectate, for godliness is the only way to blessedness and the ways of the wicked do not lead to abundance but to an em

Psalm 112:9 Gifts to the poor There is a powerful text all about giving in 2 Corinthians 9:6-15 and the words here in today’s verse are repeated. Here is an extract:   “ Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion,   for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able   to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need,   you will abound in every good work. As it is written:  “They have freely scattered their gifts   to the poor; their righteousness endures forever.”   Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food   will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.    You will be enriched   in every way so that you can be generous   on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.” It was a verse like verse 9 of Psalm 112 that prompted the repentant tax collector, Zacchaeus, to say to Jesus,  “her

Psalm 112:8 Fearless and triumphant The theme continues! In verse 7 we discovered that the truly blessed, the righteous, those who fear the Lord and trust in Him, are described  as having steadfast hearts, now we find that such people have secure hearts! That means that their hearts are strong, unwavering, firmly planted and they have a long-term lifespan. The heart is the centre of our beings, it is the most important organ in our bodies, the pumping of blood around the body is what keeps us alive, as soon as our heart fails, we are in jeopardy! The heart is also symbolic of our spiritual state, when I was a child, I often heard people talk about inviting Jesus into our hearts. In other words, He takes up a position at the very centre of our lives, He becomes as important as the organ that secures our physical life.  One of the greatest threats to the correct functions of the heart is fear. When we are fearful our heart rate increases, if we are terrified it can soar to an unsustainab

Psalm 112:7 No fear of bad news We have here a continuation of the previous verse, it gives yet more reasons why the righteous will never be shaken. One of these is that they will have no fear of bad news. This all links back to the opening verse of the Psalm that counts those who fear the Lord as being truly blessed. It means they have discovered happiness, contentment and being at peace, but not as temporary, once-in-a-while kinds of experiences. This is a permanent state of mind, a mental and spiritual contentment that comes from knowing that someone much bigger than us is in control, that all our needs will be met and that we need fear no one or nothing. Such contentment is bound up in being free from past sin and guilt, being dearly loved in the present and having extraordinary hope for the future. It is like being wrapped in a cozy blanket of love where nothing can permanently harm us and where our every need is supplied. Thus, when bad news comes, and it will, there are no groun

Psalm 112:6 We will not be shaken The earlier verses of this Psalm informed us that those who fear the Lord and who are upright will be blessed,  “Their righteousness endures forever.”  V3. The verse before us today makes these promises personal, it’s not only their works that will be forever remembered, the righteous themselves will never be forgotten! Such men and women will never lose their sense of well-being, they will never feel insecure, because they are righteous. They will know the comforting care, love and protection of the Lord God, they will have no cause to be fearful or anxious. We hear a lot about “well-being” nowadays, in fact it has now become one word and even the NHS offers a 5-point plan on how to develop this: -  1. Connect with other people 2. Be physically active 3. Learn new skills 4. Give to others 5. Pay attention to the present moment (mindfulness) Apparently, these 5 steps will help us all to improve our mental health and we will feel more positive and able

Psalm 112:5  All things good Before we unpack today’s verse, we need to lay some ground rules! The Psalms have already taught us that “God is good!” The word here is not “righteous”, it is “good.” God is good, so we receive good things from Him. If we want to experience “good days” we should shun evil and do good. The context seems to be, that when we do good, we consciously and willingly choose the right path, we knowingly choose between good and evil, we make that choice because it pleases the Lord and because we know that it is the best way. “Good” is something that we do, and it flows from righteousness which is what we are given! Romans 3:22 says,  “This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.”  As a consequence of receiving that gift by faith, we now seek to live lives that are good and pleasing to the Lord. Paul wrote to Timothy about living a life of godliness and holiness which is good and pleasing to the Lord. 1 Timothy 2:2-3.  There are some

Psalm 112:4 Gracious, compassionate and righteous It could be that the darkness, referred to here in this verse, speaks of the night-time, but surely the psalm writer is thinking more widely. He has lived through dark times; he has experienced the heavy cloud of enemy oppression or famine or disease. Maybe, he has lived at a time when the nation has turned its back on the Lord God and an evil despot has occupied the throne of Israel. He may even have suffered the personal darkness of losing a loved one or illness or financial ruin. At those times, when human resources and integrity have reached their limits, when all others have felt like giving up, the righteous continue to have hope. Those who trust in the Lord their God never experience complete darkness, there is always the potential of a new dawn, their sun is never far below the horizon. If we believe that the Lord is in control and that His purposes will always prevail, then no matter what happens, the light is not far from us.