Psalm 119:147

Psalm 119:147

Praise God for the dawn

The “dawn” was a powerful and symbolic event in the minds of the ancient peoples. In Egypt, the Pharaoh would rise before the dawn and go down to the Nile and raise His arms to greet the sun as it appeared above the horizon. Many of his citizens of course believed that it was his raising his hands in the air that drew the sun over the edge of the earth and thus began the new day. 

When God spoke to Job He asked him, “Have you commanded the morning star in your days, and caused the dawn to know its place?” Job 38:12. In other words, God is the provider of each new day, He is the giver of light and life, the day dawns for us all because He commands it. 

There is another beautiful truth associated with the dawn, Peter writes about this, “We have the more sure word of prophecy; and you do well that you heed it, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns, and the morning star arises in your hearts.” 2 Peter 1:19. Peter is reminding us that there is another dawn in Scripture, as the song goes, “There is a day that all, creation’s waiting for.” On that day the Lord of light will return to expel the darkness that covers the earth, and His morning star is already planted in our hearts. The morning star in astronomical terms is the planet Venus that appears very briefly at dawn and dusk, in other words, God gives us all a sign of His presence at the beginning and end of each day, but in the morning, it is only visible to those who arise early and who expectantly seek it out. 

The author of this Psalm knew that if he arose whilst it was still dark, the light would come, a new day would dawn and that gave him hope that the Lord had indeed heard his cries for help. Presumably he knew what the promise of the new day meant, he knew that the Lord would always shine His light at the end of a night of darkness. And we can be reassured by this too! Hallelujah! 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Psalm 106:13

Psalm 106:13 Do not forget We need to remember that Israel’s relationship with the Lord God was based on His laws and their obedience. It was possible for them to live lives that were highly blessed, that incorporated the provision of God in every tiny detail of their national and individual existence. God was prepared to give them everything they needed, He would provide food and water for them and their flocks. He would guide them on their journey. He would protect them from their enemies. He would inspire and direct their leaders. He would keep them from the heat of the sun and the terrors of the desert night. He would take them to the land that He had promised, in double quick time. There was no reason why they could not be in situ in just a few months. Everything they could possibly need was His to provide and He was willing to sacrifice anything to see them gratefully settled in Canaan.  There was just one snag, it all depended upon their obedience and faithfulness. God insis...
Read more

Psalm 119:135

Psalm 119:135 His shining face In verse 58 0f the Psalm we commented on the apparent impossibility of being able to see the face of God. And yet this intimacy was something that the psalmists, and other writers, craved. The High Priestly blessing, prayed over the people every day, asks that the Lord make His face shine upon them. In verse 58 we discovered that this plea involved more than just being able to see the face of God, which was impossible; I quote,  “ The Hebrew word for face in the Old Testament can be translated “presence.” Now things start to make more sense! Those Israelites who so regularly abandoned the Lord God were being reminded to seek again the presence of God and the psalmist lets it be known that this is his constant quest. When you think about it, a person’s face reveals a great deal about their character and personality even, maybe, their circumstances or lifestyle. The more we seek the face of God and the more we spend time in His presence, the more like H...
Read more

Psalm 42:1

Psalm 42:1 Why Lord?   This Psalm and the one that follows offer painful pleas to the Lord.  “Why have You forsaken me? When can I go and meet with God? Why must I go about mourning? Why is my soul so downcast?”  The good news is that the writer knows the answer, “ Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Saviour and my God.”  You will note that these two Psalms (41 and 42) are written by the Sons of Korah. These men, the Korahites, were Levites whose particular role was the worship and ceremonial or liturgical activities at the Tabernacle and later the Temple. They would, therefore, have composed music and songs like this as part of their role and also been engaged with the choir that sang at various times during the day and on festive occasions.    V1        The Psalm starts poetically but also with a heart cry;  “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God.”  I’ve r...
Read more