Daily Meditations

Psalm 136:12 God's mighty hand and outstretched arm It’s an enigma, isn’t it, that the Scriptures teach us that God is Spirit, that no one has seen Him and that His dwelling place is heavenly, and yet we find regular references to a physical Being? In this instance His mighty hand and outstretched arm are in action. Are these just figures of speech or does the Lord God literally possess hands and arms like ours?  There are 17 references in the Old Testament to God’s outstretched arm and in each case, this refers to His active involvement in the world’s affairs, particularly in Israel’s deliverance from Egypt and the terrors, signs, wonders and judgements that accompanied their liberation. It appears that when the Lord deliberately involves Himself in worldly matters and physically intervenes in times of crisis or judgement, His mighty hand and outstretched arm are deemed to be active. In many instances His Word is enough, but there are occasions when He must act, particularly on be...

Psalm 136:11 He brought us out! There is a phrase here that is often overlooked, the verse tells us that the Lord God  “brought Israel out”  from among the Egyptians. This is a reflection of the words of the Lord to Israel at the time, “ I am the Lord, and I will  bring you out  from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgement.”  Exodus 6:6. On the day that the Israelites left Egypt Moses instructed the people, “ Commemorate this day, the day you came out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery, because  the Lord brought you out  of it with a mighty hand.”  Exodus 13:3. It was the Lord who released His people, He initiated and carried out their deliverance and ever since, annual feasts such as Passover and Unleavened Bread have been celebrated and the Jews to this day continue to remember the deliverance of their ancestors from the misery ...

Psalm 136:10 The firstborn of Egypt From verse 10 to verse 22, the Psalm now deals with events in Israel’s past where there is clear evidence of the hand of God. Each one of these instances is treated as being worthy of separate mention and to each is attributed the phrase,  “His love endures forever .”  We start in Egypt where the Hebrew slaves were in bitter anguish at the hands of their cruel slave masters. Life was miserable, they were trapped with no means of escape and no hope for tomorrow. Egypt had become their prison. The orders that precipitated the slaughter of the firstborn sons of Egypt are interesting and chilling, Moses was ordered to speak one last time to Pharaoh, and these were his words, “ This is what the Lord says: Israel is my firstborn son, and I told you, “Let my son go, so he may worship me.” But you refused to let him go; so I will kill your firstborn son.”  Exodus 4:22-23. In other words, the killing of Egypt’s young men was not a mindless, bloo...

Psalm 136:7-9 cont The sun, the moon and the stars Have you noticed how pagan religions often use the sun and moon as representatives of the gods which they associate with these heavenly bodies? The Egyptians had Rah, God of the sun, whose authority was given to Pharaoh who raised his arms at sunrise every morning and was credited with the power to control the dawn. The Greeks and Romans had sun gods and, of course, modern Hinduism, Buddhism and just about every religion that has ever existed or can be named has exalted the sun as a god. In the same way, the moon and stars are regarded as objects of worship, even in modern western cultures where millions of people follow horoscopes and attribute qualities to the signs of the Zodiac. This stuff is all around us and always has been, but the sun, moon and stars are not powers to be feared or to be revered, for the one, true God made them all. Listen to these words by the prophet Isaiah , “Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who cre...

Psalm 136:7-9 All about the lights The exploration of God’s creative works continues and here we have a summary of Genesis 1:14-19.  “And  God said, “Let there be lights   in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night,   and let them serve as signs   to mark sacred times,   and days and years,  and  let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so.   God made two great lights—the greater light   to govern   the day and the lesser light to govern   the night.   He also made the stars.     God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth,   to govern the day and the night,   and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good.   And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day .” Notice that God’s first act in creation was to give light, light that is symbolic of life and blessing and that stamped His ownership ...

Psalm 136:6 The earth is a temple Psalm 2 begins with these words,  “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for He founded it on the seas and established it on the waters.”  This verse, of course, echoes Genesis 1 where God is described as separating the waters and making dry ground appear on the earth. One of the interesting aspects of Psalm 2 is that it uses the terminology of the day that referred to the building of a settlement or a city, and the same metaphors applied to the construction of a temple. Thus, the Bible refers to the earth as having pillars and foundations just as a temple might have!  In ancient times, a temple was perceived to be like the earth in miniature, that is why pagan gods had temples built for them and why Zion’s Temple was described as the dwelling place of God Most High. The ancient Israelites realised that even the whole earth could not contain their God for He had designed it, formed it and constr...

Psalm 136:5 The creative mind of God A curious phrase this, what does it mean that God made the heavens by His own understanding? Proverbs 3:19-20 elaborates on this theme, “ By wisdom the Lord laid the earth’s foundations, by understanding He set the heavens in place; by His knowledge the watery depths were divided, and the clouds let drop the dew .” Jeremiah had a similar view when he wrote,  “But God made the earth by His power; He founded the world by His wisdom and stretched out the heavens by His understanding.”  Jeremiah 10:12. Firstly, I think these ancient writers had grasped that the formation and structure of creation is not random, or composed of various add-ons to a central project. The universe was not constructed as an ongoing experiment; it was designed and assembled according to a pre-prepared divine plan. And let me just say, that plan is so detailed and so elaborate that there is no hope of the human race ever being able to decipher or grasp any of its intri...

Psalm 136:4 The great wonders of God It’s not too difficult to grasp that God’s “wonders” are the creative things that He does, the miracles of life and creation, the seasons, the daily rising of the sun and its setting, the weather patterns that envelop the earth and the provision of food for all living creatures. As believers, we can testify to God’s influence and intervention in our lives, and many can recount stories of His protective love and care. All these things are easily identifiable “wonders”.  Going back in time, the Bible teaches us that even the calamitous plagues that struck Egypt were some of the wonders of God. Listen to His words to Moses at the Burning Bush.  “But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless a mighty hand compels him. So I will stretch out my hand and strike the Egyptians with all the wonders that I will perform among them. After that, he will let you go.”  Exodus 3:19-20.  Job got a grasp on this subject after he had r...

Psalm 136:3 The Lord of lords Let’s talk about names, shall we? Verse 2 of the Psalm seems straight forward enough; God is the God of gods. So, what does this verse imply when it says that He is Lord of lords? Well, I needed some help to unravel this – it’s complicated! It can be very confusing to understand how the different titles for God are used in the Bible. Part of the problem is that the various Bible translations use the terms somewhat differently. The primary reason for the use of LORD in place of God’s Hebrew name is to follow the tradition of the Israelites in not pronouncing or spelling out God’s name. So, when God’s Hebrew name "YHWH" is used in the Old Testament, English translations usually use "LORD".  Also, since the ancient Hebrew language did not use vowels, in its written form, it is not entirely clear how God’s name should be spelled or pronounced. It could  be Yahweh, or Jehovah, or Yehowah.  So, when "LORD" in all caps or small caps ...

Psalm 136:2 The God of gods Moses came down from Mount Sinai bearing the 10 Commandments, written on stone tablets. He had previously smashed the first set when he saw the idolatry of the people as they worshipped a golden calf. Moses begs the Israelites to fear the Lord their God and to keep His commands. As part of his declaration to the gathered tribes he begs them to not be stiff-necked, “ For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes.”  Deuteronomy 10:17.  Who are these other gods? Any idol, statue or object that is deemed to have spiritual powers and to represent other gods. Any representation of God Himself, made from earthly materials. Any object, person, philosophy, religion or pursuit that we worship or esteem more than the Creator. These things can all be our gods, but Psalm 82 gives us an insight into spiritual powers that have huge influence over the earth and its peoples, a...

Psalm 136:1 His love endures forever This Psalm has twenty-six verses and twenty-six repetitions of one simple, but gloriously profound statement, “ His love endures forever .” As we study these words, we will see a pattern emerging: - 1.       The Lord is the One who is to be praised. (v1-3) 2.       Our God created all things. (v4-9) 3.       It was God who delivered Israel from Egypt and brought them through the wilderness. (v10-16) 4.       God oversaw the conquest of Canaan. (v17-22) The final 4 verses are a summary of each of the above with a final call to give thanks to the God of heaven. It’s worth pointing out that every Hebrew word and name has a numerical value and here there are 26 statements of fact about the Lord God. His name, in Hebrew, is Yahweh and guess what? The numerical value of that name is 26! That is why this wonderful song appears to be a simple repetition of fac...

Psalm 1 35:19-21 cont Praise from Zion It pleases the Lord so much when we praise Him in our churches. Please do not stand with hands in pockets, staring at words on a page, with lips moving but little sound emerging. Praise is exactly what we think it is, loud and exuberant, a sacrifice of self to God in company often with others and during which we think not of those around us but only of Him. All who fear the Lord are exhorted to praise in these verses, there is no one who is excused, the Temple of God is for all who come to praise Him. If we don’t see the point of praise, then we have a very inhibited view of our God and maybe need to re-evaluate our relationship with Him. Praise Him today. Praise Him privately and praise Him publicly too. Praise Him quietly and praise Him loudly.  Let’s just “Praise the Lord!”  Notice, finally, that the call to praise was not in Zion but from Zion. In other words, the sound of praise in God’s Holy City was to reverberate around the w...

Psalm 135:19-21 Praise be to the Lord We have noticed throughout this Psalm that it is directed principally at the  “servants of the Lord.”  These were all who served Him in the Temple Courts and beyond, from the humblest path sweeper and animal handler to the Levites and then the priests who served daily before the altar. Thus, the House of Aaron, the priests, are invited to praise the Lord, as is the House of Levi and all others who worship from Zion. All are invited to “Praise the Lord!” There is no doubt that whilst this praising could and should be done privately, the psalm-writer is extolling the duty of God’s servants to praise publicly and loudly! It became very easy for these “servants’” to be so engrossed in their daily tasks, the minutiae of the demands of the rituals and the ceremonies, the daily influx of visitors etc. that they forgot that the Temple was primarily a place of prayer and praise. This was the dwelling place of Almighty God who dwelt in Jerusalem, Hi...

Psalm 135:18 Who are we turning into? This is a curious statement, it effectively says that we become like the objects or beings that we worship! If we worship a pitiful, lifeless image made of stone, our faith or religion is pitiful and lifeless too. If our god is avenging, cruel and murderous, so shall our attitude to others be. If our god is wealthy, demanding and dictatorial, that becomes the character of the religions he or she represents.  So we could go on, faith and trust are very much in tune with the objects, the deities or the religion that we serve. Which brings us, of course, to the nature of the Lord God Almighty and the character of those who serve Him. Again, each form of the faith is very much affected by the way in which people perceive the Lord. For instance, Orthodox Jews have a very different reaction to the Lord God than Pentecostals, and Roman Catholics to Free Church evangelicals! From these comparisons we begin to see that truth is essential to our quest an...

Psalm 135:15-17 Pointless idols These verses are condensed for our consideration for we do not need to spend days thinking about the pointlessness of idols! In many cultures throughout time, right up to the present day, idol worship has been at the heart of people’s belief systems. When missionaries first started to visit primitive peoples in unexplored corners of the continents, they often found a plethora of images, statues and effigies made to represent many gods and superstitions. The whole point of taking the gospel to these places was, of course, to point these people to the one, true God. What is thought-provoking is that even the most primitive communities felt the need to worship and venerate someone or something.  It's interesting to note from our verses, that idols are usually constructed from valuable materials. Silver and gold are the most obvious choices, and they reflect the desire in the human heart to give the best to the gods who are worshipped. The problem is tha...

Psalm 135:14 The Lord will vindicate His people Another powerful duet for us to consider! Isn’t it amazing that when we take innocuous words and apply them to the Lord, a whole world of meaning and truth bubbles forth! In this verse the psalmist talks about the Lord’s vindication of His people and His compassion on His servants. Frankly, we could spend hours unpacking these statements and seeing how they apply to us all.  Let’s remember that the original subject of these verses is the nation of Israel and her relationship with the Lord God. It is Israel whom the Lord will vindicate, and it is the nations of the world who will cross the Lord’s path when they attack this country. As we have noted on countless occasions, Israel is both God’s chosen land and His chosen people on earth, anyone who attacks them, including world powers, will come up against the full force of God’s wrath. He will stand by His people whatever the odds, and woe betide those who dare to challenge Him. If only...

Psalm 135:13 The power of His Name There are two things here in this verse that resonate throughout the earth and have done so from the beginning of creation and will do so forever: - the name of the Lord, and the renown of the Lord. The use of the name of the Lord varies throughout the earth; to some it is a swear word, a curse and a name to be invoked often and indiscriminately, without care or thought. For others, the name of the Lord is of no consequence whatsoever; it may be used occasionally, rarely in a complimentary way, it’s just a name and has no significance. For those who believe, the names of our God and His glorious Son are the most precious words that ever pass through our lips; our tongues and voices were made to shout those names, to sing them and to exalt them.  What a divergence of opinion! What an enigma, that a few names should mean so much to one group of people and be a curse to others. When you think about it, the name of the Lord is the single most divisive...

Psalm 135:12 An inheritance to God's people Israel It might be a good moment to re-read the comments on verse 4 where the Scriptures set out the detail the divine ownership of the land of Israel and the terms and conditions by which the Israelites became occupants of that land. As we noted, the covenant made with them by God was an everlasting covenant; they are the sole leaseholders and all attempts to uproot them have failed, except for a time period from AD 70 to 1948, the time of the Gentiles. This is now drawing to a close, the inheritance will once again be recognised by Israel and the people will, at long last, accept their Messiah.  The prophet Zechariah describes all of this as well as any other Scripture writer. In Zechariah 12:10-13 we read of a time of national mourning as the Jews  “look on Him, the one they have pierced.”  In chapter 13, Zechariah describes a time of cleansing in Jerusalem, of judgement against the Jews and a refining of those people until t...

Psalm 135:10-11 The march north In these two verses, the author of this Psalm summarises the events described in Exodus 7-14 and later in Numbers 21:21-35. Moses was not allowed to enter Canaan, he had to pass that gilded baton to Joshua his successor, but he was allowed to march north along the eastern side of the River Jordan. The verses in our Psalm, effectively describe the conquest of the land that we now call Jordan. Not only were there obstinate kings like Sihon and Og in the way, but these were territories that were still home to the descendants of the Nephilim, the giants of ancient times. In truth, Moses was looking for a peaceful passage along the boundary of Canaan, but the obstinate Amorites, led by Sihon, stood in the way and were put to the sword, as was King Og, who reigned further north.  These were brutal times, many died and the forces against Israel were far greater than their own travelling army. The slaughter of these violent forces was repeated later when Jos...

Psalm 135:8-9 Who's to blame? Many people have a real struggle with the kind of God who is described in these verses. What a brutal night it was in Egypt, when the angel of death passed over the land and the firstborn son of every Egyptian family was slaughtered. Young children died, babies died, teenage boys died. How do those of us who believe in the so-called God of justice and mercy explain this?  I cannot, completely, but what I can say that the Egyptians were warned, nine times they were told to let the Israelites go free. Nine times Pharaoh refused God’s request. He could not therefore argue that he didn’t have an opportunity to stop the slaughter! We also need to remember that God can do as He chooses, we don’t argue with Him, He is God and His actions are always well-reasoned and justified. Why did six million Jews die in the Holocaust? Why have innocent people died in Gaza? Why is it that those who do not believe in God and who rebel against Him will one day be judged and...

Psalm 135:7 He is Lord of our weather The ancient Canaanites looked to Baal for their weather; he was called the Lord of Rain and Dew! The Bible presents a different picture. The glory of our God was trumpeted by thunderclaps that rumbled through the clouds of the winter rains that rose over the Mediterranean Sea and travelled east across Israel. God was present in storms, in earthquakes and in the mighty forces of the raging seas. Jeremiah asked the question,  “Do any of the worthless idols of the nations bring rain? Do the skies themselves send down rain? No, it is You, Lord our God, therefore our hope is in You, for You are the One who does all this.”  Jeremiah 14:22.  Zechariah 10:1 says,  “Ask the Lord for rain in the springtime; it is the Lord who sends the thunderstorms. He gives showers of rain to all people, and plants of the field to everyone .”  When it comes to the weather for our daily needs, we can trust our God and He will provide.  In Script...

Psalm 135:6 The Lord does whatever pleases Him! If we spoke these words of any human we would probably do so in a detrimental context, “Yeh, he won’t listen to me, he does what he pleases.” “She won’t take advice; she does what she pleases.” When used in a human context this expression smacks of independence, personal pride, individuality, stubbornness and egotism. Surely this cannot apply to our God. Well, there are at least two contexts in which the phrase “ He does whatever pleases Him”  can be applied to the Lord. The first is that whatever pleases Him is always what is best for us. He is not independent and proud, He is exactly the opposite, He loves us and always desires what is best for us, therefore what pleases Him brings us blessing and prosperity. Think of those words in Isaiah 53;10(KJV), when talking of the suffering of Yeshua we read that  “It pleased the Lord to bruise Him!” Secondly, this psalm goes to some lengths to compare the actions and character of the Lo...

Psalm 135:5 Greater than all the gods Who is greater than our God when it comes to creative abilities? No one. Who made a universe that contains innumerable galaxies and constellations? God did. Who parted the oceans and created dry land, clothed it with vegetation and filled it with billions of creatures, from the tiniest parasites to great, lumbering mammals? God did. Who put the fish in the sea and the birds in the air and created a ball of fire to rule the day and a reflection of that fire to govern the night? God did. Who devised seasons and tides and winds and frosts and rain and mists? God did.  We could go on talking about creation but the writer of the Psalm desires us to compare our God with all other gods. The gods of the world’s religions. The gods of superstition, witchcraft and necromancy. The gods of horoscopes, New Ageism, the sects and the Masons. The gods of philosophy, science, politics and all other man-made influences when they do not acknowledge the Lord. The ...

Psalm 1 35:4 Israel is God's treasured possession Listen to these words, spoken to Abraham when he was first called to leave Ur of the Chaldeans and journey to the land that the Lord would show him. “ I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”  Genesis 12:2-3. Later God would say to Abraham, “ The whole land of Canaan, where you now reside as a foreigner, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God. ” Genesis 17:8. However, the Lord also made it abundantly clear that the land of Israel did not belong to the Jews, it was God’s land. “ The land must not be sold permanently, because the land is mine and you reside in my land as foreigners and strangers.”  Leviticus 25:23. God chose Jacob and gave him the name “Israel.” He cho...

Psalm 135:3 The Lord is good Firstly, this verse gives us two justifiable reasons to praise the Lord. Number 1 – He is good. Number 2 – because of His Name. What do we mean when we say that the Lord is good? David appointed a team of Levites to worship and play music before the Ark of the Covenant once it had been brought up to Jerusalem. David also composed the words that were to be uttered and sung at this event and included in his composition was the expression,  “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever.”  1 Chronicles 16:34. The goodness of God is central to the Christian understanding of His nature. God's goodness is not just an abstract concept but is demonstrated through His actions and character. Throughout the Bible, God's goodness is evident in His creation, His provision for His people, and his redemptive plan for humanity. Whatever our God says or does – it is good, in other words it is wholly driven by righteousness, justice and truth. By...

Psalm 35:1-2 Praise the Lord! What a beautiful Psalm this is as it highlights the countless reasons why Israel should praise the Lord their God. And there are plenty of encouragements for us to do the same! This God is the one, true God, He is Lord not just of Israel but of the whole world. He is God over creation. He is God over every nation, language and tribe across the whole earth and those who do not recognise Him as such are wasting their lives following pointless and powerless idols. Let all religions and all philosophies turn and face Him and see the foolishness of their ways and their unbelief. There is one God, He is the God of the Bible and the God whom we worship. Hallelujah! Let’s enjoy Psalm 135.   V1-2    The first call to “Praise the Lord” in this Psalm, goes out to the “ servants of the Lord .” Who are these people who “ minister in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God?”  Nehemiah 7:73 gives us a little insight into ...

Psalm 134:3 The Maker of heaven and earth One of the defining tenets of our faith, and the faith of our ancestors, is our belief that the Lord our God is the Maker of heaven and earth. It’s not possible to sit on the fence about this, we either believe in a God who is our Creator, or we follow the theories of a world that seeks to ignore God, discount His creative powers and desires no accountability to anyone or anything beyond the confines of this planet. To believe in God is to embrace His power, His knowledge and His elaborate and detailed creativity; He is in control, He is observing every act of mankind, and He jealously guards the earth that He made. If we cannot accept this principle, then the God we worship is a lesser being than the One who is the Author of the Scriptures and who sacrificed His Son to bring us salvation, forgiveness and hope.  The Jews had a problem with belief in such a God, they found it extremely difficult to obey His laws and instead preferred to sacr...

Psalm 134:2 Lifting our hands When I look back at my early years as a Christian, and the many chapel congregations that I visited as a young preacher and children’s / youth worker, I cannot ever recall seeing hands lifted to the Lord. It just was not the done thing, in fact any demonstration of emotion or physical engagement in worship was frowned upon, corporate worship and prayer were sombre, dignified and serious matters, and God was an awesome figure before whom we must stand in reverence, exhibiting self-control. How things have changed, and for the better, although there is much to be learned about veneration and humble obedience for today’s congregations! Interestingly, the reading of numerous Scriptures enforces the view that, in Biblical times, hands were lifted to the Lord primarily in prayer rather than in worship, although the latter obviously can be prayer. This verse is quite unique in that it encourages those Levites who were on night duty, to lift up their hands and pra...