Daily Meditations

Psalm 147:14 Peace to our borders When Israel first entered the Promised Land, they encountered nothing but trouble. Canaan was occupied by hostile, pagan tribes and kingdoms, and the Lord’s command was to take the land, subdue their enemies and seek to live peaceably thereafter. It was a tall order, not least because even after the interior had been taken there was the constant threat of raids from their surrounding neighbours but, peace did eventually come, under the reign of King David. 2 Samuel 7:1 says, “ After the king was settled in his palace   and the   Lord   had given him rest from all his enemies   around him…..”   David had succeeded where others had failed and the land rested from its wars and conflicts. It is the Lord’s will that we fight our battles but that, maybe towards the end of our time on earth, we rest from our labours and enjoy peace on our borders. What’s the point of the spiritual battles if we do not learn from them and eventually sto...

Psalm 147:13 He strengthens the bars of your gates There are often times when we feel insecure and worry for our safety or the safety of our family and loved ones. Unlike the psalmist, this fear is not caused by military forces but simply by circumstances or the troubles that life brings. For those who believe in and follow Jesus Christ there is another source of trouble of course. Our enemy is not human or necessarily visible, but his campaign of hatred and persecution against the people of God is unrelenting. The Jews in Jerusalem felt the oppression of surrounding enemies constantly. They understood what it meant to live through times of great national fear and trepidation. In fact, little has changed over the centuries. For the followers of Christ, the battle is spiritual and our “Zions” are constantly under threat. The devil looks for entrances into our fortresses, gates that are unguarded where he may slyly enter or launch an attack. Most of us should have more than a fair idea w...

Psalm 147:12 Extol the Lord! This verse may read like a statement of fact or a righteous request, surely of all places in the world, Jerusalem or Zion is where the Lord’s name is extolled? “Extol” means to praise, exalt, worship or celebrate and, in truth, this has not happened very often from Jerusalem, in fact for over 1900 years until recently, it did not happen at all. Zion is a mountain of Jerusalem, but it is used as a poetic synonym for the entire city and for restored Israel as a whole. It also describes the Kingdom of Heaven. So, Zion was originally just a geographical location, but it came to symbolise the presence of God and the spiritual heart of Israel. In the Book of Hebrews, it is referred to as  “the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem ,” it is the home of thousands of angels and the church of the firstborn.  Hebrews 12:22-24.  The verse that we are studying therefore becomes a command to Israel on earth, but it is also a spiritual order to...

Psalm 147:11 God's love never fails What are we afraid of? Who are we afraid of? We do not live in an age when a strapping great Suffolk Punch or a thoroughbred Arab racehorse fills us with awe and wonder, nor are we particularly impressed by the muscular appearance of the finest fighters or athletes. It’s usually wealth that impresses in this day and age, wealth or fame or achievements. The verse before us implores us not to have our heads turned by any worldly or natural phenomena, but by the Lord. We could worship and applaud Him for His creative powers, or His mathematical genius, or His scientific prowess or His omnipotence and awesome intellectual abilities but these are not the first things that come into the mind of the psalmist. No! He wants us to be overwhelmed and deeply impressed by one aspect of this utterly amazing God for He has one attribute that far surpasses all other gods, it is His unfailing love. Love that embraces all people, all creatures and all living thing...

Psalm 147:10 Horses and legs! We have a propensity, as human beings, to set great store by the greatest, the biggest, the strongest, the richest etc. In other words, if any of God’s creatures excel themselves and surpass their contemporaries, we respect them and honour them. That’s why sport is so compelling for many and why so much money is spent gambling on horses. Rich people claim superiority, as do extremely clever people and so it goes on, we live in a world where any kind of superiority earns accolades. God does not think this way, we cannot impress Him, buy or earn His respect just by being greater than others. Thus, a really strong horse might impress people in biblical times, especially if its owner was a soldier or a farmer, however, God is not impressed by the animal or by the girth of a warrior’s legs, or the muscular ripples of his biceps! All of this is simply man’s way of gaining attention and of course, lesser mortals or creatures are looked down upon and will never wi...

Psalm 147:9 All about ravens! This is a curious statement isn’t it? We can imagine that in a country that depends on livestock and arable crops, the provision of suitable weather for agriculture is paramount for farmers. Of course they need grass for their cattle, who doesn’t! But, it’s a bit of a surprise to find young ravens included in the equation. Ravens are predators and they are also prohibited within Biblical dietary rules (Leviticus 11:15 and Deuteronomy 14:14.) In Scripture they are regarded as detestable, like eagles, vultures, buzzards etc. All these birds are meat-eaters, dining primarily on carrion and therefore not “kosher.” That is another reason to be surprised at the mention of young ravens in this verse, although it was ravens that brought food to Elijah in a time of famine. It was a raven that Noah released firstly from the ark, after the flood, in a bid to find out if dry land had yet appeared. (the raven never returned!) One key to understanding this reference to ...

Psalm 147:8 The creator and controller of weather The Psalmist has moved away from the mystery of the stars and focussed his gaze on a few natural phenomena a bit closer to home. He lives in a hot country where rainfall during the summer (May to September) is unheard of, so He is probably thinking of the autumn rains as he writes this verse. Israel generally experiences mild, rainy winters (October to April) although the highlands around Jerusalem may experience snowfall and of course, the southern lands around Eilat and the Dead Sea are arid desert. The Mount Hermon range of mountains in the north are always snowclad in winter, so much so that, in modern Israel they house ski resorts! Sometimes those of us who live in variable climates forget how marvellous it is in other parts of the world when the clouds cover the sky and rain falls. The landscape changes immediately for those desolate hills start to flourish as the grass grows and the greenery reappears.  We must never forget t...

Psalm 147:7 Sing grateful praise to the Lord This verse is very simple, if we are truly grateful to the Lord for all He has done, then we are encouraged to sing and make music to Him.  If we think about the content of verse 6, we do indeed have a lot to be grateful for!   The fate of the wicked is dreadful, cut off from God forever, destined to be punished and severely judged and without hope for the future. The ramifications for despising and defying the Creator God are enormous, they portend eternal isolation and misery for those who choose the path of unbelief, who, however unwittingly, opt to align themselves with the wicked. This option cannot be changed at a later date, nor can it be renegotiated beyond the grave, the negotiations can only take place whilst we are alive on this planet as capable, free-thinking human beings.  To be saved from such a fate is remarkable and amazing and beyond understanding and yet, the Bible teaches us, again and again, ...

Psalm 147:6 The righteous, the humble and the wicked. Now this is a dilemma, and one that we have encountered many times on our journey through the Psalms. It seems that the psalm writers had no compunction in labelling the righteous and the wicked. In this instance the righteous are the humble, those who have learned to depend on the Lord God and who admit that they cannot deliver, maintain or protect themselves, they have to put their trust in the Lord. The dilemma is that such people are few and far between, does this mean that everyone else is wicked? Yes, in the sense that they ignore God and despise the Gospel of His salvation, but would we go so far as to say that our family members, neighbours, friends and work colleagues who refuse to believe are the wicked? If so the judgement of the Lord, as described in the Psalms, is severe and brutal indeed. In this verse, the wicked are cast down to the ground or, more correctly, the grave. They are destined for eternal isolation from th...

Psalm 147:5 Great is the Lord!! Read this in conjunction with the previous verse, it feels as if the psalmist steps back for a moment, completely overwhelmed and breathless from the enormity of what has just been written. In the days before artificial lighting, the night sky was a common source of wonder and amazement to our ancestors, and for those who lived in lands where there are months without rain or clouds, the skies would provide a nightly source of bewildering complexity. To ancient minds, the extent of the heavens went far beyond human imagination; they were unapproachable and completely unfathomable.  Frankly, for all our scientific know-how and modern ingenuity, we have not progressed much further in our understanding of those other worlds and mysterious biospheres that may or may not exist far into the heavens. So, we must step back, like the psalm writer, and exclaim,  “Great is our Lord and mighty in power, His understanding has no limit.”  If our God can f...

Psalm 147:4 The One who can name all the stars! At 4.00am this morning, (I’m writing this in midwinter) I awoke and noticed how much light was shining through cracks in the curtains. I had a brief look outside and the moon was full and almost dazzling to the eye. I was not wearing my glasses so was astonished to note that there were many stars visible, in fact the entire sky was peppered with these pinpricks of light. It was a memorable moment! Apparently, we humans can see a few thousand individual stars with the naked eye, (fewer without specs) a half decent telescope will reveal millions more. Can we count them? The answer is, “no!”  Stars are not random; they are gathered together in clusters called galaxies. Our sun is a star in a galaxy called the “Milky Way” which contains around 100 million stars or suns. Beyond the Milky Way are millions of other galaxies! So, the task of counting stars is pretty pointless, it can never be more that guesswork. And yet! And yet, this b...

Psalm 147:3 He heals the brokenhearted Even a cursory read of the book of Nehemiah will reveal the hardship and trials experienced by the exiles who returned to Jerusalem to rebuild its walls and re-establish its people. The pain of exile was followed by the broken-hearted wails of those who returned to see the devastation and destruction caused by the conquering Babylonians 70 years before. A few older people made it, the rest of the returnees had lived in hope for their elders had explained the beauty and wonders of the Holy City of Zion. What they came back to was nothing like the pictures that had been painted, the place was just a pile of broken rocks and stones, it had been razed to the ground. If they were to rebuild, they must start from scratch.  That was a national disaster, but some of us face very personal and private calamities where everything we built and treasured is taken from us and all the walls we erected around ourselves are brought crashing to the ground. The ...

Psalm 147:2 It will be! As we said in the introduction, there is some evidence that this Psalm was associated with the rebuilding of Jerusalem under Nehemiah and Ezra. This verse tends to back up the theory! The Jews moved back to Israel from Babylon in tranches, the work of rebuilding both the city of Jerusalem and the Temple was also sporadic according to the dictates of the various Persian kings. However we may view the comings and goings of human rulers, there was another ruler who was keeping a close eye on progress and who was determined that the people should return, the capital city should be restored, and the Second Temple should be built. He watched with interest and more than a little personal involvement, for the God of heaven and earth had decreed that this should happen; it was all part of His plan and purpose for His people, their land and the Holy City. It was not necessarily a smooth or a speedy  process, but when God says, “It will be”, it will be!  The ...

Psalm 147:1 Another hymn of praise to the Lord   We do not know the author of this Psalm, but some relate it to a Levite associated with the choirs who sang regularly in the Temple Courts and ensured that pilgrims would be surrounded by songs of praise on each and every visit. Some scholars attribute the contents of this song to the time when Nehemiah and Ezra dedicated the rebuilt walls of Jerusalem, following the captivity of the Jews in Babylon. (Nehemiah 12:27-43.) A glorious occasion indeed. Whatever the background story; this Psalm is full of praise to our God and extols His deeds and His glory not just over Israel but over the whole earth.    V1        Another Psalm that encourages us to “Praise the Lord.” As I write it is a Sunday morning in late 2025 and I will shortly be joining with my brothers and sisters at our local church fellowship “Crossways” where we will lift our hands and our voices to praise the Lord. Whatever m...

Psalm 146:10 Taunting, railing and cursing!  Teasing, spiteful and cruel remarks are being bandied around, with our victim the object of the sneers and derision. It’s a very lonely place when the world takes against us and the airwaves are filled with ridicule and mocking. I’ve seen this in office situations when the air becomes poisoned against someone, and they have no way of vindicating themselves.  The taunts grow louder, they are full of condemnation, they are personal and there is no respite. Eventually, the very name of the accused becomes a curse, people heap insults upon him and call down judgement and retribution on his head! They say, “May you become like him”, (him being the one named.) I find it hard to imagine that my life and my reputation could be so derided that others could say as an insult, “May you become like Geoff Abbott!” To be a curse is effectively to be abandoned and rejected by the community, this is the point where a life has no value or purpose....

Psalm 146:9 The foreigner, the fatherless and the widow In Deuteronomy 10:17-19 we read,  “ 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.   He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing.   And you are to love   those who are foreigners,   for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt .” It was possible, in Old Testament times to live as a foreigner amongst the Jews and to become integrated into their culture and society. One of the most famous examples is Caleb who was a Kenezzite (Joshua 14:6), the Kenites were one of the clans of Edom, therefore not descendants of Jacob but of Esau. Caleb was one of the 12 spies, sent by Joshua to view the Promised Land, he became the leader of a tribe. Even harbouring refugees is good Biblical practice, (see Deutero...

Psalm 146:8 The Lord loves the righteous Here are three more examples of the compassion and mercy of the Lord: - 1.       He gives sight to the blind 2.       He lifts up those who are bowed down 3.       He loves the righteous. Once again, we can easily find examples of how Jesus fulfilled these characteristics of the Lord God. Numerous blind people received their sight from Him, others who were bowed down, He lifted up. Luke 13:10-13;  “O n a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues,   and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years.   She was bent over and could not straighten up at all.   When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her,   “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.”   Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God .” The problem of the righteous is a little more complex. There we...

Psalm 146:7 The hungry and oppressed There are three statements here that we have encountered many times before, concerning the compassionate and merciful character of our God: - 1.       He upholds the cause of the oppressed 2.       He gives food to the hungry 3.       He sets prisoners free. We could easily find examples of how Jesus Himself fulfilled all these qualities, indeed that is what made Him popular with the masses. And here is the first point, that in His time in Israel, it was the poor and the hungry and the oppressed, in other words the needy, who flocked to Him. The rich, well-educated and powerful in the land had no time for Him at all, nor He for them! Those who are self-sufficient and proud of their achievements and positions are highly unlikely to seek help and protection from the Lord. Listen to these words of the Lord as He spelled out His mission in Luke 4:18-19; “ The Spirit of the Lord is...

Psalm 146:6 Faithful forever The psalm-writer here ensures that we do not lose sight of exactly who this “God of Jacob” is. Amidst all the gods of the world and the religions, cults and philosophies of men, there is one over-riding and supreme Being. As the previous verse informed us, He is the God of Jacob and the One who gives blessings and hope to all who trust in Him.  The nations of the world may pursue their gods, but Israel’s God is far greater, He is the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea and everything in them. In other words, nothing compares to Him, nothing is as powerful and authoritative as Him, He is supreme, the rest are as nothing by comparison. Let us never forget this, Israel’s God is the only true God, Israel’s deliverer is the only true Saviour of the world, He rules and reigns in corridors of power that all other gods would not dare to even enter. They must all bow before Him, all rulers and leaders must bow before Him, He is the supreme One; all life, all...

Psalm 146:5 Our God is the God of Jacob The first question that this verse prompts is why does our help come from the God of Jacob, why not Abraham or Isaac or even Noah? Presumably, because the Israelites all identified with their common link to the father of all tribes and families, they were all related through Jacob who was the natural progenitor of every one of them, without Jacob’s 12 sons Israel would not exist. In addition, Jacob and Israel were synonyms, as we all know Jacob was actually renamed Israel by the Lord. After Jacob had spent the night wrestling with an unidentified man who turned out to be the Lord, the man said to him, “ Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and overcome.”  Genesis 32:22-32.  There are two lovely blessings in this verse; we are blessed if our help is the God of Jacob. If the Mighty One who wrestled and conversed with the ancient patriarch is with us, then we have no reason to fe...

Psalm 146:4 Their plans come to nothing This verse of the Psalm puts death into perspective, doesn’t it? All the princes, rulers, leaders, and heads of state who daily make the news headlines are simply going into the ground at the time of their death! The headlines will end, the images and photographs will cease, the fancy speeches and camera opportunities will terminate and that is it!  Interestingly we are told here that the moment of death is when the spirit departs. Yes, we may stop breathing, yes, our bodies may let us down and cease to function, but our spirits do not die, they depart! As we have reflected, many times, the psalmists and their contemporaries believed that Sheol was the place of departed spirits, and all men and women were destined to go there. They also came to believe that the spirits of the godly or righteous, and the wicked, were treated differently but they had no understanding of resurrection and heavenly glory, it was Jesus who made these possible and o...