Daily Meditations

Psalm 69:36 Dwelling in Zion These last verses of the powerful Psalm have been describing the consequences of the resurrection in power, of the Son of God. In verse 34 we discovered that all creation will be liberated to praise the Lord. In verse 35 we are told that Israel will reclaim its land and the people will settle in it once again. This last verse of the Psalm seems to extend this blessing to all peoples. God’s people, and their children will inherit Israel. Those who love His name will dwell there. No wonder so many of us feel an affinity with the land and love to go there. It is clear from many other Scriptures that when Yeshua comes to reign upon the earth, Jerusalem and Zion in particular, will be the centre of His authority and governance. All people will come to the city to worship and bring their offerings. Read the whole of Zechariah 14 and in particular verse 16.  “Then the survivors from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go up year after years to wo...

Psalm 69:35 God will save Zion The joy found in these last verses of the Psalm has embraced creation and now we move to Israel. Just as there will be a day when all creatures and all of creation will praise the Lord, so there will be a day when Israel will be at peace. You see, the resurrection of Yeshua had far-reaching consequences. We tend to think only in terms of the church and our salvation, but it is far wider than that.  “I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sister, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in, and in this way all Israel will be saved. As it is written: “The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob. And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins.””  Romans 11:25-27. Paul quotes in Romans 11 from Isaiah 59:20 and confirms that, because of Yeshua’s death and resurrection, all of Israel will turn back to...

Psalm 69:34 Let everything praise Him These last verses of the Psalm sing with triumph as Yeshua anticipates His deliverance. They start with a rallying cry to all of creation to praise the living God. Notice that it is not just the living creatures that are called to praise the Lord, but the inanimate foundations of the heavens and the earth are invited to praise too! It’s interesting to note that every atom has a resonant frequency and that, throughout the Psalms, the trees, the skies, the seas, the mountains and the heavenly bodies are all attributed with the ability to respond to the Creator who made them. Maybe their praises far exceed what mere, mortal man is able to offer? All living creatures are enjoined in this symphony of joy that acknowledges the power and glory of the living God. Imagine a fish praising or an eagle singing for joy! It seems that maybe it is only mankind who refuses to give the Lord the honour that He is due? We have treated this Psalm as an expression of t...

Psalm 69:33 The Lord hears the needy It goes without saying that we pray a lot longer and a lot harder when we are in need. When our spiritual boat is sailing blithely along, when the skies are blue and waters are calm, prayer can be the last thing on our minds. But, when storm clouds gather and the wind quickens and the waves start to toss the boat, then we are inclined to think about prayer! Perhaps we are selfish in our prayer lives, we only cry out when things are going badly in our little pond? These scenarios cannot be attributed to Yeshua, He prayed all the time. He cried out to the Father when in need and He spent time with His Father just for the sheer joy of His company. In addition, He knew that when everything was going wrong and the assaults of the enemy were growing in intensity, that did not mean that God, His Father, had abandoned Him. Nor did it mean that God had turned away and no longer loved Him. Even in His captivity, under the brutal control of the Roman soldiers,...

Psalm 69:32 The poor will see and be glad On the surface, this verse appears to be a simple statement of fact. In God’s time, the poor in spirit will see and be glad; those who seek Him will live! We know this to be true, it has been fulfilled in Yeshua. Is there anything more to be said? We have defined the poor before, in Scripture the word does not usually refer to those who have little wealth, it means those who are humble, contrite and respectful before the Lord. Those who know who He is and what their place is before Him, those who have a right perspective on the greatness of their God, and the poverty of man. It is only when we lose sight of ourselves and our importance that we can truly see Him.  Numbers 12:3 tells us that Moses was a humble man, more humble than anyone else on earth. It was this quality that endeared him to God and led him to become an amazing leader of Israel and arguably their greatest prophet. Even today he is honoured for the Torah, the Law and the est...

Psalm 69:31 This will please the Lord Do you remember those powerful words from Psalm 51:16-17, part of the prayer of the penitent David?  “You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart you, God, will not despise.”  Similar words were spoken by the prophet Samuel when King Saul heard that God had rejected him because of his disobedience.  “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.”  1 Samuel 15:22.  We step forward in time to the horrors of Calvary and find Yeshua repeating similar sentiments before His Father. His absolute obedience to His Father’s will, His diligence in fulfilling the heavenly plan was far more satisfying to God than any animal sacrifice. This Jesus, who we revere, suffered a broken spirit. His heart...

Psalm 69:30 I will praise God's name The direction of this Psalm now changes dramatically. The woes are ended, and the victim now looks forward with hope, in the assurance that His cries have been heard and deliverance will eventually come. Isaiah 53:10-12 puts it like this: - “Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand. After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. Therefore, I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors.” I believe that Yeshua always knew that He would come through...