Psalm 112: The Man With the Reverential Fear of the LORD

Psalm 112, begins with "Praise ye the LORD.  Blessed is the man that  feareth the LORD, that delighteth great in his commandments."

What is this fear?  This is a reverential fear,  respect and esteem for who God is, our almighty Sovereign.  Because of this reverential fear, Christians want to serve God, and not offend him.  The Christian delights in reading and applying the word of God.

V4,7-8 - "Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: he is gracious, and full of compassion and righteous.  He shall not be afraid of evil tidings:; his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord.  His heart is established, he shall not be afraid....."

Sometimes in our daily life, things can get very dark.  Persecutions arise from family members who do not believe or appreciate that you are a Christian.  Perhaps neighbours shun the gospel you have shared with them.  Perhaps some close family members are living a very sinful and self-destructive life.  All of these things are very dark but as you give these things over to the Lord, he is gracious, compassionatae and merciful, giving his light to the darkness and giving you peace.

Sometimes we hear on the news or wherever of very evil things, but the Christian is not afraid of what might come, he trusts in the Lord knowing that he has a home in heaven no matter what happens on this earth.  He has peace through what comes.

V10 "The wicked shall see it, and be grieved; he shall gnash with his teeth, and melt away: the desire of the wicked shall perish."

The unsaved do not understand this peace, they think that you are strange and rail against you.  But God is in control, and the railings of the unsaved will cease.

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vcg

Psalm 108: Be Exalted, O God

Psalm 108, a Psalm of David, is one of praise to God. This is another Psalm from which a beautiful chorus was written.  Here is the Psalm in its entirety:

V1-6.  O God, my heart is fixed; I will sing and give praise......  Awake, psaltery and harp: I myself will awake early.  (v 3-5 are the verses on which the chorus is based).  I will praise thee, O LORD, among the people: and I will sing praises unto thee among the nations.  For thy mercy is great above the heavens: and thy truth reacheth unto the clouds.  Be exalted O God, above the heavens; and thy glory above all the earth; that thy beloved may be delivered: save with thy right hand....)

With his praise, David trusts that as one of God's beloved, he will be delivered from this present evil world, even by God's right hand, the hand of power.

Below is the beautiful chorus Be Exalted O God as sung by the Maranatha singers:

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vcg

Psalm 51: Create in Me a Clean Heart

Psalm 51 is to me one of the most beautiful of Psalms, and is another one from which a chorus was written.

This Psalm was written by David after his sin of adultery with Bathsheba was exposed by the prophet Nathan.  His words are ones of sorrow for his sin, and brokenness before the Lord God.

V1-4 "Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.  Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.  For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.  Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest."

This is surely a contrite heart,  one which acknowledges his sin, and one which seeks restored fellowship with his Lord.  Even though David's sin was first against Bathsheba (for he saw her and sent his men to bring her to him) and secondly to her husband Uriah (whom he had placed in the front of a battle so he would be killed)  David's true sin was against God whose commandments David had broken.

Psalm 25: Trust in the Lord.

Psalm 25: A Psalm of Trust

Since beginning my reading of the Psalms awhile ago, one thing I have noticed is that quite a few old choruses I used to sing are based on the Psalms in the King James version. Such is Psalm 25. Do you remember this one? Psalm 25:1-2 “Unto thee, O LORD, do I lift up my soul. O my God, I trust in thee: let me not be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over me.”

Verses 4-5 are a daily prayer for the Christian’s guidance: “Shew me thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.”

David's salvation is personal.  He acknowledges God as the author of his salvation.   He yearns to know truth, and to follow the path God has chosen for him.

In verses 9 and 10 God promises to guide and teach the meek. According to Websters 1828 dictionary, meek means mild of temper; soft; gentle; not easily provoked or irritated; yielding; given to forbearance under injuries. Oh that we could all be meek.

This is a Psalm written by David, and in V21 he prays that integrity and uprightness preserve him, for he waits on God. Likewise Christians should pray for integrity and uprightness in this world.

Below is a video a youtube with the Maranatha Singers singing Unto Thee O Lord.

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vcg

Disclaimer: This post is copied from my blog at Wordpress called Daily in the Word.

Psalm 34: I Will Bless the LORD at All Times

This is a very beautiful Psalm, full of faith and trust, and of the importance of a reverential fear of the LORD for who he is.  I believe that the Psalms is where the poetic beauty of the King James bible shines forth.

Psalm 34  (I do not put in the verse breaks, I would rather let the words flow.)
I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.  My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.  O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together.  I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.  They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed.  This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.

The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.  O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.  O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him.  The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing.  Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the LORD.  What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many days, that he may see good?  Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile.  Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.

The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.  The face of the LORD is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.  The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them from all their troubles.  The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.  Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.  V20  He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken.  Evil shall slay the wicked: and they that hate the righteous shall be desolate.  The LORD redeemeth the soul of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate.

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V20 is probably prophetic speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross where none of his bones were broken.

Storm Clouds at Sunrise with Psalm 19:1

 

These beautiful storm clouds were photographed one Summer morning at sunrise.  We had a good thunder storm later in the day.  I chose Psalm 19:1 for the verse as to me the color and shape of the clouds really do declare the glory of God.

Daily Living: The Wonderful Gift of Rain

Job 5:8-10 "I would seek unto God, and unto God would I commit my cause: which doeth great things and unsearchable; marvellous things without number: Who giveth rain upon the earth, and sendeth waters upon the fields."

Psalm 147:7-8 "Sing unto the LORD with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp unto our God: Who covereth the heaven with clouds, who prepareth rain for the earth, who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains."

Isaiah 55:10 "For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater
1 Kings 18: 41,44-45 "And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of abundance of rain.  And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man's hand.  And he said, Go up, say unto Ahab, Prepare thy chariot, and get thee down, that the rain stop thee not.  And it came to pass in the mean while, that the heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain....."

I used to take rain for granted.  Living on Canada's West Coast there was always abundance of rain.  We didn't pay much attention to it, seldom used an umbrella.  It was just part of life and was never extreme.  We used to joke that people who carried umbrellas must surely be tourists, for no local would ever carry an umbrella. There were no hurricanes, tornadoes or large hail..  I loved walking in the rain, and listening to it on roofs of cars.  When I was a child my bedroom was below ground and my mother would turn on the sprinkler at bedtime so the sound of it would mimic rain and I would fall asleep.