Category: Daily Devotionals

Psalm 50

There are times when in our close relationships there is the risk of going through the motions of well worn habits while the intimate core that was once the focus has withered through neglect. In other words there can be a form of relationship without a heart. From a Christian perspective our human relationships are meant to reflect our relationship with God. Psalm 50 is a prophetic message to his own people about their relationship with him.

The opening stanza ^{vv 1-6} draws upon the exodus experience where an awesome God establishes his covenantal relationship with his people. The whole of creation declares his greatness and righteous character. ‘The mighty one, God, the Lord, speaks and summons the earth,’ ^v1 and ‘the heavens proclaim his righteousness,  for he is a God of justice.’ ^v6

The second stanza ^{vv 7-13} challenges any misconceived notion people might have that God is in some way dependent on human worship or actions. Ancient Judaism’s religious practices shared in common with the other surrounding religious practices, the incessant sacrificing of animals. C.S. Lewis wrote, ‘we should have not enjoyed the ancient rituals. Every temple in the world, the elegant Parthenon at Athens and the holy Temple at Jerusalem, was a sacred slaughterhouse.’ God’s words as conveyed by the psalmist are, ‘I have no need of a bull from your stall or of goats from your pens, for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills.’ ^{vv 9,10}

It is a reminder that frequently the form of worship in modern services can become our dominant preoccupation whether formal or informal but the form of worship does not constitute the relationship.

Verses 14 – 23 set out God’s basis for a relationship with him for the people of God as understood in Old Testament times. Framing all, to start and finish what God says, is thankfulness. ‘Sacrifice thank offerings to God,’ ^v14 and ‘Those who sacrifice thank offerings honour me.’ ^V23 Thank offerings were a form of fellowship offering. All fellowship offerings were voluntary and the other forms were votive offerings, brought to fulfil a vow and freewill offerings, brought to express love and worship of the Lord.

Verses 16 – 21 reveals how one’s life is the evidence of true freewill offerings. It is what we do, ^v18 how we speak, ^v19 and the honourability of our relationships. ^v20  Asaph, the psalm’s author was a contemporary of David and yet it is striking how modern this set of principles for a relationship with God is and how challenging it remains.

In what terms do we think of worship?

Do we ever get tempted to think that in some way God needs us?

Have we been prompted to examine any aspect of our life?

How Great is Our God – Chris Tomlin

Psalm 49 and Luke 12. 13-21

Benjamin Franklin’s famous words are often quoted but the truth of them had been apparent for centuries.  Psalm 49 confronts the reality of death and whilst not speaking exactly about taxes does refer to the cost of life beyond the grave. ‘Truly no man can ransom another or give to God the price of his life, for the ransom of their life is costly and can never suffice, that he should live on forever and never see the pit.’ ^{vv 7-9} The Psalm forms part of the bible’s wisdom literature and responds in part to the last verse of the previous psalm that speaks of God’s guidance.

“It addresses the confusion that the faithful often feel when they encounter trouble even while unfaithful people seem to get along so well. Is not God expected to show his favour for the faithful in how he treats them? The answer is that God will distinguish between the faithful and the unfaithful in what happens to them when they die ^{vv 12,20} Verses 12 and 20 are very similar, the key difference being in the words translated ‘remain’ and ‘understanding,’ which sound almost the same in Hebrew. The element of understanding makes the difference.  Those who sing this psalm will want to continue living faithfully. They will be strengthened against the temptation either to despair or to give up and join the unfaithful.” (ESV Global Study Bible)

Jesus takes this theme in the parable of the Rich Fool. In a response to a demand to settle a family dispute of an inheritance Jesus warns them to be on their guard against greed, ‘life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.’ ^{Luke 12.15} Life should though, be lived in the awareness that one might die without warning. At that point it is what we stored up before God that is important.  ^{Luke 12. 20,21}

Psalm 49 does contain within it the promise of resurrection ^{v 15} although as yet the exact form and means of the resurrection is yet to be revealed. The ransom and resurrection become the principle focus of the New Testament.

Faithfull One So Unchanging

Psalm 48

Does the place you are in impact your sense of the presence of God and your ability to worship God?  The protestant church has had an uncomfortable history with buildings and symbols fearing that manmade objects can lure one into idolatry.  Isaiah was clear that God cannot be contained within a building, ‘Thus says the Lord: Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool; what is the house that you would build for me, and what is the place of my rest? All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the Lord. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.’ ^{Is 66.-2} However, it is true for many that we associate a place either natural or man-made with an encounter with God. A woman seeking refuge in this country, with little or no knowledge of Christianity, walked into Liverpool Cathedral and sensed God’s presence with her. This led her to find a local church and ask how to become a Christian and so began her daily walk with God. Special places form a part of our spirituality because they convey our awareness of God.

The complexity of the Ancient Hebrew makes the translation of some words in Psalm 48 difficult and so aspects of their meaning are not easy to understand. As the Psalmist worships the Lord in the temple and on Mount Zion he is aware God surrounds him in every sense. Zaphon ^v2 a mountain in the north also means north.  East ^v7 means in front as the Hebrews made the top of their compass where the sun rose before them. East also means before in time. The word translated ‘the next generation’ ^v13 also means behind, in terms of direction and after, relating to time. The Great Lord, most worthy of praise, ^v1 found in the city of God is not confined to the city alone, he surrounds them in all directions and through all time.

Mount Zion and Jerusalem in this psalm are synonymous.  Mount Zion is given exaggerated praise ^v2 when comparing it to Mount Zaphon, a much bigger mountain in the north, which Caananites believed to be the home of Baal. The city of Jerusalem was seen as a citadel defended by God that God makes impregnable. ^{vv 4-8} The particular incident referred to is not known although there are several possibilities recorded in the bible. A leading candidate is when the Assyrians failed in their siege in the time of Hezikiah. ^{2 Kings 19.35-36} New Testament imagery of the temple of God refers to the heart of the believer ^{1 Corinthians 3.16} or the collective church. ^{1 Corinthians 3.17} The threat to the temple, in Paul’s letters, is not physical destruction but the corruption of faith through false teaching leading believers away from Christ and immoral behaviour. As the psalmist celebrated the temple in Jerusalem as sacred so we are to treat our lives and bodies as sacred. The whole community of the universal church is to be considered the temple of God. ‘So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.’ ^{Ephesians 2.19-22}

To help us maintain a mindset where the unity in the Spirit with Jesus ^{(1 Corinthians 6.17)} is worked out in our lives, the psalmist provides us with helpful guidance.  He spends time thinking about the steadfast love of God. ^v9 The more we grasp God’s love for us, the more we will respond with obedience and love towards him. He also enjoys the righteousness of God and spends time rejoicing in his judgements. ^v10b,11 When we live in a society that frequently values and applauds things that do not accord with God’s righteousness it makes it easy to drift away from godliness. Finally spending time considering how God has built his kingdom through the sacrificial love of Jesus on the cross and his glorious resurrection will encourage us to pass on the good news and that good news will guide our lives. ^{Vv 12-14}

Jesus, all for Jesus – Robin Mark

Psalm 46

Nations have continued to rage both within themselves and between each other over the 3000 years since the above words were written. ^{Ps 46.6} Boundaries between countries have been constantly shifting throughout history, dominant powers rise and fall, some disappearing completely.  Internally nations are often volatile and as I write the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement is dominating headlines following the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.  In current times an individual event can produce an almost instant response throughout a nation and even across the globe.  The symbolism of one action captures an essence and causes a nation to totter. The unrelenting knee pressing on the neck of George Floyd summed up in a single cruel event the oppression of Black people over hundreds of years. The throwing of Edward Colston’s statue, a prominent Bristol slave trader, into the river, whilst illegal, stood for a demand for institutional repentance and internal change from Britain’s imperial heritage. How then should the Christian Church respond and does the psalm that contains the words, nations rage and kingdoms totter, have anything to say today?

The psalm has two very famous verses, ‘God is our refuge and strength an ever-present help in trouble,’ ^v1 and ‘Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations.’ ^v10 Although Christians frequently take comfort from these words individually they are addressed in the psalm to a people group, the people of God. The threat to the nation is unspecified, it is likely that the threat is to Jerusalem that represents the city of God. ^v4 The psalm with extravagant imagery describes the awesome power of God ^{vv 6,} and his power to control nations. ^{vv  8-9}

The, ‘river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells’ ^v4  is an image found in Ezekiel 47.1-12 and Revelation 22.1-2 of the river of life bringing new life and sustaining life, flowing from the throne of God, in the city of God.  The message is clear, in the midst of great turmoil God is able to bring new life through the Holy Spirit.

If God is our refuge then the values and stance we should take as Christians must be those that reflect his character.  God in Psalm 46 is a God of action ^v9 and so as disciples Christians should also be people of action. It was Christians historically, in Britain, who led the fight for the abolition of slavery, even though many in the church at the time resisted the movement. It was the repentant slave trader, John Newton, who gave us the great Christian anthem, Amazing Grace.

The Old Testament call to discipleship still acts as a clarion call over the millennia:

‘He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.’ ^{Micah 6.8}

Jesus perfectly lived out Micah’s commission and now united in the cross of Christ his disciples are in God’s eyes equal in value and in his love.  ‘For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.’ ^{Galatians 3.27-28} 

In the middle of turmoil and action God calls on his people to quietly centre ourselves on him, trusting in him, having confidence in his presence.  From this place we will find the strength to live Micah 6.8 lives.

How can the church act in the uproar of national life?

What opportunities does the church create to be still and know that God is God?

How do we live out the crucified life of Christ in our community?

Be still for the presence of the Lord is here

Psalm 45 and Hebrews 1.8-9

2020 hasn’t turned out to be the best year for a wedding. Casually reading the Evening Standard Lifestyle pages I discovered that by mid-April 64,000 weddings in the UK had been cancelled or postponed in the previous three months. The wedding app ‘Bridebook’ reckons losses to the wedding industry this year will be £87.5 billion. It seems the average cost of a wedding in the UK is around £20,000.  Imagine the cost of a really big royal wedding which is what we have celebrated in Psalm 45. In the bible marriage has been a God ordained relationship from the beginning with Adam and Eve to the last chapter when the Spirit and Christ’s Bride (the church) say, ‘Come and let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.’ ^{Revelation 22.17}

Giving a speech at a wedding is nerve wracking enough, here the poet is called to write the wedding song praising both the bridegroom (the King) and the bride a foreign princess.  Imagine getting it wrong.  It is thought the wedding was probably between Solomon and a princess. It could be the wedding in 1 Kings 3 where early in his reign Solomon married a daughter of Pharaoh. God had warned Israel not to intermarry with other nations as they will turn your hearts after other gods. However, I Kings 3 is a chapter where Solomon also asks God for wisdom and so this marriage more resembles Ruth who was prepared to forget her people ^{v 10} and be loyal to her new people and God.

The Psalmist in his praise of the King connects him with the coming Messiah as is quoted in Hebrews as part of the description of Jesus in his glorified, post ascension, heavenly reign. ^{Hebrews 1.8-9} The praise to the King is fully fulfilled by Jesus in a way which is unattainable by a normal human King. The hugely enthusiastic poet ^v1 firstly praises the appearance of the King. ^{vv 1,2} But, this is the post Davidic age where Samuel has pronounced God does not look at the outward appearance but the heart. ^{1 Samuel 16.7} So he goes on to praise the King for his character and justness of his actions. ‘In your majesty ride out victoriously for the cause of truth, and meekness and righteousness.’ ^v4 All facets perfected in Christ. He then moves rapidly on to credit him with an eternal reign, loving righteousness and hating evil before pronouncing him anointed by God. ^{vv 6,7} This exaggerated type of praise may have been used in surrounding nations for their Kings but Israelites would have seen it as putting oneself on the same level as the one and only eternal God if meant literally. In Solomon’s time it would have been meant metaphorically because the King represents God’s rule on earth.  Hebrews applies the same verses to describe Jesus as the Son, who glorified reigns forever.

The second part of the psalm turns to the bride and her relationship with the bridegroom. She arrives gloriously adorned, filled with joy and gladness, leaving behind her previous life. ^v15 A description picked up on in the New Testament to describe the church’s relationship with Christ. ‘Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”— for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.’ ^{Revelation 19.7-8}

A wedding is a great time of celebration.  Do we take the time to celebrate the Kingship of Christ and the honour of our relationship with him?

Praise my soul the King of Heaven