January 17
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PSALM 114 TREMBLE AT GOD’S PRESENCE
When Israel went out from Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of strange language,
2 Judah became his sanctuary, Israel his dominion. 3 The sea looked and fled; Jordan turned back.4 The mountains skipped like rams, the hills like lambs. 5 What ails you, O sea, that you flee? O Jordan, that you turn back? 6 O mountains, that you skip like rams?
O hills, like lambs? 7 Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob, 8 who turns the rock into a pool of water, the flint into a spring of water.
– Psalm 114:1-8
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Charles Spurgeon had high praise for this psalm. This is second in the series of psalms known as the Egyptian Hallel and sung as part of Israel’s Passover ceremony. He says that “This sublime SONG OF THE EXODUS is one and indivisible. True poetry has here reached its climax: no human mind has ever been able to equal, much less to excel, the grandeur of this psalm.”
In verse 1, the psalmist poetically wrote the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt. “People of strange Language” in this verse would indicate that the Israelites had to speak foreign language since they were captured by the Egyptians for 400 years. Guzik comments on verse 2: “The leading tribe of Israel (Judah) represented the whole nation which became the dwelling place of God (His sanctuary). The godly in Israel always understood that God’s dwelling in the tabernacle or temple was only symbolic of His presence in His people.”
When I read this psalm, I was so amazed at the personification of nature. I am a very visual person and the figures of speech used in this psalm jumped at my creative mind and touched my heart so deeply. Verse 3 describes who the body of water opened up from the Red Sea up to the Jordan in obedience to God’s order to deliver his people. Verse 4 according to some commentary has reference to the strong earthquakes and similar phenomena that happened at Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:16-20) when God manifested His presence there. They shook and “skipped” like sheep.
The psalmist ends this wonderful exultation of God’s power with a command to shudder in awe from the power and might and love that God manifests to his beloved people. The God Almighty who created everything would set His eyes on providing, protecting and delivering his own people from slavery and enter into His promised land.
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REFLECTION
• How can we remember to tremble at God’s presence at all times?
Tag Archives: Christian devotional
PSALM 130- WITH GOD THERE IS FORGIVENESS
January 15
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PSALM 130- WITH GOD THERE IS FORGIVENESS
Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD! 2 O Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my pleas for mercy! 3 If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? 4 But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared. 5 I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; 6 my soul waits for the Lord
more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning. 7 O Israel, hope in the LORD! For with the LORD there is steadfast love, and with him is plentiful redemption. 8 And he will redeem Israel from all his iniquities – Psalm 130:1-8
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According to Enduring.com, this psalm is another in the series titled A Song of Ascents. Psalm 130 begins with a personal testimony of God’s rescue from the depths of guilt. From there, the author ascends step by step to a place where he can give confidence to others in their trust in God. Because Psalm 130 is marked by an awareness of sin and a powerful assurance of forgiveness, tradition numbers it among the seven penitential psalms (6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130, 143).
In this psalm, the writer cries out to God and recognizes his sinfulness. How often do we plead God to forgive us? Do we do it regularly when we pray? Often times, we only resort to pleas of mercy when we have been suffering from the consequences of our sins. I love how David always acknowledges how God’s mercy is so undeserving for sinners like us. In verse 3, he is thankful that God doesn’t keep a score of one’s sins, or if He did, then no one can even come to ask for his mercy. We will be so fearful that a fair and just God will bring down his wrath and punishment for what we deserve. God continually forgives us if we acknowledge our sins and come to his Son to be cleansed from it.
John Trapp comments on this psalm as a “treasury of great comfort to all in distress.” In verse 5-6, David chooses to wait patiently for God’s answer to his plea for forgiveness. In our world today, many of us are impatient and wants to be forgiven right away. David compares himself as more persistent and enduring than a watchman. We hear hope in the act of waiting. Many of us do not even have that faith to hope for God to fulfill his promises. In verse 7, David encourages the Israelites to put their hopes up and always look up to God’s promises in Scripture. I think that the more we read the bible, the more we discover how much promises there are to focus on. There’s no reason to feel despair when we reflect on them and on God’s attributes. David surely knows his Master.
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REFLECTION
• Is forgiveness possible to those who do not know God? Why or why not?
PSALM 70 – HASTEN TO HELP ME O GOD FOR I AM POOR AND NEEDY
January 11
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PSALM 70 – HASTEN TO HELP ME O GOD FOR I AM POOR AND NEEDY
Make haste, O God, to deliver me! O LORD, make haste to help me! 2 Let them be put to shame and confusion who seek my life! Let them be turned back and brought to dishonor who delight in my hurt! 3 Let them turn back because of their shame who say, “Aha, Aha!” 4 May all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you! May those who love your salvation say evermore, “God is great!” 5 But I am poor and needy; hasten to me, O God!
You are my help and my deliverer; O LORD, do not delay! – Psalm 70:1-5
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Martin Luther comment on this psalm as “This prayer is the shield, spear, thunderbolt and defense against every attack of fear, presumption [and] lukewarmness…which are especially dominant today.”
When you hear the urgency in the first verse of this psalm, you wonder why David would hasten the Lord to deliver him. We know that during his lifetime, David had so many enemies who were in pursuit to kill him. The rush is not about demanding his God to do something for him, but it is about his complete dependency on Him. It is almost like a child who would run to his parents for safety. It sounds like a helpless person wanting to be helped by someone whom he knows would surely come to his rescue. We hear intimacy from the way he addressed his Lord. David sounded so sure that God will do something about the plea because he is faithful to Him. How many of us Christians have this confidence in God? Sadly, many of us resort to relying on our own strength and try to solve our problems instead of running to our Lord God.
David even prays for the enemy’s confusion and shame. Boice comments on this verse as “The kindest thing we can pray for people who do wrong is that their plans will fail, for it may be that in their frustration they will see the folly and true end of evil and be reached for God.” The expression Aha! Aha is an exclamation of ridicule according to Easton’s bible dictionary. When David mentions this, he was emphasizing how these wicked people scornfully mocked him.
He ends this psalm with a praise of God, proclaiming how great He is and acknowledging his neediness and weakness. He also declares him as his only deliverer and help. Who can say “no” to such confident plea for deliverance? Do you think God will ignore the request of someone who knows him and trust him so well?
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REFLECTION
• Do you have an intimate relationship with God that you can ask Him anything just like how David asks Him?
PSALM 1 – DISTINCTION BETWEEN THE RIGHTEOUS AND THE WICKED
January 9
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PSALM 1 – DISTINCTION BETWEEN THE RIGHTEOUS AND THE WICKED
Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; 2 but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law, he meditates day and night. 3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.
4 The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. 5 Therefore the
wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
6 for the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.
– Psalm1:1-6
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The psalmist gives us a distinction between the wicked and the righteous. He clearly illustrates the manifestation of righteousness in a man. They do not follow the system of the world. They do not tolerate sin but expose them instead. They do not take part in mockery of others or in doing unjust things. They take pleasure in the commands and statutes of the Lord and reflect on it day and night and obey them.
The psalmist gives a picture of the righteous. He likens them to a tree that are near streams of water. They are always bearing fruits in its season. They do not scorch or its leaves never dry up because of the water supply that feeds in its root system. It is healthy because of the proximity to water source which is the food of the tree.
Verses 4-6 describes the wicked. The psalmist illustrates that evil people are like chaff which are the seed coverings and other debris separated from the seed in threshing grain. They are very easily blown away. It gives us an image of a very unstable object that easily gets blown by the wind. It is opposite to the description about the tree planted by the river bank that is so solid in its foundation because of the deep root system. The wicked are shallow and easily swayed and blown away by any movement around it. They are very fickle and unstable. In verse 5, it describes that the wicked cannot stand the judgment. They cannot stand truth because they are full of lies and thrive only in corrupt and worldly ways. They cannot follow the way of God since they are so full of themselves and only concerned with satisfying their cravings and pleasures. What is interesting to know is that the wicked are clueless to the truth because they have been blinded by their own desires and unrighteousness. They cannot get the filters of selfishness out of their minds and hearts. God destroys the ways of the wicked but blesses and prospers the righteous.
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REFLECTION
• Why is wisdom and fruitfulness reserved only for the righteous people of God?
PSALM 143-MAKE ME KNOW THE WAY I SHOULD GO
January 8
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PSALM 143-MAKE ME KNOW THE WAY I SHOULD GO
Answer me quickly, O LORD! My spirit fails! Hide not your face from me, lest I be like those who go down to the pit. 8 Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love,
for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.
9 Deliver me from my enemies, O LORD I have fled to you for refuge. 10 Teach me to do your will, for you are my God! Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground! 11 For your name’s sake, O LORD, preserve my life! In your righteousness bring my soul out of trouble! 12 And in your steadfast love you will cut off my enemies, and you will destroy all the adversaries of my soul, for I am your servant. – Psalm 143:7-12
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In this psalm, David continues to ask God to show him the way that he should go. At the beginning of this psalm, we hear David getting discouraged and exhausted from the many attacks of the enemy on him. In verses 1-6, we hear his despair and anguish that seemed as deep as Jesus’ agony in the garden of Gethsemane just before he was about to die.
In verses 5-6 (previous to these verses) we hear a shift from despair to hope. In verse 7, he continues on to plead God to manifest his presence to him. His request to end his isolation in verse 7 is a manifestation of his humility and his dependence on God. He almost declares that without God, he will be like those godless people. Verse 8 is a declaration of his trust in God and how he longs for his lead and guidance to him so he can face all these trials and sufferings.
I love that he says “Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.” It is a complete reliance on him. How many of us Christians actually exhibit this kind of dependence and trust and submission to God? We often act on our own will. It is automatic for us to do what we know or what we think is good for us. In verse 9, David reminds God once again of his promise for deliverance from the enemy. Verse 10 declares God as his teacher and that without God’s instructions, he will never be able to obey his will. It shows how David lives under the grace and mercy and will of God. He asks God to show him how to live in this world. In verse 11, he beseeches God to deliver his soul from being corrupted by the world. In verse 12, he reminds God again of his promise for vindication and deliverance from his enemies.
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REFLECTION
• Why is asking God to tell you what to do and where to go an important habit that all believers must include in their daily walk with the Holy Spirit?
• What happens when we rush into doing things without consulting God’s Spirit?
PSALM 131 – O LORD, I HAVE CALMED AND QUIETED MY SOUL
January 3
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PSALM 131 – O LORD, I HAVE CALMED AND QUIETED MY SOUL
O LORD, my heart is not lifted up;
my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things
too great and too marvelous for me.
2 But I have calmed and quieted my soul,
like a weaned child with its mother;
like a weaned child is my soul within me.
3 O Israel, hope in the LORD
from this time forth and forevermore. – Psalm 131:1-3
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According to various commentaries and bible study books, this psalm is a psalm of ascent or pilgrim psalm. The city of Jerusalem is situated on a high hill. Jews traveling to Jerusalem for one of the three main annual Jewish festivals traditionally sang these songs on the “ascent” or the uphill road to the city. According to some traditions, the Jewish priests also sang some of these Songs of Ascent as they walked up the steps to the temple in Jerusalem.
Spurgeon notes that this psalm is both by and about David, expressing his humility, his confidence, and his commitment to perform the will of God. The Midrash pairs the phrases in verse 1 with specific events in David’s life that he could certainly have bragged about, yet he retained his humility.
David confesses that his heart is not haughty. In verse 1, he mentions that he does not busy himself with worldly things and anything that will draw attention to himself. In other words, though he had the position to do so, he stayed humble.
In verse 2, he likens his calm and quiet spirit with a weaned child with his mother. We get to see a picture of a baby dependent on his mother and contented that he is in her arms. What a great illustration of David’s dependency and contentment to his Lord God. In verse 3, he is exhorting Israel to have the same contentment and dependency on their creator and Lord.
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REFLECTION
• How can we stay humble and contented in the midst of success?
• How many of us who are in a position of power and wealth can say that they are content with their lives because they have the Lord as their top priority?
RESURRECTION IS VICTORY OVER DEATH ILMA’S VLOG
August 27
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RESURRECTION IS VICTORY OVER DEATH
29 For otherwise, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why then are they baptized or them? 30 Why are we also in danger every hour? 31 I affirm, brothers and sisters, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, that I die daily. 32 If from human motives I fought with wild beasts at Ephesus, what good is it to me? If the dead are not raised, LET’S EAT AND DRINK, FOR TOMORROW WE DIE. 33 Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.” 34 Sober up morally and stop sinning, for some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame.
– 1 Corinthians 15:29-34
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In this letter, Paul proves further the importance of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In verse 29, he seems to be talking about baptism for the dead which may have been a practice of those times regarding baptizing those who have died without hearing the gospel.
According to Gospel Coalition.org, some scholars have proposed that Paul’s key terms have rare or figurative meanings. First, they say “baptism” is metaphorical, as in Peter’s expression “baptism with fire.” Second, they say “for” does not mean “on behalf of.” Third, they say “the dead” are the spiritually dead or the dying, not the physically dead. Yet the text gives us no reason to seek metaphorical meanings. All stripes of scholars agree that the plain sense is most likely, though no one knows precisely what the Corinthians did. Though many scholars have tried to interpret this very perplexing verse, let us not get out of context, but go back why Paul mentioned this in this letter. He continues to spell out the essence of Christ’s resurrection for those who are hearing this message. He challenges their thinking regarding the principle behind the resurrection of Jesus: to show that Christ reigned over death and that in Him, we will have life again.
In verse 32, he talks about the only boasting we need to do as Christians: that Jesus Christ died for us to save us from sins and that no amount of achievement or prowess that we have achieved will assure us of life everlasting.
Paul cautions the believers that if Christ wasn’t resurrected, then we won’t have a purpose in life. Since God made us in his own image, he wants to ensure that we are living up to that image he made us to be. He warns us to stay away from bad company so that we can continue to live blameless lives.
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REFLECTION
• How is the resurrection pointing us to our purpose in life according to God’s plan?
FIRST FRUITS OF OUR RESURRECTION ILMA’S VLOG
August 26
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FIRST FRUITS OF OUR RESURRECTION
20 But the fact is, Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. 21 For since by a man death came, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ’s at His coming, 24 then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to our God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. 25 For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. 26 The last enemy that will be abolished is death. 27 For HE HAS PUT ALL THINGS IN SUBJECTION UNDER HIS FEET. But when He says, “All things are put in subjection,” it is clear that this excludes the Father who put all things in subjection to Him. 28 When all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, so that God may be all in all.
– 1 Corinthians 15:20-28
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In Leviticus 23:9-14, the feast of the first fruits was celebrated on the day after the Sabbath. Jesus rose from the dead on the same day of the feast of the first fruits, the day after the Sabbath following the Passover. Guzik comments that firstfruits is the ancient Greek word aparche. In the Septuagint, this word is used for the offering of firstfruits and in secular usage, the word was used in entrance fee.
In this letter, Paul couldn’t stress enough the importance of the resurrection of Jesus. He reminds the Corinthian believers that Adam brought death but Christ gave us life. When Christ resurrected, he became the offering to God so that he can appease God of his wrath on man’s sinfulness. All who believe in Christ, will also be resurrected as promised by God. He was sacrificial lamb so that we can have eternal life. Paul refers to the promised second coming of Christ, where he will rule over all kingdoms here on earth and in the heavenlies. All earthly rulers and spiritual powers will bow down to him and they will all be subject to Christ’s authority, power and reign. In verses 27-28, Paul specifically puts emphasis on all things will be subject to Christ except God the Father, since he is the Maker of all things. Though Christ is the Son of God, he is still subject to His Father. In Romans 11:36, Paul says in these words about the mystery of God’s plan: For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever! Amen. He reminds the believers of the purpose of a man’s life: to bring God all the glory.
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REFLECTION
• Why is it important for us to remember what our purpose here on earth is?
CHRIST’S RESURRECTION PROVES OUR RESURRECTION ILMA’S VLOG
August 25
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CHRIST’S RESURRECTION PROVES OUR RESURRECTION
12 Now if Christ is preached, that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised; 14 and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain, your faith also is in vain. 15 Moreover, we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we testified against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, then not even Christ has been raised; 17 and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. 18 Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If we have hoped in Christ only in this life, we are of all people most to be pitied.
– 1 Corinthians 15:12-19
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According to wikibooks.org, the word “resurrection” means a ‘raising up’, or ‘rising up’ from the Greek word “anastasis.. In the verb form it means ‘to cause to stand or rise up; to raise from sleep or from the dead’. In 1 Thessalonians 4:18, rapture comes from the Koine Greek text which uses the verb form [harpagēsometha], which means “we shall be caught up”, “taken away”, with the connotation that this is a sudden event which is found in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18.The resurrection of the dead is one of the most basic of doctrines; and we accept it as fact that Jesus Christ, the Messiah not only suffered and died for the sins of the world, but that He subsequently rose from the grave by the power of the Almighty God the Father. Martin Luther says “Everything depends on our retaining a firm hold on this doctrine in particular; for if this one totters and no longer counts, all the others will lose their value and validity.” Spurgeon says that “If Jesus rose, then this gospel is what it professes to be; if He rose not from the dead, then it is all deceit and delusion.”
Paul proves to the Corinthians the truth of the promise of our resurrection by pointing out the fact that Christ himself resurrected from the dead and was raised after he died on the cross to save us. He was rebuking some of those Corinthian believers who were questioning the promise that all believers will also be resurrected just like how Christ was raised from the dead. Some of the Corinthians were still influenced by the Greek Philosophy that they live forever but not in resurrected bodies. Paul had to prove to them that Jesus himself died and resurrected which proves that all believers will be given too.
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REFLECTION
• Why is the doctrine of the resurrection hard for unbelievers to understand?
NOT I BUT THE GRACE OF GOD IN ME ILMA’S VLOG
August 24
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NOT I BUT THE GRACE OF GOD IN ME
Now I make known to you, brothers and sisters, the gospel which I preached to you, which you also received, in which you also stand, 2 by which you also are saved, if you hold firmly to the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.3 For I handed down to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 After that He appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; 7 then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; 8 and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, and not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me. 11 Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.
– 1 Corinthians 15:1-11
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In this letter, Paul repeats the importance of the gospel in a believer’s life. It is the Good News that Paul had preached to them and they have received it and stood by it. He reminds the Corinthian believers that it is the only source of salvation; that if they believe that the death of Christ on the cross is to fulfill the Scriptures, they will be saved. Paul humbly confesses to them that he didn’t deserve to bring them the gospel because he was unfit to be called an apostle because he once persecuted the church of God. In verse 10, he explains the reason why he was able to bring them the Good News despite all the things he used to do to kill Christians. It was God’s grace that made him preach the gospel. Once again, we witness Paul’s humility here. He wasn’t taking credit for anything that he has preached to them. Instead, he points to God’s grace as the source of such knowledge of truth and the message of God to all believers. Even though he didn’t discount the fact that he worked hard to ensure that they receive the Good News, he never boast that it was his. How often do we see or hear preachers bring the gospel and then turned it the wrong way by calling attention to themselves instead of focusing on bringing the gospel to the body of Christ? Paul reminds us that everything comes from God and without his grace, we can do nothing.
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REFLECTION
• Why should we always remind ourselves to live in God’s grace?