November 14
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MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?
My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?
Far from my help are the words of my groaning.
2 My God, I cry out by day, but You do not answer;
And by night, but I have no rest.3 Yet You are holy,
You who are enthroned upon the praises of Israel.
4 In You our fathers trusted; they trusted and You rescued them.
5 To You they cried out and they fled to safety;
In You they trusted and were not disappointed.
6 But I am a worm and not a person,
A disgrace of mankind and despised by the people.
7 All who see me deride me; they sneer, they shake their heads, saying,
8 “ Turn him over to the LORD; let Him save him;
Let Him rescue him, because He delights in him. – Psalm 22:1-8
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This psalm of David is directly spoken by Jesus according to Matthew 27:46, on the cross at about three o’clock. How can David have known that he spoke exactly what Jesus was going to experience over a thousand years later? This was a prophetic word that David which clearly was revealed to him by God’s Spirit. In the life of David, we witness many instances where he could have written such agonizing cry to his Lord. After all, he went through a lot of suffering, trials and attacks from his many enemies. While this psalm was certainly David’s agony in his life experience, it is even truer of Jesus the Messiah than of David. Jesus deliberately chose these words to describe His agony on the cross in Matthew 27:46. Boice comments that “We can be fairly certain that Jesus was meditating on the Old Testament during the hours of his suffering and that he saw his crucifixion as a fulfillment of Psalm 22 particularly.”
The repetition of My God twice must have expressed the deep pain and agony Jesus must have felt on the cross, something that King David must have felt as he wrote this psalm. It is amazing how God has known that all these same lines will be spoken by His one and only Son, whom He allowed to go through the ache and anguish to save mankind. Perhaps we are going through the same pain in our lives right now because of an illness or a death in our family. Could you imagine how much more painful it was for Jesus to carry all our sins?
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REFLECTION
• Why do you think Jesus uttered these same lines at the time of His death?
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THIS IS THE DAY TO REJOICE AND BE GLAD ILMA’S VLOG
November 13
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THIS IS THE DAY TO REJOICE AND BE GLAD
This is the day which the LORD has made;
Let’s rejoice and be glad in it.
25 Please, O LORD, do save us;
Please, O LORD, do send prosperity!
26 Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the LORD;
We have blessed you from the house of the LORD.
27 The LORD is God, and He has given us light;
Bind the festival sacrifice to the horns of the altar with cords.
28 You are my God, and I give thanks to You;
You are my God, I exalt You.
29 Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good;
For His mercy is everlasting. -Psalm 118:24-29
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Enduringword.com comments on verse 24 as the verse when Jesus quoted verse 22 (at Matthew 21:42, Mark 12:10-11, and Luke 20:17), He did so in response to the praise and hosannas given to Him at what is commonly called the triumphal entry. Since this psalm is prophetically connected with that event, the day mentioned here can be prophetically understood as the day Jesus formally entered Jerusalem as Messiah and King. It is true in a general sense that the LORD makes every day, and there is reason to rejoice and be glad in every day. Yet specifically, the day the LORD made to rejoice and be glad in was the day Jesus entered Jerusalem with hosannas welcoming Him as Israel’s Savior. If on that day human voices failed to rejoice and be glad, Jesus said that the very stones would cry out their praises and hosannas (Luke 19:40).
It is a sad to watch many of us take for granted each and every day the Lord has made. We become so complacent and ungrateful. We fail to rejoice and be glad that we have another day to serve the Master of all masters and King of all kings. We are consumed living for ourselves that we have forgotten the faithful God who loves us so much that He gave his only Son, so we could be reconciled to Him. We have failed to walk in His light and constantly praise Him. As the psalmist reminds us in verse 29 to be grateful for God because He is good and His mercy lasts forever. Let us never fail to acknowledge and worship a faithful and loving Father who gives us all the time to come close to Him.
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REFLECTION
• How can we manifest gratitude to God and be glad for the days we are given?
REJECTED STONE BECOMES CHIEF CORNERSTONE ILMA’S VLOG
November 12
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REJECTED STONE BECOMES CHIEF CORNERSTONE
Open the gates of righteousness to me;
I will enter through them, I will give thanks to the LORD.
20 This is the gate of the LORD;
The righteous will enter through it.
21 I will give thanks to You, for You have answered me,
And You have become my salvation.
22 A stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief cornerstone.
23 This came about from the LORD;
It is marvelous in our eyes. – Psalm 118:19-23
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I quote enduringword.com commentary on these verses in Psalm 118. In psalm 19, The psalmist probably had in mind a triumphal entry into the holy city. With those gates open, he would go through them, full of praise to the LORD.” Spurgeon states “Alas, there are multitudes who do not care whether the gates of God’s house are opened or not; and although they know that they are opened wide they never care to enter, neither does the thought of praising God so much as cross their minds. The time will come for them when they shall find the gates of heaven shut against them, for those gates are peculiarly the gates of righteousness through which there shall by no means enter anything that defileth.” In verse 20, we picture the singer actually passing through the open gate, In verse 22 regarding the stone that the builders rejected, we don’t know what personal experience the psalmist might have had that led to these words. Perhaps it was purely a prophetic statement, because it certainly was fulfilled in the work of Jesus.They didn’t approve of His origin (John 7:52).They didn’t approve of His lack of formal education (John 7:15). They didn’t approve of His disregard for religious traditions (Luke 6:2). They didn’t approve of His choice of friends (Matthew 9:11). Spurgeon says “Still do the builders refuse him: even to this day the professional teachers of the gospel are far too apt to fly to any and every new philosophy sooner than maintain the simple gospel, which is the essence of Christ: nevertheless, he holds his true position amongst his people, and the foolish builders shall see to their utter confusion that his truth shall be exalted over all.”
We need to follow how Jesus set himself apart from the world so we can follow his lead. ________________________________________
REFLECTION
• Why should we not be bothered when we are rejected by others?
THE LORD IS MY STRENGTH AND SONG ILMA’S VLOG
November 11
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THE LORD IS MY STRENGTH AND SONG
All nations surrounded me;
In the name of the LORD I will certainly fend them off.
11 They surrounded me, yes, they surrounded me;
In the name of the LORD I will certainly fend them off.
12 They surrounded me like bees;
They were extinguished like a fire of thorn bushes;
In the name of the LORD I will certainly fend them off.
13 You pushed me violently so that I [was falling,
But the LORD helped me. 14 The LORD is my strength and song,
And He has become my salvation.
15 The sound of joyful shouting and salvation is in the tents of the righteous;
The right hand of the LORD performs valiantly.
16 The right hand of the LORD is exalted;
The right hand of the LORD performs valiantly.
17 I will not die, but live, and tell of the works of the LORD.
18 The LORD has disciplined me severely,
But He has not turned me over to death. -Psalm 118:10-18
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Enduringword.com comments on this psalm as: “Quoting Miriam’s song (Exodus 15:2), the singer knew not only that God could bring strength and a song, but that Yahweh Himself became their strength and the song of those who put their trust in Him. Going even further, the psalmist understood that Yahweh had become his salvation. Yahweh is these things for His people. When the LORD is our strength, it means that He is our resource and our refuge. We look to Him for our needs, and we are never unsatisfied. When the LORD is our song, it means that He is our joy and our happiness. We find our purpose and life in Him, and He never disappoints. When the LORD is our salvation, it means we put our trust for help and deliverance in none other. He is our rest and rescue. With all this true, it emphasizes the importance of seeking God Himself when we need strength, a song, or salvation. Often, we seek the things themselves, sometimes as even detached from God Himself. To seek God and to receive Him is to receive all these profound gifts.” We all need to learn to strengthen our dependence on God alone. Even though we live in this world, we need to live for eternity.
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REFLECTION
• When was the last time you made the Lord your strength and song?
BETTER TO TAKE REFUGE IN GOD THAN TO TRUST PEOPLE ILMA’S VLOG
November 10
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BETTER TO TAKE REFUGE IN GOD THAN TO TRUST PEOPLE
Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good;
For His mercy is everlasting.
2 Let Israel say, “His mercy is everlasting.”
3 Oh let the house of Aaron say, “His mercy is everlasting.”
4 Let those who fear the LORD say,
“His mercy is everlasting.”
5 From my distress I called upon the LORD;
The LORD answered me and put me in an open space.
6 The LORD is for me; I will not fear; What can man do to me?
7 The LORD is for me among those who help me;
Therefore I will look with satisfaction on those who hate me.
8 It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in people.
9 It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in noblemen.
– Psalm 118:1-9
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Psalm 118 does not name an author in its title, but there is reason to believe it was King David. Ezra 3:10-11 suggests that Psalm 118 was sung at the founding of the second temple, and when they sang it, they attributed it to David. According to Campbell Morgan, though this was likely David’s psalm, it was also Jesus’ psalm. “This is pre-eminently the triumph song of the Christ, He the ideal Servant, He the perfect Priest, He the Leader of the people. How much all these words meant to Him as He sang them on that night in the upper room.” Spurgeon comments on the first verse “for He is good” as “This is reason enough for giving him thanks; goodness is his essence and nature, and therefore he is always to be praised whether we are receiving anything from him or not. Those who only praise God because he does them good should rise to a higher note and give thanks to him because he is good.”
In verse 4, the psalmist emphasizes the importance of fearing the Lord: God’s mercy is upon them. In verse 6, it reminds us not to fear man because God will be our vindicator and protector, and in verse 8, we are warned not to seek refuge to man but to God only.
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REFLECTION
• Why is it better to run to God when we are in trouble than to rely on others and ourselves?
• Why should we always give thanks to the Lord on a regular basis?
MAN WILL PERISH BUT GOD ENDURES FOREVER ILMA’S VLOG
November 9
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MAN WILL PERISH BUT GOD ENDURES FOREVER
He has broken my strength in the way;
He has shortened my days.
24 I say, “My God, do not take me away in the middle of my days,
Your years are throughout all generations.
25 In time of old You founded the earth,
And the heavens are the work of Your hands.
26 Even they will perish, but You endure;
All of them will wear out like a garment;
Like clothing You will change them and they will pass away.
27 But You are the same,
And Your years will not come to an end.
28 The children of Your servants will continue,
And their descendants will be established before You. -PSALM 102:23-28
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The psalmist ends this psalm declaring how disposable our lives are but God is everlasting. In verse 23, he humbly recognized that our lives are in the hands of God. We are at God’s disposal. In verse 24, he pleads God not to shorten his life and gives God praise for watching over His people throughout many generations. In verse 25, he brings glory to the only creator of the whole earth and the heavens which are all still in existence based on God’s plan. In verse 26, he gives praise to the truth that all of creation can be snapped out because God is sovereign and all-powerful. He can do anything He wished with it. It shows that all things are fleeting and only God can decide which ones He wants to keep long. In verse 27, it declares God’s unchangeable nature and His infiniteness. In verse 28, the psalmist promises continued service to the Lord with the descendants of His people.
What a humble way the psalmist ends this psalm! He declares God’s limitless being and that all creation will be at God’s disposal. Many people think that they are in control of their lives and do everything they can to prolong their lives. This psalm is a reminder to us all how fleeting our lives are and God will do what He needs to do to make his plan come to fruition. We humans become so preoccupied with the way we see things when we need to be able to see God’s perspective in our life here on earth. We need to be able to focus on being used by God to make His plan be realized.
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REFLECTION
• How can we be able to maximize the life God gave us?
GOD HEARS THE GROANING OF THE PRISONER ILMA’S VLOG
November 8
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GOD HEARS THE GROANING OF THE PRISONER
For the LORD has built up Zion;
He has appeared in His glory.
17 He has turned His attention to the prayer of the destitute
And has not despised their prayer.
18 This will be written for the generation to come,
That a people yet to be created may praise the LORD:
19 For He looked down from His holy height;
From heaven the LORD looked upon the earth,
20 To hear the groaning of the prisoner,
To set free those who were doomed to death,
21 So that people may tell of the name of the LORD in Zion,
And His praise in Jerusalem,
22 When the peoples are gathered together,
And the kingdoms, to serve the LORD. – Psalm 102:16-22
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Commentary on these verses on the psalm from enduringword.com states that God’s goodness will be written for the generations to come: God’s goodness to Zion and the whole earth is a testimony for the future, so that a people yet to be created may praise the LORD. Poole writes “This wonderful deliverance shall not be lost nor forgotten, but carefully recorded by thy people.” Spurgeon on the other hands says that “Registers of divine kindness ought to be made and preserved: we write down in history the calamities of nations – wars, famines, pestilences, and earthquakes are recorded; how much rather then should we set up memorials of the Lord’s lovingkindnesses!”
The psalmist pictured God bending down low from heaven. In verse 19, God sees the people he created and in verse 20, the psalmist recognizes that God hears the complains of those who are in bondage. Once, I was in so much bondage and strongholds, and deep inside me, I knew God was listening to my groanings during those times. In verse 20, the psalmist echoes Isaiah 61:1 which says: “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, Because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to captives and freedom to prisoners”. What wonderful promises God has given his people!
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REFLECTION
• Why is depression and hopelessness not an option for a true believer?
YOU, LORD, REMAIN FOREVER ILMA’S VLOG
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November 7
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YOU, LORD, REMAIN FOREVER
My enemies have taunted me all day long;
Those who deride me have used my name as a curse.
9 For I have eaten ashes like bread,
And mixed my drink with weeping
10 Because of Your indignation and Your wrath;
For You have lifted me up and thrown me away.
11 My days are like a lengthened shadow,
And I wither away like grass.
12 But You, LORD, remain forever,
And Your name remains to all generations.
13 You will arise and have compassion on Zion;
For it is time to be gracious to her,
For the appointed time has come.
14 Surely Your servants take pleasure in her stones,
And feel pity for her dust.
15 So the nations will fear the name of the LORD,
And all the kings of the earth, Your glory. – Psalm 102:8-15
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In verse 8, according to enduringword.com, the psalmist’s affliction came from more than poor health; he had enemies set against him. They opposed him with constant disapproval and rejection. In verse 9, he seemed to be in constant mourning. The marks of mourning such as ashes and weeping were as familiar to him as food and drink. In verse 10, the mourning was all the more bitter because of the sense that this affliction came as some kind of punishment from God. Spurgeon comments on verse 10 says that “He felt that God was treating him as wrestlers treat one another, when a man deliberately lifts up his opponent in order that he may give him the worse fall.” In verse 11, the psalmist was overwhelmed with a sense of divine rejection; he felt that his life was short and had little meaning. In verse 12, the psalmist’s tone changes. We note the contrast between the first 11 verses, which were filled with personal references (I, me, and my) and verses 12 and following. With the words, but You, the focus changes and is set on God. What a difference it makes when we change our focus from ourselves to God!
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REFLECTION
• Why do we need to focus on God’s infiniteness instead of our fleeting lives?
LIKE AN OWL OF THE RUINS ILMA’S VLOG
November 6
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LIKE AN OWL OF THE RUINS
Hear my prayer, LORD!
And let my cry for help come to You.
2 Do not hide Your face from me on the day of my distress;
Incline Your ear to me; On the day when I call answer me quickly.
3 For my days have ended in smoke,
And my bones have been scorched like a hearth.
4 My heart has been struck like grass and has withered,
Indeed, I forget to eat my bread.
5 Because of the loudness of my groaning
My bones cling to my flesh. 6 I resemble a pelican of the wilderness;
I have become like an owl of the ruins. 7 I lie awake,
I have become like a solitary bird on a housetop. – Psalm 102:1-7
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This psalm is entitled “A Prayer of the afflicted, when he is overwhelmed and pours out his complaint before the LORD.” According to a commentary from enduringword.com, this afflicted one borrowed his tone and some of his phrasing from Job, who is the Old Testament’s greatest example of affliction. Many phrases also match others in the psalms.
This psalm describes Jerusalem (Zion) in a state of ruin. If this is taken as literal ruin, the psalm may have been written by those in exile who mourned over both their personal and national affliction. Adam Clarke followed this thinking and suggested the author could be Daniel, Jeremiah, or Nehemiah. However, it may be that the ruin of Zion described is more poetic in nature and the psalm is pre-exilic. In traditional Christian liturgy, this has been regarded as one of the seven penitential psalms (along with Psalms 6, 32, 38, 51, 130, and 143).
In verse 5, as in Job 19:20, he was so weak and thin that there seemed to be nothing between his bones and his skin. He felt like a lonely and restless bird. According to Spurgeon, the psalmist likens himself to two birds (pelican and owl) which were commonly used as emblems of gloom and wretchedness.”
Being overwhelmed is the state of the author of this psalm. When we allow the world to run our whole being, we become confused and discouraged, we resort to complaining. It is interesting how the psalmist compares himself to the owl in the ruins.
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REFLECTION
• Why is it okay to complain and run to God rather than to men?
THE NEARNESS OF GOD IS GOOD FOR ME ILMA’S VLOG
November 5
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THE NEARNESS OF GOD IS GOOD FOR ME
When my heart was embittered
And I was pierced within,
22 Then I was stupid and ignorant;
I was like an animal before You.
23 Nevertheless I am continually with You;
You have taken hold of my right hand.
24 You will guide me with Your plan,
And afterward receive me to glory.
25 Whom do I have in heaven but You?
And with You, I desire nothing on earth.
26 My flesh and my heart may fail,
But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
27 For, behold, those who are far from You will perish;
You have destroyed all those who are unfaithful to You.
28 But as for me, the nearness of God is good for me;
I have made the Lord GOD my refuge,
So that I may tell of all Your works.- Psalm 73:21-28
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In this psalm, Asaph continue with his confession to the Lord. In verse 21, he repents of bitterness that actually pierced him inside and in verse 22, he admits being foolish and compared himself to an animal before God. We tend to be savages when we forget how God has created us. He made us in His own image. In verses 23-24, he turns around with giving God credit for his faithfulness to Him, despite all his natural tendencies to sin. He looks up to the promise of being with the Lord when he is faithful. Verse 26 declares his submission to God. He declares that God is the source of all his strength and that he is his portion. In verse 27, he cautions those who are turning their backs on God and who is far from him. Destruction is the consequence of such rejection of the Lord. The highlight of the whole psalm lies in verse 28. He declares that abiding in God is the only way we can receive our salvation. He made a decision that he will only serve God and that He will rely on Him for his safety. He will shout to all of God’s goodness and all that He has done for His people.
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REFLECTION
• Why is the knowledge of God being near to you essential in our lives?