LIVING IN GOD'S LAW
Psalm 119:151
How frustrating and frightening it would be if a loved one has been seriously injured, and we cannot contact a doctor, ambulance, or hospital because the phone has been made useless by the storm. How much more disappointing and frightening it would be if we try to call upon God for help, and He cannot hear us because we are too far away from Him.
That, of course, can never happen, because He is the everywhere present God Who is in every atom of every creature, and in His mercy and grace is in every one of His born-again children. Of this the psalmist speaks when in
Psalm 119:151
he says, "Thou art near,
O Lord, and all Thy commandments are truth." This he had written after stating in this section of the Psalm, "I cried to Thee with my whole heart. . .
I cried unto Thee; save me..." and "Hear my voice according to Thy lovingkindness."
But he had also written about his enemies that they deny God and His law. They follow mischief and are far from His law. Thus they maintain that God does not exist, and that therefore His laws are nonsense. If there is no God, why keep the law which we claim He made? But the psalmist confesses in verse 152, "Concerning Thy testimonies, I have known of old that Thou hast founded them forever."
That we do well to keep in mind. God not only hears our cries, but His commandments are very real. We were created in them. They were not added to us after we were made. As a fish cannot live outside of the water, so we can not live outside of God's law wherein we were created. Outside of that law is death for man. God's commandments very really and assuredly are truth. Let no enemy of God ever make you believe otherwise. The enemies who follow after mischief, that is, after deceit, trickery, are fools. They are far from God's law; and God's law is the only place wherein man can live. Sing this truth:
Thou Lord, art near to me, Read:
Psalm 19
Psalter versification: 339:4
(Words and Music of the Psalter)
Daily Meditations
on
the
Heidelberg Catechism
Song
for Meditation: Psalter number 14
Why not sing along??
****
Through the Bible in One Year
Read today:
Hebrews 3:1-19
Psalm 104:1-23
Proverbs 26:24-26
****
Quote for Reflection:
“Having ascended, Jesus Christ is at the right hand of God in this same nature which He assumed with us. This is so that we may be assured that since we are in His protection no evil can happen to us. True, He permits us to be hampered by our flesh and to be surrounded with many miseries. But what of it? He is always ready to stretch out to us His hand, and we must be certain that although we suffer for a time the end of it will be for our salvation…Although I am weak, there is Jesus Christ, who is powerful enough to make me stand upright. Although I am feeble, there is Jesus Christ, who is my strength…Yes, the devil is called the prince of this world. But what of it? Jesus Christ holds him in check…There are devils above us who make war against us. But what of it? Jesus Christ rules above, having entire control of the battle…Yes, I am here subject to many changes which may cause me to lose courage. But what of it? The Son of God is my Head and exempt from all change. I must, then, take confidence in Him. This is how we must look at His Ascension.” (John Calvin, Sermon 15 on the Deity of Christ).
PRAYERS OF PRAISE
Psalm 65:1,2
One lesson we all learned from childhood onward is that there are so many things for which we have to wait. We have to wait for the sun to rise, for our meals to be prepared, for the water to boil, a friend to arrive, the rain to stop, to mention only a few of these things. And all this ought to teach us how great our God is. For He waits for nothing but realizes on time all things according to His eternal counsel or plan. Nothing stops Him or delays what He wants.
When then in Psalm 65:1-2 we read: "Praise waiteth for Thee, O God, in Zion: and unto Thee shall all flesh come," we should note that David speaks here of God's praise waiting, not God waiting for that praise. That word "waiteth" means literally "to be silent." And that praise is silent means it serves God. In that day the servant was silent waiting to hear the instructions from his master as to what he must do. He did this to serve his master fully. So God's praise serves Him (Isaiah 43:21).
Notice that God's praise waits in Zion. Zion here means God's church as that church is ruled by Christ its glorified Head. For Zion was the hill in Jerusalem where David's throne was set. It was a picture of Christ at God's right hand ruling all things as head of His church, so that the praise of God flows forth constantly.
For us today that praise flows forth in our prayers as well as in our songs. We do well to examine our prayers to see how fully we do serve God with praise. Do we with our hearts sing?
Praise waits in Zion, Lord, for Thee,
And unto Thee shall vows be paid;
O Thou Who hearest those that cry,
To Thee by all shall prayer be made.
Are your prayers merely requests for material advantages? Look at the prayer Jesus gave us and notice the literal and implied praise in it. Our praise to God must not wait until we arrive in heaven. If you belong to Zion, praise will be in your prayers today.
Read:
Psalm 65
Psalter versification: 166:1
(Words and Music of the
Psalter)
Daily Meditations
on
the
Heidelberg Catechism
)Song
for Meditation: Psalter number 202
Why not sing along??
****
Through the Bible in One Year
Read today:
Ezekiel 3:16-27
;
Ezekiel 4
;
Ezekiel 5
;
Ezekiel 6:1-14
Hebrews 4:1-16
Psalm 104:24-35
Proverbs 26:24-26
****
Quote for Reflection:
“The magnitude of the punishment (of sinners, MD) matches the magnitude of the sin…Now, a sin that is against God is infinite; the higher the person against whom it is committed, the graver the sin—it is more criminal to strike a head of state than a private citizen—and God is of infinite greatness. Therefore, an infinite punishment is deserved for a sin committed against Him.” Thomas Aquinas
PRAISING GOD AS OUR REDEEMER
Psalm 65:3
To praise someone is to proclaim his virtues. Therefore to praise God is to confess that He is God. Higher praise to Him than that, there is not. That lifts Him above all creatures and explains Paul's words that "In Him we live and move and have our being." That praise man must render to God. And the day is coming when, as we read in Psalm 65:2. "Unto Thee shall all flesh come" — that is, come with praise.
When Christ returns, Zion, the church, will praise God. But the ungodly in the lake of fire will also do so. They will then acknowledge that He is God and that they are in torment because they sinned against Him. They are not going to deny Him as they did in this life.
The difference between the praise of Zion and of those outside of Zion is that the believers can and do praise God for something for which the unbelievers cannot praise Him. David writes in Psalm 65:3. "Iniquities prevail against me: as for our transgressions, Thou shalt purge them away."
Or as we sing:
Against us sin has battled hard:
For help we look to Thee and pray;
Thou our transgressions will forgive,
Yea Thou wilt take them all away.
That the ungodly can never sing. For forgiveness of their sins they can never pray, or praise God from out of hell. But for those of Zion this is a very basic work that calls for praise. Take the forgiveness of our sins away, and you take away all right to blessedness. The wages of sin is death! If those wages are not removed, death remains our lot.
We ought therefore to be Christ-minded in all our songs and prayers. Forget Christ in your prayers and you have no reason for praising God as your Savior. Forget the cross. and you forget the basic reason for Zion's praise to God. You forget what makes it possible for us to praise God in this life,
Forgiveness of our sins opens the door to all other blessings. Be sure then to praise God as your Redeemer in His Son.
Read:
Hebrews 7:1-22
Psalter versification: 166:2
(Words and Music of the
Psalter)
Daily Meditations
on
the
Heidelberg Catechism
Song
for Meditation: Psalter number 270
Why not sing along??
****
Through the Bible in One Year
Read today:
Ezekiel 7
;
Ezekiel 8
;
Ezekiel 9:1-11
Hebrews 5:1-14
Psalm 105:1-15
Proverbs 26:28
****
Quote for Reflection:
And these things, whatsoever sense we now have of them, were those on which the salvation or damnation of these Hebrews did absolutely depend. For unless they were prevailed on to forego that priesthood which was now abolished, and to betake themselves alone unto that more excellent one which was then introduced, they must unavoidably perish; as, accordingly, on this very account it fell out with the generality of that people, their posterity persisting in the same unbelief unto this day. And that which God made the crisis of the life or death of that church and people, ought to be diligently weighed and considered by us ... And God in like manner doth oftentimes single out especial truths for the trial of the faith and obedience of the church in especial seasons. And when he doth so, there is ever after an especial veneration due unto them" (Hebrews, vol. 5, p. 363). John Owen
CHOSEN UNTO HEAVENLY BLESSEDNESS
Psalm 65:4
Before you do a day's work, you have no right to the wages of such work. If you do the work before you were chosen as an employee in that office or factory, you have no right to ask for wages for the work which you performed.
So it is that the basic blessing we need is the forgiveness of our sins, and without it we have no right to any blessing. Christ had to do the work of suffering our punishment and of fulfilling God's law in our stead. And we had to be chosen in Him.
That is why David, moved by God, wrote in Psalm 65:4, "Blessed is the man whom Thou choosest, and causeth to approach unto Thee, that he may dwell in Thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of Thy house, even of Thy holy temple."
It all depends on God's eternal, sovereign election. God is the one Who chooses those for whom Christ will die. Christ must be The Employee for this work: hut we must belong to Him, or His work is not for us. What David writes then means that only those are blessed whom God has chosen as the ones for whom Christ would die.
Iniquities and transgressions bring us into debt before God. When we sin, we fail to perform a work of love that God demands of us.. Such failure does not simply call for a withholding of a blessing, but also the suffering of an everlasting punishment to its end. Christ, the eternal Son of God, can give eternal value to a work He performs in a moment of time.
How blessed then are they who are chosen in Christ. Sing it thus:
How blest are they whom Thou dost choose
To come and in Thy courts abide:
Communing in Thy holy house,
With good we shall be satisfied.
What praise then is it not that we owe God! It all depended on Him, and all the praise must be bestowed upon Him.
Read:
Ephesians 1
Psalter versification: 166:3
(Words and Music of the Psalter)
Daily Meditations
on
the
Heidelberg Catechism
Song
for Meditation: Psalter number 331
Why not sing along??
****
Through the Bible in One Year
Read today:
Ezekiel 10
;
Ezekiel 11:1-25
Hebrews 6:1-20
Psalm 105:16-36
Proverbs 27:1-2
****
Quote for Reflection:
"Abraham was truly the covenant-head of his posterity in the line of Isaac and Jacob, in whose descendants the promises made to him were fulfilled. It was in virtue of this covenant with Abraham, that the Jews inherited their distinguished privileges as a nation ... which brought them into the relation of a ‘peculiar people’ to Jehovah; and hence, in his patriarchal character and acts, he stood forth as the representative or federal head of the nation, so far as all the promises, privileges, and institutions of the Judaical were concerned. He was both their natural progenitor and their covenant-head, by the appointment of God ... Therefore, when Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek as a priest of the most High God, and received a blessing from him, it was a historical fact intentionally introduced by God’s providence, with a view to its becoming a feature of the type (so to speak) which Melchizedek, in his history and functions, was foreordained to present, of the supreme and eternal High Priest." F. S. Sampson
SAVED IN AWESOME RIGHTEOUSNESS
Psalm 65:5
By mighty deeds in righteousness
Prayer's answer surely comes from Thee,
O God our Savior, God the trust
Of all Thy saints on land and sea.
Thus we sing the truth that David wrote in Psalm 65:5. He wrote: "By terrible things in righteousness wilt Thou answer us, O God of our salvation; Who art the confidence of all the ends of the earth, and of them that are afar off upon the sea."
Very plainly David in these words brings us to the cross of Christ. He did not see the cross itself with his fleshly eye, and neither have we done so. But with the eye of faith he saw that cross in these "terrible things in righteousness."
The word "terrible" could better be translated as terrifying. It suggests Jesus' own words, "My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?" There were at the cross three hours of terrifying darkness and awesome suffering of hellish agonies!
Through all this Jesus paid for our sins. In the righteous way of suffering our punishment and doing so in perfect love to God, Jesus earned for us the right to dwell with God in His house of glory. We can be saved only in a righteous way. Otherwise we add punishment.
Here we have another reason to praise God. He is the almighty, sovereign God, and the God of love, mercy, and grace. But He is also the righteous God Who will save only in the way of His justice being satisfied.
That being the case He is the confidence of all the ends of the earth. Who could confide in one who does not meet all the requirements? God sends His Son to go all the way and completely satisfy His justice. And we can be confident that there is no suffering of punishment for our sins that we must still endure.
Praise God then for His righteousness and as the God of our salvation.
Read:
Colossians 1
Psalter versification: 166:4
(Words and Music of the
Psalter)
Daily Meditations
on
the
Heidelberg Catechism
Song
for Meditation: Psalter number 357
Why not sing along??
****
Through the Bible in One Year
Read today:
Ezekiel 12
;
Ezekiel 13
;
Ezekiel 14:1-11
Hebrews 57:1-17
Psalm 105:37-45
Proverbs 27:3
****
Quote for Reflection:
“The eye prepares the way for hand and foot. The foot, in its carriage of the body, safeguards the eye. Each member ever cares for and serves the others. More beautiful figures of love and good works are not to be found than those derived from the body with its members. In the members we daily bear about with us, and with which we are continually familiar, God has described the law of love in a living and forcible manner. Upon the principle there illustrated, the Christian should act, conducting himself in a way to profit not himself but others, and having a sincere interest in them. Under such conditions, schisms and sects could not spring up among us.” -Martin Luther
ALL IS WELL
Psalm 65:6
First things come first. Therefore, having spoken of the praise that waiteth for God in Zion, David mentioned the praise of God as our Savior Who purges away our transgressions. When our guilt is gone we can have blessings. But woe to those whose guilt is not removed. Those things the flesh enjoy are not gifts of God's grace to them. They will misuse them and add to their guilt and punishment. They will not praise God for them, and from Him will get condemnation.
But God has more virtues than His love and grace that through the cross of Christ blotted out our sins. He works in those who are made to be righteous in Christ a new spiritual life, which will also move them to praise Him as the Creator and Sustainer of all that which He made. That is why David, having begun with the all-important work of our justification, now mentions in Psalm 65:6. "Which by His strength setteth fast the mountains; being girded with power." And then he adds, "Which stilleth the noise of the seas, the noise of their waves, and the tumult of the people."
Here we have God praised for His strength; and our versification has it thus:
Thy power has set the mountains firm,
O God Almighty, girt with strength;
At Thy command the waves are still,
The nations cease from war at length.
God's power made these lofty peaks. His little finger stilled the tempestuous sea and brings wars to their end. It all reveals so clearly that He has absolute control over all His creatures. All things serve His purpose.
Those whom He chose in Christ can rest assured that all is always well. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.
Praise Him then as the almighty God Who in love, for those whose sins He blotted out, will work all things together for their good.
Read:
Psalm 46
Psalter versification: 166:5
(Words and Music of the
Psalter)
Daily Meditations
on
the
Heidelberg Catechism
Song
for Meditation: Psalter number 252
Why not sing along??
****
Through the Bible in One Year
Read today:
Ezekiel 14:12-23
;
Ezekiel 13
;
Ezekiel 14
;
Ezekiel 15
;
Ezekiel 16:1-41
Hebrews 7:18-28
Psalm 106:1-12
Proverbs 27:4-6
****
Quote for Reflection:
“Train Up a Child…”: “Let me conclude by emphasizing that this is a command, a calling. It comes especially to parents, but also to the whole church. There is a generation arising in our midst. There is a world and a Satan out there attempting to draw them away. How will they be kept? Yes, only by God’s grace. But grace never means carelessness. On our part, they will be kept, only by diligent teaching. God will use that to continue and preserve His covenant.” -Rodney Kleyn
REMEMBERING GOD'S PROVIDENTIAL CARE
Psalm 65:9
Do you give any thought, when you sit down to eat, to what God has done to provide you with that food? We do go through the formality of thanking Him for giving us our daily bread. But do you thank Him for all the work He performed to get that bread and meat on your table?
The psalmist calls our attention to it in Psalm 65:9 in these words: "Thou visitest the earth, and waterest it: Thou greatly enrichest it with the river of God, which is full of water: Thou preparest them corn, when Thou hast so provided it."
We depend so completely and entirely upon God to bring the sun up every morning for the plants, and for the rain when it is needed. And the sad thing is that we can eat without giving any thought to God and His works of providence. We can walk through the supermarket with all its canned food, vegetable and fruit displays, bread and cakes, and fail completely to give one thought about God and to praise Him as we ought. A good verse for us to commit to memory and take with us in the store, and unto the table before we eat, are these words of our versification:
Thou visitest the earth in love
And sendest showers from above,
Enriching all the land;
Thy streams exhaustless bless the field,
Preparing it the grain to yield
Provided by Thy hand.
Yes, in His love for His people God blesses the fields so that His church may have its daily bread for its physical needs.
And here is another work of God that calls for us to praise Him. He is our Savior and blotted out our guilt. With almighty power He upholds the whole creation which He made and rules it sovereignly. But He should be praised also for all His works of providence.
Surely praise waits for Him in Zion. Those outside of Zion see trees and plants and food but have no praise for God. Those redeemed by the blood of His Son can praise Him and must do so.
Praise God from Whom all blessings flow,
Praise Him all creatures here below.
Read:
Psalm 104
Psalter versification: 169:1
(Words and Music of the
Psalter)
Daily Meditations
on
the
Heidelberg Catechism
Song
for Meditation: Psalter number 162
Why not sing along??
****
Through the Bible in One Year
Read today:
Ezekiel 16:42-63
;
Ezekiel 17:1-24
Hebrews 8:1-13
Psalm 106:13-31
Proverbs 27:7-9
****
Quote for Reflection:
“…do we attend to the Word with reverential devotion? When the judge is giving his charge from the bench, all attend. When the Word is preached, the great God is giving us His charge. Do we listen to it as to a matter of life and death?” -T. Watson
CHOSEN TO PRAISE GOD
Psalm 65:10, 11
When children of God speak about spiritual matters, their faith will manifest itself. When they speak about natural things they often sound no different from the world. They may not with the world call incidents the work of mother nature. They may not say with the unbeliever that they were "lucky" or "had bad luck." But because they do not have God in all their thoughts, they often speak in a way that renders no praise to God, even though that is our calling.
It is very revealing and instructive to notice what David wrote in Psalm 65:10-11. He wrote, "Thou waterest the ridges thereof abundantly: Thou settlest the furrows thereof: Thou makest it soft with showers: Thou blessest the springing thereof. Thou crownest the year with Thy goodness: and Thy paths drop fatness."
Did you notice the emphasis upon the words "Thou and Thy," ascribing what happens in natural life to God and His goodness? Read these verses again and put emphasis upon "Thou and Thy". The world will say, "It rains and pours outside." Or "It is snowing again." Faith would say, "God is sending abundant rain." Or, "It pleases God to make the snow fall again." Faith will sing a versification like this:
The furrows sown with living grain,
Are softened by Thy gentle rain
The springing corn to bless.
The year with goodness Thou dost crown:
Rich gifts in mercy sending down
To cheer the wilderness.
How different it all is going to be in the new Jerusalem, when all sin is rooted out of our bodies, and we are completely freed from the old man of sin. Then we are not all simply going to speak one language, regardless of what nation, tongue, or tribe we belonged to here below. But we are always in everything going to speak praises of God.
Read what Peter wrote for our instruction, but also for our comfort: "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people: that ye may shew forth the praises of Him Who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light" (I Peter 2:19).
That should be manifested now in our life here below.
Read:
I Peter 2
Psalter versification: 169:2
(Words and Music of the
Psalter)
Daily Meditations
on
the
Heidelberg Catechism
Song
for Meditation: Psalter number 329
Why not sing along??
****
Through the Bible in One Year
Read today:
Ezekiel 18
;
Ezekiel 19:1-14
Hebrews 9:1-10
Psalm 106:32-48
Proverbs 27:10
****
Quote for Reflection:
“Be humble. Be lowly. The best man in the church is the man who is willing to be a doormat for all to wipe their boots on, the brother who does not mind what happens to him at all, so long as God is glorified.” -C. Spurgeon
CREATION SINGS
Psalm 65:12,13
Did you ever hear little hills rejoice and valleys sing?
David did, and therefore after writing about the goodness of God wherewith He crowns the year, he wrote in Psalm 65:12-13: "They drop upon the pastures of the wilderness: and the little hills rejoice on every side. The pastures are clothed with flocks: the valleys also are covered over with corn; they shout for joy, they also sing."
Our versification explains this a bit in these words:
The hills and vales with verdure clad,
Are girt with joy the earth is glad,
New life is all abroad;
With feeding flocks the pastures teem
With golden grain the valleys gleam;
All nature praises God.
There you have it: All nature, that is, creation, praises God. Whether we hear it or not, all creation does praise God. And do we not often say that actions speak louder than words?
It does take a pair of spiritual ears to hear creation sing of God's power and wisdom. And even though this earthly creation lies under the curse, creation does sing of God's goodness. God is good, He is right in all that which He does. The way He treats every creature is good; and He never does anything that is evil. He never makes a mistake. And all creation sings, that is, manifests His goodness.
The question is whether we hear creation shout and sing God's praises. The unbeliever may hear the sound in the powerful waterfall: but he cannot distinguish the words. He does not hear it as God's power and wisdom. He sees the valleys gleam with grain but does not hear the song of God's power, wisdom, and faithfulness.
But what about you? Do you need a spiritual hearing aid? Do you see God's beauty in creation and the works of His hands? Remember that David began this Psalm with the words, "Praise waiteth for Thee, O God, in Zion." Are you in Zion? If you hear His praise in creation, you surely are yourself going to sing His praises loudly for salvation, as well as for all the works of His hands in creation.
Read:
Psalm 148
Psalter versification: 169:3
(Words and Music of the Psalter)
Daily Meditations
on
the
Heidelberg Catechism
Song
for Meditation: Psalter number 234
Why not sing along??
****
Through the Bible in One Year
Read today:
Ezekiel 20:1-49
Hebrews 9:11-28
Psalm 107:1-43
Proverbs 27:11
****
Quote for Reflection:
Note how the voice of the flesh is always saying "my," "my." Get rid of this "my" and rather say: "Glory to Thee, O Lord!" And then you will be saved. For the prudence of the flesh is such that it seeks only its own, and it fears its own misery more than failure to glorify God, and thus it seeks its own will more than God's will. And thus we must have a different mind toward God than toward man." ~Martin Luther, Works, v. 25, p.376.
REJOICING IN GOD'S WORD
Psalm 119:161-162
To think that a thing is good is one thing. To rejoice in that thing is something else. There are times when surgery is good for us, because it will relieve a misery, or even prevent death that threatens. But who rejoices in the surgery itself? The pain thereof may last for days and weeks.
The same thing is true, only in a more powerful way, when we think of God's word and His law therein. We are ready to agree that it is good that God forbids the neighbor to steal, bear false witness, and kill. But do we rejoice in that law? All our violations of both tables of the law show that we do not rejoice in that law.
The psalmist did rejoice in God's word and wrote in Psalm 119:161-162, "Princes have persecuted me without a cause: but my heart standeth in awe of Thy word. I rejoice at Thy word, as one that findeth great spoil." And our versification puts it this way:
Though mighty foes assail me, Lord,
I fear not them but Thee;
As boundless wealth and priceless spoil,
Thy word rejoices me.
It is plain, is it not, that the psalmist writes this while he was in great trouble? Rulers, men in authority who had power to hurt him severely, were persecuting him. He could escape the pain and fear if he would turn from God's word. But no, he rejoices in it, and his heart stands in awe of His word. That word he deemed valuable. His heart went out to it as a man's heart does when in a battle he obtains an abundance of gold and silver.
How much of that rejoicing in God's word do you find? Do you look forward to hearing it expounded on the Sabbath day? Do you sing it with other children of God because of the words, rather than because of the music?
Do you read it thoughtfully; and does it taste better to you than the food you just ate? Do you study it and give deep thought to it? How many minutes in the day do you spend thinking about what God wrote in His word? Do you look for Christ in every chapter?
Read:
Psalm 119:161-176
Psalter versification: 341:1
(Words and Music of the Psalter)
Daily Meditations
on
the
Heidelberg Catechism
Song
for Meditation: Psalter number 219
Why not sing along??
****
Through the Bible in One Year
Read today:
Ezekiel 21
;
Ezekiel 22:1-31
Hebrews 10:1-17
Psalm 108:1-13
Proverbs 27:12
****
Quote for Reflection:
Man's heart is restless till it finds its rest in God. There is no resting place in this world or in anything it contains. Godliness with contentment is great gain, but all gain without godly contentment is frustration. Coveting is a fire, the more you feed it, the more it burns. ...So the more a person's coveting is satisfied, the more it is unsatisfied. The more he gets, the more he wants. Coveting grows larger and larger with every satisfaction, and in the end the person is more miserable than at the beginning. ~John Gerstner, Reasons for Duty