| Psalm 112 — Fearful Threats Meet Their Victor
It is inevitable that we will all suffer trouble at some time in our lives. We cannot avoid it so we would be well served to know how to get through such times of great adversity. What is it that causes some to stand steadfast when tragic news and trouble seems to come from all sides? The answer is given in this psalm. Build a life upon reverent fear that moves you to live out obedience to God's will when the times are good. Build a life that is shaped by being a generous and kind person to the poor. God, who is selfless love personified, will always honor the one who has lived in harmony with His selfless love. He will come to your aid through others of a kindred spirit when your hour of greatest need is upon you. Psalm 113 — The Unexpected Glory of God
Ultimately, God's greatness is not seen in His fathomless power and wisdom in originating all of creation but in His humble relationship with His creation. His ultimate glory is that although He owes nothing to fallen, rebellious humanity He acts to relieve the painful and burdensome results of our fall. He hears and answers the cry of the poor and needy. This was the most unexpected feature of how God was revealed through Jesus Christ. He defined Himself as meek and lowly. He came to serve and not be served. He came to give Himself as an offering for sin. Nowhere else is there a revelation of God like this in all the world. Psalm 114 — God Among Us
Although it had never before occurred in human history, a nation of slaves within the great Egyptian Empire walked out of Egypt unhindered and with great wealth. They then travelled through the most forbidding of natural obstacles to the Promised Land—a feat that was never done again. But it happened for Israel because God was among them. God has made you His dwelling place in Christ. We are His chosen Temple. Therefore, let us walk on to our own Promised Land. There is no Red Sea or desolate desert that can stop us. When God is with us, there is nothing that can ultimately stand against us. Psalm 115 — To Whom All Glory is Due
When we contrast God with the manmade replacements for Him, it will become self evident who serves the true and living God. This contrast should be evident in the praise of God's glory that is offered up by those who are benefactors to that glory. These obvious blessings in our lives should be undeniable proof. Conversely, where people put their trust in man and the gods of man the ultimate result will reveal how much greater is a life lived to the glory of the only true and living God. May the non-believing "Gentile" world see that all the good God does for us comes from the One in whom we trust. And may they one day join us in saying, "Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, But to Your name give glory." | |||
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Psalm 112-115 The Blessed State of the Righteous 1 Praise the LORD! 2 His descendants will be mighty on earth; 3 Wealth and riches will be in his house, 4 Unto the upright there arises light in the darkness; 5 A good man deals graciously and lends; 6 Surely he will never be shaken; 7 He will not be afraid of evil tidings; 8 His heart is established; 9 He has dispersed abroad, 10 The wicked will see it and be grieved; Psalm 113The Majesty and Condescension of God1 Praise the LORD! 2 Blessed be the name of the LORD 3 From the rising of the sun to its going down 4 The LORD is high above all nations, 5 Who is like the LORD our God, 6 Who humbles Himself to behold 7 He raises the poor out of the dust, 8 That He may seat him with princes— 9 He grants the barren woman a home, Psalm 114The Power of God in His Deliverance of Israel1 When Israel went out of Egypt, 2 Judah became His sanctuary, 3 The sea saw it and fled; 4 The mountains skipped like rams, 5 What ails you, O sea, that you fled? 6 O mountains, that you skipped like rams? 7 Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, 8 Who turned the rock into a pool of water, Psalm 115The Futility of Idols and the Trustworthiness of God1 Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, 2 Why should the Gentiles say, "So where is their God?" 3 But our God is in heaven; 4 Their idols are silver and gold, 5 They have mouths, but they do not speak; 6 They have ears, but they do not hear; 7 They have hands, but they do not handle; 8 Those who make them are like them; 9 O Israel, trust in the LORD; 10 O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD; 11 You who fear the LORD, trust in the LORD; 12 The LORD has been mindful of us; 13 He will bless those who fear the LORD, 14 May the LORD give you increase more and more, 15 May you be blessed by the LORD, 16 The heaven, even the heavens, are the LORD's; 17 The dead do not praise the LORD, 18 But we will bless the LORD | |||
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| Psalm 112-115 This psalm, like Psalm 111 is an acrostic. Each half line of poetry begins with a word starting with a different (sequential) letter of the Hebrew alphabet. It reviews the virtues of a godly person and the resulting blessings. v. 1 who delights greatly in His commandments – See Psalm 1. v. 2 mighty – gibor (Heb.) This word usually refers to a warrior or mighty hero, but can also mean "prosperous" (Boaz in Ruth 2:1). v. 3 Wealth and riches will be in his house – The promises of this psalm is in the "wisdom" tradition of Proverbs. It is important to remember that these blessings are clearly linked for the believer with the reality of suffering for Christ (Phil. 1:29). This is not a blanket "guarantee" to spare us from pain in this fallen world. v. 4 Unto the upright there arises light in the darkness – This wonderful perspective has comforted countless believers in the midst of trials and struggles. v. 5 A good man deals graciously and lends – There were no banks, lending institutions, or social security in ancient times; borrowing and lending was a personal and intimate transaction. The wealthy man or woman who followed God recognized it as their personal responsibility to help the poor and needy. he will guide his affairs with discretion – Or, he conducts his affairs with justice and equity toward others. v. 6 be shaken – "stumble" on the path v. 7 evil tidings – malicious rumors his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD – This is the secret of the stability of the righteous. v. 8 until he sees his desire upon his enemies – He will triumph over his enemies. v. 9 He has dispersed abroad, he has given to the poor – See v. 5. his horn – The metaphor is of a wild ox…with curved horns flashing in the sun. v. 10 The wicked will see it and be grieved – As in Psalm 1, the behavior and blessing of the righteous is contrasted with that of the wicked. Psalm 113Psalm 113-118 make up the Hallel, the six psalms of praise that are chanted together at Jewish festivals such as Passover, Shavuot (Pentecost), and Sukkot (Tabernacles). Jesus recited Hallel with his disciples at the celebration of the Last Supper (Mark 14:26). v. 1 Praise the LORD! – Hallel-lu-Jah! (Heb.) This Hebrew word (an imperative or "command" form of the verb) has been imported into almost every language where the people of God worship. servants of the LORD – the "slaves" or servants of God are His faithful, worshipping Him together v. 2 from this time forth and forevermore! – The reference to time is in counterpoint to the reference to space (from east to west) in the following verse. v. 3 From the rising of the sun to its going down – God's praise is to extend beyond the limits of time and geography. v. 4 The LORD is high above all nations, His glory above the heavens – The spatial image is expanded: not only does God's glory extend from one side of the earth to the other, it is also above all peoples and nations. v. 5 Who is like the LORD our God – This question reformulates the challenge the archangel Michael threw at his fellow archangel, Lucifer (Satan) when the devil turned against God and wanted to be "as God." (Micha-el (Heb.) means "Who is like God?) v. 6 who humbles himself – The image is of God seated on His royal throne far above all things, looking down at the tiny universe. v. 7 dust…ash heap – "Ash heap" is better translated: dung heap. These images illustrate how Hebrew poetry often intensifies or clarifies the meaning of a phrase through the following parallel. The poor (God's righteous people) are not just humiliated in the dust, they are sitting on a manure heap; but He will raise them up even from such a fate. v. 8 That He may seat him with princes – The contrast with v. 7 is striking: from the manure heap to a palace reception. v. 9 He grants the barren woman a home, like a joyful mother of children – The righteous woman is blessed with the highest fulfillment of social status in ancient society within the home. (See Hannah as the prototype of the Israelite woman in 1 Sam. 1; also Ruth.) Psalm 114Psalm 114 is the second psalm of the Hallel. It celebrates God's deliverance of His people from oppression. v. 1 a people of strange language – Or "foreign tongue." The unintelligible speech of the oppressors is a theme that reappears in the prophets (Is. 28:11, 33:19). v. 2 His sanctuary – qodesh (Heb.) is the same term for "holiness." Israel is to be the special dwelling place of God, hence a "holy" people set apart for His praise. His dominion – the place of His rule on earth. v. 3 The sea saw it and fled; Jordan turned back – This verse compresses together the two defining miracles that marked the beginning and the end of Israel's wilderness wanderings: the parting of the Red Sea under Moses (Ex. 14) and the dividing of the Jordan River under the leadership of Joshua (Josh. 3). v. 4 The mountains skipped like rams – These verses depict in strong poetic repetition how the normal course of nature was dislocated by God's intervention on behalf of His people v. 7 the presence of the Lord…the presence of the God of Jacob – The personal reality of God as the covenant-keeping Lord was enough to bring about the disruption of natural events. v. 8 Who turned the rock into a pool of water, the flint into a fountain of waters – This verse refers poetically to the events of Exodus 17, where God provided water for Israel in the desert. Note the progressive display of God's power from His mastery of the "waters" (v. 3), to the land (v. 4-6), and finally to solid rock; all are under His dominion. Psalm 115Psalm 115 is the third psalm of the Hallel (see introduction to Psalm 113). his psalm is a direct challenge against idolatry that calls to mind the mocking attacks of the prophet Isaiah upon graven images, their makers, and worshippers (Is. 40-41). v. 1 Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but to Your name give glory – The basis of any contrast between the true Faith and falsehood is in who GOD is, not in the earthly status or success of His worshippers. Israel was a small and politically insignificant people; but the GOD of Israel made the heavens and the earth. v. 2 Why should the Gentiles say, "So where is their God?" – The contrast is clear: the "nations" could point to their gods, located in a temple. Their mocking question to Israel throughout history was: "Exactly where is this so-called "God" of yours?" v. 3 But our God is in heaven – The clear answer of Israel to the mocking challenge was: He is not here because He is above all things. He has made all things and rules all. v. 4 Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men's hands – See the Apostle Paul's argument against idolatry in Acts 17:24-29, which reflects the classic Jewish apologetic against idolatry and polytheism. v. 5 they have mouths – Idols may be made to resemble a living being with mouth, eyes, ears, nose, hands and feet, but they are really only lifeless blocks of matter, totally incapable of acting on behalf of those who bow down to them. To worship them is the height of folly! v. 8 those who make them – It is an ancient and proven principle: we become like that which we venerate; to bow down to lifeless things puts one in danger of becoming "like" the thing upon which one hangs one's heart. v. 9 O Israel – This begins a different tone: different groups of the worshipping community are singled out and called upon to place their trust in the Lord, rather than in lifeless idols. He is "help and shield" to all of Israel. (This continues through v. 11.) v. 12 The LORD – begins a section that reflects upon the blessings God bestows on those who follow Him alone. v. 14 May the LORD – From a Biblical worldview, children are the direct result of God's blessing. v. 15 May you be blessed – In contrast to the idols, God has made all things. "Heaven and earth" is a rhetorical form meaning "all that exists…from A to Z" (Gen. 1:1). v. 16 even the heavens – This picks up the sense of v. 3: God is above all things (the theological term for this is "transcendent"); He is not limited or ultimately defined by anything else except Himself. v. 17 dead do not praise – The consistent message of the Scripture is: this life is the time to walk with God, the time to praise and honor Him; as Heb. 9:27 puts it: "After this, the judgment." v. 18 But we will bless the LORD from this time forth and forevermore – But the psalmist reminds us that our worship of God begun in this life will continue forever. | |||
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| "Who is like the LORD our God, Who dwells on high, Who humbles Himself to behold The things that are in the heavens and in the earth?" –Psalm 113:5-6 We praise You today, Lord, that You are the same today, yesterday, and forever. And we praise You for the cohesive message we receive in Your Word. Thank You, God, for sending Jesus Christ to show us Your compassionate and loving Spirit. Through Jesus we see that You love those that the flesh casts aside. Humble us, Lord. Humble our hearts so that we may become more like You. | |||
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112:7 He will not be afraid of evil tidings; His heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.
Missions Prayer
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