Some Thoughts and Comments on Psalm 145

David playing the harp

PSALM 145

1Praise. By David: I will praise you to the heights, my God, the king; I will bless your name forever and ever. 2 Every day I will bless you; I will praise your name forever and ever. 3 Great is ADONAI and greatly to be praised; his greatness is beyond all searching out. 4 Each generation will praise your works to the next and proclaim your mighty acts. 5 I will meditate on the glorious splendor of your majesty and on the story of your wonders. 6 People will speak of your awesome power, and I will tell of your great deeds. 7 They will gush forth the fame of your abounding goodness, and they will sing of your righteousness. 8 ADONAI is merciful and compassionate, slow to anger and great in grace. 9 ADONAI is good to all; his compassion rests on all his creatures. 10 All your creatures will thank you, ADONAI, and your faithful servants will bless you. 11 They will speak of the glory of your kingship, and they will tell about your might; 12 to let everyone know of your mighty acts and the glorious majesty of your kingship. 13 Your kingship is an everlasting kingship, your reign continues through all generations. 14 ADONAI supports all who fall and lifts up all who are bent over. 15 The eyes of all are looking to you; you give them their food at the right time. 16 You open your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing. 17 ADONAI is righteous in all his ways, full of grace in all he does. 18 ADONAI is close to all who call on him, to all who sincerely call on him. 19 He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them. 20 ADONAI protects all who love him, but all the wicked he destroys. 21 My mouth will proclaim the praise of ADONAI; all people will bless his holy name forever and ever.

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I was greatly blessed by hearing some excellent exposition and comment on this Psalm yesterday whilst visiting my mother's church and what a wonderful Psalm it is in uplifting and exalting our great God high above everything and all principalities and powers that ever have been, are now or ever shall exist. David declares here that he is resolved to bless God every day for ever and ever. As followers of Yeshua, are we resolved in our hearts to do the same as the example set by the Psalmist King of Israel who most likely wrote the original musical setting to this Psalm? How I would love to have heard that original performance, but unfortunately the CD hadn't been invented then.

We learn from this Psalm that David praised God for His work in Creation, abounding goodness, compassion and righteousness. Here David declares in verse 10 that all God's creatures and faithful servants will bless Him. He then goes on to declare His kingship and the fact that His Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom, in stark contrast to the passing and fading governments of the kings and presidents of this world. Do you know and recognize the Kingship of God in your life today?

We then discover in verse 14 that God is a support to all who fall and lifts up those who are bent over or stooped. In verses 15 and 16 we see that He is our provider of food and clothing and satisfies the desires of every living creature. Have you experienced His provision in your life, particularly during hard times?

In verse 19 we see that He fulfils our desires and hears the cries of those who call out to Him, and responds by saving them, as He did when the Israelites needed deliverance from slavery in Egypt. Have you known His saving hand and deliverance in your own personal experience? Do you know what it is to be set free from sin and slavery to sin, addictions or bad habits of one kind or another?

If you cry out in your need, whatever it may be today, God will bring deliverance, salvation, healing and wholeness through the perfect sacrifice of Yeshua who died to take away our sin and reconcile us to God. You will then be only too willing and prepared to praise God and bless His holy name for ever, day after day, just as David declared he would in this wonderful Psalm.

This article was originally written for the Messianic Faith and Public Policy group on Facebook.

For to Us a child is born

ISAIAH 9:1-7

1 But there will be no more gloom for those who are now in anguish. In the past the land of Z'vulun and the land of Naftali were regarded lightly; but in the future he will honor the way to the lake, beyond the Yarden, Galil-of-the-Goyim. 2 The people living in darkness have seen a great light; upon those living in the land that lies in the shadow of death, light has dawned. 3 You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice in your presence as if rejoicing at harvest time, the way men rejoice when dividing up the spoil. 4 For the yoke that weighed them down, the bar across their shoulders, and their driver's goad you have broken as on the day of Midyan['s defeat]. 5 For all the boots of soldiers marching and every cloak rolled in blood is destined for burning, fuel for the fire. 6 For a child is born to us, a son is given to us; dominion will rest on his shoulders, and he will be given the name Pele-Yo'etz El Gibbor Avi-'Ad Sar-Shalom [Wonder of a Counselor, Mighty God, Father of Eternity, Prince of Peace], 7 in order to extend the dominion and perpetuate the peace of the throne and kingdom of David, to secure it and sustain it through justice and righteousness henceforth and forever. The zeal of ADONAI-Tzva'ot will accomplish this.

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When Isaiah wrote this prophecy under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, it was not an unusual historical situation. Isra'el were being attacked and oppressed by neighbouring enemies, notably the Assyrians who were attacking the Northern Kingdom. Naphtali and Zebulun were on the northern border in NE Galilee, West of the River Jordan and were the first part of Isra'el to be invaded by the Assyrian King. An account of the events that occurred can be read in 2 Kings 15:29-31.

Isaiah wrote this prophecy somewhere in the years 735-715 BC, but if we look at Isra'el now we can see that there has been little change in her vulnerability to the enemies she has in the world. Not only is she being almost daily attacked by rockets from Gaza but the posture and attitude of many of her surrounding neighbours is in opposition to her very existence as a nation. On the world stage she is being adandoned by one nation after another. Countries which once supported Isra'el such as Turkey, USA and the UK are tending now towards support for the opponents of Isra'el, where they are tempted by worldy riches and power and the material assets which can be gained from this political stance.

Isra'el has been preserved and protected by God from the enemy hordes surrounding her, and today, so long after Isaiah's prophecy, against all the odds, she stands as a symbol of God's care and preservation of His own, of His salvation and deliverance. Similarly, we as the children of God are individually and collectively kept and preserved by a loving and caring God who in His mercy has promised to never leave us or forsake us.

We go on to read in verse 3 of isaiah 9 that "The people living in darkness have seen a great light; upon those living in the land that lies in the shadow of death, light has dawned." We know that this points forward to the coming of Jesus into the world, who referred to Himself as the light of the world. We are called to reflect that light to others, to be like beacons set on a hill. As the days we live in grow ever darker, the light of Christ shines out all the brighter in a dark world.

After explaining how Isra'el will overcome the opposition, we come to the words which are so relevant to us as Christians, and which we so often recall during the Christmas season as we celebrate the birthday of our Lord Jesus. In verse 6 we read, "For a child is born to us, a son is given to us.; dominion will rest on His shoulders, and He will be give the name Wonder of a Counsellor, Mighty God,, Father of Eternity, Prince of Peace."

If you feel you need a Counsellor, it's fine to talk to fellow Christians and professional counsellors, but if they are any good they will point you to the most Wonderful Counsellor, Jesus Himself.

Jesus is also Mighty God, emptying Himself, becoming flesh and being found in the form of a servant. This is the wonder of the Incarnation, that God could become a man, He who is the Father of Eternity. Have you ever wondered how He finds time to answer all our individual and corporate prayers? He doesn't need time, because He is eternal and doesn't have to work within time constraints like us.

The final title given here, Prince of Peace, is the most significant one to me. In the same way way as Isra'el needs peace and we are told to pray for the peace of Jerusalem, we need it now more than ever before. Jesus has produced peace and unlike earthly elements or commodities, it is priceless and available in endless supply. Jesus has bought us Peace with God through His perfect sacrifice for sin which is effective for all eternity. May you experience peace with God this Christmas as you allow Him into your life, and let Him impart His peace to your troubled soul and mind.

We read finally in this passage that the son of God, born to make us whole and reconcile us to the Father through dealing with the problem of sin which was nailed to the cross when He died, is establishing a Kingdom which will be an everlasting Kingdom. This is a work under construction, we often say that the Kingdom of God is "now-and not yet." Where you see God at work today, saving people, reaching out to those in need, healing and delivering people from those things that have enslaved them, the building blocks of that Kingdom are being put in place. I don't know about you, but I get really excited when I see the work and purposes of God being manifest day by day across the world.

I wish you a very happy and Christ-filled Christmas and end with a quote from a well-known carol, "Where meek souls will receive Him, Still the dear Lord enters in."

Some thoughts on Micah 5

MICAH 5

1 Now gather yourself in troops, you who are accustomed to being in troops; they have laid siege to us. They are striking the judge of Isra'el on the cheek with a stick. 2 But you, Beit-Lechem near Efrat, so small among the clans of Y'hudah, out of you will come forth to me the future ruler of Isra'el, whose origins are far in the past, back in ancient times. 3 Therefore he will give up [Isra'el] only until she who is in labor gives birth. Then the rest of his kinsmen will return to the people of Isra'el. 4 He will stand and feed his flock in the strength of ADONAI, in the majesty of the name of ADONAI his God; and they will stay put, as he grows great to the very ends of the earth; 5 and this will be peace. If Ashur invades our land, if he overruns our fortresses, we will raise seven shepherds against him, eight leaders of men. 6 They will shepherd the land of Ashur with the sword, the land of Nimrod at its gates; and he will rescue us from Ashur when he invades our land, when he overruns our borders. 7 Then the remnant of Ya'akov, surrounded by many peoples, will be like dew from ADONAI, like showers on the grass, which doesn't wait for a man or expect anything from mortals. 8 The remnant of Ya'akov among the nations, surrounded by many peoples, will be like a lion among forest animals, like a young lion among flocks of sheep - if it passes through, tramples and tears to pieces, there is no one to rescue them. 9 Your hand will be raised over your enemies; all your adversaries will be destroyed. 10 "When that day comes," says ADONAI, "I will cut off your horses from among you and destroy your chariots. 11 I will cut off the cities of your land and lay waste your strongholds. 12 I will cut off sorceries from your land; you will no longer have soothsayers. 13 I will cut off your carved images and standing-stones from among you; no longer will you worship what your own hands have made. 14 I will pull up your sacred poles from among you and destroy your enemies. 15 I will wreak vengeance in anger and fury on the nations, because they would not listen."

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Micah, in these prophetic words foretells how Isra'el, though oppressed by many foes with which it was surrounded (as is still the case today) will be delivered by a future ruler, to be born in an insignificant village, Beit-Lechem near Efrat, home of one of the smallest clans of Y'hudah.

We know that this prophecy also points forward to the coming of Jesus, King David's greater son. The wise men were aware of Micah's writings and were simultaneously watching the signs in the heavens. They were led to follow the star to find the new born king. There they were able to present their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, representative of His royalty, pleasing sacrifice to God and death and burial.

We know with hindsight that this was not the end of the story, but that He rose again, ascended into Heaven and has been exalted to the highest place, having conquered sin, the world, Satan and all his hosts and the ultimate enemy, death.

In verse 5 in the ESV translation it says "And He shall be their peace." What wonderful news this is to us today, that we can have peace through putting our faith and trust in Him and His perfect sacrifice for sin. We can also know forgiveness from sin and look forward to an eternity spent in His presence. I pray that we may know His peace in our hearts at this time and share this peace and Good News with our families and friends. Also, like the wise men, let us bring our offerings of praise and worship, in a spirit of gratitude and offer our lives in service to Him, who has given us everything.

This article was first written for the Messianic Faith and Public Policy group on Facebook

Daniel's Prayer for his People

DANIEL'S PRAYER FOR HIS PEOPLE

DANIEL 9:3-19

3 I turned to Adonai, God, to seek an answer, pleading with him in prayer, with fasting, sackcloth and ashes. 4 I prayed to ADONAI my God and made this confession: "Please, Adonai, great and fearsome God, who keeps his covenant and extends grace to those who love him and observe his mitzvot! 5 We have sinned, done wrong, acted wickedly, rebelled and turned away from your mitzvot and rulings. 6 We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our leaders, our ancestors and to all the people of the land. 7 "To you, Adonai, belongs righteousness; but to us today belongs shame - to us, the men of Y'hudah, the inhabitants of Yerushalayim and all Isra'el, including those nearby and those far away, throughout all the countries where you have driven them; because they broke faith with you. 8 Yes, ADONAI, shame falls on us, our kings, our leaders and our ancestors; because we sinned against you. 9 It is for Adonai our God to show compassion and forgiveness, because we rebelled against him. 10 We didn't listen to the voice of ADONAI our God, so that we could live by his laws, which he presented to us through his servants the prophets. 11 Yes, all Isra'el flouted your Torah and turned away, unwilling to listen to your voice. Therefore the curse and oath written in the Torah of Moshe the servant of God was poured out on us, because we sinned against him. 12 He carried out the threats he spoke against us and against our judges who judged us, by bringing upon us disaster so great that under all of heaven, nothing has been done like what has been done to Yerushalayim. 13 As written in the Torah of Moshe, this whole disaster came upon us. Yet we did not appease ADONAI our God by renouncing our wrongdoing and discerning your truth. 14 So ADONAI watched for the right moment to bring this disaster upon us, for ADONAI our God was just in everything he did, yet we didn't listen when he spoke. 15 "Now, Adonai our God, who brought your people out of the land of Egypt with a strong hand, thereby winning renown for yourself, as is the case today - we sinned, we acted wickedly. 16 Adonai, in keeping with all your justice, please allow your anger and fury to be turned away from your city Yerushalayim, your holy mountain; because it is due to our sins and the wrongdoings of our ancestors that Yerushalayim and your people have become objects of scorn among everyone around us. 17 Therefore, our God, listen to the prayer and pleadings of your servant; and cause your face to shine on your desolated sanctuary, for your own sake. 18 My God, turn your ear, and hear; open your eyes and see how desolated we are, as well as the city which bears your name. For we plead with you not because of our own righteousness, but because of your compassion. 19 Adonai, hear! Adonai, forgive! Adonai, pay attention, and don't delay action - for your own sake, my God, because your city and your people bear your name!"

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It is interesting to see how in this prayer Daniel intercedes on behalf of his people, confessing that they have forsaken His mitzvot and as a result God has brought upon them the disasters and the defeats and captivities which He said would occur if they neglected His ways. He acknowledges that they have not listened to Adonai, God speaking through His servants and prophets to all the people of the land, including the kings and princes as well as ordinary people.

In verse 7 he says that righteousness belong to Adonai, God and yet all Isra'el flouted His Torah and turned away, unwilling to even listen to His voice. In verse 14 Daniel reinforces that God is a God of Justice and again confesses that His people would not listen to Him. He then asks God to turn away His anger and fury from Yerushalayim, His holy mountain.

As followers of God we are called to intercede on behalf of the sins of our land and to pray for the peace of Yerushalayim, just as the example given to us by Daniel in this prayer.

In 2 Chronicles 7:14 we read "if my people, who bear my name, will humble themselves, pray, seek my face and turn from their evil ways, I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin and heal their land." What greater need has there ever been for such intercessory prayer than in our modern world? In the same way as God's people were delivered from captivity and resettled in their land, the walls and temple subsequently being rebuilt and the law being re-established, so when we pray now God will return and resettle His people in His land, set captives free individually from sin through the sacrifice of His Son and bring healing to our broken communities, societies and nations. May we all be called to prayer, confession and repentance, that God's purposes may be fulfilled to His glory.

This article was first written for the Messianic Faith and Public Policy Group on Facebook.