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HIS MAJESTY EXTENDS

HIS MAJESTY EXTENDS

Psalms 148 NET.

¹ Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD from the sky! Praise him in the heavens! ² Praise him, all his angels! Praise him, all his heavenly assembly! ³ Praise him, O sun and moon! Praise him, all you shiny stars! ⁴Praise him, O highest heaven, and you waters above the sky! ⁵ Let them praise the name of the LORD, for he gave the command and they came into existence. ⁶ He established them so they would endure; he issued a decree that will not be revoked. ⁷ Praise the LORD from the earth, you sea creatures and all you ocean depths,⁸ O fire and hail, snow and clouds, O stormy wind that carries out his orders, ⁹ you mountains and all you hills, you fruit trees and all you cedars, ¹⁰ you animals and all you cattle, you creeping things and birds, ¹¹ you kings of the earth and all you nations, you princes and all you leaders on the earth, ¹² you young men and young women, you elderly, along with you children! ¹³ Let them praise the name of the LORD, for his name alone is exalted; his majesty extends over the earth and sky. ¹⁴ He has made his people victorious, and given all his loyal followers reason to praise — the Israelites, the people who are close to him. Praise the LORD!

We are now into our eleventh month of reading through the Scriptures, two chapters a day. So far, we have encountered four main types of literature. We have read about the history of God’s people starting in Genesis and continuing through the historical books, ending with Esther. Along the way, we have read some of God’s instructions for his people. The LORD has taught his people how to live rightly and how to worship appropriately. In Job, we got a glimpse of another type of biblical writing: wisdom literature. Now that we are nearly finished with the Psalms, we have sampled the poetry of the Old Testament.

The author of Hebrews wrote that God spoke long ago “in various portions and in various ways” (Hebrews 1:1). We should not be surprised that he did so. We learn different things through different teaching methods.

Some things are best learned through experience, but that doesn’t mean we have to have the experience. We can learn from other people’s experiences. That is what history is for. We should not all have to experience loss to know that loss is painful. The lessons of the past are there to help us in the future. Learning history is not like doing an autopsy, where all you can do is discover why the death happened. Learning history teaches us how to live today, without making the mistakes of the past. It helps us make wise choices. We imitate the best options and avoid the worst choices.

However, God has not given us a mere history book in the Bible. He has also taught us principles to help us live right and doctrines to help us think right. He has taught his people how to live rightly and how to worship appropriately. He has done this in the instructional and wisdom literature portions of the books we have read so far.

Some of you have struggled with what we have been reading for the past seventy-four days. Like me, you don’t read a lot of poetry, so it is hard to figure out what is being said and why. But I hope we all have learned to appreciate the creative way the biblical poets have communicated God’s truth. Like songs, poetry is designed to help us feel what we are learning. Poems make it easier to remember the things that we are being taught.

The Hebrew poetry of the Old Testament used repetition. It said the same thing in two or three different ways to ensure that the message sinks in. It painted pictures with words to give its readers images in their minds. It took some of those same historical stories taught in earlier passages of the Bible and poetically restated them. So, we relived the crossing of the Red Sea and the conquest of Canaan through the words of the psalmist.

It took some of the same doctrines taught in the Torah and expressed them using word pictures to help us apply them to our own lives. It taught us not the mere fact that God is everywhere. It expressed that truth by talking about the feeling of having nowhere to hide from the presence of God’s Spirit.

It took some of the wisdom literature and enabled us to understand not just the fact that we should live right, but the reasons we should. It taught us that living according to God’s truth would make us like a well-watered tree that never stops producing fruit.

The poetry in the Psalms has a variety of styles. We have listened to the psalmists complain, train, and explain. We have read the Psalms of Lament and the Psalms of Ascent. Many of the Psalms in this final book (107-150) are songs of praise. They are designed to incite believers to worship and praise God for who He is and what he has done. That is what today’s Psalm is doing. Psalm 148 focuses on the majesty of Almighty God.

The LORD’s MAJESTY extends from the sky (1-6).

The poet encourages his readers to go out and look up into the sky. He is encouraging praise from God’s people, but he is not saying that if they go out and look hard enough at the sky, then they will see God. No, notice that the phrase is “Praise the LORD from the sky!” Here is what the psalmist is doing. He is telling us that a praise concert is going on right now, and it is going on in the sky and in the heavenly assembly.

Who is praising God? All God’s angels are praising him. The sun and moon are praising him. The shiny stars are praising him. The waters above the sky are praising him.

Why is this concert going on in the sky and in heaven? Because he gave the command, and they came into existence. He established them so they would endure; he issued a decree that will not be revoked.

In Genesis 1, we read that God created this expanse, which he called the “sky.” But it was empty, so he filled up all the empty spots with lights, planets, suns, moons, and flying creatures. We read elsewhere that the highest heaven is filled with angelic beings who serve the Lord and minister in his name. What we are seeing here is a picture of all these created things and created beings breaking out in song and praising their creator.

This dark world in which we live often forgets to praise God. But if we could only look up and realize that praising God is not an unnatural thing that only the intensely religious fanatics do. Praise is the regular, ordinary, typical activity of the sky and its inhabitants.

Worship is going on in the sky right now. Praise is regular for the sky beings because they recognize that their creator is worthy of that praise. The majesty of our LORD extends from the sky. His throne is there, so it is understandable that he is exalted there.

Now, the poet who wrote this Psalm is telling us that we, creatures of the land, are lagging. The LORD is our creator as well, and we should join in the celebration that began out in the sky.

The LORD’s MAJESTY extends from the land (7-14).

The poet introduces a new praise celebration. Its choir consists of the sea creatures, fire, hail, snow, clouds, storm wind, mountains, hills, trees, animals, kings and princes, young men and women, older people, and children. Everything and every person on this planet should join in the praise for the LORD.

The same creator who made an empty sky and then filled it with wonders also created an empty land and filled it with amazing things and wonderful beings. The psalmist urges all of us who are part of that creation to praise the name of the LORD, for his name alone is exalted; his majesty extends over the earth and sky.

The poet includes a final line in his writing, aimed at the people of Israel. His purpose is to add just one more thought. He reminds the Israelites that they have all the more reason to praise God, because they are the people who are close to him. Other nations hear about God’s miracles, but the Israelites have experienced those miracles. They of all people should be leading the praise celebration.

But this Psalm is for us as well. Each of us can look up and see a sky full of reasons to praise our creator. Each of us can look around at the fantastic world we were born into and find a reason to be grateful to its maker. But we must also ask the question of personal application:

Does the LORD’s MAJESTY extend to your life?

God lovingly created you, but he did not go on vacation afterward. He stayed around and taught you a few things. But he was not satisfied with even that. He saw you at your worst—after sin had turned you into someone repulsive and degenerate. He could have turned his back on you and abandoned you to the repercussions you deserved. But our great God decided to redeem you.

He sent his only Son, unspoiled, untouched by sin himself. God sacrificed the life of his Son to pay the debt that you owed. Through the shed blood of Christ, you had access to the miracle of the ages – forgiveness. God, your creator, became God, your redeemer. He decided to extend his majesty to bless you in your lowliness and lift you into his greatness.

But our heavenly Father is a perfect gentleman. He will not force forgiveness on anyone who does not ask for it, and He will withhold His blessing from anyone who refuses to approach His throne in repentance. The ground is level at the foot of the cross. We all need Christ’s atoning work, but the time to come to Him and request it is drawing to a close.

That is why my final point for today’s sermon is a question. I cannot answer the question for you. God is a God of glory whose majesty extends over the earth and sky. He is also a God of grace who has made forgiveness possible for whoever asks for it. But the sand in the hourglass is running out. The tickets to the great party in eternity are getting scarce.

Does the LORD’s Majesty extend to your life? It can. All that God has in store for you is available. You only have to come to him once. He is near, right now, even at the door. Will you open that door today?

UNITY

UNITY

Psalm 133 ESV

A Song of Ascents. Of David. ¹ Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity! ² It is like the precious oil on the head, running down on the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down on the collar of his robes! ³It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion! For there the Lord has commanded the blessing, life forevermore.

Israelite pilgrims probably sang the songs of ascent as they traveled to Jerusalem to worship the Lord during the annual festivals. As the believers climbed toward Jerusalem, they prepared themselves spiritually for the importance of their visit to Mount Zion. This particular Psalm is attributed to David. It celebrates the unity of God’s people.

I believe we Christians should meditate on this Psalm. Unity is also a significant theme in the New Testament. Jesus prayed for us to live in harmony with one another when he asked the Father that we may be one, just as he and the Father are one (John 17:21). The Apostle Paul taught us not to focus on our differences but to see ourselves as one in Christ. He knew that the Christians in his time had a lot of diversity. They had ethnic diversity because the gospel had spread to many nations, and now there were Greek Christians as well as Jewish Christians. He knew the gospel had been preached to both high-class nobility and lower-class slaves. He also knew that the good news had been proclaimed to and by women as well as men. So, he taught that “there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female — for all of you are one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28).”

Our relationship with Christ allows us to overlook our differences and treat each other as He commanded us to. He taught us to love, respect, and be considerate of one another. In fact, we are warned that if we only claim to love God but do not love each other, we are hypocrites. When we consider all these things the New Testament teaches about unity, we would be surprised if the same principles are not found in the Old Testament, the Bible Jesus read.

Some of the oldest Bible stories actually depict unity in a negative light. Adam and Eve were united in their defiance against the Lord in the garden, and the people of Babel were united in their attempt to disobey God’s command to scatter across the Earth.

But as revelation progresses, it becomes clear that God is not against human unity. He wants to unify us in a way that is different from the way we want to unify ourselves. We want to unify ourselves against his plan and against his heart. He wants to unify us according to his plan and in line with his heart. The way he wants to do that is to unify us in the Messiah. He wants us to be one in Christ.

The final book of the Bible, Revelation, reveals what this will look like in eternity. It shows us a vision of the redeemed from every tribe, language, people, and nation. But this vast multitude of people is one despite their former ethnic, geographic, social, and economic differences. They are the redeemed in Christ, and they are one. That’s what God wants.

Now that we have surveyed the concept of unity in the Bible, let’s examine the teachings of this particular passage.

Unity is a good thing (1).

We don’t use the word “behold” very often now, but it was frequently used in Bible times. We use it when we want to attract people’s attention to something. When we write something, we can do this by changing the font, underlining the word, or putting it in bold print. We are telling our readers to notice this word or phrase because it is crucial.

David wanted his readers to see that fraternal unity was a good and pleasant thing. He paints a picture with his words, portraying the entire nation sitting together as one person. We can understand how David could feel that way as king. He did not want his kingdom to be divided, he did not want civil war, and he wanted peace and harmony among the citizens of his nation.

But his words are more general than that. Perhaps he is expressing his gratitude for the peace that he has known in the United Israel. But he wants us to notice that God wants this of every nation.

Here is where the rubber meets the road for us in 21st-century America. This psalm reminds us that our country’s name is the United States. You all know that I rarely talk politics in the pulpit because I don’t think that is what this pulpit is for. But I need to address the reality that is all too evident in this nation today. We are taking sides and attacking each other. We are defining ourselves as us and condemning them. The last time we were polarized to such an extent, it resulted in a civil war.

God speaks to our current situation and calls us to peace, reconciliation, and unity. We need to recognize that unity is a good thing and that, as a nation, we are far from dwelling together in unity.

Unity is a calling (2).

David uses two similes to explain how good it is for brothers to be unified. In verse 2, he shows Aaron, the nation’s first high priest, being anointed with oil in his ordination ceremony. We watch as the anointing oil flows freely down Aaron’s head and drips down his beard to the collar of his robes. No one screams, “Somebody get a towel.” Nobody wants to clean up the mess. Why? Because this is the anointing oil. Aaron is the anointed of God. He is called to represent the people before God as their high priest.

Part of explaining Scripture is showing the connections between its words so that the readers understand how they relate. There are several connections here that are not obvious, so I need to point them out. First, as high priest, Aaron unified the whole nation of Israel. They were a multitude of people, coming from a dozen tribes, but they had only one high priest. When Aaron was anointed, he stood as a symbol of the unity of Israel.

Secondly, anointing oil was an ancient symbol of purity. People anointed their heads to cleanse them from impurity and keep bugs out. Thus, oil itself became a symbol of a promise to obey one’s calling with integrity. In the Ancient Near East, three types of people were ordained by an anointing ceremony: prophets, priests, and kings.

Each would be tempted to exercise their position in a self-centered way. Their anointing was a promise and commitment to avoid corruption and selfishness. The oil flowing down their heads was a symbol of a commitment to purity.

Thirdly, every prophet, priest, or king who was anointed realized that the Scriptures predicted a coming anointed one who would be God’s ultimate anointed one. He would be not just a prophet, not just a priest, and not just a king. He would be the prophet, the priest, and the king. He would be all three. He was called the Messiah: the Anointed One. Consequently, every anointing ceremony would itself be a foreshadowing of the great event of the coming of Christ. Thus, everyone who was anointed took on the responsibility of predicting Christ through their own life choices.

Unity is a calling. That is why the Apostle Paul called the church, “those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, and called to be saints, with all those in every place who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours” (1 Corinthians 1:2). He says that we “were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all” (Ephesians 4:4-6).

We have not all been anointed with oil, but all of us have been anointed with God’s Holy Spirit. We have been given different gifts, but we are expected to use our gifts to build one another up “until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God — a mature person, attaining to the measure of Christ’s full stature” Ephesians 4:13). So, just like Aaron in Psalm 133, every Christian is anointed. Our calling is to represent Christ as we grow to be more like him.

Unity is a blessing (3).

The simile changes in verse three. We are told that unity is like the dew of Hermon, but we don’t know who Hermon is. Mount Hermon is a high, snow-capped mountain located in the northern region. The picture is of the dew from this distant high mountain descending into the area of Zion, way to the South. We have heard of mountains being so large that they create their own weather. Something like that seems to be implied here. The difficulty is that there are numerous mountains in Israel, many of them in Judah itself, which is much closer to Jerusalem than Mount Hermon is. So, why did David draw attention to Mount Hermon?

I can only guess, but this is my guess. David chose a distant mountain to show us that the unity we can experience today is only an approximation of the unity we will experience when Christ returns. The dew from Hermon is a blessing upon all the pilgrims from the north as they make their way to Jerusalem for the feast. Our present unity is a blessing as well. But what we have in store when our Savior comes to reign is the blessing that the LORD commanded at Zion.

And what is that blessing? Life forevermore! Unity is good and pleasant, but the command of our God is more than unity. God wants more from us than merely getting along with others. He wants us all to make it to his destiny for us. As pilgrims together, we are blessed by the cooling dew from Mount Hermon, but we are all on our way to something even better. We are on our way to Zion. There the LORD has commanded the ultimate blessing: eternal life.

Some churches teach that we all already have eternal life. But that is not what this church teaches. The word of God speaks of a judgment day. The sheep and the goats will be separated. The goats will go to the punishment of permanent destruction, while the sheep will go to permanent life. The lost will die the second death, while the saved will get a second life. This second life will be the blessing that the LORD pronounced on Zion: life forevermore.

It is fitting that this short psalm about unity concludes by reminding us that something more important than unity exists. The unity in the Garden of Eden ended with our ancestors being expelled from paradise. The unity at Babel resulted in disorder and scattering. As we journey on this pilgrim path, we should all aim to get along with each other. However, our ultimate goal is not merely coexistence but to attain the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Communion Meditation:

Ephesians 2:15

“(Christ) nullified in his flesh the law of commandments in decrees. He did this to create in himself one new man out of two, thus making peace.”

After Christ’s death on the cross, there is only one people of God. He made forgiveness possible for both Jews and Gentiles. He enabled a unity based not on pedigree or works accomplished. His death made it possible for all of us to approach the throne of God based on his perfect work, not our imperfect works.

ALEF

ALEF

Psalms 119:1-8 NET.

¹ How blessed are those whose actions are blameless, who obey the law of the LORD. ² How blessed are those who observe his rules, and seek him with all their heart, ³who, moreover, do no wrong, but follow in his footsteps. ⁴ You demand that your precepts be carefully kept. ⁵ If only I were predisposed to keep your statutes, ⁶Then I would not be ashamed, if I were focused on all your commands. ⁷ I will give you sincere thanks when I learn your just regulations. ⁸ I will keep your statutes. Do not completely abandon me!

Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible, with 176 verses. I doubt any of us chose to memorize this psalm. But there is something else special about it: it is an acrostic. It has 22 sections, each with eight verses. The first letter of every verse in a section begins with the same Hebrew letter. That’s why I titled today’s sermon “Alef.” Alef is the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet. It doesn’t always match the English letter “A.” Alef serves as a placeholder letter representing a vowel sound. Words starting with Alef can begin with the sounds of a, e, i, o, or u.

Here is a chart showing the first words of Psalm 119:1-8 (the Alef section) and what they mean in English:

אֶשֶׁר	esher	blessed (1,2)
אַף	af	also (3)
אַתָּה	ata	you (4)
אַחֲלַי	ahalay	if only (5)
אָז	az	then (6)
אוֹדְךָ	odecha	I will thank you (7)
אֶת־חֻקֶּיךָ	et chukecha	your statutes (8)

The main message of Psalm 119 highlights the greatness and glory of God’s word and stresses the importance of obeying it. It also introduces a list of synonyms for God’s word. God’s word includes his law, rules, precepts, statutes, commands, and regulations. Each term carries a particular emphasis, but they all refer to his word.

The entire psalm praises scripture as a source of guidance, wisdom, and comfort, and shows the psalmist’s deep love for God and desire to live righteously according to His teachings.

There is no way to cover the entire psalm systematically in just one sermon. My friend Kimon Nicolaides preached on this psalm on the radio in Hawaii. He focused on one section at a time each week, so it took him months.

For today’s sermon, I will focus only on the first section. I’ll review this section verse by verse.

The word esher (אֶשֶׁר), meaning blessed, appears as the first word in verses 1 and 2.

A blessed person is someone who is fortunate and makes wise decisions that lead to good fortune. The wise people described in these verses owe their fortune to blameless actions. Their behavior was upright, and no one could accuse them of wrongdoing. How did they achieve this? It was not by chance. They intentionally chose to obey the law of the LORD. Note that it was not just a choice to obey human law. Sometimes human laws are unjust. Many evil people justify their wicked acts by claiming they were obeying the law. But the law of the LORD is perfect. It is a just and moral law. You can’t go wrong by seeking to follow God’s law. It cuts through hidden motives and reveals the hypocrisy and selfishness behind human laws.

The people who are blessed are those who observe God’s rules. These rules are specific; they serve as God’s warning signs. We see human warning signs all around us, yet we often ignore them, which can lead to harm—like a stop sign. If we ignore the stop sign and keep driving, we risk crashing into something or someone.

The rules demonstrate the existence of those responsible for them. They are somewhat like the signs we see scattered around Columbus County right now, which list the names of candidates running for public office. These signs serve as reminders to vote for your preferred candidate in the elections on November 4th. Similarly, God’s rules remind us to remember Him when we make our choices. Observing His rules means living in a way that honors Him. Today’s text tells us that those who follow God’s rules and seek Him with all their heart will be blessed. Conversely, ignoring His rules and trying to fulfill our own desires with all our heart is the opposite.

The word af (אַף), meaning also, or moreover, appears in verse three.

This word shows an example of the same thing. People who seek God with all their hearts avoid doing wrong because they have chosen to follow in God’s footsteps. Now, God is a Spirit, and since he has no physical feet, it’s clear what it means to follow in his footsteps. It means to go where he goes and not stray from his path.

God has always made the correct path clear in His word. But since the Lord Jesus appeared, His path has become even more evident. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. People cannot come to the Father except through Him, and they cannot follow God unless they are following Him. Jesus said, “No one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son decides to reveal him” (Matthew 11:27). So, if you really want to know what it is like to follow in God’s footsteps, you should study the Gospels and learn all you can about Jesus Christ.

For a good three years, most of my sermons focused on Christ’s commands as revealed in the Gospels. I don’t regret that choice. Christ’s commands are so important that Jesus told the apostles before he ascended to teach all nations to obey everything that he commanded. That is how we follow in God’s footsteps. Jesus did not replace the law; he explained it and fulfilled it.

The word ata (אַתָּה), meaning you, is the first word of verse four.

The “you” in this case refers to God Himself. He requires that His precepts be followed carefully. A precept is a rule or principle that guides behavior or conduct. I might also call it a guideline. In the army, we had to be very diligent in following the SOP for every task. SOP stands for Standard Operating Procedures. What the psalmist is telling us here is that God Himself has established the SOP for how we live our lives. He doesn’t want us to do it our way; He wants us to do it His way. To ensure we live according to His way, God has provided some guidelines in the Bible. If we choose to ignore these guidelines, our lives may not immediately fall apart, but they will always be flawed. There will always be some dysfunction. God doesn’t want that.

The word ahalay (אַחֲלַי) means if only, and appears in verse five.

This word expresses a desire for something to be true. The psalmist reveals his inner longing here. After everything he has said before, you might think he’s an expert at obeying God. But that’s not the case. The psalmist admits that he also struggles to get it right. He says, “If only I were predisposed to keep your statutes!” This means the psalmist isn’t naturally inclined to follow God’s statutes. I appreciate how the psalms’ writers are open about their own weaknesses and failures.

Last Monday night, Brother Martin spoke about taking up our cross daily and following Jesus. I’m also glad he quoted Romans 7, which shows that even the Apostle Paul struggled with this. He admitted that he had trouble doing the good things he knew he should do. That is what the psalmist is expressing here. He knows the rules but struggles to follow them. The Bible’s message is not “Be perfect and God will save you.” The Bible’s message is one of grace. The good news is that God saves imperfect people through His grace.

The word az (אָז), meaning then, appears first in verse six.

It continues the idea from verse 5. Both verses say: “If only I were predisposed to keep your statutes, then I would not be ashamed if I were focused on all your commands.” The psalmist admits that he doesn’t always do it right. He struggles to focus on God’s commands, so his life often becomes something he’s ashamed of.

These verses introduce two additional synonyms for God’s word: his statutes and his commands. We understand what a command is, but what exactly is a statute? Our English word ‘statute’ refers to a written law passed by a legislative body. However, that is not precisely what is meant by the term here. The Hebrew word suggests something that is prescribed. In my translation, I use the word ‘prescription.’ We all know what a prescription is — the doctor prescribes medication for you to take, and if he is right, you will take it and get better. That is what a biblical statute is. That’s why the psalmist wishes he were predisposed to follow God’s prescriptions. He knows that if he simply straightened up and took his medicine, he would improve. It’s an if-then condition. The psalmist says that if he would only keep God’s statutes, then he would not be ashamed.

I’m picturing the walk of shame in my mind. You know, that walk into the courthouse for trial. The suspect often covers his head, partly out of shame and partly to keep anyone from taking his picture to broadcast on the six o’clock news. I can imagine what might be going through those people’s minds as they walk that walk of shame. They are thinking, “if only I had stayed away from that fight, if only I had not tried to rob that bank, if only I had not tried to get rich by cheating people.”

The word odecha (אוֹדְךָ) means I will thank you. It’s the first word in verse seven.

The psalmist thanks God for His regulations, while most of us do not thank the government for its regulations. We see those regulations as unnecessary barriers to our success and happiness. But God’s regulations are a means to our success and happiness. He sets limits on what we can do and when we can do it. If we are wise, we will seek out God’s instructions to guide our lives, families, and work. Wise people understand that living life God’s way will eventually cause them to thank Him for those rules.

The words et chukecha (אֶת־חֻקֶּיךָ) mean “your statutes.” They are the first words in verse eight.

We’ve already discussed statutes because the word first appeared in verse 5. We also see that the psalmist is honest enough to admit he did not always follow God’s prescriptions exactly. In this final verse of the Alef section, the psalmist pleads with God not to abandon him and promises to keep God’s statutes. These are the words of someone who has failed before and understands the shame and guilt that come with that failure. He is determined to do better next time. We have a word for that kind of person: we call that person repentant. A repentant person comes to God not based on their track record but because of their need. A proud person might approach God asking for help so they can be a winner. But a genuinely repentant person always comes to God, desperately seeking His help because without God, they know they are a loser.

The message of the Alef section is that the word of God serves as a way to connect with God’s righteousness and power. It speaks theologically about a God who has gone before us and prepared our path by giving us guidelines to live by. It demonstrates that humans often fail to do what God desires, even when we know it is right. It offers us a second chance. It tells us that God will not abandon us if we admit our failures and seek Him through repentance. Even if we have failed Him in the past, He remains faithful to His word. So, we can always return.

HIS WINGS

HIS WINGS

Psalm 91 NET.

¹ As for you, the one who lives in the shelter of the sovereign One, and resides in the protective shadow of the mighty king — ² I say this about the LORD, my shelter and my stronghold, my God in whom I trust —

³ he will certainly rescue you from the snare of the hunter and from the destructive plague. ⁴ He will shelter you with his wings; you will find safety under his wings. His faithfulness is like a shield or a protective wall. ⁵ You need not fear the terrors of the night, the arrow that flies by day, ⁶ the plague that comes in the darkness, or the disease that comes at noon. ⁷ Though a thousand may fall beside you, and a multitude on your right side, it will not reach you. ⁸ Certainly you will see it with your very own eyes — you will see the wicked paid back. ⁹ For you have taken refuge in the LORD, my shelter, the sovereign One. ¹⁰ No harm will overtake you; no illness will come near your home. ¹¹ For he will order his angels to protect you in all you do. ¹² They will lift you up in their hands, so you will not slip and fall on a stone. ¹³ You will subdue a lion and a snake; you will trample underfoot a young lion and a serpent. ¹⁴ The LORD says, “Because he is devoted to me, I will deliver him; I will protect him because he is loyal to me. ¹⁵ When he calls out to me, I will answer him. I will be with him when he is in trouble; I will rescue him and bring him honor. ¹⁶ I will satisfy him with long life, and will let him see my salvation.

There is no superscription in today’s Psalm, which means we don’t know who wrote it or why it was written. Based on the content of the Psalm itself, we can assume that the priests may have used it to encourage and comfort believers facing challenges in their lives. I chose to title today’s sermon “HIS WINGS” from the statement in verse four, which says, “He will shelter you with his wings; you will find safety under his wings.” The imagery is that of a mother bird covering her young with her wings to protect them and keep them from harm. I like that picture because it shows that we are vulnerable to the enemy’s attacks, but that God has invested Himself in protecting us.

This Psalm is Hebrew poetry, so we should expect repetition as we read it. What we see throughout this Psalm is that the same principle, stated in metaphor: “He will shelter you with his wings,” is restated five times in different words.

God will rescue.

In verse three, the believer is assured that God will certainly rescue him “from the snare of the hunter and from the destructive plague.” This does not mean that the believer will never face problems. Instead, it suggests that the enemy (Satan himself) will attack the believer in at least two ways: by setting traps and spreading plagues. Satan aims to hurt us and make us victims of epidemics and pandemics. The priest assures the believer not that he will never encounter a trap, but that God will rescue him or her from it. Similarly, the priest does not promise that the believer will never catch a disease, but that God will actively deliver him or her from it.

God’s promise for believers in this Psalm is found in verse fifteen: “When he calls out to me, I will answer him. I will be with him when he is in trouble; I will rescue him.” This is a promise from God, but also some advice and a challenge for us. The rescue is not supposed to be automatic. It involves something on our part. He will rescue, but first, we must call out to him.

We have already encountered this idea numerous times in the Psalms:

“To the LORD I cried out, and he answered me from his holy hill.” (3:4).
“When I call out, answer me, O God who vindicates me!” (4:1).
“The LORD responds when I cry out to him.” (4:3).
“I call to you for you will answer me” (17:6).
“I called to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and I was delivered from my enemies.” (18:3).
“In my distress I called to the LORD; I cried out to my God. From his heavenly temple he heard my voice; he listened to my cry for help.” (18:6).

The word appears twenty-eight more times in the Psalms we’ve already read. The main idea is that God is present and eager to rescue us from danger, but he waits for us to take prayer seriously. By praying earnestly to God, we show him we mean it. This is what God wants. He wants to be there for us. His wings are ready to cover us, but he will stay distant if he never hears a peep from us.

God will shelter.

This is another way the psalmist describes how God covers us with His wings. He is our shelter and stronghold (verses two and nine). He will protect us (verse four). The Hebrew word used here is also used for building a fence.

Psalm 5:11 says, “But may all who take shelter in you be happy! May they continually shout for joy! Shelter them so that those who are loyal to you may rejoice!” It suggests a preventative measure in which God builds a shelter around the believer so that he can find happiness and joy.

I was once told that if I wanted to see happy children, I should look at a house where the parents have built a fence around their play area. The idea is that kids feel free to play and enjoy life because they are protected from anything that might endanger them. I did not like that idea at first because, to me, a fence suggested that the kids were in bondage, like slaves. But I soon realized that children are okay with fences as long as they know the fences are there to keep them safe.

God will protect.

God’s wings symbolize His faithfulness, which “is like a shield or a protective wall” (verse four). The LORD promises, “Because he is devoted to me, I will deliver him; I will protect him because he is loyal to me” (verse fourteen). The imagery behind this word is that of a tower, elevating someone high enough to prevent harm from touching them. A shelter acts as a fence, keeping danger away. A tower places the believer securely on high.

“Indeed, you are my shelter, a strong tower that protects me from the enemy” (61:3).
“The name of the LORD is like a strong tower; the righteous person runs to it and is set safely on high” (Proverbs 18:10).

The tower of God’s protection is Himself. He doesn’t just cover us with His wings; He lifts us into the lofty heights of His own presence.

God will honor.

God promises believers not only that He will rescue us but also that He will honor us (verse 15). This needs some explanation because the root idea is to make someone heavy. Most of us don’t need God to make us heavier; we can handle that ourselves. All it will take is a few more trips to the diner on Sunday afternoons!

No, the idea of honor in this text is to earn the respect of others—to maintain a good reputation and personal dignity. God does not want to protect us from harm just for the sake of protection; he wants to bless us.

God will satisfy.

The Psalm concludes with the LORD promising to satisfy the believer with a long life. He doesn’t just answer our prayers for protection when we are in danger; he wants to bless us with a satisfied life and enrich our lives. The Lord Jesus said that he came that we might have life and have it abundantly (John 10:10).

Now, here is where we, who are the recipients of God’s promises, often prevent the abundance that he offers. We become satisfied in the wrong way. We settle. God wants to satisfy us, but we are okay with just having a small bit. We get by with a nibble when God wants us to feast.

One of the stories in the Gospels tells of ten lepers who came to Jesus for healing. One of them, when he saw he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. He fell with his face to the ground at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. He was a Samaritan.

Jesus asked, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?”

He said to the man, : Get up and go your way. Your faith has made you well” (Luke 17:11-19).

Ten lepers came to Jesus for healing. All ten were cleansed of their leprosy, but only one was made well. All ten were healed, but only one was satisfied. His gratitude enabled him to receive another blessing beyond the answer to his prayer.

That is a lesson for all of us. We need to learn how to follow through on our prayers for healing. In our Sunday evening Bible studies, we are discovering that in the Book of Acts, every miracle of God’s power for the early church was more than just a blessing; it was an opportunity to share the gospel with those who saw the miracle.

Similarly, God wants to answer our prayers for healing, but he doesn’t want it to end there. He desires every miracle to become a way of worshiping him and to inspire our testimonies of his goodness. When that Samaritan leper returned and thanked Jesus, he received the chance not only to regain a normal life but also to experience an abundant one. That is the difference that satisfaction makes.

Today’s Psalm also hints at prophecy. The author speaks of the believer seeing God’s salvation. Of course, this can refer to deliverance from trouble or salvation from sin. But I think in this context, the Psalmist is talking about ultimate salvation. In several places in the Psalms, the NET translators render this word as “saving intervention” (42:5, 11; 43:5).

The outcome of God’s blessing on believers is witnessing His great salvation through our resurrection at Christ’s return. We don’t have to choose between an abundant life now and eternal life at the second coming; we can have both. The wings of our rescuing and protecting God will keep us safe from harm now and carry us into our final destiny when Christ returns.

YESTERDAY’S SONG

YESTERDAY’S SONG

Psalm 77 NET.

For the music director, Jeduthun; a psalm of Asaph.

¹ I will cry out to God and call for help! I will cry out to God, and he will pay attention to me. ² In my time of trouble, I sought the Lord. I kept my hand raised in prayer throughout the night. I refused to be comforted. ³I said, “I will remember God while I groan; I will think about him while my strength leaves me.” ( Selah) ⁴You held my eyelids open; I was troubled and could not speak. ⁵ I thought about the days of old, about ancient times. ⁶ I said, “During the night I will remember the song I once sang; I will think very carefully.” I tried to make sense of what was happening. ⁷I asked, “Will the Lord reject me forever? Will he never again show me his favor? ⁸ Has his loyal love disappeared forever? Has his promise failed forever? ⁹ Has God forgotten to be merciful? Has his anger stifled his compassion?” ¹⁰Then I said, “I am sickened by the thought that the sovereign One might become inactive. ¹¹I will remember the works of the LORD. Yes, I will remember the amazing things you did long ago! ¹²I will think about all you have done; I will reflect upon your deeds!” ¹³O God, your deeds are extraordinary! What god can compare to our great God? ¹⁴You are the God who does amazing things; you have revealed your strength among the nations. ¹⁵You delivered your people by your strength — the children of Jacob and Joseph. ( Selah) ¹⁶ The waters saw you, O God, the waters saw you and trembled. Yes, the depths of the sea shook with fear. ¹⁷The clouds poured down rain; the skies thundered. Yes, your arrows flashed about. ¹⁸ Your thunderous voice was heard in the wind; the lightning bolts lit up the world; the earth trembled and shook. ¹⁹You walked through the sea; you passed through the surging waters, but left no footprints. ²⁰You led your people like a flock of sheep, by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

The words to that Beatles song keep coming to my mind as I think about today’s text. Asaph was a musician, and like the Beatles in 1965, he sang about yesterday. He was grateful for his past, because that was a time when all his troubles seemed so far away. But, as he prepares to write this psalm, that is no longer the case. Now, his troubles look as though they’re here to stay. Asaph believed in yesterday, and he penned this psalm, which I call Yesterday’s Song.

Asaph was a popular musician and music leader during the reigns of King David and King Solomon. He, along with those associated with him, wrote twelve of the Psalms found in the Old Testament. He led a music school with 148 students. One hundred twenty-eight of his descendants returned from Babylon and continued the tradition of providing music and song for the nation.

Asaph did not write popular love songs. He wrote songs about God’s people struggling during difficult times. In today’s passage, we hear the voice of a man who had lived during wonderful times, but was now facing less-than-wonderful times.

When his prayers failed him, Asaph sang yesterday’s song (1-5).

Asaph prayed the way people were accustomed to in his day. He raised his hands and prayed with his eyes raised toward heaven. In his time of trouble, he prayed and kept on praying through the night. Some times call for simple sentence prayers. But when our hearts are breaking and there is nothing else we can do, we stay in prayer.

Jacob wrestled all night in prayer, and his persistence resulted in a new direction for his life and a new name. Jesus prayed all night before choosing the men who would become his twelve apostles. Night is a time for rest, usually, but occasionally, it is appropriate for us to decide against the norm. There comes a time when normal has to be sacrificed for something more urgent and more critical.

We preachers talk about prayer all the time. I think sometimes we overstate the case for prayer. We give people the impression that if they pray hard enough or long enough, the sky will open up and a miracle will make everything right again. That was not Asaph’s experience. He records no miracle happening in his life in this psalm. There was no breakthrough. He prayed all night, and there was no magic in the morning.

The magic happened not after he prayed but while he was praying. His mind went back to the past. His song about yesterday went back over all the songs and stories he had heard before. They were songs and stories about how God had done amazing things and delivered his people from danger and death time after time. Asaph was not in danger of being overwhelmed and obliterated by his present troubles. His problem was discouragement. His prayers led him to focus on who God is and what he had already done for his people. The song about yesterday that became part of his prayer was what Asaph needed to encourage him.

When he could not make sense of today, Asaph sang yesterday’s song (6-9).

Asaph admitted that he had tried to understand what was happening to him. He could not figure out how his present difficult experiences could be within God’s will. But it looked like God was rejecting him. He wondered if this could be permanent. He asked, “Will the Lord reject me forever? Will he never again show me his favor? Has his loyal love disappeared forever? Has his promise failed forever? Has God forgotten to be merciful? Has his anger stifled his compassion?”

Those are some serious questions. They are actually theological questions. When we are trying to figure God out, we look to the Bible and our own experience and ask those important questions for the first time. When they do that, people conclude that God is all-powerful, immortal, and immeasurable, and that he never changes into anything else. He is always the same. They also conclude that God is good and his goodness is just as permanent as his greatness. So, his holiness, righteousness, faithfulness, and mercy are just as constant as his great power.

The Bible provides the content that allows theologians to discover those things about him. It also records the experiences of the Israelites and the New Testament believers that confirm the content. This is important because sometimes what we are experiencing in our everyday lives tempts us to draw a different conclusion.

When we woke up this morning, we lived in a universe controlled by an all-powerful and all-loving God. But when we got into the shower, the handle came off, and water went everywhere. That happened to me last Sunday morning. I have to admit, when I was standing there with the handle to the cold water in my hand, and not being able to put it back on, I was temporarily questioning my theology.

Asaph had some experiences that led him to think similar thoughts. We will all deal with problems like that. That is the beauty of his song. He is giving us advice. He is telling us what to do when the world no longer seems to be what we know it is. He is showing us how to deal with the problems that make us question what we think we know about God and his commitment to us.

When he was tempted to doubt God’s power, Asaph sang yesterday’s song (10-20).

Asaph admits that he was sickened by the thought that the Most High might become inactive. Some people boast about the idea that God is dead, but that was not true of Asaph. He chose to go back to the record book. This Bible we are reading is a record of what God has done. When tempted to be uncertain about who God is, Asaph got out his Bible and started reading.

He told himself, “I will remember the works of the LORD. Yes, I will remember the amazing things you did long ago.”

As he recounted each story, miracle after miracle presented itself to his memory. All the impossible things that were part of his people’s history flashed before his eyes. He saw God create the world and plant a garden in it for his creatures. He saw God destroy that world by a flood and rescue one family to repopulate it. He saw God build a nation from one man, then exercise his great power to deliver that nation from the clutches of enslavement. He saw this amazing, powerful God tame the forces of wind and water to shepherd his people through the Red Sea. He saw a loving God lead his people by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

He promised God, “I will think about all you have done; I will reflect upon your deeds.”

As he thought about what God had done, his anxiety about his present predicament seemed to calm down a bit. Singing yesterday’s song helped Asaph get through the uncertainties of today. It helped him continue to believe that there would be a tomorrow, and that it would be as glorious as God promised it would be.

Biblical faith is not always demonstrated by a show of God’s miraculous power. Sometimes, it is revealed by believers who dare to testify that the same God they trusted in yesterday will get them through the difficulties of today.

You might remember that a few years ago, we had a series of messages based on Chapter 11 of the Book of Hebrews. We discovered that the people of faith described in that chapter could be divided into two categories. Some had faith and received displays of God’s power. Others had the same faith but did not receive such displays. But both groups were included in the hall of faith. When facing difficult times, both sang yesterday’s song, reminding themselves of the greatness and faithfulness of their God. That is what yesterday’s song is for.

Communion Meditation.

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever!” – Hebrews 13:8 NET.

When we are discouraged today, there are two places we can look for hope. We can sing yesterday’s song, remembering what God has done for us in the past. We can also look forward to the culmination of all things at Christ’s return.

As we remember the Savior’s sacrifice on Calvary’s cross, we also remember that today, with all its troubles, will not last. Little Orphan Annie was not correct. Tomorrow is not always a day away. One Day, tomorrow will come. One Day, our Savior will come. In the meantime, He who is the same yesterday, today, and forever is worthy of our worship and worthy of our trust.