Post by Mark on Dec 10, 2009 4:19:10 GMT -8
Psalm 33
Rejoice in the LORD, O ye righteous:
[for] praise is comely for the upright.
Praise the LORD with harp:
sing unto him with the psaltery [and] an instrument of ten strings.
Sing unto him a new song;
play skilfully with a loud noise.
For the word of the LORD [is] right;
and all his works [are done] in truth.
He loveth righteousness and judgment:
the earth is full of the goodness of the LORD.
By the word of the LORD were the heavens made;
and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.
He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap:
he layeth up the depth in storehouses.
Let all the earth fear the LORD:
let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.
For he spake, and it was [done];
he commanded, and it stood fast.
The LORD bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought:
he maketh the devices of the people of none effect.
The counsel of the LORD standeth for ever,
the thoughts of his heart to all generations.
Blessed [is] the nation whose God [is] the LORD;
[and] the people [whom] he hath chosen for his own inheritance.
The LORD looketh from heaven;
he beholdeth all the sons of men.
From the place of his habitation he looketh upon all the inhabitants of the earth.
He fashioneth their hearts alike;
he considereth all their works.
There is no king saved by the multitude of an host:
a mighty man is not delivered by much strength.
An horse [is] a vain thing for safety:
neither shall he deliver [any] by his great strength.
Behold, the eye of the LORD [is] upon them that fear him,
upon them that hope in his mercy;
To deliver their soul from death,
and to keep them alive in famine.
Our soul waiteth for the LORD:
he [is] our help and our shield.
For our heart shall rejoice in him,
because we have trusted in his holy name.
Let thy mercy, O LORD, be upon us, according as we hope in thee.
(Psa 33:1-22)
Sometimes I read through Psalms like this and honestly think to myself, “Yeah, right! What pipe dream is this guy living in?” I’m supposed to sing and rejoice because God has everything under control and my life is all hunky dory? I thought lying was a sin.
Then I read through the Psalm again, a couple of times, and phrases start to stand out, as though they were speaking just to me, just in this moment: the counsels of the heathen (the goyim, the gentiles) are brought to naught, and the devices (the plans and expectations) of the people (the “am” are the common folk) are wasted futility.
I look around at the world around me, the turmoil, the crisis, the pain and striving to get ahead and I suddenly realize that tomorrow they will all be gone. In fact, from one moment to the next, no one knows what kingdoms will rise and fall, who may win the lottery or who will be hit by a truck.
We find ourselves jockeying for security from one source or another: working toward that promotion, saving for that new car, buying insurance, investing in savings bonds. There’s not a single cotton-pickin’ thing that we can truly and completely place our confidence in that will never ever fail us… except One. Everything, everything, everything that Adonai our God has ever established remains to this day. There is not a single word that He has ever spoken that has gone unfulfilled. There is not a single promise that He has ever made that will not be honored. Though everything else in the world, without any reservation, is destined to doom, destruction, disease and decay, the Lord our God, the God who has graciously allowed us to cling to Him, will endure throughout all time, just as He has promised, just as He has without fail since before the beginning of time. Now there’s something worth singin’ about!
Rejoice in the LORD, O ye righteous:
[for] praise is comely for the upright.
Praise the LORD with harp:
sing unto him with the psaltery [and] an instrument of ten strings.
Sing unto him a new song;
play skilfully with a loud noise.
For the word of the LORD [is] right;
and all his works [are done] in truth.
He loveth righteousness and judgment:
the earth is full of the goodness of the LORD.
By the word of the LORD were the heavens made;
and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.
He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap:
he layeth up the depth in storehouses.
Let all the earth fear the LORD:
let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.
For he spake, and it was [done];
he commanded, and it stood fast.
The LORD bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought:
he maketh the devices of the people of none effect.
The counsel of the LORD standeth for ever,
the thoughts of his heart to all generations.
Blessed [is] the nation whose God [is] the LORD;
[and] the people [whom] he hath chosen for his own inheritance.
The LORD looketh from heaven;
he beholdeth all the sons of men.
From the place of his habitation he looketh upon all the inhabitants of the earth.
He fashioneth their hearts alike;
he considereth all their works.
There is no king saved by the multitude of an host:
a mighty man is not delivered by much strength.
An horse [is] a vain thing for safety:
neither shall he deliver [any] by his great strength.
Behold, the eye of the LORD [is] upon them that fear him,
upon them that hope in his mercy;
To deliver their soul from death,
and to keep them alive in famine.
Our soul waiteth for the LORD:
he [is] our help and our shield.
For our heart shall rejoice in him,
because we have trusted in his holy name.
Let thy mercy, O LORD, be upon us, according as we hope in thee.
(Psa 33:1-22)
Sometimes I read through Psalms like this and honestly think to myself, “Yeah, right! What pipe dream is this guy living in?” I’m supposed to sing and rejoice because God has everything under control and my life is all hunky dory? I thought lying was a sin.
Then I read through the Psalm again, a couple of times, and phrases start to stand out, as though they were speaking just to me, just in this moment: the counsels of the heathen (the goyim, the gentiles) are brought to naught, and the devices (the plans and expectations) of the people (the “am” are the common folk) are wasted futility.
I look around at the world around me, the turmoil, the crisis, the pain and striving to get ahead and I suddenly realize that tomorrow they will all be gone. In fact, from one moment to the next, no one knows what kingdoms will rise and fall, who may win the lottery or who will be hit by a truck.
We find ourselves jockeying for security from one source or another: working toward that promotion, saving for that new car, buying insurance, investing in savings bonds. There’s not a single cotton-pickin’ thing that we can truly and completely place our confidence in that will never ever fail us… except One. Everything, everything, everything that Adonai our God has ever established remains to this day. There is not a single word that He has ever spoken that has gone unfulfilled. There is not a single promise that He has ever made that will not be honored. Though everything else in the world, without any reservation, is destined to doom, destruction, disease and decay, the Lord our God, the God who has graciously allowed us to cling to Him, will endure throughout all time, just as He has promised, just as He has without fail since before the beginning of time. Now there’s something worth singin’ about!