I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Psalms 78-81.

    Each generation must teach the next the wonderful things which God has done and the commands which He has given. Otherwise, the next generation will commit the sins of the previous one. Even if we do teach the next generation, they may repeat the sins. Look at the history of Israel as told in Exodus; God performed great signs for them, yet each time a new challenge arose the people did not believe that God could meet this new challenge. Will we put our trust in God, or will we follow their example and turn from Him when new problems appear?

    If we cry out to God and plead with Him to bring us back to Him, He will do so. He will turn us to him as a vine turns towards the sun. He will teach those who mocked Him because of our unfaithfulness the folly of their ways. AS I read these psalms they remind me of the paradox of our relationship with God: we can only turn to Him if His Spirit takes control of us and turns us to Him, but if we reject Him, He will leave us to our folly. Turning from temptation and sin is a task too heavy for us, God will lift it from our back if we allow Him to do so.

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Psalms 82-89.

    Two of today’s psalms speak to the controversy over immigration from impoverished countries to the developed world, Psalm 82 and 87. I am not going to take a position on how these psalms should be applied to this issue, or even if they should be. Psalm 82 calls on rulers to give justice to the poor and uphold the rights of the oppressed. This is sometimes used to call on the governments of developed countries to be more open to immigrants who have not gone through the established channels. There is some merit to that position. However, what I have never seen is anyone using this psalm to call out the governments of the countries from which these immigrants are fleeing. While those of us in the developed world should pay heed to this psalm’s call to rescue the poor and helpless, its condemnation is directed at those who have been oppressing them.
    Then in Psalm 87 the psalmist says that “They have all become citizens of Jerusalem.” Certainly, he is talking here about becoming citizens of the Kingdom of God. However, on the immigration issue there are those who want to apply it to our present world. They desire to make everyone citizens of one nation which encompasses the whole world. This whole discussion makes me think that the problem, of which mass migration is but a part, will not be solved until the Christ’s return. This psalm does tell us that citizenship in God’s Kingdom is not determined by geography. People from every land and ethnicity are welcome in God’s Kingdom. God will not only give them citizenship, He will adopt them into the royal family.
**Note:Something about the above two paragraphs bothered me, but I could not put my finger on it. A few minutes ago it struck me: this whole discussion about proper enforcement of immigration laws in developed countries is from the perspective of being involved in the government, even if only in so small a way as voting, something I do not believe we as Christians should do.

    In many ways I see Psalm 84 as being a response to Psalm 83. The peoples of this world will unite together in order to oppose God and attack His people, thinking that by doing so they can gain greater riches and wealth. They will fail in their endeavor. But Psalm 84 tells us that even if they could gain what they are seeking, what they are rejecting is better than what they seek. Despite what the people of this world think, seeking God is more satisfying and a source of greater pleasure than anything else we can do. Despite our fears and insecurities, doing God’s will brings us greater, by far, fulfillment and joy than we can imagine.