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 45-51.

I love the imagery of Psalm 46.  If we put our trust in God we will fear nothing else.  If the earth quakes and the mountains crumble into the sea, we will not fear.  When the oceans roar and the waters surge, we will not fear.  Even in that situation, we will be still and know that He is God.  He created the world and will bring its destruction.  Wars end when He decides.  Imagining that sets me in the mind-frame that when I get to Psalm 47 I imagine a throng of people praising God as He ascends the steps of a building similar to the Philadelphia Art Museum.  A crowd like that which takes part in a sports championship parade.

The psalmist gives us another reason to have no fear of anyone in this world.  For all their wealth, for all their power, for all their wisdom, no one on this earth can redeem themselves from death.  No amount of money is sufficient to pay the ransom, no one has the power to coerce death to let them go.  Yet God has ransomed those of us who put our faith in Him, death holds no power over them.  God does not need our worldly goods.  After all, He created them and can create more should the need arise.  Instead He desires that we be thankful for what He has done for us and use our abilities and goods to help those in need.  God does not want us to recite His words and laws.  He wants us to live by them.

I had not planned on writing a third paragraph, but the contrast between Psalm 50 and 51 called out to me.  Psalm 50 is about those who go to Church every Sunday and give a tenth, or more, of all that they earn to charity, but during the week use every tool at their disposal to take advantage of those less powerful than themselves.  They may be a crime boss, a corrupt politician, or a dishonest businessman.  In any case, they think they are favored by God because they say the right things and are publicly lauded for their good works.  All the while slandering the innocent and spending their time with adulterers.  Then in Psalm 51 we have the man who calls on God to purify him from his sin.  Let us be the latter, begging God to transform us into His image so that we can do His will.  Only by God creating a clean heart within us and restoring our soul can we truly please Him. 

God fill me with your Spirit and cleanse me of the sins which fill me.