Today, I am reading and commenting on  Psalms 72-77.

The first of today’s psalms says that it is “of Solomon”.  I am unsure if that means it was written by Solomon, or that it was written about Solomon.  In either case, it gives a blessing to rulers who follow its guidance.  If a ruler defends those who suffer misfortune, rescues the children of the powerless, and crushes those who oppress others, good things will come to him and the people over whom he rules.  From there we go into a series of psalms which can build up our hope and faith in difficult times.  In Psalm 73, the psalmist warns against envying the arrogant and wicked who seem to prosper.  It may seem like striving to do God’s will and avoid wickedness serves no purpose, that we suffer doing God’s will to no benefit.  However, the psalmist warns us that the prosperity of the wicked merely masks the fate which God has planned for them.  The good things which God has in store for those who serve Him far outweigh the short term pleasures of the wicked.  The psalmist goes on in later psalms to paint a picture which reminds me of things happening today.  He describes how those who hate God have sought to destroy every place and thing which is used to honor God.  They seek to crush any who worship Him.  However, the psalmist reminds us that God will choose the time when He will judge and make the world quake.  God’s enemies may seek to make us fear them, may seek to cause us to fear worshiping Him, but God alone should be feared, for none can stand before Him when He is angry with them.  In our distress, let us turn to the Lord and remember His mighty acts.  Let us meditate on what He has done in the past when it feels like He is letting us fall.  Then we will praise Him and know that He will save us once more.

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Psalms 72-77.

The psalmist speaks of a time when he almost fell for one of Satan’s lies, when he almost gave in to the temptation to believe that there was no value in seeking God’s righteousness.  He envied the wicked and arrogant, who believe that God does not know of their wickedness.  It is an easy lie to fall for, we see that the wicked seem to have all that they desire and face no consequences for their evil, and begin to wonder if doing what is right has any benefit.  However, when we enter into God’s presence we discover that the wicked gain nothing through their wickedness that we truly desire.  Further imitating the wicked would cost us that which we value most, a relationship with God.

Then the psalmist speaks of the challenges when wicked men oppress those who seek God and troubles abound.  We sometimes face similar challenges.  We, like the psalmist, cry out to God asking how long He will allow the righteous to suffer and the wicked to prosper.  We may feel like God will not answer our prayers for justice, and will allow people to belittle Him, and those who trust Him, but God tells us in the Scripture that He chooses the appointed time.  He will judge with equity.  When times seem dark and God seems far, let us remember what God has done in the past and meditate on His power.  Then we will hear His voice and see His judgement upon the wicked.

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

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Psalms 72-77.

The first of today’s psalms calls on God to endow the king with justice as God see justice.  The psalmist asks God to make it so that the king defends the afflicted, saves the children of the needy, and crushes the oppressor.  Let us pray something similar for those in positions of government authority today.   And yet, we often do not have such rulers.  Instead we have the opposite.  It would be all too easy for us to slip when such is the case and conclude that the effort to keep our hearts pure and our hands innocent is in vain.   We begin to envy the wicked and the arrogant.  When we see how they appear to prosper, we may begin to wonder if perhaps we should have acted similarly.  But, if we enter into God’s presence, we will see that nothing they possess compares to being able to commune with God.  When the time is right, God will sweep them aside, but those who love and obey God will be taken into His glory.  Today we may see the wicked mock and revile God, but I will praise Him and tell of His deeds.  There are those who speak of “settled science” and “settled law”, but God reveals that only that which conforms to His will is truly settled for all time.  Let us praise God, and tell all who will listen of what He has done.

Surely God is good to Israel,

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

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Psalms 72-77.

The psalmist tells us that it may seem like the wicked are victorious and that they will never fall, but that we should not be fooled by such appearances.  What he writes in Psalm 74 really speaks to me about our society today.  God’s enemies are seeking to crush all worship of Him. It even seems as though their onslaught cannot be stopped.  They have destroyed many bastions where God was worshiped and driven His worshipers out.  They make examples of those who defy them by worshiping God and nothing seems to slow their victories.  Nevertheless, we who worship God know that He has power over all of the earth and that His enemies will be victorious for only so long as it serves His purpose.  Let us not lose faith in Him.  If we put our hope in Him, we will see that hope fulfilled.  Psalm 73 reminds us that when we begin to think that the wicked will always prosper and that there is no value in following God’s commands we need to meditate on His words and spend time in fellowship with Him and with those who worship Him.  When we do that God will show us the value of following His commands, and the fate of those who reject Him.

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

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 72-77.

It is easy to become convinced that the wicked and proud have it good, to become envious of them and begin to think that living a godly life is pointless.  However, if we take ourselves into God’s presence we will realize that such thinking only hurts ourselves, making us bitter and resentful.  The wicked burn and destroy that which reminds them of God and which calls them to be accountable for their actions, but God will bring them to justice at the time He has planned.

The psalmist speaks of being troubled and hard pressed, of crying out to God and not being comforted, of being unable to sleep and too distressed to even pray.  He felt like God had abandoned him and would never restore his joy.  Then he remembered the great things which God had done in the past.  Doing so reminded him that God does His great works in His time not ours.  God’s plans will come to fruition, His glory will be shown to the nations once more.  If we think on the great things which God has done in the past we will realize that He will do similar things in the future.  Every time I begin to feel like I am in a hole out of which I can never climb, I remember when I felt that way in the past and cried out to God.  My situation may be different today than that which I experienced before, but God answered my cries then and He will answer them now.