Tag Archives: Psalms 95

Daily Bible Study

July 1, 2024 Bible Study — Rejoice in the Lord, and Praise His Holy Name

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Psalms 90-97.

There are a couple of different themes in today’s psalms, but I want to focus on the call to sing and make music in order to praise God.  In Psalm 92, the psalmist writes:
“It is good to praise the Lord
    and make music to your name, O Most High,…”
He goes on to say that God makes us glad by His deeds: God punishes the wicked, but the righteous flourish in His presence.  The wicked think that the One who made the eye and the ear cannot see their wicked acts and cannot hear as they plot evil, but God will give them just recompense for the evil they have done.  He will undermine their plots.  The psalmist goes on to write in Psalm 95:
“Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord;
    let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.”
He made the sea and formed the dry land.  Let us listen to His voice and sing His praises.  So,
“Sing to the Lord a new song;
    sing to the Lord, all the earth.”
For the Lord is great and worthy to be praised.  His splendor and majesty, His strength and glory put all other gods to shame.  The Lord reigns and He judges all people with equity.  Everyone should rejoice in the Lord:
“Rejoice in the Lord, you who are righteous,
    and praise his holy name.”

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

Daily Bible Study

July 1, 2023 Bible Study — Learn to Number Your Days So That You Can Gain Wisdom

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Psalms 90-97.

The first of today’s psalms contains a lesson which we all need to take to heart.

Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

We must all recognize our mortality, and not only our mortality but that we only have so much time to accomplish things.  We must choose to act when the opportunity presents itself, because we may not be able to do so later.  Just as there are things which can only be done in certain seasons of the year there are also things which can only be done at certain seasons of our lives.  Even so, the Lord’s favor will rest on those who seek Him, whether in the Spring of their lives, in the Winter, or in between.  For the psalmist tells us “Today, if you would only hear His voice, you will enter into His rest.” (paraphrasing)

Later in today’s psalms, the psalmist tells us that it is good to praise the Lord, and that fools do not understand this.  So, come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.  Day after day I will proclaim His salvation and declare His marvelous deeds in front of everyone.  The psalmist calls on all creation to rejoice because the Lord is coming to judge the earth.  

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

Daily Bible Study

July 1, 2022 Bible Study — God Is From Everlasting To Everlasting, Those Who Love Him Will Praise Him

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Psalms 90-97.

Today’s psalms lay out reasons for us to praise God and to joyfully sing to Him.  Human studies of this earth suggest that once upon a time snow and ice covered most of the land, and that another time most of earth’s land mass was covered with what we now consider tropical vegetation because the earth was so warm.  The oceans rise and they recede.  Over time, everything changes, but God is from everlasting to everlasting.  From before time began God has remained the same without change, and He will remain the same when time is no more.  The psalmist also reminds us that we gain wisdom by recognizing that we are the opposite.  God is an unchanging constant, while we have only a few short years to do God’s will upon this earth.  Yet, if we make God our refuge we will not need to fear the terrors of night, nor attacks by day…if we truly put our faith in Him, we not only will not need to fear but we will not fear those things.  God will send angels to guard us in all that we do, and every where we go.  So, let us take joy in praising God and proclaiming His love and faithfulness, morning, noon, and night.

The wicked believe that God will take no notice of their evil.  They have convinced themselves that there is no such thing as evil and thus are free to do as they please.  But God is the one who avenges those who were wronged.  The God who made us in all of our being hears us and sees us, He knows all of our plans.  He will repay the wicked for the evil they have done to others, but even today if they would only hear His voice and turn to Him He would forgive them.  God will come to this earth to pass judgement and He desires that all creation rejoice at His coming.   Love the Lord and hate evil and then light will shine on you, giving you joy.

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

Daily Bible Study

July 1, 2021 Bible Study — The Lord Reigns

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Psalms 90-97.

Today’s psalms have the theme that the Lord reigns; God is in charge.  He will avenge those whom the wicked oppress.  If only they would hear His voice and turn to Him, they would not need to suffer.  God is speaking to us today.  Let us listen to Him and not harden our hearts against His commands.  Those who love Him will praise His name. I will join the psalmist in praising God’s name.  His deeds make me glad.  Put your trust in God as your refuge and your shelter.  Then you will not fear the terrors at night, nor attacks during the day.

When I started today’s blog, I was at a complete loss until I realized that several of these psalms contained the words “The Lord reigns.”  That led me to write the previous paragraph.  Then, as I read through these psalms to see what else to write, they began to lift me up as I read the various ways in which the psalmist called on us to praise God.  There is a joy which comes from praising God which cannot be explained to anyone who has not experienced it.

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

Daily Bible Study

July 1, 2020 Bible Study Listen To God’s Voice Today!

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 90-97.

Today the psalmist calls us to praise God morning, noon, and night.  Our love for Him, and our knowledge of His live for us, should keep us from fearing the terrors of the night and from dreading the disease which stalks in darkness.  Let us thank Him when He disciplines us and turn from our sin.  The wicked thinks that God does not hear what they say or see what they do, but He that made their ears can surely hear, and He that made their eyes can certainly see.

Let us worship and bow down before the Lord.  God is supreme over all of the earth.  If only the people around us would listen to His voice today, what a difference it would make.  I read this and wonder, am I listening to His voice?  Or have I hardened my heart?  I see how people around me refuse to listen to God and wonder if I am being the example I should be?  I will strive to praise God more in all that I say and do.  And seek out ways in which I can serve Him.

Daily Bible Study

July 1, 2019 Bible Study — Giving Thanks To God Brings Joy

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 90-97.

The psalmist reminds us that our lives are short.  In the scheme of history we live for but a moment.  We do not have much time to do God’s will, do not waste the time that you have.  This reminder sets the stage for the two intertwined themes which fill most of the rest of today’s psalms.  The more we praise God and thank Him for what He has done the more we experience His joy.  And, what has God done for which we should thank Him?  He protects those who trust Him.  If we put our faith into action (because if our faith does not cause us to act, it is not really faith), we will not fear.  The psalmist does a great job of summing up the sources of human fears and shoes us that our faith in God will remove those fears.  Human nature causes us to fear what might come at us out of the dark; we fear the inability to see where there might be danger that we could avoid if only we knew it was coming.  Human nature also causes us to fear dangers we see coming that we cannot avoid; the fear that happens when you see a car coming around the corner too fast and know that it will crash into you.  The psalmist reminds us that if we truly trust God we will not fear these things because we know that God controls the outcome.  If we give Him control, whatever happens will further His will and bring us joy.

I was going a different direction with this, but when I got to that point I was reminded of this:  My Mom served others all of her life.  She constantly looked for ways she could be of service.  Even in the last few years of her life she did so.  When she essentially lost her vision to macular degeneration, she still found ways to be of service.  However, all of that stopped, or so I thought, almost a year before her death.  She suffered with a relatively mild form of dementia towards the end and was physically unable to care for herself.  So, she could no longer carry on conversations, partly because of her failing memory and partly because she did not trust what she remembered.  Further she could no longer do anything for others.  She had to allow the nurses and aides to do for her.  I did not understand why God did not take her, her joy in life had been serving Him and I did not see her doing anything for Him anymore because she could not.  Then we got word that she was unresponsive.  I went to see her and realized that even though she could no longer respond to our presence, she knew we were there.  So, I and my siblings took turns staying at her side (others among my siblings spent more time at her side than I did).  I observed how heartbroken one of the aides was to see that my Mom was dying and realized that even in the state she had spent the last months my Mom had still been serving God.  Her faithful witness unto the end had lifted the spirits of those caring for her.  No matter how helpless you think that you are you serve God’s purposes on this earth.  Take joy in that fact until the end, until God calls you home to be with Him.

 

Daily Bible Study

July 1, 2018 Bible Study — Praise God In the Morning, Praise God At Night, And Praise Him Every Minute In Between

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 90-97.

    The bulk of today’s psalms are psalms of praise, even the two which do not focus on praise remind us to praise. The first psalm reminds us that our time on this earth is but the blink of an eye to God. It is important for us to realize this for two reasons. What seems like God taking a long time to act is merely a few moments. The situation as it currently is took a long time to get that way, it will take a long time for it to get fixed. However, we need to realize we only have a few short years to serve God on this earth. We need to learn not to waste the time we have, let us use it to bring glory to God.

    If we have God as our shelter and protector we need fear nothing, because all things work together for good for those who love Him. Nothing happens in this world which does not fit into God’s plan and the joy of playing our part is greater than any pain or suffering. Let us sing praises to God morning, noon, and night. The psalmist reminds us that only fools and simpletons are fooled by the fact that the wicked sprout like weeds. In due time the wicked will be completely destroyed, but the godly will flourish. The whole earth will rejoice in God’s triumph over evil. Let us be in the forefront of that celebration. Let us celebrate God’s victory while the wicked still think that they are thriving.

    Speaking of fools, the wicked think that they can get away with robbing and killing the powerless, the widow, the fatherless, and the foreigner. But God is a God of vengeance. He will avenge those who have been wrongfully harmed. Only fools think that God does not know what they are doing. I will say with the psalmist, “Unless the Lord had helped me…” The Lord is my rock and my fortress.
    I am not quite sure how this fits in here, but I am feeling convicted to write it. Writing this blog has been making me feel guilty because I have not used my gifts to do more for the Lord. Yet over the last few days I have had incidents with non-Christian friends whose actions have tempted me to end my interaction with them. In those cases, the friends had done with me the sorts of things which had in the past caused others to end interaction with them. The inspiration for breaking off contact was the thought, “Is what I am getting out of my interaction with this person worth the effort?” However, the Holy Spirit made me realize that my interactions with them are not, and should not be, about what I get out of it. They are about showing Christ’s love to those I meet. I have rarely spoken to any of these friends about my faith, but I know that I have made it clear to them that it is the center of my life.