PRAISE THE LORD ALL YOU NATIONS AND ALL YOU PEOPLE

Proclamation:

“Praise The Lord, all you nations; extol Him, all you people.  For great is His love towards us, and the faithfulness of The Lord endures forever.  Praise The Lord.”  Psalm 117:1-2 (NIV)

Explanation:

The name of the human author of this psalm is unknown, however, it is clear that it was written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  This is another one of the “Hallelujah psalms” (Psalms 112 through 118) which was sung during the feasts celebrated by the children of Israel.  This psalm is the shortest of all psalms and is only two verses in length.  It calls upon all people of all nations to praise The Lord.  It begins and ends with the phrase, “Praise The Lord.” 

Application:                                                                                                                                

Saying, or singing, “Hallelujah” is the highest form of praise that we can offer The Lord God.  Unfortunately, there are no nations today which praise The Lord.  It is also unfortunate that all of the people alive today do not praise The Lord.  However, there will come a time when all the earth will praise Him.  Currently, He is still gathering “us” His people from among the Gentiles.  The point here is that God’s redemptive purpose was a global, worldwide one. (Psalm 117:1 and repeated by the Apostle Paul in Romans 15:11)  The invitation was extended to all people but all did not accept it.  When the day comes that He has gathered up all of His people, the remaining nations will praise Him. (Zechariah 2:11 and 14:16)  The question is, will you be in the group that He gathers, or will you be one of the ones left behind? (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17)  Believe, and praise The Lord.

THE LORD OUR GOD IS FULL OF COMPASSION

Proclamation:

“I love The Lord, for He heard my voice; He heard my cry for mercy.  Because He turned His ear to me, I will call on Him as long as I live.”  Psalm 116:1-2 (NIV)

Explanation:

The name of the human author of this psalm is unknown, however, it is clear that it was written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  This is another one of the “Hallelujah psalms” (Psalms 112 through 118) which was sung during the feasts celebrated by the children of Israel.  The psalmist begins by stating that he loves The Lord and then he goes on to present several reasons for doing so. (Psalm 116:1-9)  He follows that with several things which he will do because of his love for The Lord. (Psalm 116:13-19)

Application:

There are many reasons why we as believers should love The Lord, our God.  The fact that He hears and answers our prayers is important to each of us but it may not be the most important reason that we have for loving Him.  I love Him because He loved me when I was unlovable, lost in sin, before I loved Him.  He loved me before I even knew myself and before I loved me. (Psalm 139:13-16)  He loved me enough to send His only Son to die in my place so that my soul could be saved from paying the price for my sins. (John 3:16)  He loves me so that He has blessed me with life, delivered me from death, and allowed me to live to see one more day. (Psalm 116:8)  I am thankful that He heard my prayers, and for all of the many blessing which He has bestowed upon me.  The Lord our God has blessed each one of us and He has shown His compassion towards us.  We should all love Him, thank Him, and praise Him every day of our lives for as long as we live.

THE LORD REMEMBERS US AND HE WILL BLESS US

Proclamation:

“The Lord remembers us and will bless us; He will bless His people … He will bless those who fear The Lord, small and great alike.  May The Lord cause you to flourish, both you and your children.  May you be blessed by The Lord, The Maker of heaven and earth.”  Psalm 115:12-15 (NIV)

Explanation:

The name of the human author of this psalm is unknown, however, it is clear that it was written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  This is another one of the “Hallelujah psalms” (Psalms 112 through 118) which was sung during the feasts celebrated by the children of Israel.  The Lord is ever mindful of us and His covenant with us.  He blesses us with all kinds of blessings, temporal, physical, and spiritual, and by protecting us and providing for us.  Those of us who fear The Lord are blessed including the young and the old, the rich and the poor.  Additionally, because of His love for us He will also bless our children.

Application:

We may be only a number to the government, on our job, or at school, but The Lord God knows each of us individually, personally, and intimately.  He not only knows our name, He knows all about us including our thoughts and motives.  He made us, He knows us, He loves us, and because of that He blesses us.  While we live and breathe, and while we are able to do so, we ought to praise and thank The Lord for all that He has done.  Let everything that breathes praise The Lord.  Praise The Lord! (Psalm 150:6)

STAND IN FEAR AND TREMBLING IN THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD

Proclamation:

“Tremble, earth, at the presence of The Lord, at the presence of The God of Jacob, who turned the rock into a pool, the hard rock into a spring of water.”  Psalm 114:7-8 (NIV)

Explanation:

The name of the human author of this psalm is unknown, however, it is clear that it was written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  This is one the “Hallelujah psalms” (Psalms 112 through 118) which was sung during the feasts of Israel.  This psalm recalls some of the events which occurred when Israel was led out of captivity in Egypt. (Psalm 114:1)  As they wandered through the wilderness, The Lord God provided water for them by causing water to come out of a rock. (Exodus 17:6)

Application:

The Lord God is omnipotent, all powerful.  We should hold Him in reverential awe and stand in fear and trembling in His presence.  He is able to provide for all of the needs of His people.  For all that He has done, is doing, and will do for us, we should be eternally grateful.  He is The Rock of our salvation.  All who drink of the living water which He provides will never again thirst. (John 4:14)

PRAISE THE LORD FROM THE RISING OF THE SUN UNTIL

Proclamation:                                                                                                       

“Let the name of The Lord be praised, both now and forevermore.  From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of The Lord is to be praised.”  Psalm 113:2-3 (NIV)

Explanation:

Although the name of the human author of the words of this psalm is unknown, it is clear that it was written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  This is the first of the “Hallelujah psalms”, (psalm 112 through 118) which were sung at the Feast of the Passover, the Feast of Pentecost, the Feast of Tabernacles, and probably at all of the feasts of Israel.  This is a psalm of praise for the redemption of the people by Christ.  It is a shortened version of the song which Hannah sang after the birth and dedication of her son Samuel. (1 Samuel 2:1-10)  Here, all saints are encouraged to praise The Lord (Psalm 113:1) not just in the morning and in the evening, but to continually praise Him throughout the day.

Application:

The people of God know Him best, we know what He has done, and we have the most reasons to thank and praise The Lord.  We praise The Lord daily, and probably do it several times a day.  However, we do not spend our entire day in continual praise, from sunrise to sunset, all day long.  It does not matter how many times we pray and praise The Lord, there is more that could be said, sung, and done.  In all four corners of the world and by all of the people of the world, He is worthy of all praise.

BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO FEAR THE LORD

Proclamation:

“Praise The Lord.  Blessed are those who fear The Lord, who find great delight in His commands.  Their children will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed.  Wealth and riches are in their houses, and their righteousness endures forever.”  Psalm 112:1-3 (NIV)

Explanation:

The words of this psalm were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by an unknown human author, which was probably King David, based upon the style in which it is written.  As with the previous psalm, Psalm 111, the first letter of each clause or sentence follows in alphabetical order per the Hebrew alphabet.  This psalm presents the character and conduct of a good man.  He that holds The Lord God in reverent awe and who delights in The Word of God will be blessed.  The children of this upright man will also be blessed.

Application:

The upright believers who delight in and follow The Word of God will be blessed with abundance and contentment because their heart is satisfied by God alone.  Their wealth and riches may be worldly and spiritual but their joy will come from The Lord.  If we behave and converse in a Christ-like manner, we will be blessed.  Believing and trusting in The Lord is the surest way of being blessed with the desires of our heart.   

GREAT ARE THE WORKS OF THE LORD

Proclamation:

“Great are the works of The Lord; they are pondered by all who delight in them.  Glorious and majestic are His deeds, and His righteousness endures forever.”  Psalm 111:2-3 (NIV)

Explanation:

The words of this psalm were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by an unknown human author, who in generally thought to be King David based upon the style in which it is written.  The first letter of each clause or sentence follows in alphabetical order per the Hebrew alphabet.  This psalm was designed to exalt and to praise The Lord by giving thoughtful consideration of His great and wonderful works.  He has caused His works to be remembered. (Psalm 111:4)  Knowledge and wisdom are gifts from God (Proverbs 2:6) and fear of The Lord is the beginning of wisdom. (Psalm 111:10) 

Application:

With our limited capacity for understanding, no human being could possibly know all of the glorious and great, majestic and wonderful things which The Lord God has done.  However, it is good for us to think on these things. (Philippians 4:8)  Blessed is he whose delight is in The Lord and in His Holy Word. (Psalm 1:2, 37:4, and 112:1)  He is the creator and sustainer of all that exists. (Genesis 1:1 and Revelation 10:6)  By not giving Him credit for what He did (the big bang theory of creation or the evolution of man) and what He controls, (mother nature and father time) we are robbing Him of glory that He is due.  He is worthy of all glory, honor, and praise.  Praise The Lord!

I WILL MAKE YOUR ENEMIES A FOOTSTOOL FOR YOUR FEET

05-19-17

I WILL MAKE YOUR ENEMIES A FOOTSTOOL FOR YOUR FEET

Proclamation:

“The Lord says to my Lord: ‘Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.’”  Psalm 110:1 (NIV)

Explanation:

The words of this psalm were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by King David.  This messianic psalm begins with God, The Father, talking to God, The Son.  This is confirmed by Jesus, The Christ, when He spoke to the Pharisees (Matthew 22:41-45) and by the apostle Peter speaking on the day of Pentecost. (Acts 2:32-35)  David referred to Jesus, The Christ, as “my Lord” and “The Lord” as God.  Jesus is the only one to sit at the right hand of God.  This sets forth the deity of Christ.

Application:

Jesus, The Christ, had many enemies and included among them are all of the enemies of His people.  Some of them have already been conquered, like sin, Satan, and the world, but there are others which remain to be conquered like the antichrist.  All of the kings of the earth will bow down to Him as The King of kings.  When the time comes, He will judge all nations and all people. (Psalm 110:6)  This will be to the joy of all believers and to the chagrin of everyone else.  That is when we will hear Him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant … enter into the joy of your Lord.” (Matthew 25:21)

IF WE BELIEVE THEN THE LORD GOD IS WITH US

Proclamation:

“With my mouth I will greatly extol The Lord; in the great throng of worshipers I will praise Him.  For He stands at the right hand of the needy, to save their lives from those who would condemn them.”  Psalm 109:30-31 (NIV)

Explanation:

The words of this psalm were written by King David under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  In the first half of this psalm he addressed what his enemies had done to him, and what he would like to have happen to them. (Psalm 109:1-20)  Then he described himself (Psalm 109:22-25) before stating what he would like for The Lord God to do. (Psalm 109:26-29)  Then David ended the psalm by stating that would praise The Lord and declare His greatness before the congregation of believers.   His last statement in this psalm was that The Lord God would stand beside the needy and protect them from those who would harm them. (Psalm 109:30-31)

Application:

We should praise The Lord God privately and publicly.  We are all in need of something which only He can provide or supply.  He is our refuge and strength, and He is always present in both good times and times of trouble. (Psalm 46:1)  With The Lord by our side, we will not be moved or defeated. (Psalm 16:8)  He is our keeper and our protector. (Psalm 121:5)  He will never leave us or neglect us. (Hebrews 13:5)  He is worthy of all of our praise.

GREAT IS THE LOVING KINDNESS OF THE LORD GOD

Proclamation:

“I will praise You, Lord, among the nations; I will sing of You among the peoples.  For great is Your love, higher than the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the skies.”  Psalm 108:3-4 (NIV)

Explanation:

The words of this psalm were written by King David under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  This psalm repeats some of the inspired passages from the fifty-seventh psalm (Psalm 57:7-11) and from the sixtieth psalm. (Psalm 60:6-12)  David was steadfast in his love of The Lord God and he was going to sing and praise Him in front of the congregation of the righteous and before the unsaved world.  He knew that God’s love for him bigger than anything on earth.

 Application:

We all need to change our perspective on life and present a much more positive outlook.  We need to be joyful regardless of the situation.  Whatever it is that we are going through, we ought to count it all as joy. (James 1:2)  When we think of the things which He has done for us, we ought to praise Him.  We ought to be thankful for the blessings which we have already received, and we should continually praise The Lord.  His loving-kindness towards us exceeds our capacity to understand it or comprehend it.  “With God we will gain the victory …” (Psalm 108:13) and “All things work together for good to them that love God …” (Romans 8:28) so we should praise His Holy Name.

LET THE REDEEMED OF THE LORD SAY SO

Proclamation:

“Give thanks to The Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever.  Let the redeemed of The Lord tell their story; those He redeemed from the hand of the foe, those He gathered from the lands, from east and west, from north and south.”  Psalm 107:1-3 (NIV)

Explanation:

The words of this psalm were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by King David.  This psalm is a song and the refrain in verse fifteen is repeated three times within it. (Psalm 107:15, 21, and 31)  David uses the phrase, “O give thanks unto The Lord …” at the beginning of several psalms. (Psalm 105:1, 106:1, 107:1, 118:1, and 136:1)  Here he follows it with the same two reasons that he identified in the previous psalm, “The Lord is good and His love endures forever.” (Psalm 106:1)  In the remaining verses David recounts some of the things which The Lord had done for the children of Israel.  After they had messed up and suffered because of it, they cried out to The Lord and He delivered them out of their distress. (Psalm 107:6, 13, 19, and 28)

Application:

We should all give thanks unto The Lord.  There are so many reasons for doing so that we cannot count them all.  Those of us who have been redeemed should say so, we should tell the world our story.  He has given each of us a testimony, which is uniquely ours, and we should tell others what The Lord has done for us.  “Oh that men would praise The Lord for His goodness …” (Psalm 107:15, 21, and 31) We should be thankful and praise His Holy Name for all of the good things which He has done.

BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO ALWAYS DO WHAT IS RIGHT

Proclamation:

“Blessed are those who act justly, who always do what is right.  Remember me, Lord, when You show favor to Your people, come to my aid when You save them, that I may enjoy the prosperity of Your chosen ones …”  Psalm 106:3-5 (NIV)

Explanation:

The words of this psalm were written by King David under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  The same inspired words that begin Psalm 106:1, also appear in 1 Chronicles 16:34.  David knew that those believers who keep God’s word and did the right thing would be blessed.  However, he asked The Lord to remember him when He showed favor to His people, and when He saved them.   David wanted to enjoy the prosperity and joy with God’s chosen people, and he wanted to join them in giving God praise.  He also knew that they frequently disobeyed and provoked God, and he recounts some of their misgivings in this psalm along with God’s demonstration of His goodness towards them. (Psalm 106:7-46)

Application:

It is one thing to believe The Word of God, however, not all of us who believe it actually follow it and obey it in our daily walk, actions, and conversations.  We do the right thing, hopefully more often than not, but we don’t do it continually.  It is not good enough to praise The Lord God with the words of our mouth, our whole heart must agree with Him.  We must walk the walk and not just talk the talk. (1 John 1:7)  For our momentary, occasional or repeated lapses back into sinful behavior or speech, we need to ask for God’s forgiveness and His help. (1 John 1:9)  If we want to enjoy God’s favor, we must keep His commands.

WE ARE TO TELL THE WORLD WHAT HE HAS DONE

Proclamation:

“Give praise to The Lord, proclaim His name; make known among the nations what He has done.  Sing to Him, sing praise to Him; tell of all His wonderful acts.  Glory in His holy name; let the hearts of those who seek The Lord rejoice.”  Psalm 105:1-3 (NIV)

Explanation:

The words of this psalm were written by King David under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  These are the same inspired words, Psalm 105:1-15, which appear in 1 Chronicles 16:8-22.  The people of God were encouraged to praise The Lord and to talk about the things which He had done.  This psalm also recounts a significant portion of the history of Israel, and God’s intervention, from His covenant with Abraham to their occupying the promised land of Canaan. (Psalm 105:8-45) 

Application:

The Lord God keeps His promises.  Whatever He has said in His Holy Word that He will give to us or do for us, you can be sure that we will receive it.  We need to understand that some of His promises are conditional.  “If My people … then will I …” (2 Chronicles 7:14) He will keep His word and do His part, we just need to do our part.  We are to go and spread the gospel throughout the world. (1 Chronicles 16:24)  We are to tell people of His wonderful acts.  We are to praise, worship, and glorify His holy name.  However, we should not only be hearers and tellers of The Word of God, but we are to also be doers of The Word of God. (James 1:22)  The world should see our good works and glorify God. (Matthew 5:16)

MAY THE MEDITATIONS OF MY HEART PLEASE THE LORD

Proclamation:

“I will sing to The Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.  May my meditation be pleasing to Him, as I rejoice in The Lord.”  Psalm 104:33-34 (NIV)

Explanation:

The words of this psalm were written by King David under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  The psalm begins by repeating the phrase, “Bless The Lord, O my soul …” which the psalmist also began the previous psalm.  (Psalm 103:1)  This psalm of praise presents the glory and majesty of The Lord God and recounts some of His marvelous acts and creations.  David ends it by saying that he will praise The Lord as long as he lives, and he hopes that his thoughts and reflections on the awesomeness of God will be pleasing to Him.

Application:

We spend a lot of time thinking and talking about things which are really insignificant and unimportant.  What if we spent one whole day thinking and talking about the things which The Lord God has done, created, and caused to occur.  The sun and the stars; the place where rivers begin and how they flow; the cycle of water, clouds, and rain; the beasts of the fields and the fowls of the air; the blades of grass and the trees like the cedars of Lebanon; the majestic mountains, the fields of grains, and the sands of the deserts; the animals both large and small; and man, so similar and yet each is so different; these are all created by the awesome God that we serve.  It is humbling to think of how insignificant we are in comparison to all of God’s creations.  We ought to praise Him and thank Him for our very existence, as brief as it may be.  Try spending one day thinking only thoughts which would be pleasing to God.  Think on this, how long can you praise The Lord before you stop and do something else?  May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart please The Lord. (Psalm 19:14)  We all should spend more time praising and pleasing The Lord.

THANKS BE TO GOD FOR HIS LOVE AND HIS LOVING-KINDNESS

Proclamation:

“The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.  He will not always accuse, nor will He harbor His anger forever; He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.”  Psalm 103:8-10 (NIV)

Explanation:

The words of this psalm were written by King David under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  The psalm begins by stating and repeating the phrase, “Bless The Lord, O my soul …” (Psalm 103:1 & 2) and ends by repeating “Bless The Lord ...” (Psalm 103:20, 21, and 22)  David told the people of God to praise and glorify The Lord.  They were not just to offer and repeat rituals during worship, giving Him lip service, but to praise Him with pure and honest feelings from the depths of their hearts.  They should be grateful that He does not treat them as they treat Him.

Application:

We should not only praise and worship The Lord, but we should be thankful for His love for us.  Because of His goodness and mercy, God does not treat us as we deserve to be treated based upon our behavior, our willful disobedience, and our sins, but He does so out of His abounding love.   

THE BIBLE WAS WRITTEN FOR A FUTURE GENERATION TO PRAISE THE LORD

Proclamation:

“Let this be written for a future generation, that a people not yet created may praise The Lord.”  “The children of Your servants will continue, and their descendants will be established before You.”  Psalm 102:18 and 28 (NIV)

Explanation:

It is not clear who is the human author of this psalm, however it is clear that it was written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  It could have been written by King David prophetically, or by someone who lived through the Babylonian captivity, or just after it.  Some Bible scholars believe that this psalm refers to the restoration of Jerusalem after the Babylonian captivity, (Psalm 102:13) while others think that it refers to the Messianic reign of Christ. (Psalm 102:22)  Regardless, it is clear that an afflicted person, who is possibly dying (Psalm 102:11 and 24) and is crying out for Divine help, who then offers a perspective on God’s sovereignty and eternality. (Psalm 102:12-22)   This psalm ends with an expression of hope for us and our children. (Psalm 102:28)

Application:

Our time on this earth will be for only a few days. (Psalm 102:3)  Some of our lives will be shortened because of our sins. (Psalm 102:23)  God’s purposes on earth will be accomplished by future generations.  It is our purpose now to make sure that we train our children and grandchildren to walk in God’s way. (Proverbs 22:6)  We should also pray for them, and for all children that God’s will be done in their lives.  If we don’t teach them the ways of God, then the world will teach the other ways.

LEAD A BLAMELESS LIFE AND PUT NOTHING VILE BEFORE YOUR EYES

Proclamation:

“I will be careful to lead a blameless life … I will conduct the affairs of my house with a blameless heart.  I will not look with approval on anything that is vile.  I hate what faithless people do; I will have no part in it.”  Psalm 101:2-4 (NIV)

Explanation:

The words of this psalm were written by King David under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  Before he became king, David was careful to behave wisely and walk in God’s way.  That is why King Saul feared him and hated him, and that is why the people loved him. (1 Samuel 18:14-15)  David said that he would rule his own house well, with integrity of heart, and in a sincere and upright manner.  He would be an example to his family and to all good men.  He said that he would not put anything vile, lustful, evil, or representing idols before his eyes, nor would he meditate on those things.  He would meditate on The Lord. (Psalm 16:8)  This was all long before his unfaithful episode with Bathsheba. (2 Samuel 11:1-5)  Many Bible scholars believe that David was speaking prophetically regarding the reign of Christ is this psalm and not about his own life.

Application:

It is not possible for us to live a life without committing a sin. (Romans 3:23)  However, we should strive to live a sin-free, blameless life.  Our goal should be to conduct our lives in such a manner which would be pleasing to The Lord.  We should endeavor to walk in the light, and in an upright and righteous way. (1 John 1:7)  Our behavior should be a Christ-like example to our family, friends, and to all of the people that we encounter.  The books that we read and the movies that we watch should not be vile, evil, pornographic, or demonic.  We should not even think about those things.  We should not let the ungodly, worldly people influence us to participate in things which would displease God.  We should be involved in and meditate on things which are true, honest, pure, lovely, good, virtuous, and Godly. (Philippians 4:8)  We should read and meditate on The Word of God day and night. (Psalm 1:2)