Day #157
Scripture Reading: Psalms 93 - 95 …
God has revealed Himself to mankind from the
beginning and what we know about God from His Word is what God desires for us
to know as we live in this world. God is
absolute perfection, therefore He does not need to change. His character is the same today as it was when
He said, "Let there be light!" That is a comfort to
those who have come to know Him as "Abba, Father," through
faith in Jesus Christ … but should alarm the hearts of those who do not know
Him and who reject His offer of forgiveness and life through Jesus. Those
who sneer at our God and who worship other gods will eventually discover that
He IS who He says He is!
So who is God? What is He like? How can
we know for sure? The Bible gives us a picture of God as loving, kind,
compassionate and gracious … slow to anger and abounding in mercy ... AND the
Bible gives us a picture of God as holy, righteous and just, carrying out His
wrath and vengeance on those who continue in their wickedness and who reject
Him by worshiping other gods. Which picture is accurate? BOTH!!
God IS who He says He is. It is not a matter that is up for
discussion. God is not one thing today and something different tomorrow.
This is the God the Psalmist writes of in our
Psalms today. He is the LORD, who reigns over His creation and who is "robed
in majesty and is armed with strength" (93:1). God did not
simply create the world, wind it up and let it go. His reign is an active
reign. He is intimately involved in His creation. He is on His throne.
So the Psalmist writes, "Your statutes stand firm; holiness
adorns Your house for endless days, O LORD" (93:5).
Psalm 94 thus begins, "O LORD, the God who
avenges, O God who avenges, shine forth. Rise up, O Judge of the earth;
pay back to the proud what they deserve!" (94:1-2). Who of
those who know God has not asked, "How long will the wicked be
jubilant?" (94:3). When we see those who do evil rejoice we
cry out for God's justice. They say, "The LORD does not see; the
God of Jacob pays no heed" (94:7). But they are wrong.
With question after question the Psalmist notes that the God who created
us hears and sees and disciplines the nations. Yet He promises, "the
LORD will not reject His people; He will never forsake His inheritance" (94:14).
What a comfort that is for those who know the true
God and who have come to Him through faith in Jesus Christ, for we, too, are
His inheritance today. God's "judgment will again be founded on
righteousness" (94:15). As you and I live in this world justice
seems hard to find. The wicked seem to prosper and evil appears
oftentimes to have victory over those who trust in the Lord our God, but God
WILL have the last word! With confidence we can testify, "Unless
the LORD had given me help, I would soon have dwelt in the silence of
death … When anxiety was great within me, Your consolation brought joy
to my soul" (94:17, 19).
Those who do wickedness and evil will not win!
"The LORD has become my fortress, and my God the rock in whom I
take refuge. He WILL repay them for their sins and destroy them for their
wickedness" (94:22-23). As those who believe in Jesus Christ we
must remember that were it not for God's grace and mercy to US, we would face
His wrath and judgment, too. Knowing who God is … that He is a God of
wrath as well as mercy … a God of judgment as well as compassion … leads us to
rejoice in the cross of Jesus Christ and to give thanks to God always for
revealing Himself to us by His Word and Spirit.
That knowledge leads us to Psalm 95. This Psalm
is written only for believers, for no one else will respond. "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" (95:1-2). What an incredible blessing, what an
amazing gift to know the one true God and to be able to approach Him without
fear through the shed blood of Christ … to be able to bow down before Him in
worship … the One who is our Maker, our Creator … "For He is OUR God
and we are the people of His pasture, the flock under His care" (95:7).
God warns those who hear His voice not to harden
their hearts as the people did in days past. He reminds them that "for
forty years I was angry with that generation" (95:10). That
was the generation that came out of Egypt and who refused to go into the
promised land because they were afraid of the nations who lived there.
They all wandered in the wilderness for forty years and died without
entering God's "rest" in the land God had promised to Abraham and his
descendants. God said, "They are a people whose hearts go astray,
and they have not known my ways" (95:10). Therefore God said, "They
shall never enter my rest" (95:11).
But there was more to it than not entering the land
of Canaan. Listen to how the writer of Hebrews applies this Psalm: "Therefore,
since the promise of entering His rest still stands, let us be careful that
none of you be found to have fallen short of it. For we also have had the
gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no
value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith. Now
we who have believed enter that rest!" (Hebrews 4:1-3). God
was pointing to the eternal Sabbath rest that awaits believers as we enter the
rest of heaven, and ultimately, the new heaven and the new earth.
And the writer of Hebrews goes on to explain that "TODAY" is
the day of salvation (II Corinthians 6:2). Those who believe God's
promise in the Gospel know that our enemies have been defeated by Jesus Christ
and we are free to enter the promised land!! We will live in the presence
of God and will worship Him with thanksgiving forever! The options before
all of mankind are clear: Worship Him with thanksgiving for the gift of
His Son, through whom we receive forgiveness and life ... OR, face His wrath
and judgment, because God IS who He says He is.
"Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name!
You are worthy to be praised and those who know You through faith in Your
Son Jesus Christ will rejoice in the privilege of worship and will give You
thanks all our days. May Your Spirit fill us with joy as we offer our
worship to You in Jesus' name, Amen"
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