Friday: Further Thought – The Lord Reigns
Daily Lesson for Friday 19th of January 2024
Read Psalms 86:5,15; Ellen G. White, “God’s Love for Man,” pages 9–15, in Steps to Christ. How does the truth that God is love help us better understand the various descriptions of God and His deeds in the Psalms?
Image © Stan Myers from GoodSalt.com
This week’s study focuses on some key descriptions of God and His activities, which establish the world and render it firm and secure. The psalmists appeal to God, who is the Creator, King, Judge, covenantal Savior, and Lawgiver. The roles in the world that God occupies are further reflected in God’s various other names and titles, including Shepherd (Psalms 23:1, Psalms 80:1), Rock of Salvation (Psalms 95:1), and Father (Psalms 68:5, Psalms 89:26). In the world we can be secure and safe, even amid the turmoil of the great controversy, because God is sovereign and faithful in all He does and says. Although these theological themes are by no means exhaustive, they are suggestive of the various ways in which God reveals Himself in the Psalms.
As we continue to study the Psalms, it is important to remember to read the Psalms in the light of God’s character of love and grace and His plan to save and restore the world. “The more we study the divine character in the light of the cross, the more we see mercy, tenderness, and forgiveness blended with equity and justice, and the more clearly we discern innumerable evidences of a love that is infinite and a tender pity surpassing a mother’s yearning sympathy for her wayward child.”—Ellen G. White, Steps to Christ, p. 15. In the Psalms, even when the people face God’s judgment for their rebellion, they continue to call upon God because they know that God’s anger is only for a time, but His mercy is everlasting (Psalms 103:8).
Discussion Questions
- Why is understanding the reality and prevalence of the great controversy crucial in helping us understand that despite God’s ultimate rulership and sovereignty, there is still much turmoil and suffering in our world? Why is the great controversy motif so helpful to us?
- How should the belief in God as Creator shape our understanding of ourselves and our relationship with the rest of creation? What happens when the people stray from that truth (Psalms 106:35-42)?
- What was wrong with the idols of the nations in biblical times (Psalms 115:4-8)? What about modern idols? Why are they just as dangerous to our walk with the Lord?
- How should God’s people live knowing that God’s judgment begins with His people? How does God judge His people and to what end?
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My poetic skill is not one of my strong points, so I want to finish the week not with a comment but a photograph of the sky above me this morning. I will let the photograph speak for itself.
Beautiful!
I can't show you the pictures, I took when on vacation In Oregon two Sabbaths ago, so I will describe it to you. As we went on a little south of Sunset Bay to where the road overlooked the Pacific Ocean above the waves we could see the waves coming in higher than normal hitting the rocks and shooting up in the air 30-40 feet displaying the power of the waves. A beautiful site. Howevever,the size of the waves power are as a proton in an atom unexcited, compared to the power of our Sovereign God.
130-year-old Jacob was in his tent with a heavy heart, a broken old man. Pull back the canvas flap and hear him saying,
"Everything is against me!" Have you ever felt that way?
Jacob would soon travel to Egypt and find out that his son Joseph was alive, and was actually the prime minister of all of the most powerful country in the world! Pharaoh had given everything over to his son's hand. Simeon, too, was still alive. Jacob was going to go spend the last 17 years of his life with all of his sons in the most fertile land of all the Nile Valley. He was going to be provided for. Jacob was about to walk into some of the best years of his life.
*****
Let's look in on another scene. Naomi has returned home from Moab. She's past menopause, in her 50s or 60s, so she can have no more children. Both of her sons and her husband have died. One daughter-in-law has returned to her homeland and she has only one family member left, another daughter-in-law, Ruth, who was a Gentile, born and brought up in a pagan land. Her Jewish friends in Bethlehem see her and say, "Is that Naomi?! She looks so old and tired. She has aged terribly through her trials and troubles." And Naomi says, "That's right. Don't call me 'Naomi' anymore. Call me 'Mara' because "the Lord has dealt very bitterly with me" (Ruth 1:20-21).
Ruth had a baby boy. "Naomi took the baby and held him in her arms, cuddling him, cooing over him, waiting on him hand and foot." (Ruth 4:16 MSG). Naomi had no idea that she was going to become the mother-in-law of the great-grandmother of King David. She was going to be in the lineage of the coming of the Messiah. She was going to be a main character in God's Word for all eternity.
I thank the Lord.
I like this part the psalmist added after describing Who God is for him: "...I lack nothing". (Ps 23:1). And I know how good it is to have a God Who is "A father to the fatherless",... (Ps 68:5).
I need to believe in God's characteristics to enjoy His real character! Above them all, God is LOVE! "Take some risks" today and genuinely believe in God's (only) goodness! I'm so sure of good things coming to you!
How should I love knowing that Judgement starts in the house of God?
In humble joy. Judgement is in the favor of the saints. If I’m privileged enough to be grafted into the family of God by the precious sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus. I’m overjoyed, yet humbled; knowing that there was nothing I could ever do to earn this great treasures elevation. So it’s my pleasure to share. (I also would have more patience with the saints) help me Lord to love my fellow Saints like you do.
Yesterday Maurice said: "The implication is that faith is more than just wishful thinking the impossible can happen." This was when Christ told His disciples their faith was lacking.
Great is God's faithfulness. Morning by morning new mercies we see. All we have needed God's hand has provided. Great is God's faithfulness, Lord unto us. Pardon of sin, peace that endures, God's presence to cheer and to guide. There's more, strengh for today and bright hope for tomorrow, blessings all ours with ten thousand beside.
I do believe that knowing this of God as we foster a relationship with Him day by day, getting to know God in the Word, with lament, pouring out our heart, supplication, praise for Him, joy of His goodness, pray for others, asking for His will be done in us, also asking for the Holy Spirit and many other things, including pardon from sin, strengthens our faith in Him, which is more than hope for the seemingly impossible.
"When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all."
Psalm 34:17-19 ESV
I do believe the righteous also includes those who have just turned to God for the 1st time. And all who have turned back to Him for the umpteenth time for forgiveness and peace, with a contrite spirit.
Amen! - John! 🙂
Sorry for this criticism. When stating a specific psalm, it’s written without the ‘s’. For example, Psalm 23, not Psalms 23.
Having stated that, I am enjoying the study of the psalms very much.
Thank-you Jeanie for the critical thinking. I tried both ways they both turned blue indicating that the spelling was right. Trying different ways to get the whole text to turn blue including the ESV. That way my ESV overrides the blogs defaulted NKJV. when Biblia is pulled up. I do believe when I put the whole text in the the computer program, it is not smart enough to pickup up verse 18 and 19. Disclaimer: my opinion only.
I started my thoughts with letting all be said by just saying “Amen” as my comment. But then, Ellen White’s statement caught my eye - it begins with: “The more we study the divine character in the light of the cross, ….. “ , and a question formed in my mind; what does ‘studying God’s divine character in light of the cross’ mean to me? How does God’s character find expression in the cross?
I ask myself: ‘how does God’s mercy, tenderness, and forgiveness blended with equity and justice’ manifest in my life as I carry my cross? And so it came that I am writing more than just the “Amen”!
I considered that unless we personalize the experiences we read about in the Psalms, we will remain untouched on a personal level. The psalmist’s experiences are our experiences, their doubt, faithfulness, and rejoicing are experienced in our own lives!
If we are ready to embrace our heavenly Father by loving Him unconditionally, if we are ready to experience the fullness of His justice mitigated by His Mercy and Grace, we need to let go of our deepest fears and doubts, giving Him all that we are, and trusting Him to set things right.
Jesus admonishes His followers to love God with all their heart and being, so fulfilling the Prophets and the Law through loving Him unreservedly. When we are ready to give Him all our filthy garments - willingly and without holding back -, He is freed to exchange our filthy garments and give us our new ones, white as snow, s we are hid in Christ and His righteousness!
After the learning takes place, one question remains: ‘Do we desire salvation more than silver and gold, does it represent the ‘pearl of great price’ to us - the most precious gift anyone alife here on earth could ever receive?
If yes, we rejoice in our salvation, continously loving our heavenly Father with all our heart and being and never looking back. If not, if we are still undecided, still holding back, we continue to struggle with life’s brambles asking: “where is God in my life?" – Matt.22:37; Rev.3:4; Rev.19:8; Psalm 132:9; 1Peter 1-10-20.
Thanks you all for sharing.Be blessed