Closer Day By Day

Today, we end with a Psalm from Book Two of the Psalms and move into Book Three.

Psalms are just like the hymns we sing.  Some of them are congregational psalms while others are personal - where the psalmist will express his most intimate thoughts and desires to God.  We shall see an example of both today.

Bible Passage:  Psalm 74-76

Psalm 72 is a congregational psalm that celebrates the zenith of Israel’s kingdom under Solomon.  During those times, justice and righteousness prevail and Israel was the dominant country in that region, with the people living in prosperity.  God is worshipped and feared - not just by the people of Israel but also the people around.

However, when you read this Psalm, one can’t help but also think that it also is a prophetic psalm that refers to Jesus, the coming Messiah - the King of Kings and Lord of Lords!

Indeed, the king hailed in this chapter is highly idealized and no king could possibly live up to the profile of a great king described by the psalmist here.  Just see what are some of the attributes described…

• He will bring justice to the poor
• He will bring peace throughout the land
• He will save the children of the needy
• He will end political oppression
• He will bring abundance and prosperity to the country
• His kingdom is worldwide and will last forever

Only one ruler can ever match this… that is Jesus - the “Lord God, the God of Israel” (Psalm 72:18).

If We Were King…

Have you ever wondered what would it be like if you were a king? I certainly did when I was a young boy.

Imagine all the power and authority.  Imagine having all those servants and soldiers at your beck and call.  Imagine having all the wealth of the nation at your disposal…

What would you do with it all?

Psalm 72:11

Yes, all kings shall fall down before Him;
All nations shall serve Him.

The psalmist recognized that if the king of Israel served the Lord and ruled with integrity, other rulers would follow suit and fall down before Him and serve God.

This reminded me of some snippets of the lesson on Deuteronomy I heard during the Youth Theological Seminar.

Preacher AQ mentioned that the kings were expected to do 3 things - read the scriptures, recite it in public and then to do what is required.  Take a look at Deut 17:18-20…

¹⁸ “Also it shall be, when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write for himself a copy of this law in a book, from the one before the priests, the Levites. ¹⁹ And it shall be with him, and he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the LORD his God and be careful to observe all the words of this law and these statutes, ²⁰ that his heart may not be lifted above his brethren, that he may not turn aside from the commandment to the right hand or to the left, and that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he and his children in the midst of Israel.

And since we are to rule with Jesus - we who are also kings must also do the very thing that is required.

This is very similar to Ezra’s resolution (although the order is slightly different) …

For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the Law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel.

Ezra 7:10

But it tells me something consistently.  We must be prepared to know God’s Words and the only way to do it is by applying some effort in the reading and remembering of His Words.

But it must not stop there.  There is also the need for us to teach others God’s Words as well as to actually do God’s Words in our daily lives.

And in that way - we can draw and lead people to God - very much like how the psalmist describes that other kings and nations will bow down in worship and serve our God as well.

Personal example is very important and I can only pray that this is one lesson I can continue to learn and put into action all the rest of my days.

Psalm 73 is an example of a personal psalm.  It marks the start of Book 3 and is one of the 12 psalms attributed to Asaph.

Asaph was writing about his own personal experience that may echo the experiences of many of us.  We follow God but in our lives, we meet with various trials and troubles.  But somehow, we are surrounded by people who do not care about God but seems to grow more powerful and prosperous each day.

What is going on?

Brother Nicholas gave a sermon on this Psalm a couple of months back and it was an excellent sermon that touched on this quandary that many of us face.

There is so much to say about this Psalm that I am hesistant to start writing about it so I thought that I would just state the conclusion of it all…

The fear of the Lord is still the best policy!

But it is good for me to draw near to God;
I have put my trust in the Lord GOD,
That I may declare all Your works.

Psalm 73:28

Yes!  Despite all the unfairness that seems to be happening around us and the wicked seem to prosper while we suffer, we must continue to trust in the Lord.

And the only way for us to make sense of it all is if we choose to draw near to God and come to His sanctuary (Psalm 73:16-17).

Happy Father’s Day!

A sister wished me happy Father’s Day yesterday in advanced.  And she was wondering why there was no celebrations for fathers on their day.

Hmmm…. I am wondering too

But I would like to take this opportunity to wish every father out there “Blessed Father’s Day!”.  And as we enjoy the day, let us remember “How Deep The Father’s Love for Us” and that it is His love for us that inspires us and encourages us to have the same love for our children too.