Psalm 102, especially the references to Jerusalem, could have been written today. We don’t know the name of the person who wrote this Psalm, but the author calls himself “one overwhelmed with trouble, pouring out problems before the Lord. We also know that he is in a time of distress and wants the Lord to bend down to listen and answer him quickly. He has lost his appetite and not only is his heart sick, but he has lost so much weight, he has been reduced to skin and bones. He’s lonely and his enemies are taunting, mocking and cursing him. His life is passing quickly and he is withering away.
He does know, though, that the Lord will sit on his throne forever and that the Lord will have mercy on Jerusalem for he has promised to help. Although it doesn’t seem that way now, “the nations will tremble before the Lord” and the Lord will rebuild Jerusalem. The writer sees that the Lord will appear in his glory and listen to the prayers of the destitute. These must be very comforting to the Jews who live in danger of having rockets land on their heads. He also knows that God is always the same. He speaks of a time when the children of God’s people and their children’s children will live in security and thrive in God’s presence.
Psalm 103 is a Psalm of David and might well be titled: “Why I Praise the Lord.” Briefly, these reasons include:
- The good things He does for me
- He forgives all my sins
- He heals all my diseases
- He redeems me from death
- He crowns me with love and, not just mercies, but tender mercies
- He fills my life with good things
- He renews our youth like the eagle’s
- The Lord gives righteousness and justice to all who are treated unfairly
- He revealed His character to Moses and His deeds to the people of Israel
- He is compassionate and merciful
- He is slow to anger and filled with unfailing love
- He will not constantly accuse us nor remain angry forever
- He does not punish us for all our sins
- He does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve
- His unfailing love toward those who fear Him is as great as the height of the heavens
- He has removed our sins from us as far as the east is from the west
- He is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear Him
- He knows how weak we are and remembers that we are like dust
- His love remains forever with those who fear Him
- His salvation extends to the children’s children of those who are faithful to His covenant, of those who obey His commandments
- He has made the heavens His throne and rules everything from there
Did David know the Lord, or what?
Psalm 104 is another long list of reasons we should praise the Lord, basically that He takes care of the earth and those creatures that inhabit it. In verse 18, he mentions that “the rocks form a refuge for the hyraxes.” I had no idea what a hyrax was, but did find a picture of one in Wikipedia:
“Let all that I am praise the Lord. Praise the Lord.”
Tomorrow, it’s II Samuel 5:1-10 and I Chronicles 11 – 12.
Until next time…
No comments:
Post a Comment