Psalm 45
In the last number of years there have been several royal weddings, some of them having been televised for the world to see. The royal groom dressed in his military dress uniform adorned with plenty of gold braid and military medals. The future royal princess in her gorgeous wedding dress and veil, designed by the top fashion designers of the day. The day of a royal wedding is a special one, especially if one is lucky enough to be invited, or even just to be in town that day. Today’s psalm is about another royal wedding, one back in the days of ancient Israel. Let’s take a look at it, see why it was included in the Scriptures, and what God can teach us through it.
Psalm 45 was written for the King of Israel on the occasion of his wedding. The king was quite possibly King Solomon, and the occasion his wedding to the daughter of Pharaoh (I Kings 3:1). This psalm is also seen as a prophecy about Jesus Christ and His bride, the Church, which is the body of all true believers. We read of Christ’s royal wedding in the Book of Revelation 19:7-9.
As the psalm begins, the psalmist is overwhelmed with emotions over this royal wedding (vs. 1). He wants what he writes to paint a beautiful picture. The apostle John felt the same way when he witnessed the vision of the future wedding of Christ and the church. As glorious as any royal wedding here on earth may be, the one with Jesus and His bride is even more so. All of the angels and creatures in heaven will be rejoicing and praising God at the occasion of this great event.
In verses 2 - 5 the psalmist describes the royal groom. The king is described as handsome, and a great military man, girded with a sword and arrows, and riding astride a horse with majesty. When the Lord Jesus returns to claim His bride He will come as the King in great glory. When Jesus came to earth the first time, it was in humility. However, when He returns, it will be as the mighty King in glory. God has blessed Him forever (vs. 2).
The psalmist describes both the throne of the King of Israel, whose wedding is occurring, and also the throne of God. The king will reign until his death, and the people hope that his royal line will continue for a long time, but God’s throne and rule will go on forever. Verses 6 - 7 are fulfilled in Christ, and are quoted in the Book of Hebrews 1:8-9. When we willingly obey God, He rewards our obedience with the “oil of gladness”.
In the weddings of Western cultures, people usually focus on what the bride is wearing, not so much on the groom. However in the Eastern culture in Biblical times, the garments of the groom were also special. Our royal groom not only was dressed magnificently, but was scented with the most expensive odors of the East (vs. 8). His bride was a daughter of another king, possibly the daughter of Pharaoh who became Solomon’s bride. She is dressed as a royal bride, a queen should be, in gold and robes of many colors (vs. 9, 13-14). The psalmist gives some words to the royal bride. Now that she is becoming a member of the king’s family, she should forget her past and the family she left behind (vs. 10). The king loves her and thinks she is beautiful. She will be brought into the royal palace, and hopefully bear sons, who will be heirs to the throne (vs. 15-16).
All believers who have accepted the Lord Jesus as their Savior are the Bride of Christ. Jesus will return to claim His bride, bringing her to heaven, where the marriage ceremony of the Lamb will occur, as described in the Book of Revelation. The king provided his bride with royal garments. The Lord Jesus will clothe us with His righteousness, and we will be fit to become His Bride. We couldn’t on our own merit, but our Divine Bridegroom makes it possible when we take His righteousness at salvation. Our psalm, though initially written to describe the wedding of the king, prophetically describes the marriage of Jesus and the Church. Will you be present at this Royal wedding?
Acts 16:16-34
Standing at the grave of your little child. Watching your house burn to the ground. Losing your job when you have mounting bills. Watching your spouse walk out on you, never to return. Can anyone be expected to praise God in the midst of these or other various difficult blows? Sometimes it just seems impossible. In today’s Scripture reading from the Book of Acts we read of two men who did just that, praise God in the midst of some very terrible circumstances, and the result that happened when praise came against some of the worst that Satan dished out.
As our passage opens, Paul and Silas had come bringing the Gospel of Jesus to the northern Greek city of Philippi. They were walking through the city and a slave girl who was possessed by demons which had given her divination powers, followed them. She was calling out that they were messengers from God (vs. 16-18). This girl was a fortune teller in contact with evil, demonic spirits who gave her this power. God has very strictly forbidden involvement with fortune-telling and other occult activities (Leviticus 19:31; Leviticus 20:6; Deuteronomy 18:10-13; Galatians 5:19-21). Christians are to have nothing to do with such activities. Even though what she said about Paul and Silas was true, the source was still an evil spirit, a demon, and Paul would have nothing to do with that. He did not want to appear to link the Gospel with demon related activities. Truth and evil do not mix.
Paul cast this evil demon out of her, and when her masters saw that her occult abilities were gone they were furious. She couldn’t earn money for them, so they got the city leaders to arrest the two (vs. 19-24). They did not investigate the charges, conduct a proper hearing, or give Paul and Silas a chance to defend themselves, which Paul had a right to being a Roman citizen. They were illegally punished, since they had not been convicted of any crime. Instead they were severely beaten with rods, put in stocks, and chained in jail.
So what did these two do? Cry and moan in jail as to how unfair this was? Did they protest against God as to why He let this happen when they were doing His work? No, though chained in painful stocks, with their backs, arms and legs beaten raw from rods, they prayed and sang hymns and praises to God (vs. 25). They were not complaining or focusing on their circumstances. They set their hearts on God and all that He had done for them and through them in their ministry. What happened then? God heard their praises and responded. He caused an earthquake that shook the prison, causing their chains to become undone and the doors to fly open (vs. 26). The jailer was going to kill himself, as he was responsible for the prisoners, but Paul kept him from that (vs 27-28).
The jailer had heard these two prisoners pray and sing praises to God. He knew this was really strange, as every other prisoner he had known either cursed, cried, or moaned. These two praised God! And then he saw what happened! This was amazing! He wanted what they had, and asked the two what he must do to be saved. Paul and Silas didn’t hesitate to tell him the message of Jesus. The jailer brought them to his home, cared for their wounds, and allowed the two to witness to his family, as well (vs. 30-34).
Paul and Silas knew the power of praising God, even in dark times. They were thrown in prison after being beaten with rods. They were chained against the wall, bleeding and with wounds unattended. They were in prison, but not imprisoned in their hearts. They chose to praise God for who He is in spite of the circumstances. Then God moved in power! Thanksgiving and praise opens impossible doors and shakes loose chains.
Because of Paul and Silas giving praise, the jailer repented and was saved, being led to give his life to Jesus. Does our life and testimony, especially in the midst of difficulties, compel others to ask “What must I do to be saved?” Even in the worst situations, God is worthy of our praise. Because of their testimony, the jailer and his whole family were saved. They became some of the earliest members of the church in Philippi, the church that the Book of Philippians was written to. All because of praise in the midst of tribulation.
John 14:23-29
Our Gospel passage today from this week’s Lectionary continues with the teachings the Lord Jesus gave His disciples in the upper room the night before His arrest and crucifixion. There are four thoughts and truths that we find in this passage. Let’s take a look and see what the Lord might teach us.
The first thing the Lord Jesus says in our Scripture passage is that if we truly love Him, we will obey Him and keep His word (vs. 23-24). Those who want, and who have a close and intimate relationship with God, will show a willing, devoted, and joyful obedience to Him. In His extended teachings to the disciples that final night after the Last Supper, Jesus emphasized several times our need to be obedient to God’s commands (John 14:15, 21, 23-24; John 15:10, 12, 14). It is really hypocritical and false to say that we love God, yet just toss all of His commands and words behind our back. Our obedience to God shows our love for Him.
A second comforting truth that the Lord Jesus gave His disciples that last night, and to us as well, is found in verse 26. Jesus has promised that after He leaves He will send us the Holy Spirit. Here Jesus promises that the Holy Spirit will bring to our mind the words He has spoken. When we face difficult circumstances the Holy Spirit will bring to mind God’s Word to bring us strength, comfort and peace. When we are witnessing and speaking to the lost about the Lord, or perhaps some day brought before those who hate Jesus, maybe a government who opposes Christianity, we can depend on the Holy Spirit to give us the words to speak. However, He can’t really do that if we have never put the Bible in our mind to begin with. If it’s not there, if we don’t know what God’s Word says, if we have never read it, He can’t bring it to our mind. We need to be reading the Bible every day, meditating on its truths, and memorizing it.
Verse 26 is another Scripture verse where the Trinity is clearly shown. Jesus speaks of the Father, He speaks of Himself, the Son, and also of the Holy Spirit. They are all equal and all divine. The Holy Spirit brings to mind the Words of Jesus because they are one (I Corinthians 2:10-16). Each part of the Trinity is equal in their divine attributes. Yet each one relates to mankind in a different way because they each have a specific role in our life. We do not have three gods. We have one God expressed in three Persons, functioning uniquely and perfectly.
The fourth comforting thought and truth is found in verse 27, where Jesus promises to give us His peace. Peace is not just an absence of conflict, though that is a part of it. Peace is also confident assurance in any circumstance. With Jesus we have no need to fear the present or the future. If our life is full of stress and fear, allow the Holy Spirit to fill us with His peace. Believers can have peace in difficult troubles because of the peace the Holy Spirit brings us.
The peace that Jesus brings surpasses all comprehension (Philippians 4:7). It will keep us from fear and worry. It brings us right to Him. No matter what our circumstances are, the Lord will sustain and strengthen us with His peace if we turn to Him. When we become a believer the Holy Spirit then indwells us. We then have access to this peace, no matter how chaotic our lives may be externally.
Though God promises us peace, that doesn’t mean there will be no more problems or fearful events in our lives. If we remember, Jesus had the disciples cross the lake in a storm. He permits these storms in our lives so that we will turn to Him. When we do, He will bring peace in our souls. Our first response to troubling circumstances should be to call upon Jesus and to get into the Scriptures, reading and meditating upon them. Only the Lord Jesus can give us true peace. Praise the Lord Jesus that we have peace in Him, because we trust that He died for our sins.
Revelation 21:22 - 22:5
Many people can remember back to when they were children, and due to some act of disobedience, had a favorite possession or privilege taken away for awhile. The parent took a favorite toy away for awhile, TV privileges were taken away for a few days, or for teenagers the keys to the car were taken until they learned their lesson. How happy they are when they got their item back or privileges restored! In our Scripture passage for today from the Book of Revelation we read about something that God had to take from man, but will be restored in heaven. Let’s take a look and see what it is.
As our passage opens, the Apostle John continues to record his visions of heaven, and is now describing the New Jerusalem after the Millennium. There is no need for a temple in the eternal heaven, after the Millennium, since God Himself will be the temple in which everything exists (vs. 22). The presence of God will fill the entire new heaven and new earth. Another thing that one will notice in this heavenly city is that there is no sun or moon. We need the sun to give us light to see during the day, and a bright full moon gives a degree of light at night. However, in heaven we will not need that as the glory of God will illuminate it. Jesus, the Lamb of God, is the light. There was light in creation before God created the sun, moon, and stars (Genesis 1:3, 16). As John saw here, and proclaimed in one of his epistles, God is Light (I John 1:5).
As John continues to observe and describe this heavenly city he sees that although the redeemed consist of people from every nation and ethnic group (vs. 24), not everyone gets into heaven (vs. 25-27). Only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. It is very plain here that not all are saved, as some teach. John indicates that there are some outside of this heavenly city.
John continues into the heavenly city and comes upon a river with the water of life, and then sees the tree of life (vs. 1 - 2). The water of life symbolizes the continual flow of eternal life from God’s throne. Jesus used this image with the Samaritan woman in John 4:7 - 14. It pictures the fullness of a life with God, and the eternal blessings we receive when we are saved.
The tree of life hearkens back to the tree that was in the center of the Garden of Eden. If we remember, there were two trees in the center of that garden, the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God had instructed Adam not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:16 - 17). However he disobeyed (Genesis 3:6) and was cast out of the garden, and God blocked the way to the tree of life (Genesis 3:22 - 24). Now we see the tree of life again. Here it is now in the heavenly city. In heaven there is no sin, and we are now permitted to eat of its fruit freely. The curse that came upon mankind and the earth because of Adam’s sin will be totally finished. We are forgiven through the Blood of Jesus, and the tree of life is restored. Though taken from man at the dawn of time, it is now restored. The curse is over (vs. 3). Nothing accursed will be in God’s presence.
When we get to heaven all of our scars and deformities will be gone. There is Someone, though, who will have His scars remain. That is the Lord Jesus. The scars on His hands, feet, and side will remain throughout all of eternity. He received those scars to pay our sin-penalty. He received those when He died for us. Those are evidence of how much Jesus loves us, and that will remain for eternity.
Psalm 67
A nice, bright, sun-shiny face. Sometimes in the illustrations of children’s books we might see a picture of the sun with a smiley face. We feel that when the sun is smiling down on us, all is well. In our psalm for today we read of when God’s face shines down upon us. Let’s take a look at what we can learn from God’s Word.
We can often tell how a person feels about us by the look on their face. When a spouse or parent is upset with us, their face will show it. A young man or woman can tell if their sweetheart is happy or angry by the look on their face. When someone smiles at us, we are in their favor. They are likely happy and friendly with us. An employee dreads the look on the face of the boss when things are going bad in the office or factory. In former years, the look on the face of the king would show if someone was in favor or not. A bad look could signal doom to someone, whereas a good look could be a lifetime of blessings.
Our psalmist prays for the Lord to have mercy upon him, bless him, and to let His face to shine upon him (vs. 1). It is only through God’s mercy that His face will ever shine upon us. We certainly don’t deserve His attention or good will. Grace is when God gives us something that we don’t deserve. Mercy is when God holds back from giving us what we do deserve. We do not deserve any of the blessings He bestows upon us. What we deserve is the just punishment for our sins and His wrath. However, when we put our faith and trust in His Son, Jesus Christ, God gives us what we don’t deserve, and holds back from us what we do deserve. He gives us grace and mercy. He makes His face to shine upon us.
When something shines brightly we can see it from far away. People have used mirrors in the sun to shine a signal, often to let rescuers know where they are when lost and needing to be found. When the sun hits the water of a lake, it shimmers brightly. When sunlight hits the windows of a tall building just right, like the Sears Tower in Chicago near where I live, you can see the bright reflection like a blaze of light for quite a distance. A shining light can be a beacon of hope if there is danger, like what we find in a lighthouse. When we have Jesus in our hearts, God looks on us with His love and favor. He is there for us when we need a beacon in danger.
The remainder of this short psalm reminds us of the fulfillment of the Great Commission that Jesus gave His disciples in Matthew 28:18-20, where He told them to go to all nations, teaching them the Gospel. Verse 2 speaks of this very thing, that all nations will know of the salvation offered by God. Because of this, all peoples everywhere will praise God (vs. 3, 5). All that God does, and His dealings with mankind is righteous, and one day, possibly soon, He will come to judge all nations and rule this world (vs. 4). When we invite the Lord into our life, following His Word and His Son, then He will bless us (vs. 6 - 7).
Just as we wish to be in the good graces of our friends and loved ones, and hopefully our boss and those in authority over us, we can see how everyone would like to have God’s face to shine upon them. Let’s live our lives in a way that would please our Heavenly Father, and feel His love and mercy fall upon us like the welcoming beams of sunlight fall upon us.
Acts 14:8-18
Our reading today from the Book of Acts picks up shortly after where last week’s reading from Acts left off. Paul and Barnabas had been run out the cities of Antioch and Iconium in central Turkey for preaching the Gospel, and now have arrived in the village of Lystra, around 100 miles southeast of Antioch. The two did not let fear take control and keep them from fulfilling their commission. Nor did they succumb to discouragement and decide to quit and go on home. It was good that that they did not, as Timothy was from Lystra, and possibly came to faith in Christ during Paul’s first visit, though the two did not meet face to face until Paul’s second visit several years after today’s account.
As our passage begins, Paul was preaching a sermon and in the audience was a man who had been crippled from birth (vs. 8). He was listening intently to the message of Paul, which would have been about Jesus, how He was the Messiah, the Savior of mankind, and salvation through His Blood. This crippled man was paying attention, not thinking about how he would get home nor what he would have for dinner, and because he was listening, Paul’s preaching gave birth to faith in his heart (vs. 9). That faith began to grow the more he listened. As Paul later wrote in his letter to the Romans, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:17). If this man’s mind had been wandering all over the place, rather than paying attention, faith would not have been planted and had a chance to grow. Because he was listening, the seed of the Word of God was planted in this man’s heart and that seed of faith blossomed. As a result Paul discerned faith, and told him to arise and be healed in the Name of Jesus (vs. 9-10).
This man must have been rather well known in the community that he had been crippled all his life and unable to walk. Yet now he was leaping and walking all around! Word quickly spread through the village. Unfortunately instead of attributing this miracle to Jesus and giving praise to His Name, the people felt that Paul and Barnabas had done this miracle themselves, and were the human incarnation of the Greek gods Zeus and Hermes (vs. 11 - 13). In the ancient Greek religion, Zeus was the king of the gods, in addition to being the god of the sky and thunder. Hermes was another ancient Greek god, and was the messenger of the gods, and was the protector of roads and travelers. The people started to prepare to offer them sacrifices. Rather than accept the people’s accolades, Paul and Barnabas tried to stop them. How many well known preachers today, though, fall into this trap. Though people today are not inclined to call preachers Greek gods, preachers often let the praise from people go to their heads. When their book sales or TV ratings start to grow, when the world starts to sing their praises, then rather than humbly point the praises to Jesus, they start to get puffed up and strain themselves trying to pat themselves on the back. Paul and Barnabas would not hear of this. Our goal in serving God should never be hoping that people think well and great about us. Our goal should be in pointing and directing others to Jesus. People should not be looking at us. Rather, their focus should be on God.
The majority of the people in this crowd would have been from a pagan background and unfamiliar with the Old Testament Scriptures (the New Testament having yet to be written). Thus, when the crowds gathered together, calling them Zeus and Hermes, Paul didn’t start quoting Scripture to them. Instead, he used nature to point them to Yahweh, the one true living God (vs. 15 - 17). Though they did not have the benefit of Scriptures and the words of the prophets, they did have God’s creation to point to Him all throughout ages. This is true for people everywhere all throughout time. God has never been without some sort of testimony, even in areas where the Gospel has not been preached. God has a witness to Himself in nature that proclaims His goodness. His evidence in nature leaves people without excuse for unbelief. Paul wrote this same thing in Romans 1:18-20.
Some may think that Paul and Barnabas’ trip to Lystra ended disastrously, yet that wouldn’t really be the case. The crippled man came to faith, and was also miraculously healed. And as mentioned earlier, Lystra was where the early Christian leader Timothy was from, and it was on this visit of Paul’s when he possibly came to faith in Christ. If even one soul is saved, coming to faith in Jesus, the work is never in vain.
John 13:31-35
Often many people like to mark their things as belonging to them. Sometimes a label isn’t necessary as we know from association that certain items belong to one or another person. A parent knows that the sports equipment belongs to this child and the scientific material belongs to the other because of their interests and association. We know by their specific style the writings of a certain author. We can tell by the style, even without a label, the works of Rembrandt from that of Van Gogh, or that of Bach from Beethoven. In our reading today from John’s Gospel, Jesus stated that people should be able to tell that we are His disciples. Let’s see how we are to be identified as belonging to Jesus.
As our passage opens, the Last Supper has finished, and Jesus with His disciples are still lingering in the Upper Room, as He had some final words to convey to His followers. Judas Iscariot had left to go to Jesus’ enemies to betray Him. Jesus knows that He has only hours left before the crucifixion and His death. Rather than looking at the agony of the cross, Jesus looked past the cross, anticipating the glory that He would have with the Father when it was over (vs. 31-33). Naturally Jesus’ human nature would have dreaded the immense torture to come, but His eyes were focused on the glory that awaited Him following His obedience.
As Jesus continued to talk and teach His disciples, He spoke of a new commandment that He was giving them (vs. 34). What was this? The command He gave the eleven who sat around the table with Him was that they were to love one another, just as He has loved them. Though the command to love others is not entirely new, as it was contained in the Law Moses gave the people (Leviticus 19:18), Jesus gave a new standard. The love that Jesus is now telling His believers to have for each other is to mirror the love that He has for us. This love is to be a sacrificial love.
How does Jesus love us? He loved us so much that He gave His life to pay the price for our sins by dying upon the cross of Calvary. Jesus loved us enough to forgive us all of our sins that we have committed when we come to Him, accepting Him as our Savior. We are to love others based on Jesus’ sacrificial love for us. Such love should draw unbelievers to seek to come to Christ. In the days of the very early church the love that believers had for one another was very evident to the lost world of the Roman Empire. In a day when life was hostile and cruel, people saw this amazing love, a love that was sacrificial, a love that sometimes risked life for others, that often gave all that one had. This was something that was very strange and alien, and it did indeed draw many to find out more about Jesus. This love should keep us strong and united in a world that is hostile to God. We are to be living examples of Jesus’ love, just as He was the examples of God’s love.
Love is to be the distinguishing characteristic of Jesus’ disciples (vs. 35). People wonder how they can love this or that person when they did such terrible things to them. We can’t do it on our own. It is something that is produced by the transforming power of the Holy Spirit which believers receive when they accept Jesus as their Savior. Our love for others should show itself in more than just a word and a pat on the back or hug at church. Love is an attitude that reveals itself in action - helping, giving, looking to other’s welfare rather than one’s own, taking hurts rather than fighting back.
The unsaved world will not know that we are Jesus’ disciples through the correct doctrine we follow. Nor will they know we follow Him through the big, magnificent churches we build. Jesus, Himself, said that the world will know that we believe and follow Him by our love for one another.
