SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 8/15/2012 9:42:44 AM
My Worship Time Focus: Psalm 114 PT-1
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Psalm 114:1
Message of the verses: We will begin to look at the 114th
Psalm in Today’s SD by looking at several introductions from different Bible
Commentators.
“This
psalm is the one most explicitly related to the Exodus (Ex. 12-14). It recounts God’s response to a captive
nation (Israel in Egypt) in order to honor His promises in the Abrahamic
Covenant (Gen 28:13-17) given to Jacob (cf. 114:1, ‘The house of Jacob’, 114:7,
‘the God of Jacob’).” (The John
MacArthur Study Bible)
“In
beautiful poetic language, this psalm describes Israel’s exodus from Egypt, God’s
provision for their journey, their entrance into the Promised Land, and their
conquest of their enemies. The psalmist
used striking poetic metaphors to teach history and theology, and this approach
reaches the imagination and stirs the heart.
When Jewish families sing this psalm at Passover, it must be very
meaningful to them. But the psalm is
about God and reveals His gracious relationship to His own people.” (Warren Wiersbe)
This
sublime SONG OF THE EXODUS is one and indivisible. True poetry has here reached
its climax: no human mind has ever been able to equal, much less to excel, the
grandeur of this Psalm. God is spoken of as leading forth his people from Egypt
to Canaan, and causing the whole earth to be moved at his coming. Things
inanimate are represented as imitating the actions of living creatures when the
Lord passes by. They are apostrophized and questioned with marvelous force of
language, till one seems to look upon the actual scene. The God of Jacob is
exalted as having command over river, sea, and mountain, and causing all nature
to pay homage and tribute before his glorious majesty.” (Charles H. Spurgeon)
God Is for Us (v. 1): “1 ¶
When Israel went forth from Egypt, The house of Jacob from a people of
strange language.”
The story of the Israel’s exodus
from Egypt is mentioned in many of the psalms, and the reason for this is that
this was Israel’s national birthday. As
mentioned in one of the introductions God had prophesied in the book of Genesis
to Abraham that this was going to happen to his family. In Genesis chapter fifteen where God is
confirming His covenant with Abraham with the blood of different animals He
tells Abraham, “"Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers
in a land that is not theirs, where they will be enslaved and oppressed four
hundred years. 14 "But I will also
judge the nation whom they will serve, and afterward they will come out with
many possessions.” This is preciously the
way that it happened, for this was God’s plan for Abraham’s offspring. However Abraham also has a spiritual
offspring and I want to quote from Dr. Wiersbe’s commentary on how the Exodus
speaks to us as well as it did to the children of Israel. “In terms of ‘biblical geography,’ Egypt
represents the world and the bondage of the sinner to its evil forces
(Ephesians 2:1-3 ‘1 ¶ And you were dead
in your trespasses and sins, 2 in which
you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the
prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons
of disobedience. 3 Among them we too all
formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh
and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.’) It was the blood of the lamb applied to the
doors that protected the Jewish firstborn from death, just as the blood of
Christ, God’s Lamb, saves us from sin and death. God’s power in opening the Red Sea liberated
Israel and separated them from their cruel taskmasters. This is a picture of the resurrection of
Christ and the believer’s participation in it (Ephesians 2:4-10 ‘4 ¶ But God, being rich in mercy, because of His
great love with which He loved us, 5
even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together
with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6
and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places
in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the ages
to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us
in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have
been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
9 not as a result of works, so that no
one may boast. 10 For we are His
workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared
beforehand so that we would walk in them.’)”
So just like Israel we as believers have a heritage in the Exodus
also.
Spiritual meaning for my life today: When I look at the verses that were quoted
from Genesis fifteen and then look at Ephesians 2:10 I see that just as God had
a plan for the offspring of Abraham, He also has a plan for me, and just as He
fulfilled the plan for the children of Israel I can have faith in Him to
fulfill the plan that He has for me too.
We serve an all knowing God who knows the beginning from the end.
My Steps of Faith for
Today: I desire to remain (abide) in
the Vine, to stay in the Word of God so that I can understand the plans that the
Lord has for me to do for the glory of His Son.
Memory verses for the week:
2Peter 1:8-10
8 For if
these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless
nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For he who lacks these qualities is blind
or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins. 10 Therefore,
brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and
choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble.
8/15/2012 10:23:31 AM
No comments:
Post a Comment