SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 12/10/2012
8:38:33 AM
My Worship Time Focus: Psalm 147
PT-1
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Psalm 147:1-6
Message of
the verses: We will begin looking at Psalm 147 in the way
that we have been looking at most of the psalms by first looking at several introductory
comments from several different Bible Commentators in order to better
understand what this psalm is all about, in order to be able to put into
practice the teachings of it.
“This is another psalm of praise. Some think it was
penned after the return of the Jews from their captivity; but it is so much of
a piece with Psalm 145 that I rather think it was penned by David, and what is
said #Ps 147:2,13 may well enough be applied to the first building and
fortifying of Jerusalem in his time, and the gathering in of those that had
been out-casts in Saul’s time. The Septuagint divides it into two; and we may
divide it into the first and second part, but both of the same import.
I. We are called upon to praise God, #Ps
147:1,7,12.
II. We are furnished with matter for praise,
for God is to be glorified,
1. As the God of nature,
and so he is very great, #Ps 147:4-5,8-9,15-18.
2. As the God of grace,
comforting his people, #Ps 147:3,6,10,11.
3. As the God of Israel,
Jerusalem, and Zion, settling their civil state #Ps 147:2,13,14, and especially
settling religion among them, #Ps 147:19,20.
It is easy, in singing this psalm, to apply
it to ourselves, both as to personal and national mercies, were it but as easy
to do so with suitable affections.”
(Matthew Henry)
“Subject: This is a specially remarkable song. In it the
greatness and the condescending goodness of the Lord are celebrated The God of
Israel is set forth in his peculiarity of glory as caring for the sorrowing,
the insignificant, and forgotten. The poet finds a singular joy in extolling
one who is so singularly gracious. It is a Psalm of the city and of the field,
of the first and the second creations, of the common wealth and of the church.
It is good and pleasant throughout.
“Division:
The, song appears to divide itself into three portions. From #Ps 147:1-6,
Jehovah is extolled for building up Zion, and blessing his mourners; from #Ps
147:7-11, the like praise is given because of his provision for the lowly, and his pleasure in them; and
then, from #Ps 147:12-20, he is magnified for his work on behalf of his people,
and the power of his word in nature and in grace. Let it be studied with joyful
gratitude.” (Charles H. Spurgeon)
“When
Nehemiah and his people finished rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, restoring
the gates, and resettling the people, they called a great assembly for
celebration and dedication, and it is likely that this psalm was written for
that occasion (vv. 2, 12-114; Neh. 12:27-43).
The verb ‘gather together’ in verse 2 is used in Ezekiel 39:28 for the
return of the captives to Judah, and the word ‘outcast’ in verse 2 is used for
these exiles (Neh. 1:9). One of the
unique characteristics of this psalm is the large number of present participles
in it—‘building, healing, binding, counting, lifting up,’ and so on—all of
which speak of the constant and dynamic working of the Lord for His
people. The psalm presents three reasons
why the people should praise the Lord, and each section is marked off by the
command to praise God (vv. 1, 7 and 12).”
(Warren Wiersbe)
Praise the Lord—His People Have
Been Restored (vv 1-6): “1 ¶ Praise
the LORD! For it is good to sing praises to our God; For it is pleasant and
praise is becoming. 2 The LORD builds up
Jerusalem; He gathers the outcasts of Israel. 3
He heals the brokenhearted And binds up their wounds. 4 He counts the number of the stars; He gives
names to all of them. 5 Great is our
Lord and abundant in strength; His understanding is infinite. 6 The LORD supports the afflicted; He brings
down the wicked to the ground.”
As
we looked at the introductions from different commentators and even several that
I did not include we saw a difference of opinion as to when and even who penned
this psalm. Some thought that it was
David and the time was when the first temple was being built. Others though that it was during the time
when the captives from Israel returned their land which was decreed by Cyrus in
537 B.C., and Isaiah the prophet prophesied
of this event by even giving the name of Cyrus in chapters 44-45 of his
book. Jeremiah also spoke of this return
and even gives the length of stay in chapters 25 and 29 of his book. After my brief look at this psalm and the
different commentators that I have read I have come to the conclusion that the
psalm was written after the Jews returned to Jerusalem from their captivity in
Babylon.
As
we look at the event of the Jews returning to Israel we know that this event was
a very emotional event for them, and the psalmist captures the emotion of those
who had returned. Some of those who
returned were old enough to remember being captured by the Babylonians and the
cruel treatment that they received both in Jerusalem and then in Babylon. They had all lost friends and family members
too during this time. We see that the psalmist
shows the tenderness of God in dealing with these people, “He heals the
brokenhearted And binds up their wounds.”
We
also see the greatness of our God in this section of Psalm 147: “4 He counts the number of the stars; He gives
names to all of them. 5 Great is our Lord and abundant in strength; His
understanding is infinite.” We see here
not only the power, but also the understanding of our God and for that we
surely can praise Him.
Spiritual meaning for my life today: Every
morning before I begin to write to my Spiritual Diary I try to have a prayer
time with the Lord, and in this time of prayer I first ask the Lord to search
my heart for any hidden sins and also confess sins that I know that I have
committed. I feel that this is necessary
in order to have a sweet fellowship with the Lord. Next I praise the Lord for His attributes,
including His holiness, goodness, compassion, His being all powerful, all wise,
all knowing, and the fact that He is everywhere. Love and justice are the last two attributes
that I praise the Lord for. I also pray
for other matters like praying that the Lord will open my heart and mind to
understand from His Word, and pray that the Lord will use my Spiritual Diary as
it goes onto my blog to bring honor and glory to the Lord. As we look at this portion of this psalm we
see different attributes of our Lord, as we see His power and also His
compassion two aspects of His character that are worthy of our praise.
My Steps of Faith for Today: Praise the Lord for who He is, continue to
learn contentment, and continue to study the Word of God in order to have my
mind transformed by His Word so that I am more and more conformed to the image
of my Lord.
Memory verses for the
week: Psalm 130:1-8
1 Out of the depths I have cried to You, O LORD. 2 Lord,
hear my voice! Let Your ears be attentive To the voice of my supplications. 3
If You, LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? 4 But there is forgiveness with You, That You
may be feared.
5 I wait for the LORD, my soul does wait,
And in His word do I hope. 6 My soul waits for the Lord More than the watchmen
for the morning; Indeed, more than the watchmen for the morning. 7 O Israel,
hope in the LORD; For with the LORD there is lovingkindness, And with Him is
abundant redemption. 8 And He will redeem Israel From all his iniquities. 12/10/2012 9:27:03 AM
No comments:
Post a Comment