God Has Not Left Us Empty-Handed

Meditations on Christ in the Psalms

 January 31, 2023

God Has Not Left Us Empty-Handed

Just as the mountains surround Jerusalem,

    so the Lord surrounds his people, both now and forever.

Psalm 125:2

A syndicated columnist recently lamented the vestiges of latent and sometimes overt racism still prevalent in many sections of our country. The columnist mused about various causes and solutions, but in the end wondered if things would ever be different. If asked, I would suggest the columnist read Psalm 125.

About three hundred years ago, there was a seismic shift in worldview. The birthing of the scientific and industrial age was also the birthing of the Age of Enlightenment. The moral foundation of nations shifted from the Bible to government. Society would now advance and improve through good government and good education, leading to good habits. Many of the churches of that time were corrupt, and thus, a Bible-based worldview was vulnerable to challenge.

The fatal flaw in their new philosophy was that the foundation they built on was shifting sand. They replaced Godly moral absolutes with a new morality defined by whoever may hold the power. I can imagine the promoters of this failed worldview excusing their choice with the classic line, “It seemed like a good idea at the time.” If they had looked, perhaps they would have discovered the timeless truth of scripture: “There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death” (Proverbs 14:12). The Apostle Paul warned his student Timothy of such dangers: “For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. They will reject the truth and chase after myths” (2 Timothy 4: 3-4).

When the psalmist proclaims, “The wicked will not rule the land of the godly” (v. 3a), we remember the Kingdom of God now rests in the hearts of God’s people. We do face the forces of evil in our times; however, God has not left us unattended or empty-handed. God has provided all the armor and weapons we need. (See Ephesians 6) Therefore, we can rest in the sure promises of our God,

My Takeaway:

“Those who trust in the Lord are as secure as Mount Zion;

    they will not be defeated but will endure forever.”

Psalm 125:1

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2023 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

If It Had Not Been the Lord

Meditations on Christ in the Psalms

January 30, 2023

If It Had Not Been the Lord

Our help is from the Lord,

    who made heaven and earth.

Psalm 124:8

Psalm 124 is an extension of the prayer of Psalm 123. In the preceding psalm, the prayer asked God to act on behalf of Israel. In Psalm 124, the psalmist responds to God answering Israel’s prayers, “If it had not been the Lord who was on our side” we would have been destroyed. “Blessed be the Lord, who has not given us as prey. . . Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth (v. 1, 6, 8 NRSV).

As we seek the life in Christ as our way of life, Psalm 124 reminds us that because “our help is in the name of the Lord,” we “can do everything through Christ, who gives (us) strength” (Philippians 4:13). When it seems we may be overwhelmed, because “our help is in the name of the Lord,” we rejoice in the truth that “the temptations in (our) life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than (we) can stand. When (we) are tempted, he will show (us) a way out so that (we) can endure” (1 Corinthians 10:13).

My Takeaway:

“If it had not been the Lord who was on our side. . . ”

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2023 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

I Lift My Eyes to You

Meditations on Christ in the Psalms

January 27, 2023

I Lift My Eyes to You

“I lift my eyes to you,

    O God, enthroned in heaven.

We keep looking to the Lord our God for his mercy,

Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy,”

Psalm 123: 1-2a, 3a

Psalm 123 is a prayer for our journey as we seek the life in Christ as our way of life. Seeking the Life in Christ as our way of life is a process of becoming what we already are. The Apostle Paul proclaimed our new life in Christ to the church in Corinth, “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). In this new life, today, we are in a right relationship with our Heavenly Father because, “God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:21). We are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus!

In this new life, we are living in Christ, between his coming in the flesh as Emmanuel, and his coming again in glory as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. We are learning to crucify our flesh, to unlearn our old way of living and fully embrace our transformation. “And so we are transfigured much like the Messiah, our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him” (2 Corinthians 3:18 The Message).

Even though we are new creatures in Christ, we still live in a fallen world that does not worship our God. We still are tempted by the evil one, the enemy of God, to sin. Our mission is to live “so that the life of Jesus may be made visible in our mortal flesh” (2 Corinthians 4:11 NRSV). In the times when we feel faint, when we are struggling on our way, Psalm 123 can help us pray and stay on the path to scriptural holiness.

My Takeaway:

“I lift my eyes to you,

    O God, enthroned in heaven.

We keep looking to the Lord our God for his mercy,

Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy,”

Psalm 123: 1-2a, 3a

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2023 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The New Jerusalem

Meditations on Christ in the Psalms

January 26, 2023

The New Jerusalem

“I was glad when they said to me,

    “Let us go to the house of the Lord.”

And now here we are,

    standing inside your gates, O Jerusalem.”

Psalm 122:1-2

As I read these opening lines in Psalm 122, I was remembering standing on the steps leading to the wall around the Old City of Jerusalem. A short time later our group walked to the Western Wall to pray. The Wailing Wall, as it is commonly called, is all that remains of the second Temple. The remains of the first Temple, King Solomon’s Temple, lie in ruins under the Dome of the Rock, just on the other side of the wall. For almost nineteen hundred years, Jerusalem was controlled by other nations, and the Jews were forbidden to go to the Western Wall. When control of the Old City of Jerusalem was won by Israel in 1967, at the end of the Six Day War, the celebration in Jerusalem was befitting the coming of the Messiah. Such is the love of the Jews for the Holy City of Jerusalem. When you arrive at the airport in Tel Aviv, you are greeted by a huge banner, “Welcome Home.” The sign could just as easily read, “Welcome Pilgrims on the way to Jerusalem.”

The psalmist longed for peace in Jerusalem. The bitter divide between Arabs and Jews remains today, accompanied by Christians fighting over their various holy sites. The psalmist calls upon the people to pray for peace and prosperity in Jerusalem. I hope all Christians will respond to the call of the psalmist, because I do not believe it is hyperbole to say that, if there were peace in Jerusalem, there would be peace in the world. Also, pray for peace in Jerusalem because one day all believers will be coming home to Jerusalem.

My Takeaway:

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. And I saw the holy city, the New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever” (Revelation 21: 1-4)

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2023 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

From Whence Does My Help Come?

Meditations on Christ in the Psalms

January 25, 2023

From Whence Does My Help Come?

“I look up to the mountains— does my help come from there? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth!”

Psalm 121:1-2

In the opening two verses, the psalmist sets the theme of this psalm: he needs help, and his help is coming from God alone. The psalmist makes his case by asking a rhetorical question. His question contrasted his belief in the LORD to the worshippers of the god Baal who believed Baal lived in the mountains. The psalmist is saying the Baal worshippers may look to the hills for help, but he will look to the Creator of heaven and earth who made the mountains.

The psalmist then affirms that his Lord is stronger than nature, evil, and even death. The psalmist isn’t saying these adversaries cannot affect our lives; he is saying that ultimately, nothing is stronger than the Eternal God. The tone of this psalm is very similar to the great affirmation the Apostle Paul made in Romans 8:38-39,

“And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

My Takeaway: I believe we will all come to a place in our life when we will confront the question, “From whence does my help come?” Can we, like the psalmist, and the Apostle Paul, rest in the assurance that our help comes from the Lord?

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2023 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

I Took My Troubles to the Lord

Meditations on Christ in the Psalms

January 24, 2023

I Took My Troubles to the Lord

“I took my troubles to the Lord;

   I cried out to him, and he answered my prayer.”

Psalm 120:1

The next fifteen psalms, 120-134, are in a group titled, “A Song of Ascents.” Some translations may render the title, “A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem.” These psalms may refer to the three pilgrimages the Jews were required to make to Jerusalem: Passover, Shavuot (Pentecost), and Sukkot. All three are related to the Exodus: Passover – the beginning of their exodus from Egypt; Shavuot – God giving Moses the Ten Commandments; and Sukkot, Festival of Booths – remembering the Israelites wandering in the desert and living in tents. (See Exodus 34:24) However, I believe they also relate to a spiritual ascent to God, as the psalms are calling Israel to return to their faith and trust in God.

Psalm 120 is a lament of the psalmist who is living in corrupt times. There are certainly many parallels in the psalm to this present age. There is an old joke that asks how you can tell if a politician is lying; they move their lips. A bit cynical, but very close to reality, as truth in politics or the media is a very rare commodity.

My Takeaway: If there is only one thing you can take away from this psalm, let it be,

“I took my troubles to the Lord;

   I cried out to him, and he answered my prayer.”

Psalm 120:1

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2023 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

 

God’s Realm of Amazing Grace

Meditations on Christ in the Psalms

January 23, 2023

God’s Realm of Amazing Grace

O Lord, listen to my cry;

    give me the discerning mind you promised.

Listen to my prayer;

    rescue me as you promised.

Psalm 119:169-170

First, let’s look at the structure of Psalm 119. “This psalm is a Hebrew acrostic poem; there are twenty-two stanzas, one for each successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Each of the eight verses within each stanza begins with the Hebrew letter named in its heading.” (Footnote 119:1 NLT) There are 176 verses in this psalm and at least 176 times the psalmist refers to God’s law, instructions, commandments, decrees, regulations etc.

The psalmist’ motivation is revealed in verse 45: “I will walk in freedom, for I have devoted myself to your commandments.” This is indeed a noble pursuit for the psalmist; however, it is a futile pursuit as the Apostle Paul, in Romans 7:21-25, describes our futile struggle to please God by keeping the law. The Good News is that Jesus has ended “the system of law with its commandments and regulations” (Ephesians 2:14-16). (See also Romans 7:6)

However, freedom is hard work. It is much easier to have a check list and measure your progress in obeying the rules. The problem is, from God’s perspective, we will never adequately obey the rules. Therefore, He set us free; but God, while setting us free, did not lower His expectations for us. He most assuredly wants us to pursue scriptural holiness. The good news is that in God’s grace we are not left to try and do this in our own strength. He makes it possible for us to achieve His good pleasure: “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him” (Philippians 2:13). In God’s realm of amazing grace, we have been freed from having to work to please God, to pursue a new life where God is personally present with us:

“And when God is personally present, a living Spirit, that old, constricting legislation is recognized as obsolete. We’re free of it! All of us! Nothing between us and God, our faces shining with the brightness of his face. And so we are transfigured much like the Messiah, our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him” (2 Corinthians 3:16-18 The Message).

My Takeaway: In our new life, our mission is to learn to love God’s law, not as something we have to do; but something we get to do.                                                                

“For freedom Christ has set us free.

   Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.”

Galatians 5:1 (NRSV)

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2023 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Forever Forever Forever

Meditations on Christ in the Psalms

January 20, 2023

Forever Forever Forever

You are my God, and I will praise you!

    You are my God, and I will exalt you!

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!

    His faithful love endures forever.

Psalm 118:28-29

I love the music of Chris Tomlin because his songs incorporate the beautiful prose of the Scriptures. In our first summer living in the Blue Ridge Mountains, on a beautiful moonlit night, Cheryl and I attended an outdoor worship service at the Biltmore Estate. In the service, Chris led us in singing this song of praise, born from Psalm 118,

Forever God is faithful
Forever God is strong
Forever God is with us
Forever  Forever Forever

Much of Psalm 118 has been included in worship liturgies, especially on Easter Sunday. When the women returned to the disciples and announced they had seen the Lord (Matthew 28), the response of the disciples could well have been,

 “O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;

   his steadfast love endures for ever!

 Let Israel say,

   ‘His steadfast love endures for ever.’

 Let the house of Aaron say,

   ‘His steadfast love endures for ever.’

 Let those who fear the Lord say,

   ‘His steadfast love endures for ever.’”

Psalm 118:1-4 (NRSV)

Jesus quoted verse 22 in his parable of the Tenants, “The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone” (Mark 12:10). The Apostle Peter also quoted this verse in his defense, as he and John were brought before the Jewish Council. (Acts 4)

Verse 26, “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord” was proclaimed by the people as Jesus made his triumphal entry into Jerusalem (Mark 11:9) and is now included in the liturgy for the sacrament of Holy Communion.

When Jesus appeared before the disciples on the Road to Emmaus, I can see him quoting portions of Psalm 118:15-18, 21-23 as he “explained from all the Scriptures the things concerning himself” (Luke 24:27).

Because of the references to Jesus throughout this Psalm, the church, as she gathers on The Lord’s Day, proclaims, “This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24).

My Takeaway: Thomas proclaimed “My Lord and my God!” when the Lord appeared to him. (John 20:28) Ultimately, this is the response all disciples will make,

“You are my God, and I will give thanks to you;

   you are my God, I will extol you.

 O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,

   for his steadfast love endures for ever.”

Psalm 118:28-29 (NRSV)

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2023 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

For You Are All One In Christ Jesus

Meditations on Christ in the Psalms

January 19, 2023

For You Are All One In Christ Jesus

Praise the Lord, all you nations.

    Praise him, all you people of the earth.

Psalm 117:1

Psalm 117 is very short; only two verses. Yet it is incredibly profound in its truth. First, a bit of context will help us appreciate the power of this psalm.

When sin entered God’s creation, God began a plan of redemption, a way of restoring His creation to Paradise. Abraham was called by God to be set apart, to be the first of God’s people in His plan of redemption. However, God’s plan of redemption was for all creation, not just the Israelites. Isaiah’s prophesy of God’s Messiah says, “You will do more than restore the people of Israel to me. I will make you a light to the Gentiles, and you will bring my salvation to the ends of the earth” (Isaiah 49:6).

Jesus, God’s Messiah, affirmed this prophesy when he said, “And I tell you this, that many Gentiles will come from all over the world—from east and west—and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the feast in the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 8:11).

The Apostle Paul affirmed this prophesy for the New Covenant church when he wrote, “For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us… He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people from the two groups. Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death on the cross, . . .” (Ephesians 2:14-16).

I believe the greatest mission of the church today is to fully embrace God’s vision of redemption and live by the truth of God: “There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you” (Galatians 3:28-29).

My Takeaway: When we live this way, we’ll join the psalmist in praising God,

“Praise the Lord, all you nations.

    Praise him, all you people of the earth.

For he loves us with unfailing love;

    the Lord’s faithfulness endures forever.

Praise the Lord!”

Psalm 117 

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2023 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Good Counsel for Every Day of Our Lives

Meditations on Christ in the Psalms

January 18, 2023

Good Counsel for Every Day of Our Lives

“Precious in the sight of the Lord

   is the death of his faithful ones.”

Psalm 116:15 (NRSV)

When I was serving as a pastor, I often included Psalm 116 in funerals and memorial services. As I noted in my mediation for Psalm 115, God is not limited to just our mortal lives to fulfill His promises. From God’s eternal perspective, through our mortal death, He gives us rest from our sufferings, our labor and for some, the weariness of long lives. Eternal life is life uninterrupted by death:

“Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled:

“Death is swallowed up in victory.

 O death, where is your victory?

    O death, where is your sting?”

1 Corinthians 15:54-55

Psalm 116 is also a psalm for the living. The psalmist had a near death encounter and is giving thanks to God for saving his life. However, all Christians have had a near death encounter. Apart from Jesus we were near death, “For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:56-57).

The Apostle Paul concludes 1 Corinthians 15, his great proclamation of the victory won by Jesus over sin and death, with a call to “be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58). The writer of Psalm 116 includes this same theme through four “I will” statements:

“I will lift up the cup of salvation

    and praise the Lord’s name for saving me.

I will keep my promises to the Lord

    in the presence of all his people.

I will offer you a sacrifice of thanksgiving

    and call on the name of the Lord.

I will fulfill my vows to the Lord

    in the presence of all his people—“

Psalm 116:13-14, 17-18 

My Takeaway: I believe these four “I will” statements are good counsel for every day of our lives.

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2023 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Lord Remembers Us

Meditations on Christ in the Psalms

January 17, 2023

The Lord Remembers Us

The Lord remembers us and will bless us.

    He will bless the people of Israel

    and bless the priests, the descendants of Aaron.

He will bless those who fear the Lord,

    both great and lowly.

Psalm 115:12-13

The themes in Psalm 114 are carried forward to Psalm 115. (In some of the older manuscripts, Psalm 115 was included in Psalm 114.) In Psalm 115, the psalmist contrasts the nature of Israel’s Living God against the inanimate pagan gods, thus emphasizing the faithfulness and trustworthiness of the LORD.

I believe there are times in the life of all Christians, when the Lord seems distant, silent, and absent from our life. As much as we want our God to protect and provide for us, into every life comes the despair carried by terminal illness, lost jobs, foreclosure, divorce, and a myriad of other crises. It is to this place in our lives that the psalmist speaks:

  “The Lord remembers us and will bless us.

    He will bless the people of Israel

    and bless the priests, the descendants of Aaron.

 He will bless those who fear the Lord,

    both great and lowly.”

Psalm 115: 12-13

In these times, the Holy Spirit will remind us that “faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see” (Hebrews 11:1). This psalm affirms that as the children of God, we will live forever, and God is not limited to just our mortal lives to fulfill His promises. As we wait in faith for God’s blessings, our hope is an eternal hope.

My Takeaway:

“The dead cannot sing praises to the Lord,

    for they have gone into the silence of the grave.

 But we can praise the Lord

    both now and forever!

Praise the Lord!”

Psalm 115:17-18

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2023 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

How Different Would Our Lives Be?

Meditations on Christ in the Psalms

January 16, 2023

How Different Would Our Lives Be?

When the Israelites escaped from Egypt—

    when the family of Jacob left that foreign land—

the land of Judah became God’s sanctuary,

    and Israel became his kingdom.

Psalm 114:1-2

Psalm 114 is a celebration of God’s presence with His people, the Israelites.

For almost one thousand years, Israel was blessed with the presence of the LORD in her midst. God’s presence was manifested through Moses when he pleaded with Pharaoh to release the Israelites from slavery. After the Israelites were released and crossed through the Red Sea, God was made manifest as a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. The Israelites constructed the Ark of the Covenant as a depository for the stone tablets, whereon God had inscribed the Ten Commandments. The Ark represented the presence of God wherever the Israelites traveled. When Solomon built the Temple, the Ark was placed in the Holiest of Holies of the Temple. When the Temple was destroyed in 586 B.C., the abiding presence of God in the midst of Israel was lost. When the Israelites returned to Jerusalem after the Babylonian captivity, they longed for the coming of God’s Messiah, knowing one of the missions of the Messiah was to restore the presence of God in the Temple.

What has distinguished the people of God from every other form of religion in the world is the actual, abiding presence of the Living God. In Psalm 121, the psalmist asked a rhetorical question, “I look up to the mountains—does my help come from there?” Looking to the mountains was his way of contrasting God with the worshippers of the pagan god Baal, who believed Baal lived in the mountains. The psalmist answers his question with “My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth!” (Psalm 121:1-2) The best contrast between Israel’s Living God and Baal, who was worshipped by the Canaanites, is in the great story of Elijah and the Prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18:17-40).

Jesus, the Messiah of God, did restore the Temple of God. However, it is no longer a building of stone: “Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16). Still today, the followers of Jesus are not distinguished by our church buildings, liturgies, or good deeds. We are distinguished through justification by faith and thus, the presence of the Living God is with us: “For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them” (Matthew 18:20).

My Takeaway: How different would our lives, our churches, our worship be if we believed this?

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2023 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Our Never-Ending Praise

Meditations on Christ in the Psalms

January 13, 2023

Our Never-Ending Praise

Who can be compared with the Lord our God,

who is enthroned on high?

Psalm 113:5

Prayers do not have to be long. Some of the most profound prayers are quite simple in form and short in length. Psalm 113, with just nine verses, is an excellent example of this. Not only is it short and direct, but it is also timeless in its depth.

Psalm 113 is a part of the praise psalms: 113-118 and 120-136. These psalms were used in the great festivals of Israel, and Psalms 113-118 were sung in homes during the Passover. However, Psalm 113 finds its ultimate fulfillment in the Gospel of Luke.

Psalm 113 is structured on the contrast between high and low, as verses 5 and 6 demonstrate:

“Who is like the Lord our God,

   who is seated on high,

 who looks far down

   on the heavens and the earth?” (NRSV)

Luke follows this pattern early in his Gospel when Mary’s Magnificat proclaims,

“for he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant.

   Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;

He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,

   and lifted up the lowly;”

Luke 1:48, 52 (NRSV)

The parable of the rich man and the beggar Lazarus is an excellent example of God lifting up the lowly. (Luke 16:19-31) This contrast can also be seen in the parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32), and the parable of the tax collector and the Pharisee in the Temple praying. Jesus concludes this parable saying, “I tell you, this man (tax collector) went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted” (Luke 18:9-14 NRSV).

Finally, the barren woman in the psalm (v.9) finds fulfillment in the miraculous pregnancies of Elizabeth and Mary. (Luke 1:11-17 and 26-38).

There is a great tendency in our culture to think in terms of, “What have you done for me lately?” We can guard against our cultural values influencing our prayers by turning to the Scriptures, such as Psalm 113, and the Gospel of Luke, to help us pray.

My Takeaway: On Christmas Eve, Cheryl and I began watching The Chosen. In episode two, the celebration of Shabbat was depicted and included prayers of remembrance of God caring for His people over one thousand years previously. This has prompted me to be aware of the context of my prayers. Does my memory extend beyond my own birth?

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2023 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.