Praise God!
Today’s Reading – Psalms 146 – 150 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Matthew 27 – 28; Psalms 66 – 70; Proverbs 14)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 89:1
Read the “0714 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
“Praise ye the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power. Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness. Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp. Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs. Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals. Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.” – (Psalm 150:1-6)
“Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands: Sing forth the honour of his name: make his praise glorious.” (Psalms 66:1-2)
I remember visiting Solid Rock Baptist Church years ago, and Pastor Clark had noticed some teenagers that weren’t singing. He rebuked them, saying, “Open your big fat mouth and praise God”. I will never forget it, and I often want to shout the same thing at our church.
It is interesting how many times the word praise is used in the Psalms. In fact, every psalm that we have read this morning mentions the word “praise” several times. The Lord deserves our praise. We should praise him first because of who He is; and then because of all that He’s done for us. We should praise God all the time, but it is especially important to praise the Lord in the church house. We can praise Him through our singing, and in our prayers and testimonies. We serve an awesome God, so “open your big fat mouth and praise God”!
Posted in Thoughts from Psalms by Phil Erickson with 2 comments.
Are You Happy?
Today’s Reading – Psalms 140 – 145 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Matthew 25 – 26; Psalms 61 – 65; Proverbs 13)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 61:1 – 3
Read the “0713 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
“Happy is that people, that is in such a case: yea, happy is that people, whose God is the LORD.” (Psalm 144:15)
Years ago, I was researching some ideas for a new gospel tract for the church. I came across one that really caught my attention. On the front cover it had a picture of a smily face with the question, “Are You Happy?” I thought that this tract would be a great attention getter for others as well; but I wondered, is it biblical? I’m not talking about the contents of the tract, which is doctrinally sound. I am talking about the concept of happiness. What does the Bible really say about happiness? I had always been taught that God’s people can be joyful, but joy is deeper that happiness. In other words, you can be joyful even when you’re not happy. I suppose that may be true at times, but I did a little more research and discovered that the Bible very clearly teaches that God’s children should be a happy people. Don’t misunderstand, I am not saying that there will be times in our lives when we are sad; and to some degree I think feeling sad is good for us and part of our complete emotional makeup. But, for the most part, we who are saved ought to be the happiest people on the planet. Why? Because we have an awful lot to be happy about.
Consider what the Word of God says about happiness:
“Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty:”(Job 5:17)
“Blessed is every one that feareth the LORD; that walketh in his ways. For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee.” (Psalm 128:1&2)
“Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God:” (Psalm 146:5)
“Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.” (Psalm 3:13)
“He that despiseth his neighbour sinneth: but he that hath mercy on the poor, happy is he.” (Proverbs 14:21)
“Happy is the man that feareth alway: but he that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischief.” (Proverbs 28:14)
I could list some more verses, but I think you get the idea. Why then are so many Christians miserable, discontented people? Why are we always so negative? It’s no wonder, we are failing terribly at reaching the world with the gospel. Why should the lost world want what we claim to have with our doctrine, but fail to demonstrate in a happy, contented life. I don’t think happiness is all that elusive. I think it can be found in a right relationship with God. By that I mean that you are saved and yielded to the Spirit of God, surrendered to His will. If you are saved and still doing things your way, you are not going to be happy, because you will have an inner turmoil going on inside of you as God the Holy Spirit works to bring you into submission.
By the way, we ordered the tract, and it was a great eye catcher. We even had a special series of messages surrounding the theme “Are You Happy?”.
Posted in Devotions by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.
An Heritage of the Lord
Today’s Reading – Psalms 120 – 132 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click hereto view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Matthew 21 – 22; Psalms 51 – 55; Proverbs 11)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 51
Read the “0711 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
“3 Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. 4 As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. 5 Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.” (Psalm 127:3-5)
Psalms 120 – 134 are all “songs of degrees”, which means songs of steps or ascents. It is believed that these 15 psalms were sung by the returning remnant as they travelled back to Jerusalem from Babylon.
“And he came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king. For upon the first day of the first month began he to go up (same as the word translated ‘degrees’)from Babylon, and on the first day of the fifth month came he to Jerusalem, according to the good hand of his God upon him. For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments.” (Ezra 7:8-10)
It is also said that the Israelites would sing these songs as they travelled up to Jerusalem three times in the year for the feasts of Tabernacle, Passover, and Pentecost. Because of this some have called these psalms, Pilgrim Songs, or “songs of the pilgrim caravans”.
Four of these songs are attributed to David. (Psalms 122, 124, 131, and 133)
Martin Luther called these “the gradual psalms, songs of the higher choir”.
J. Vernon McGee also points out that there is a spiritual significance to these steps:
There is a spiritual meaning in these fifteen psalms. It is interesting that many writers of the Talmud pointed out the fact that life is like this—it is an ascent. We come to God as sinners who are away from Him, separated, and alienated. We come to Him for salvation, and having come for salvation, we go on to sanctification as we grow in grace and in the knowledge of Christ; it is a constant going up. We are to be climbing in a spiritual way. My friend, you and I ought to be farther along today than we were last year.[1]
So, these songs were not only geared for a physical ascent into a geographical city, they were also for a people who were “going up” spiritually – growing in their maturity and faith.
Introduction to Psalm 127
Notice that this particular psalm was a “song of degrees for Solomon.” Psalm 72 also was “a psalm for Solomon.
John Phillips believes that the psalm was written by Solomon, but he also states that he believed that it was added to the Hebrew Hymnbook by Hezekiah.
Wiersbe believes the psalm fits in within the historical context of Nehemiah and his re-building of the walls of Jerusalem after the Babylonian / Persian captivity.
The wording seems to indicate that this psalm was written for Solomon, not by Solomon, though many theologians attribute this psalm to him. When we consider Solomon with the first verse, we think of the building of the House of God – the Temple.
This psalm could be referred to as a family psalm. (See also Psalm 112 and 128)
This is almost the opposite of the way our culture sees children. John Phillips said this about the trend today that many couples are choosing not to have children:
Today there is a trend, even among Christians, to refrain from having children. They are not looked on as a blessing but as a burden. Nowadays so many people have heart-rending problems with rebellious children that some are suggesting it might be just as well to refrain from having children at all. After all, why spend one’s life—one’s strength, money, and emotions—bringing up children only to have them repay it all with defiance? To have them disobey, trample on one’s ideals, spurn the living God, involve themselves in drugs and sex and open sin? The chances against seeing one’s children avoid all the terrible pitfalls set for them by society today are so slim that increasing numbers of people are concluding they would be better off without them.
Then, too, the world is becoming increasingly dangerous. The superpowers are glaring at each other across the width of the world, armed with ICBMs tipped with multiple nuclear warheads. Terrorism is on the rise. Vice and violence are barely checked by society. Foul sins are accepted as permissible, even smiled upon. The church has lost its authority and most of its power. Why have children? Wouldn’t it be best to avoid bringing little ones into such a dangerous world? It is an appealing philosophy and it is occurring to many.[2]
Mrs. Wesley did not think that way. John and Charles Wesley were number 13 and 17 of Susannah Wesley’s children. What would the world be like without these two giants of the faith?
You will recall that God promised Abraham in the Abrahamic covenant that he would have innumerable offspring:
“And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.” (Genesis 15:5)
Notice the reference in v. 4 to arrows. It takes a great deal of skill to learn how to direct the path of an arrow accurately, and it takes a great deal of diligence to raise godly children in this sin-cursed world. The world is trying to mold them into its box, the devil is constantly on his mission of deceiving, and the child’s own flesh is working against what the spirit of God is trying to do:
“For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.” (Galatians 5:17)
It takes a great deal of love mixed with prayer, instruction, correction, and protection to produce godly kids:
“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”(Proverbs 22:6)
The culture that we live in would say that we are being irresponsible in this age of birth control to have a large family, but the Bible would take exception to that philosophy. My sympathies go out to those who were, or are now, unable to have children of their own.
Cindy and I have four children, and ten grandchildren. Frankly, I wish we had more. (Hint – Hannah!)
Notice in v. 5 that children will be a defense for the home and family. This was particularly true in Bible days. Notice the reference to “the gate”. The city gate was a place where business matters were discussed. (Ruth 4:1) However, in this context, the reference may very well be to the gate of the man’s property.
They will also support the family, especially the elderly parents in their old age. The Amish often build a “dawdy house” on their property for the grandparents. Sometimes, it is even attached to the house like an in-law suite.
Cindy and I are both in our sixties. We have no life insurance. We have very little in retirement savings, but we have God and we have the children that God has given us who would each not hesitate at making sure that we are taken care of.
[1] McGee, J. V. (1997). Thru the Bible commentary (electronic ed., Vol. 2, p. 851). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
[2] Phillips, J. (2012). Exploring Psalms 89–150: An Expository Commentary (Vol. 2, Ps 127:3). Kregel Publications; WORDsearch Corp.
Posted in Devotions by Phil Erickson with 3 comments.
Open Thou Mine Eyes
Today’s Reading – Psalm 119 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Matthew 19 – 20; Psalms 46 – 50; Proverbs 10)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 48:1 & 2
Read the “0710 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon
“Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.” (Psalms 119:18)
“105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. … 130 The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.” (Psalm 119:105, 130)
What a wonderful privilege it is to be able to open up a copy of the Word of God. Our reading this morning in Psalm 119 is all about God’s word. Almost every verse in this Psalm contains a word that is synonymous with the Bible. For instance, in vs. 1 – 6, you will see the words, “law,” “testimonies,” “ways,” “precepts,” “statutes,” “commandments,” and “judgments.” All of these words are references to the Word of God. They all have slightly different meanings, but together they help us to understand what the Word of God is, as well as what it does. This is a wonderful psalm, replete with tremendous truths and promises regarding our relationship with God through the Bible.
This psalm is the longest psalm at 176 verses as well as the longest chapter in the Word of God. It is another Hebrew acrostic, but it is different from any of the other acrostics that we have seen in that the 176 verses are divided into 22 sections, each containing 8 lines or verses. These 22 sections all correlate with the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Thus the first eight verses all begin with “Aleph”, the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The next eight verses (vs. 9 – 16) all begin with “Beth”, the second letter of the Hebrew alphabet; and, so on.
The writer is unknown and the historical context is unknown, but there are some clues as to the type of person that wrote it. Wiersbe writes: “The writer must have been a “high profile” person because he mentioned the opposition of rulers (vv. 23, 161; “princes” in kjv), a word that can refer to Gentile rulers or local Jewish tribal leaders (Neh. 3), and he also spoke to kings (v. 46)..”[1]
Wiersbe believes that the writer may have actually been Jeremiah. Others have speculated that it was Moses or perhaps David. We simply do not know.
There is no doubt regarding the theme of this psalm. In nearly every verse, the writer extolls his love and devotion to the Word of God. All verses, save 5 (vs. 84, 90, 121, 122, and 132) speak directly about the Word of God.
Allan Ross wrote this regarding Psalm 119:
The psalm is largely a collection of prayers and meditations on the Word of God, referred to by 10 synonyms.
“Law” (tôrâh), occurring 25 times in the psalm, denotes direction or instruction. More often the word refers to a body of teaching, probably Deuteronomy and Leviticus, if not the whole Pentateuch. In fact, in John 10:34, the corresponding Greek word for “Law” seems to include the entire Old Testament.
“Word” (dāḇār) occurs 20 times in the psalm. It is a general term for God’s revelation, but the “Ten Commandments” are called “Ten Words” (literal Heb., Deut. 4:13).
“Saying” (’imrâh) occurs 19 times. It is often a poetical synonym for dāḇār.
“Commandment” (miṣwâh) occurs (in the Heb.) 21 times in the plural and once in the singular collectively. It signifies a definite, authoritative command. It is frequently joined with the next two words.
“Statutes” (ḥūqqîm) occurs 21 times. In the Psalms it is always in the plural. Literally it means “things inscribed.” So it refers to enacted Laws.
“Judgment” (mišpoṭ) occurs 19 times in the plural, and 4 times in the singular. It represents a judicial decision that constitutes a precedence, a binding law. In the Pentateuch it referred to the laws after the Ten Commandments. The word can also mean God’s judgmental acts on the wicked.
“Precepts” (piqqûḏîm) occurs 21 times. It is a poetical word for injunctions, found only in the Psalter (always in the pl.).
“Testimony” (‘ēḏâh) occurs 22 times in the plural and once in the singular. It is a solemn attestation, a declaration of the will of God. It is a general word for ordinances that became God’s standard of conduct.
“Way” (derek), used five times in the plural and six times in the singular, is a metaphorical term describing the pattern of life marked out by God’s Law.
“Path” (’ōraḥ), used five times in Psalms, is parallel to “way.”[2]
My attention this morning was drawn to v. 18, where the psalmists asks the Lord to open his eyes so that he could understand (see) wondrous things from the Word of God. The Bible does contain a myriad of “wondrous things,” but oftentimes our spiritual eyes are not open enough to receive them. There are certainly many reasons for this but I believe one of them is the fact that we do not approach the Word of God expectantly and prayerfully, anticipating a life-changing truth. Our prayer should be the same as the psalmist every time we open up the Bible: “Open thou mine eyes.”
Everything that we need to succeed in this life is contained in the Bible. But we are missing so many principles that would guide, instruct, and protect us simply because we are not looking, because our eyes are closed. Stop approaching the Word each day as a religious ritual but rather, open it looking for the truth that you will need to help you survive, and even thrive as an ambassador for the Lord Jesus Christ. God has the answers for the problems and challenges that you will be facing today and tomorrow. They are in His Word. Ask Him to help you see them.
[1] Wiersbe, W. W. (2004). Be Exultant (1st ed., p. 102). Colorado Springs, CO: Cook Communications Ministries.
[2] Ross, A. P. (1985). Psalms. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, pp. 879–880). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
Revised 07/10/2025
Posted in Thoughts from Psalms by Phil Erickson with 2 comments.
Not Short on Truth
Today’s Reading – Psalms 115 – 118 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Matthew 17 – 18; Psalms 41 – 45; Proverbs 9)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 47:1
Read the “0709 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon
“O praise the LORD, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people. For his merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the LORD endureth for ever. Praise ye the LORD.” – (Psalm 117:1-2)
Did you ever notice that some of the most powerful messages in the Bible come out of passages of few words. For instance, Peter’s message at Pentecost, which was used of God to lead 3000 people to Christ, was only 25 verses long. The people at our church are hoping that I would learn to preach some of those short sermons. Anyway, Psalm 117 is the shortest chapter in all the Bible, but it is certainly not short on truth. This Psalm speaks about two very important doctrines in the Bible: God’s mercy, and God’s truth. It really says it all if you think about it. Through God’s mercy a way was made possible for us to receive the forgiveness of our sins; and it is because of His truth that we could find out about His mercy. What an awesome little passage of Scripture!
The context of this psalm is unclear, and the writer is unknown.
This is another of the “Halel Psalms” because it ends in “praise ye the Lord”. The Hebrew word for praise in these psalms is “halel” and the word for the Lord is “Yahh” – thus halel Yahh, Halellujah. There is also another word for praise here in the first verse. The first praise is “halel”, but the second praise is “shabach”, which means to boast or to commend.
I. The Candidates for Praise (v. 1)
A. The Countries
“O praise the LORD, all ye nations:” (Psalm 117:1a)
The word, “Nations” here means the Gentiles (see Psalm 22:23 – 28).
Throughout Israel’s history, most of their neighbors have been unfriendly towards Israel and to Israel’s God. Here, however, the call is for these Gentile nations to praise the Lord. The only way for this to happen is if these nations (Gentiles) were to call upon the name of the Lord.
We know that in the Millenium, all the nations of the earth will be praising God for His kindness and His truth because they will be receivers of them.
Today, we who know God, need to get the good news to the Nations of the world. We may not be able to save entire nations, but we may be able to reach a remnant within each nation.
“ Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the LORD. And many nations shall be joined to the LORD in that day, and shall be my people: and I will dwell in the midst of thee, and thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto thee.” (Zechariah 2:10-11)
“And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles. And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain. And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, that have no rain; there shall be the plague, wherewith the LORD will smite the heathen that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles. This shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles.” (Zechariah 14:16-19)
B. The Congregation
“praise him, all ye people.” (Psalm 117:1b)
This word has a similar meaning to the word “Nations.” It means a people, tribe, or nation. I think the reference here is to the nation of Israel.
The bottom line is that the people today who know God need to glorify God in front of the nations by boasting or bragging on Him. Someday, the world will catch up to us. Right now, too many of us are letting the world intimidate us into silence. Our praise, however, may be the very thing that God uses to bring about the salvation of the nations.
II. The Causes for Praise (v. 2)
A. His Compassion
“For his merciful kindness is great toward us:” (Psalm 117:2a)
“How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings.” (Psalm 36:7)
“Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee.” (Psalm 63:3)
His greatest merciful kindness to us was dying on the Cross for our sins:
“But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;” (Titus 3:4-6)
B. His Commandments
“and the truth of the LORD endureth for ever.” (Psalm 117:2b)
The Bible states many times that His mercy endureth for ever.
It also states that His righteousness endures for ever as well as His judgnments.
Here is Psalm 117, we learn that His truth endures forever as well:
“Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.” (1 Peter 1:23-25)
“The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.” (Psalm 12:6-7)
Conclusion
“Praise ye the LORD.” (Psalm 117:2c)
“I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.” (Psalm 138:2)
Praise the Lord. Ain’t God good.
Revised 07/09/25
Posted in Thoughts from the Psalms by Phil Erickson with 2 comments.
Unmoveable
Today’s Reading – Psalms 108 – 114 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Matthew 15 – 16; Psalms 36 – 40; Proverbs 8)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 34:6
Read the “0708 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon
“Surely he shall not be moved forever…” (Psalm 112:6)
“…his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord” (Psalm 112:7)
“His heart is established…” (Psalm 112:8)
“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 15:58)
“But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed….A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.” (James 1:6,8)
There is far too much instability among God’s people today; they just can’t seem to make up there minds as to where they stand. The Bible says about Jesus that His face was set like a flint, meaning He wasn’t budging from the will of God. Why is it that His children, however, are always moving in their doctrinal positions and in their personal convictions? We need to learn the lesson that the Psalmist taught here in the 112th Psalm.
Notice the characteristics of this unbending, righteous man spoken of here in the Psalm 112:
1 He is unmoveable about His Bible.
“[He] delighteth greatly in his commandments” (v. 1)
He is not the type of guy that changes the Bible he uses or what he believes about the Bible. He is bull-dogmatic about Bible principles. He believes and applies what God says, and doesn’t deviate off of the course that the Word charts.
2 He is gracious and full of compassion. (v. 4)
Even though you are not going to move him about what he believes, he will be gracious and compassionate with those who have not yet grown to where he is. He gives people who are heading in the right direction time to get there. He is willing to give somebody a second and third chance when they demonstrate true contrition and repentance.
3 He is generous in his giving. (vs. 5, 9)
He knows that the source of all of his wealth is God. He knows also that God expects him to distribute the wealth that he has given him in order to be a blessing and a help to others.
How often do we change our minds and our actions regarding our Christian walk? We need to be a little more like this man mentioned in the Psalm. We need to dig in and find out what we believe from the Bible, and then stick with it until the Lord takes us home.
Posted in Thoughts from Psalms by Phil Erickson with 5 comments.
Never Satisfied
Today’s Reading – Psalms 106 – 107 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Matthew 13 – 14; Psalms 31 – 35; Proverbs 7)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 34:1 – 4
Read the “0707 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon
“And he gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul.” (Psalm 106:15)
The Scripture referenced above has to do with the children of Israel during their wilderness wanderings. It seems that the people were always griping and complaining about their condition; always discontented about what God had provided for them. You will remember that God gave them manna from Heaven, but the people lusted after meat. God gave them what they wanted, but at what price? The Psalmist tells us they received leanness into their souls. I don’t think that God was upset with them because they had a physical hunger; but He did judge them because they put their lust for the physical above their love for Him.
How often do we put our physical, and other fleshly desires over the things of God. There is nothing wrong with food, but when we become so consumed with eating, playing, enjoying, etc. that we become negligent of the spiritual we too will suffer the consequences of a spiritual famine. I love to eat, I love to enjoy the good things that God has given us to enjoy in this life, but I don’t want to trade off the spiritual blessings that God has for me because of an over-appetite for the physical.
Notice the historical reference of this event from Numbers 11:
“And while the flesh was yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the wrath of the LORD was kindled against the people, and the LORD smote the people with a very great plague.” (Numbers 11:33)
Our flesh is enemy # 1. If we are not careful, we will allow our flesh to take over our lives. We may be physically fat, but we will also be spiritually famished.
Posted in Thoughts from Psalms by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.
So Great Is His Mercy
Today’s Reading – Psalms 103 – 105 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Matthew 11 – 12; Psalms 26 – 30; Proverbs 6)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 25
Read the “0706 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon
“He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.” – (Psalm 103:10-12)
I had a good friend who was an evangelist and is in Heaven now, and every time I asked him how he was doing, he always said, “better than I deserve”. He was right. He didn’t deserve to be doing as good as he was doing, but God had been very good to him; and He’s been good to me as well. Today’s passage teaches this truth, which is perhaps the most wonderful truth in the entire Bible: that God is merciful to sinners. Of course, I must be clear to point out that this truth only applies to sinners who have received the gift of salvation through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
There is a principle in the Bible called sowing and reaping, which basically teaches that we will reap in judgment what we sow in sin. But for the Christian, this principle does not completely apply. Those of us who are the children of God will never reap in judgment what we sowed in sin. The judgment of our sin was reaped by the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary. He suffered for what I sowed. Now, to be sure, there will always be corrective consequences for sinful behavior in this life, and perhaps even the loss of reward in eternity for the disobedient Christian, but we will never get what we truly deserve for our rebellion against God. God is merciful. He has removed our sins. He truly has made them white as snow. (Isaiah 1:18) All our past sins are gone completely, and He will not “impute” any new sins to our account. (Romans 4:8) What a wonderful God we serve! Have you taken time today to thank the Lord for His mercy? Have you told the Lord how much that you appreciate what He did for you on the Cross? Think about it: if you and I received what we deserved we would be burning in the Lake of Fire right now, but our God is merciful to those who come to Him in repentance and faith. Praise His Name!!
Posted in Thoughts from Psalms by Phil Erickson with 3 comments.
Happy Birthday America
Today’s Reading – Psalms 90 – 95 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Matthew 7 – 8; Psalms 16 – 20; Proverbs 4)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 19
Read the “0704 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon
Read previous posts from this passage – “A Penny for Your Thoughts” and “Are You Thriving or Just Surviving?”
“And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. …If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” (John 8:32; 36)
Praise the Lord for America! This is the greatest nation on the face of the earth. When I think about Independence Day I am filled with praise and gratitude to our God for three specific things:
1 I thank the Lord for Jesus who died on the cross for my sins, giving me liberty from the Law and from the bondage of sin. To think that Christ would love someone like me is really beyond my comprehension.
2 I also thank the Lord for the men and women of God throughout the centuries who have given their lives delivering the message of salvation. I could not be saved today if it weren’t for people who sacrificed greatly communicating the truth of God’s Word.
3 Finally, I am filled with gratitude for the men and women who have given their lives for the cause of freedom here in America. With all of her faults, America is by far the best place in the world to live. I can carry my Bible here; I can open it on any street corner and proclaim the glorious name of Christ. I have the freedom to worship God here according to the convictions that God has given me through His Word. I do a lot of complaining about the direction our country is heading sometimes but today I am going to lay aside all of the negatives and be thankful for the blessing of America!
One more thing. I am going to think today about what sacrifice I can make to send the message of Christ to not just America, but to every living, breathing soul on this earth.
Thank you Jesus for setting me free from sin. Thank you America for giving me the freedom to thank and serve Jesus.
Posted in Thoughts from Psalms by Phil Erickson with 5 comments.
Ain’t God Good
Today’s Reading – Psalm 86 – 89 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Matthew 5 – 6; Psalms 11 – 15; Proverbs 3)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 18:3 & 46
Read the “0703 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon
“For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.” (Psalms 86:5)
This morning’s passage contains a very simple, yet also very profound truth, which is perhaps the greatest truth in all of Scripture. God is good. God is better than good, God is awesome. We sing the song sometimes, “Ain’t God Good,” and He is. It may not be proper English, but it certainly is sound doctrine. Consider the following verses:
“O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.” (Psalms 34:8)
“For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.” (Psalms 100:5)
“Praise the LORD; for the LORD is good: sing praises unto his name; for it is pleasant.” (Psalms 135:3)
“The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.” (Psalms 145:9)
“The voice of joy, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the voice of them that shall say, Praise the LORD of hosts: for the LORD is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: and of them that shall bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the LORD. For I will cause to return the captivity of the land, as at the first, saith the LORD.” (Jeremiah 33:11)
“The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.” (Lamentations 3:25)
“The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.” (Nahum 1:7)
The Lord is good for an infinite number of reasons, but in the context of Psalm 86, David declares that the Lord is good because He is merciful and ready to forgive all them that call upon Him. Over 35 years ago I heard the gospel preached, and I realized that I was a sinner that needed salvation. I called upon the Lord and He was merciful to me and “ready to forgive.” He saved me. You see, I can testify firsthand that the Lord is good. And He hasn’t stopped being good to me. He has never done me wrong one time. Ain’t God good! Can I get a witness?
Posted in Thoughts from Psalms by Phil Erickson with 12 comments.