Skip to main content

Psalm 102:23 - Preparing for uncertain future - Day 161

Good afternoon saints,

Thinking about the "multitudes of blind and lam" at the pool of Bethesda who were not healed that we heard about in Jonathan's sermon yesterday.  We don't know, but did the one who was healed physically but also saved go back and tell his friends about the new life Jesus had given him?  Somewhat similar to the psalmist.  Biggest problem appears to be physical condition.  In reality it is the spiritual problem.  The miracle of rebirth is ultimately of more value that miracle of healing.  Will we go and tell our friends about this rebirth that God offers to them?

Blessings,

Jeff

Psalmist returns to consideration of his plight. 1-11 uses lauage of lament, 12-22 look to the hope of deliverance.  The back an forth between life on earth or life in heaven.  Calls to mind Paul in Philippians not sure if he will choose life or death while he sits in prison.  Spurgeon says the Christian should not dread death but it is not wrong to love life. Keller says God hears the prayer but refused the request.

v25-27 are cited in Hebrews 1.  The glimmer of eternity in this Psalm is just a shadow of the reality.

Seems that the purpose is to prepare us for the days described by the psalmist and remind us of the sovereignty of God.  For example, sthletes prepare for game day. There is consideration of what difficulties they may face and how to respond.  Obviously, the plan is always to win. Practice builds confidence in being successful.  A great game plan that is not practiced is not going to be successful.  Have I "practiced" God's game plan for life?  Have I meditated on His Word to prepare for the schemes of the evil one, or do I blissfully wander into the traps and wonder why God not save me from them?

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Revelation 22:3-5 Final and eternal restoration - Day 365

Dear saints in the Lord, Congratulations!  You made it.  We have been through much turmoil in the last year ('20-'21).  But God is faithful to His promises.  I trust that you have been blessed in your reading and have drawn closer to God.   Since we didn't get the blog up and running at the beginning of the challenge, I am going to go back and post entries to cover that first month or so.   Blessings, Jeff Nothing accursed in the city of God, the new Jerusalem.  The presence of sin will be gone.  I am working on memorizing Westminster Shorter Catechism and currently on question 82.  Is any man able perfectly to keep the commandments of God? No mere man since the fall is able in this life perfectly to keep the commandments of God but does daily break them in thought, word and deed. I think our passage today points to the truth of this question.  Do you notice how this answer is not exactly the same as the question. "Any man" bec...

Malachi 2:10-12 Here we go again!! Day 363

Good afternoon friends, As we draw to the end of the Old Testament, we see that Judah has rebuilt the temple and the walls of Jerusalem, but they are following in the footsteps of faithless fathers and not in the footsteps of Abraham and ultimately God.  The exile was a low point, but now a new low is about to happen.  The prophetic voice has once again become warning and not encouraging. Faithful reading and preaching of the word is all that keeps us from losing our way.  May we be faithful in our generation. Blessings, Jeff I am sure I have mentioned this before, but it bears repeating.  The section summary, chapter and verse are not in the original language.  They are all rather modern inventions to help us.  For example, the section title here is "Judah profaned the Covenant".  That is OK as far as it goes, but which Covenant?  So let's take a look. Observations Starts with 3 questions but who is asking the questions and to whom are they addre...

2 Chronicles 33:7-9 Thoughts on Davidic covenant - Day 362

Good morning faithful readers, The finish line is in sight!!!  One of the themes of scripture is that God is a covenant keeping God.  There are many between God and man. Adam, Noah, David are examples.  Covenants are more than promises.  They are made between a superior and inferior with conditions for each side and blessing and penalties based on keeping the conditions.  These are covenants of works which fallen man was unable to keep.  Thanks be to God that the Father made a covenant of grace with Christ, the second Adam, which he fully kept. Blessings, Jeff The promise in v8 was made to David when he had planned to build the temple and God promised to build him a house forever. (2 Sam 7:10).  Seems like there are only two possibilities about Manasseh's disobedience.  Either he knew of this covenant that God had made with his 13th great grandfather and chose to disregard it, or he didn't know of it and was unaware of the penalty.  Let's con...